The South African military held drills with Russian and Chinese warships in the Indian Ocean, causing concern and objections from NATO and EU countries.
South Africa’s Defense Ministry said the naval exercise with Russia and China taking place from February 17 to 27 in the Indian Ocean was a “routine operation.”
Russia announced that the fleet of missile corvettes Admiral Gorshkov and oil tanker Kama would participate in the exercise. The forces will train the content of joint operations at sea, anti-piracy, and disaster response.
Author: Michael
A senior Ukrainian diplomat has stated that he is “satisfied” with the progress of Ukrainian troops being trained abroad by NATO countries as the vanguard of Kyiv’s planned spring offensive.
Kyiv’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, told reporters at a Media Center Ukraine news conference on Wednesday that Ukrainian troops are adopting specialized skills from NATO and partner nations to use against Russian troops in Kyiv’s next push.
Nearly a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday favorably described the Kyiv government’s chances of seizing the battlefield initiative against Russian forces.
“I think they will have a very good chance of making a significant difference on the battlefield and taking the initiative,” Austin told reporters after a meeting with NATO defense ministers in Brussels. “And to be able to exploit that initiative in the future.
India, keen to update its primarily Soviet-era fighter fleet in order to increase its air force, is concerned about Russian supply delays resulting from the Ukrainian conflict and is under pressure from the West to distance itself from Moscow.
The week-long Aero India show in Bengaluru concludes this Friday with the largest US delegation in the show’s 27-year history, highlighting the strengthening strategic partnership between the United States and India.
By contrast, Russia, India’s largest arms supplier since the Soviet Union, has a nominal presence.
The United States on Thursday approved the possible purchase by the Netherlands of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) worth $670 million.
HIMARS is in high demand because they were given to Ukraine last summer and have been used to hit Russian forces with great accuracy in the months since.
The State Department approved the foreign military sale, which was then published by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) and sent to Congress as the law required.
The Ukrainian army entered the war with some 800 active T-64 tanks. In the 11 and a half months since Russia expanded its attack on Ukraine, the Ukrainians have lost about half of their 40-ton T-64s.
Yet unlike the T-72 and T-80, there are not many external sources for more T-64s, unlike the other large tank types in Ukraine, the T-72 and T-80. Every T-64 the Ukrainian military loses is likely one it cannot replace.
This explains why Kyiv has been lobbying its partners for main battle tanks similar to those used by NATO.
Only five pilots have ever become triple aces. Only one did it with two different airplanes.
The post The legendary fighter pilot Robin Olds was an ace in 2 wars appeared first on Sandboxx.
U.S. Marines with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), fire an AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missile at a moving maritime target from an AH-1Z Viper during exercise Steel Knight 23, over the Pacific Ocean, Dec. 7, 2022. MAG-39 conducts sea denial operations to enable littoral operations in contested environments. Exercise Steel Knight 23 provides 3rd MAW an opportunity to refine Wing-level warfighting in support of I Marine Expeditionary Force and fleet maneuver. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Samuel Fletcher) .
The M40 and M24 sniper rifles used by the Marines and the Army are so similar that people could mistake them for the same weapon.
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Left, former Canadian sniper Dallas Alexander; right, former U.S. Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan. (Task & Purpose photo illustration).
Shawn Ryan is a retired Navy SEAL, former CIA contractor, and podcaster. Now, he can count thorn in the Canadian military’s side among his many accolades after releasing footage of the longest-distance sniper shot in history.
In a Feb.