DefenceTalkMore U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons will deploy to Poland in the coming days and weeks, a Pentagon official said here today. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak spoke yesterday, and Siemoiniak thanked the secretary for looking at options for basing, said Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman. “No decision [have […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-will-beef-up-air-operations-in-poland-58981/

DefenceTalkThe Russian Air Force is getting down to the official testing of their T-50 fifth-generation jet fighter in what is evidence that the aircraft is actually ready and can soon be passed into service. The T-50 flight tests have been scheduled to start at the Akhtubinsk flight test center in March or April this year. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russian-t-50-fighter-jet-undergoes-official-flight-tests-58979/

DefenceTalkRussia is considering halting foreign inspections of its strategic weapons arsenal, including nuclear-capable missiles, in response to “threats” from the West over the Ukraine crisis, the defence ministry said Saturday. “The unfounded threats towards Russia from the United States and NATO over its policy on Ukraine are seen by us as an unfriendly gesture that […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-warns-could-halt-foreign-arms-checks-58964/

DefenceTalkFrench President Francois Hollande said a controversial sale of two state-of-the art warships by France to Russia was still on course despite Moscow’s widely opposed stand over Crimea. The 2011 sale of the Mistral warships, worth one billion euros ($1.4 billion), was already a deep source of concern for France’s NATO and European Union allies, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/france-says-warship-deal-with-russia-still-alive-58968/

DefenceTalkA US guided-missile destroyer is en route to the Black Sea but naval officials said Thursday it was a “routine” deployment that was planned before the crisis unfolded in Ukraine. The USS Truxtun departed the Greek port of Souda Bay Thursday to carry out joint training with Romanian and Bulgarian forces, the US Navy said […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-destroyer-en-route-to-black-sea-for-routine-drills-58956/

DefenceTalkThe United States will bolster military cooperation with Poland and Baltic states to show solidarity with its allies after Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel said Wednesday. The mostly symbolic steps to expand aviation training in Poland and step up the US role in NATO’s air patrols over Baltic countries were clearly designed […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-expands-military-support-to-poland-baltic-states-58952/

DefenceTalkThe Pentagon is in fear of losing its edge in technology it has held onto for so long and is now factoring this important aspect into its budget. Worry over significant cuts in defense spending might wear down the US military, making its technological edge over Russia and China a fact of the past. This […]https://www.defencetalk.com/budget-plan-pentagon-panics-over-possibly-losing-tech-edge-to-russia-china-58948/

DefenceTalkRussia test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from a test site in southern Russia on Tuesday evening, a Russian defense ministry spokesman said. Kapustin Yar is about 450 km (280 miles) east of the Ukrainian border. The launch coincided with reports of large deployments of apparently Russia-commanded troops in Crimea, which President Vladimir Putin denied […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-test-fires-icbm-to-target-in-kazakhstan-58927/

DefenceTalkRussia’s fleet of amphibious assault ships requires extensive modernization because their service life has been largely overextended, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday. “The Russian navy currently has 19 ships of this type. They have been in service, on average, for more than 25 years,” Shoigu said at a video conference meeting with military commanders. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-to-overhaul-fleet-of-amphibious-assault-ships-58929/

DefenceTalkRussia’s aerospace defense network will consist of four subdivisions after 2015, a spokesman for the Aerospace Defense Forces (VKO) said Friday. According to Major General Sergei Yagolnikov, the aerospace defenses will include a space- and ground-based intelligence-gathering and missile early warning network, an air and space defense command, a VKO command-and-control structure, and a logistics […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-outlines-structure-of-future-aerospace-defenses-58931/