The Israeli government has signed for two additional Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules transport aircraft to augment the four already on order, the US Department of Defense (DoD) disclosed on 3 December. A USD81.2 million contract awarded to Lockheed Martin will fund the manufacture of the fourth

Afghan National Army (ANA) artillery units are operating with a new computerised fire-control system that has been developed by Ukranian Defense Consulting (UDC). The Universal Battery Level Fire Direction System (UBLFDS) was first trialled by NATO mentor teams prior to handing over to the ANA.

Ukraine-based Aerotechnica has released details of a new mobile solid state L-band surveillance radar. The radar, known as Mobile Airport Radar Station L-band (Mobilnaya aerodromnaya radiolokatsionnaya stantsiya - MARS-L), is a decimetric wavelength system developed for an unspecified export

Russia's Stankomash has completed development of the engineering tank mine-sweeping system TMS-S. The TMS-S is mounted on the front of Russian BMR-3M armoured demining vehicles, recognisable by their raised rear roofline, providing space for the two crew and three combat engineers. The system

Key Points Despite numerous international declarations, no coherent multilateral counter-terrorism framework exists in South Asia, with bilateral ad hoc co-operation being the only effective mechanism. China has successfully institutionalised counter-terrorism co-operation in South Asia by signing

The Norwegian Army has announced that it is to form a new special unit to be known as HRS Nord (Rapid Reaction Force North) with a strength of more than 700 professional and national service personnel, and plan to be in operation by 2017. Lieutenant Colonel Steinar Dahl speaking for the Norwegian

EVENT Around 300 environmentalist activists protested peacefully outside parliament buildings in the Albanian capital Tirana on 12 November. A second protest was staged at the nearby US embassy following a diplomatic request for Albania to host and dismantle Syrian chemical weapons. The Mjekes

In a series of statements released on its Twitter account on 4 December, the Sunni Islamist militant group Liwa Ahrar al-Sunna Baalbek claimed responsibility for the assassination of senior Hizbullah commander Hassan al-Laqis. He was attacked by two gunmen as he travelled home in the Hadath district

BAE Systems is to cut almost 1,800 jobs from its UK-based Maritime - Naval Ships business, and will cease shipbuilding operations at its Portsmouth facility in 2014. At the same time, the company has reached agreement with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on a series of measures to restructure its