DefenceTalkLuckily, the skies above the island of Benbecula, a remote Scottish outpost in the Outer Hebrides, have been clear and calm so far this October. While the systems they are here to test may be unmanned or autonomous, the various projects have brought together in Scotland several dozens of the world’s foremost experts in unmanned […]https://www.defencetalk.com/unmanned-autonomous-technologies-tested-during-first-unmanned-warrior-exercise-68443/

DefenceTalkGliding stealthily through the ocean depths, attack submarines quietly shadow their quarry, ready to strike with torpedoes or missiles. Somewhat neglected after the Cold War, they are now making a serious comeback around the world. Militaries in Asia, Russia and the United States are aggressively stepping up the development, acquisition and deployment of the undersea […]https://www.defencetalk.com/submarines-surface-as-key-tool-in-worlds-navies-68193/

DefenceTalkChina confirmed it has weapons on a disputed island in the South China Sea, state media said Thursday, as criticism grew over Beijing’s increased “militarization” of the strategically vital region. The US and Taiwan both said China had placed missiles on Woody Island, part of the Paracels chain, after Fox News reported the surface-to-air weapons […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-confirms-weapons-on-disputed-island-66821/

DefenceTalkThe South Korean navy fired warning shots Tuesday at a Chinese patrol boat that crossed the disputed maritime border between South and North Korea, military officials in Seoul said. A statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the action was taken after the initially unidentified vessel encroached on South Korean territorial waters. “It retreated […]https://www.defencetalk.com/south-korean-navy-fires-warning-shots-at-chinese-patrol-boat-66012/

DefenceTalkA US warship began a week-long port call in China Monday, a moment of cooperation as the two Asia-Pacific powerhouses jockey for position in the disputed South China Sea. The USS Stethem, a guided missile destroyer, arrived in Shanghai ahead of planned drills with the People’s Liberation Army Navy that include communications exercises and a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-chinese-navies-train-together-despite-tensions-65854/

DefenceTalkNAS PATUXENT RIVER: The Navy began initial integration testing of its Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) onto the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Aug. 12 at Patuxent River’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 facility. The program’s flight test team conducted missile load and fit checks using a mass simulator vehicle, designed to emulate LRASM, in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-navy-begins-lrasm-fa-18-integration-testing-65093/

DefenceTalkRussia and Egypt are holding their first-ever joint naval exercises, the defence ministry said Wednesday, in a bid to strengthen ties amid Moscow’s confrontation with the West. “The active phase of joint Russian-Egyptian naval exercises called The Bridge of Friendship-2015 started today in the Mediterranean Sea near the shores of Egypt,” the Russian defence ministry […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-and-egypt-hold-first-ever-joint-naval-drills-64462/

DefenceTalkCommanders of the Task Groups for the exercise, the RSN’s Colonel Ken Cheong (right) and the PLA(N)’s Senior Captain Zhang Ming Qiang (left), exchanging plaques during the Closing Ceremony onboard RSS Intrepid. The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the People’s Liberation Army (Navy) (PLA[N]) concluded the inaugural Exercise Maritime Cooperation, a new bilateral naval […]https://www.defencetalk.com/singapore-and-chinese-navies-conclude-inaugural-bilateral-naval-exercise-64317/

DefenceTalkA US F-18 fighter jet crashed in the Gulf after taking off from an aircraft carrier on Tuesday but both crew members survived without major injuries, military officers said Tuesday. The Super Hornet aircraft had launched from the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Gulf at 1330 GMT before it went down, the US Navy […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-f-18-fighter-crashes-in-gulf-crew-rescued-navy-64192/

DefenceTalkFinland said Tuesday its navy had fired warning shots at a possible submarine off the coast of Helsinki in the early hours of the morning. “During surveillance of (Finland’s) territorial integrity, the navy detected a possible underwater object at midday (0900 GMT) on April 27, 2015, within Finland’s territorial waters close to the border outside […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finnish-military-fires-on-suspected-submarine-in-baltic-64018/