Global defense news, analysis and opinion

Indian MiG-29 catches fire at Goa airport after leaving runway on takeoff

An Indian MiG-29K aircraft caught fire after leaving the runway while taking off at Goa's Dabolim International Airport

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Norway suspends arms exports to UAE over Yemen war

Norway announced it has suspended arms and ammunition exports to the UAE because of the nation's involvement in the Yemen war.

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US airstrike against al-Shabaab in Somalia kills 2 and destroys car bomb, Africom says

A United States airstrike targeting al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab in Somalia killed two people and destroyed a car bomb near the capital Mogadishu on January 2, the U.S. military’s Africa Command said in a statement. “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. forces conducted an airstrike against al-Shabaab militants in the early morning hours of Jan. 2, 2018, approximately 50 kilometers west of the capital, killing two terrorists and destroying one vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, preventing it from being used against the people in Mogadishu,” Africom said in a Wednesday statement. The command said no civilians were killed in the strike. The strike is the latest in an increasing number of U.S. airstrikes against al-Shabaab and Abnaa ul-Calipha, Islamic State’s affiliate in Somalia. On December 27, an airstrike against al-Shabaab west of Mogadishu destroyed a car bomb and killed four people. Three days earlier, an airstrike targeting al-Shabaab in southern Somalia killed 13 people. On December 15, an airstrike 30 miles northwest of Kismayo killed eight people. Three days earlier, on December 12, a U.S. airstrike targeted an al-Shabaab car bomb near Mubarak, 65 kilometers (40 miles) from Mogadishu. On November 27, Africom targeted Abnaa ul-Calipha in northeastern Somalia. A week earlier, the command said an airstrike killed more …

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Russian military Mi-24 helicopter crashes in Syria, killing pilots

A Russian military Mi-24 helicopter crashed in Syria, killing both pilots, a crash the defence ministry blamed on a technical fault.

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India to buy $270 million-worth of Israeli missiles and Russian bombs

India is to buy Barak surface-to-air missiles from Israel and precision bombs from Russia in deals worth $270 million, the Indian ministry of defense said

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Civilian casualties in Iraq remained steady in December

The number of civilians killed and wounded in Iraq in December rose slightly from the previous month, a figure that the United Nations special envoy said was disappointing

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US troop killed in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, 4 others wounded

A U.S. service member was killed on January 1 during combat operations in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, U.S. Forces Afghanistan announced in a press release.

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Smart killer robots: China’s military future could rest on artificial intelligence

China's increasing interest in artificial intelligence could signal its use in unmanned and other military technology

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Gunman kills 9 in attack on Coptic church in Egypt

A gunman opened fire on a church south of Cairo on Friday, killing at least nine people in an apparent Islamist attack on Egypt's Christian minority

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Raytheon awarded $634 million contract for AMRAAM air-to-air missiles

Raytheon has been awarded a $634 million contract for production of Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs), with many earmarked for foreign military sales

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