This article is included in these additional categories:

China | Daily Rapid Fire | Europe - Other | Industry & Trends | Iraq | Israel | Middle East - Other | Russia | USA

Russia Looks at China, Life Extensions to Soup Up Armament

For more on this and other stories, please consider purchasing a membership.
If you are already a subscriber, login to your account.
* Russia looks to China [Izvestia / RIA] to get military components it won’t be able to buy from the West. * Russia will be keeping [ITAR-TASS] its MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors in service for another 15 years. Their radar size and missile capacity makes them very useful against bombers and cruise missiles, and can give them a guiding role as part of larger aerial formations. * While the USAF has been trying, so far unsuccessfully, to retire its A-10C close support jets, Russia is considering [RIA Novosti] restarting production of its Su-25/-39. * Ukraine’s military is pressing on to try and wrestle control of Donetsk from pro-Russian rebels: NYT | The Guardian. Europe * Spain’s Civil Guard seized 127 kilos of cocaine last week from the Juan Sebastián Elcano naval training ship: Maritime Executive | El Pais [map, in Spanish]. State of the World * Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the outgoing director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency, gave a good exit interview to Breaking Defense: “[W]e’re in a period of prolonged societal conflict that is pretty unprecedented. In the Middle East, we’re starting to see issues arise over boundaries that were drawn back in the post-colonial era following World […]

* Russia looks to China [Izvestia / RIA] to get military components it won’t be able to buy from the West.

* Russia will be keeping [ITAR-TASS] its MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors in service for another 15 years. Their radar size and missile capacity makes them very useful against bombers and cruise missiles, and can give them a guiding role as part of larger aerial formations.

* While the USAF has been trying, so far unsuccessfully, to retire its A-10C close support jets, Russia is considering [RIA Novosti] restarting production of its Su-25/-39.

* Ukraine’s military is pressing on to try and wrestle control of Donetsk from pro-Russian rebels: NYT | The Guardian.

Europe

* Spain’s Civil Guard seized 127 kilos of cocaine last week from the Juan Sebastián Elcano naval training ship: Maritime Executive | El Pais [map, in Spanish].

State of the World

* Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the outgoing director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency, gave a good exit interview to Breaking Defense:

“[W]e’re in a period of prolonged societal conflict that is pretty unprecedented. In the Middle East, we’re starting to see issues arise over boundaries that were drawn back in the post-colonial era following World War I. In some regions, we’re seeing the failure of the nation-state, and to some degree the disintegration of the [Westphalian] system of nation-states […]

We saw all this connective tissue developing between these [proliferating] terrorist groups. So when asked if the terrorists were on the run, we couldn’t respond with any answer but ‘no.'”

Middle East

* AP: Kurdish pleas for weapons may finally be heard.

* USA Today: U.S. airstrikes bring early gains in Iraq.

* The ceasefire in Gaza seems to be holding [LA Times] as Israeli officials are negotiating with Hamas via Egyptians.

* Today’s video from Vice News looks at how the Islamic State enforces Sharia in Raqqa, a Syrian city where they gained a foothold [Reuters]:

One Source: Hundreds of programs; Thousands of links, photos, and analyses

DII brings a complete collection of articles with original reporting and research, and expert analyses of events to your desktop – no need for multiple modules, or complex subscriptions. All supporting documents, links, & appendices accompany each article.

Benefits

  • Save time
  • Eliminate your blind spots
  • Get the big picture, quickly
  • Keep up with the important facts
  • Stay on top of your projects or your competitors

Features

  • Coverage of procurement and doctrine issues
  • Timeline of past and future program events
  • Comprehensive links to other useful resources