Like many African countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo is experiencing significant economic growth, around 6% per year, partly driven by the rise in raw materials on the international scene. The country is indeed a major exporter of mining products, with large reserves of gold, copper, uranium and coltan, as well as diamonds and oil. Today, Congolese exports, whether of raw materials or agricultural production, represent $22,5 billion each year, or a third of the country's Gross Domestic Product. This growth, largely supported by the many investments made by China, is however threatened by…
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British Army urgently orders 14 Archer self-propelled guns to replace AS90 sent to Ukraine
In November 2019, at the request of the British Ministry of Defence, the think tank Royal United Services Institute, made a vitriolic statement about the means available to the British Army, in particular in the field of artillery. Indeed, at that date, it only fielded 2 artillery regiments each equipped with 24 self-propelled guns of 155mm/39 caliber AS90 out of the 89 in the park, as well as 2 batteries of 6 light towed guns L118 of 105 mm assigned to the 16th Air Assault Brigade. As for the 26th Regiment Royal Artillery, it fielded 35 of the 44 unmodernized GMLRS multiple rocket launchers, which…
Read the articleWith the CVX program, will South Korea build the ideal aircraft carrier for export?
At the beginning of the 2000s, the South Korean defense industry was still in its infancy, even if it had already designed certain armored vehicles such as the K1 heavy tank, the K200 armored combat vehicle or the Donghae light corvettes. Since then, relying on significant technology transfers in connection with its acquisition and local manufacturing programs, but also on the general immobility of Western armament manufacturers between the end of the Cold War and the middle of the 2010s, Seoul rose to the podium of designers and producers of advanced military equipment, such as in the field of land combat with a family of heavy armored vehicles…
Read the articleLithuania wants to acquire 50 battle tanks to arm its new mechanized division
Like the two other Baltic states, Lithuania, which joined NATO in March 2004 and the European Union 2 months later, devotes a relatively large part of its wealth to its armies, with a defense effort reaching 2,53% of GDP in 2023, while the country shares a border of 227 km with Russia (Enclave of Kaliningrad) and 567 km with its Belarusian ally. Its armed forces today consist of 23.000 active professional soldiers, mostly in the land forces, and 28.000 reservists forming, in particular, one of the 3 brigades of the country, the light brigade of Aukštaitija formed…
Read the articleCanberra, London and Washington presented a solid strategy to equip Australia with nuclear attack submarines
The acquisition of nuclear attack submarines (SNA) by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), announced 18 months ago now as part of the creation of the AUKUS alliance between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, had raised many questions about the real feasibility of such a program, but also about the costs which will, without a doubt, be very high to allow the RAN to go from 6 conventional submarines from the Collins class to 8 SNAs of American or British design, even though the country does not have a civilian nuclear industry. The presentation, during the AUKUS Event in San Diego…
Read the articleItaly, Germany, Poland ..: all in Europe increase their heavy armored forces, except Great Britain and France
The lessons of the war in Ukraine are numerous, and sometimes come to severely undermine certain paradigms powerfully anchored in the Western defense staffs and ministries. Two of these lessons directly concern the fleet of tanks and heavy tracked armored vehicles, considered until a few months ago as too vulnerable, heavy and expensive for a debatable relative operational effect. It is now clear that not only are battle tanks and tracked infantry fighting vehicles indispensable for both offensive and defensive manoeuvre, including in urban theatre, but that despite this key role, they remain vulnerable, even …
Read the articleStrategy unveiled regarding Australia's acquisition of nuclear attack submarines
Following the end of the SEA 1000 program awarded to the French Naval Group for the construction of 12 conventionally powered ocean-going submarines, and the announcement of the formation of the AUKUS alliance bringing together Australia, Great Britain and the States, one of whose objectives was to provide the Royal Australian Navy with nuclear attack submarines, speculation has been as numerous as the denials of the Canberra authorities. For many observers, indeed, and not without objective reasons, this changeover operated by Canberra would be both very difficult and very expensive to implement, not to mention the many technological and industrial ruts that it…
Read the articleIs there a pilot for the French defense industrial strategy?
With the return of war in Europe and the rapid deterioration of tensions between major military powers in Asia and the Middle East, the French defense industry found itself, in a few months, a major center of interest both for media than for a number of political personalities who seem to discover the state of disrepair of the stocks of ammunition and spare parts of the armies, or the manufacturing delays of certain equipment such as the Caesar cannon. Not a week now goes by without an announcement concerning the defense industry, the armies or the next military programming law, as well as the comments that…
Read the articleThe US Air Force is reducing its next tanker order to prepare for the arrival of next-generation Tankers
A few days ago, the US Air Force announced the first order paving the way for a future order for 26 E-7A Wedgetail early warning aircraft to partially replace its 34 E-3 Sentry which entered service between the end of of the 70s and the mid-80s, and which are beginning to noticeably mark the weight of the years. If this order will indeed make it possible to renew a critical capability for American air power, it is also significant that the US Air Force has favored, with this decision, a relatively economical solution based on an aircraft initially designed for export by Boeing. Obviously,…
Read the articleCan the future standard Rafale F5 evolve into a Super Rafale?
A few days ago, the first Rafale to the F4.1 standard was delivered to the Military Air Expertise Center, or CEAM, at Air Base 118 in Mont-de-Marsan. This new standard will equip the Rafale with new expected capabilities, such as the helmet sight, new air-to-air and air-to-ground modes of its engagement system, extended data fusion and a completely modernized SPECTRA self-protection system. . In addition, the device will be able to implement new ammunition such as the short and medium range air-to-air missile MICA NG which promises to be the best in its category, as was the MICA at the beginning of the…
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