The German government has given the green light in principle to sell 30 armoured vehicles Dingo 2 worth about 100 million euros (132 million U.S. dollars) to Saudi Arabia, German newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported on Sunday, December 30, 2012. The newspaper cited government sources saying that Saudi Aradia could eventually purchase up 100 Dingo 2 armoured vehicles.
Monday, December 31, 2012, 01:28 PM

The Philippine’s defense chief says the government has signed separate contracts worth 163 billion pesos (about $39 million) with Italian and South Korean companies to supply helicopters and trucks as part of efforts to modernize its poorly equipped military.
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Sunday, December 30, 2012, 09:36 AM

The Government of Venezuela has planned to purchase armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery howitzer and military equipment from China, but the specific type and quantity are not yet clear. The expected purchase appears to correspond, however, with the Venezuelan Marine Corps’ plan to procure $500 million in new weapons and military equipment.
Saturday, December 29, 2012, 12:40 PM

Colombia's government has closed negotiations for the purchase of a new 8x8 APC (Armoured Pesonnel Carrier) for Mechanized Infantry Units of Colombian Army. It's the vehicle LAV III of the Company General Dynamics Land Systems that has been selected after several tests carried out last January in Colombia.
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Saturday, December 29, 2012, 11:27 AM

Brazil wil continue to invest defence budget to upgrade and modernize its precision strike technologies with the aim of developing rockets and missiles both for domestic military use and exports. A budget of $480 million initial outlay by the Defense Ministry is focused on updating Avibras' ASTROS, acronym for Artillery SaTuration ROcket System, which is able to launching multiple rockets.
Saturday, December 29, 2012, 10:34 AM

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense Industry designed several small arms this year. Informing APA about new weapons, Azerbaijani Minister of Defense Industry Yavar Jamalov said that one of them was a sniper rifle with 7.62x51 caliber designed in accordance with NATO standards. Shooting distance of the new sniper rifle is 1000 m, capacity of charger – 10 cartridges and weight – 7.1 kg.
Friday, December 28, 2012, 01:29 PM

The Armenian military reported “significant” arms acquisitions in 2012 and said it will continue to modernize its forces with precision weaponry in the coming years. “At the beginning of this year we declared that we have acquired new rocket systems capable of neutralizing active armor protection of enemy tanks,” said Artsrun Hovannisian, the spokesman for Armenia’s Defense Ministry. “This is just one example new-generation precision-guided weapons.” Friday, December 28, 2012, 09:58 AM

The Russian Defense Ministry will purchase new sniper rifles next year, Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said on Wednesday, December 27, 2012. Under the arms procurement program for 2013, Degtyarev 6S8-1 12.7-mm rifles will be bought for the Russian Armed Forces and from 2014 the ministry will start buying Dragunov 7.62-mm, VSS 9-mm and ASVK 12.7-mm rifles, as well as new optical-electronic sights he said. Thursday, December 27, 2012, 01:22 PM

Russia will restart production of railway-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), with prototypes to be deployed by 2020, a senior Russian defense industry official said on Wednesday, December 26, 2012. Work has already begun on the prototypes, which will utilize exclusively domestically-made components, the official told RIA Novosti on condition of anonymity.
Thursday, December 27, 2012, 12:36 PM

The United States Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress December 21,2012, of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Qatar for seven M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) launchers, rocket, missile systems and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $406 million.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012, 11:15 AM

According to French financial daily "Les Echos", the Saudi Arabian National Guard ordered 68 MPCV air defense vehicles from French company Lohr. Very little information is avaiblable on this specific vehicle, however Army Recognition saw it during Eurosatory 2012 back in June. We are therefore able to provide some details on this little-known vehicle.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012, 10:42 AM

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Monday, December 24, 2012, expected a possible military intervention to quash Islamist terrorists in northern Mali during the first six months of 2013. "The military intervention would be over the first half next year ... For the moment, there is no political solution," the minister told the daily La Croix.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012, 12:58 PM

