The Shaanxi KJ-500 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, in service since 2015, results from more than 25 years of Chinese efforts to develop a world-class platform. With the ability to track 100 targets simultaneously, the KJ-500 has seen rapid expansion in the past decade, raising concerns among potential adversaries of China, such as the United States.
KJ-500 Features and Advances
The KJ-500 has significant advances compared to its predecessors, such as improvements in AESA radar and data link technologies.
Author: Michael
A second batch of Ukrainian soldiers completed military training in the UK, gaining hands on experience and guided tuition with AS90 155mm self-propelled gun, it was announced on 2 April.
The three-week course culminated in a live firing exercise held in the southern region of England.
This training session for artillery follows the cohort of Ukrainian personnel who completed training with the Challenger 2 main battle tank that was announced 27 March.
The Republic of Singapore Navy’s combatant craft large, seen here in the Singapore Strait. (Singapore Ministry of Defence)
A new type of combatant craft that was first unveiled by Singapore in 2021 is now fully operational, the country’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) told Janes.
The vessel, which has been dubbed the combatant craft large (CCL), is in service with the Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN) special forces formation known as the Naval Diving Unit (NDU).
Saudi Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Fayyad bin Hamed al-Ruwaili (centre) inspects a Chun-Moo multiple rocket launcher during a visit to Jizan and Najran. (Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
South Korean-made Chun-Moo multiple rocket launchers (MRLs) were seen for the first time in Saudi service on 31 March, when Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Fayyad bin Hamed al-Ruwaili visited military units deployed to defend the kingdom’s border with Yemen.
The F-35 Lightning II, America’s most advanced fighter jet, was tested in Eastern Europe during Russia’s offensive in Ukraine in 2022. US F-35A units arrived in support of NATO and accumulated valuable experience on the battlefield.
The mission in Eastern Europe
The main objective of the F-35s in Eastern Europe was to collect as much electronic information as possible from surface-to-air missiles and aircraft in the region to build a map to guide NATO operations. If the situation spreads to NATO member countries, its role would also be adding military might to defend the alliance.
Germany is procuring 227 more BvS10s under the CATV programme with Sweden and the UK (left to right: troop transport, medical evacuation, logistics, command-and-control, and recovery versions). (BAE Systems Hägglunds)
The Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, approved the procurement of 227 more BvS10 all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) under the Collaborative All-Terrain Vehicle (CATV) programme, the German Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on its website on 29 March.
Asked to provide a recipe for World War III, many historically minded analysts might mention growing belligerence by dissatisfied great powers; inconsistent system responses; and a succession of economic downturns and domestic political upheavals, followed by a short-term crisis that pushes the system to the brink. Yet a new set of risks is emerging. Today, […]
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Wagner Group
On August 1st, 2022, the small mining town of Soledar in Ukraine had apartments, buildings, and houses. Fast forward to January 10th, 2023, and it had turned to rubble.
That same afternoon, a statement on the app Telegram surfaced claiming Wagner “took control of this entire territory of Soledar.” But even though the Russian army has been fighting across Ukraine for months. This message didn’t come from them. It came from Yevgeny Prigozhin. A Russian oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Army Air Corps Wildcat helicopters may take on the manned surveillance role within the UK. (Janes/Patrick Allen)
BritishArmy Air Corps (AAC) Wildcat battlefield observation helicopters are being proposed to take over the manned surveillance role within the UK, duties currently held by Gazelle light observation helicopters.
A CH-53K King Stallion lifts a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle during an exercise. (US Marine Corps)
Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky company is preparing to increase production of its CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter following the recent achievement of several milestones, according to programme officials.
Sikorsky, which has delivered nine CH-53Ks to the US Marine Corps (USMC), including four in 2022, is poised to boost the production rate “over the next couple of years” to two a month, or “roughly 24 a year”, said Bill Falk, Sikorsky’s CH-53K programme director.