On March 1, 2018, during a televised address as part of the presidential election campaign, President Vladimir Putin publicly announced the upcoming arrival, within the Russian armed forces, of 6 new weapons that will bring the world, and Westerners in particular, to “listen to Russia again,” in his words. Beyond the hypersonic weapons Kinzhal and Avangard as well as the new ICBM Sarmat, all now well known, the Russian president presented a "nuclear-powered" cruise missile, the 9M730 Burevestnik, an anti-aircraft and laser space defense system designated Peresvet , as well as a weapon that, since its presentation, arouses many…
Read the articleCategory: China Asia Pacific
Italian-British-Japanese GCAP 6th generation fighter program specializes in air superiority
Announced at the 2018 Farnbourouh air show, the Futur Combat Air System program and the British 6th generation Tempest fighter was then perceived by many experts as a proud response to the announcement of the upcoming launch of the Franco-German SCAF program in autumn 2017. And even if European partners, such as the Italian Leonardo or the missile MBDA, participated in the British program, many questions remained as to the budgetary sustainability of such a program by London. However, the political determination of the British did not waver, and the first significant investments for the development of the program were not long in being announced, with in passing…
Read the articleThe Democratic Republic of Congo aims to acquire Chinese J-10C fighters
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…
Read the articleFaced with the Chinese navy, the US Navy aims for the asymmetrical balance of power in the Pacific
A few days ago, the shipyards of Dalian, in the northeast of the country in Liaoning province, simultaneously launched 2 new Type 052D destroyers, the 27th and 28th units of this class designated within NATO under the code Luyang III, while 5 other hulls were observed at various levels of finish on this site. As with previous years, there is little doubt that 2023 will see the arrival of 7-9 new destroyers to the People's Liberation Army Navy. 157 meters long for a displacement of 7.500 tons, these ships…
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 articlePoland to develop heavy infantry fighting vehicle to support its M1A2 Abrams tanks
Will Poland, on its own, completely neutralize the Russian ground threat in the years to come? In any case, this is the question that we can ask ourselves by observing the ambitions of recruitment, defense programs and acquisition of equipment which have been announced for a year now by Warsaw. Indeed, after announcing the order for 250 American M1A2 SEPv3 heavy tanks in July 2021, the Polish authorities announced the order for 32 AW149 helicopters from the Italian Leonardo in June 2022, 3 Mièçznick frigates from the British Babcock as well as 1000 K2 tanks and 672 K9 self-propelled guns in…
Read the articleThese 7 technologies that will transform warfare by 2030
Since the start of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, many analyses, including on this site, have focused on the different lessons that these very high intensity combats have brought to light, such as the now indisputable role of the tank but also artillery, coastal or anti-aircraft defenses, and of course drones, to speak only of the technological question. And in fact, many armies have evolved their military planning in recent months precisely to respond to these lessons. This is how Poland embarked on an unprecedented effort to reconstitute a very powerful land force aligning 6 divisions,…
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 articleWhy is the cruiser once again becoming a credible option for world navies?
On July 9, 1995, the USS Port Royal entered service, the last Ticonderoga-class cruiser to join the US Navy, but also the last cruiser produced in the West, or at least designated as such. On a planetary scale, it was only followed by the Russian nuclear battlecruiser Piotr Veliki (Peter the Great), the 3rd and last unit of the Kirov class to have joined the Russian Navy in 1998 after 15 years of construction and that the last 3 units were canceled following the collapse of the Soviet bloc. Following this, none of the world's major navies produced a cruiser, until…
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 article