India and Russia Monday, December 24, 2012, inked 10 pacts, including new defense deals worth nearly 2.9 billion U.S. dollars, during Russian President Vladimir Putin's day-long visit to the Indian capital.
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Monday, December 24, 2012, 05:42 PM

Russia’s Southern Military District has moved a step closer to adopting the new S-400 Triumf air defense missile systems, the district’s press service confirmed on Saturday, December 22, 2012.
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Sunday, December 23, 2012, 11:25 AM

For the past two weeks, in the woods of central Virginia around Fort Pickett, the LS3 Legged Squad Support System (LS3) four-legged robot has been showing off its capabilities during field testing.
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Saturday, December 22, 2012, 03:48 PM

The British Company Supacat has opened a vehicle engineering design and analysis facility in Australia as part of its contract to produce a special operations vehicle for the army. Australian Minister for Defense Materiel Jason Clare officially opened the Melbourne facility, which employs 18 design, analysis and systems engineering experts.
Saturday, December 22, 2012, 02:27 PM

Russia has offered to transfer BMP-3 combat vehicle technology to India if India cancels its project, an Indian Defense Ministry source said. This has more sense for India, as its homemade Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) can be commissioned no earlier than in ten years’ time.
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Friday, December 21, 2012, 01:26 PM

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen confirmed on Friday, December 21, 2012, that the Syrian government forces were continuing to launch Scud missiles within the last few days."I can confirm that we have detected the launch of Scud-type missiles. We strongly regret that. I consider it act of a desperate regime approaching collapse," Rasmussen told reporters at NATO headquarters.
Friday, December 21, 2012, 12:54 PM

The UN Security Council has unanimously approved plans for an African-led military intervention in Mali aimed at reunifying the embattled North African state. The resolution, approved in New York on Thursday, December 20, 2012, afternoon, calls for political reconciliation, elections and the training of the country's security forces before any operation is launched to reclaim Mali's northern areas.
Friday, December 21, 2012, 07:51 AM

The Government of Colombia has selected the Oshkosh Sandcat Plasan 4x4 armoured vehicle, as new model of MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) for its armed forces under a development of strategy plan called "Plan Meteoro".
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Thursday, December 20, 2012, 04:05 PM

Indian scientists reported the successful test firing Thursday, December 19, 2012, of the indigenously developed nuclear-capable, surface-to-surface missile Prithvi-II with a strike range of 350 km. The Prithvi-II missile was test fired from a mobile launcher in salvo mode at the launch site in India's eastern coastal state of Odisha, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting defense sources.
Thursday, December 20, 2012, 01:50 PM

UK force levels in Afghanistan are to reduce to around 5,200 by the end of 2013, announced Wednesday December 19, 2012, the British Prime Minister. In Parliament, the Prime Minister said UK forces would shift from mentoring Afghan troops at battalion level to brigade level next year.
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Thursday, December 20, 2012, 01:20 PM

The Military Industry of Mexico and the Mexican Secretariat of National Defence, have started local production of the first batch of 100 4x4 armoured vehicles personnel carrier DN-XI for an amount of $27.1 million. The DN-XI vehicle was seen for the first time during the military parade for the celebrations of 202 years of Mexico independence.
Wednesday , December 19, 2012, 02:06 PM

Russian strategic missile forces will put in service about 100 new Topol-M and Yars missiles by the end of this year, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday, December 18, 2012. With the deployment, "the share of modern weapons in the strategic missile forces will approach 30 percent," ministry spokesman Vadim Koval told reporters.
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Wednesday , December 19, 2012, 11:43 AM

Rheinmetall has successfully tested its new 50kW high-energy weapon technology demonstrator. Conducted at the end of November, the test encompassed the entire operational sequence from target detection and tracking to target engagement. Building on a 123-year heritage, the Düsseldorf, Germany-based Group has once again made good its claim to be the global leader in high-energy laser (HEL) technology. Wednesday, December 19, 2012, 10:17 AM