DefenceTalkTehran: Iran, Russia and China will begin on Friday joint naval drills for three days in the Indian Ocean, seeking to reinforce “common security”, an Iranian naval official said Thursday. The announcement of the manoeuvres coincides with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s official visit to Moscow, where he said Tehran has “no limits for expanding ties […]https://www.defencetalk.com/iran-russia-china-to-stage-indian-ocean-war-games-77703/

DefenceTalkFleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) marked a milestone in its support of the F-35B Lightning II aircraft when it successfully completed verification of the laser shock peening process and returned the first aircraft to undergo the procedure to the fleet. Laser shock peening strengthens the aircraft’s frame without adding any additional material or weight, which […]https://www.defencetalk.com/depot-returns-1st-f-35-to-receive-modification-returned-to-fleet-77601/

DefenceTalkRussia and a number of Southeast Asian countries kicked off their first ever joint naval exercise along the Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, on Wednesday, Indonesia’s navy said. The drills come at a time of growing tensions in the Pacific, particularly around the South China Sea, which Beijing claims […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-asean-hold-first-naval-drills-off-indonesian-coast-77532/

DefenceTalkAustralia formally embarked Monday on a hotly-contested program to equip its navy with nuclear-powered submarines in a new defence alliance with Britain and the United States. Defence Minister Peter Dutton joined US and British diplomats in signing an agreement allowing the exchange of sensitive “naval nuclear propulsion information” between their nations. It is the first […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-australia-uk-sign-key-deal-in-nuclear-sub-alliance-77496/

DefenceTalkChina has built what appear to be full-scale outlines of American warships including an aircraft carrier, satellite imagery showed, possible targets to practice striking some of the most potent US weapons deployed in the Pacific. The US Navy’s carrier battle groups — centered around massive aircraft carriers — are among the most powerful weapons in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/satellites-spot-us-warship-mock-ups-at-apparent-china-weapons-range-77481/

DefenceTalkFlying above the Yellow Sea between Korea and China, a French naval crew scans the ocean surface for signs of contraband headed for North Korea. The team is part of an international mission enforcing United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang, flying surveillance trips from the US Futenma base in Japan’s Okinawa. “The UN sends us information […]https://www.defencetalk.com/the-uns-eyes-french-navy-enforces-north-korea-sanctions-77478/

DefenceTalkOn the day that two Russian fighter jets suddenly scrambled to intercept a US bomber refueling mid-air near Crimea, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was visiting three Black Sea states. The high-profile trip for the normally low-key Pentagon chief demonstrated that aside from facing down Chinese military expansion in the Indo-Pacific, the administration of US […]

DefenceTalkFormer Australian leader Malcolm Turnbull said Wednesday his successor “deliberately deceived” France when he scrapped a multi-billion-euro submarine deal with Paris in favour of nuclear-powered US or British alternatives. Turnbull, whose government approved the submarine deal with France in 2016, was scathing about the way Prime Minister Scott Morrison handled the switch, which was part […]

DefenceTalkFrance and Greece on Tuesday signed a multibillion-euro deal for Athens to buy three French warships, in an accord hailed by President Emmanuel Macron as a major boost for the EU’s defence ambitions. The memorandum of understanding for the purchase of the Belharra frigates was inked less than two weeks after France was left reeling […]

DefenceTalkThe Royal Navy said a British warship was sailing through the Taiwan Strait on Monday, a move that challenges Beijing’s claim to the sensitive waterway and marks a rare voyage by a non-US military vessel. “After a busy period working with partners and allies in the East China Sea, we are now en route through […]