* North Korea to increase military exercises
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered his military to step up military drills after overseeing a firepower strike drill to demonstrate the country's ability to fight an "actual war," Reuters reported on March 10.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), leader Kim Jong-un stressed that the firepower strike units should make strict preparations to achieve the utmost perfection in carrying out the two strategic tasks: preventing war and taking initiative in war, by steadily intensifying various simulation drills.
Earlier, Yonhap quoted the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying that at around 6:20 p.m. (local time) on March 9, North Korea launched a short-range ballistic missile from the Nampo area toward the Yellow Sea.
The missile launch followed a March 7 statement by Kim Yo-jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong-un, that any move to shoot down a North Korean missile would be considered a declaration of war.
North Korea launched a ballistic missile just ahead of a large-scale joint US-South Korea exercise called “Freedom Shield” early next week.
North Korea has warned that Seoul and Washington will face swift and decisive action from the North if the two countries proceed with ambitious plans for joint military exercises.
On February 23, North Korea launched four Hwasal-2 strategic cruise missiles toward the Sea of Japan.
* The US State Department has approved the sale of E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft to Japan.
According to Defensenews , Northrop Grumman will be the prime contractor for this deal worth nearly $1.4 billion. Along with logistics services and technical support, the deal may include the APY-9 radar and the AN/AYK-27 integrated navigation display and control system that has been installed on the aircraft.
With the use of the E-2D AHE aircraft, Japan can gain a better understanding of air and naval operations in the Pacific region and enhance the operational capabilities of its E-2C Hawkeye AEW&C fleet.
Also according to Defensenews , the US State Department has approved the possible sale of 250 Javelin FGM-148F missiles jointly produced by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies to Canberra. In addition to the missiles, Australia will also purchase related equipment. The total value of this order is about 60.2 million USD. The value and quantity may change during the next negotiation process.
* The Burkina Faso army said on March 9 that it had killed 112 "terrorists" in a series of clashes in recent days.
According to TheDefensepost , along with eliminating terrorists, the country's army also destroyed and seized many weapons, vehicles and explosive devices.
The northeastern region of Burkina Faso has been hit hard by jihad. Jihadist groups now control about 40% of Burkina Faso.
Fighting has continued since the beginning of the year despite government promises of victory over the jihadists, claiming dozens of lives each week.
One of the world's poorest countries, Burkina Faso has been at war with jihadists since they overran neighbouring Mali in 2015.
* Boeing has begun production of the first 13 MH-139A Grey Wolf multi-mission helicopters for the US Air Force under a $285 million contract in an effort to replace its aging UH-1N Huey fleet.
The US Air Force plans to add up to 84 MH-139As.
Once delivered, the helicopters will be used for pilot training, airlift missions and intercontinental ballistic missile support.
The MH-139A has a 50% higher speed and ceiling and a maximum gross weight of 2,300kg compared to its predecessor helicopter.
Production of the MH-139A comes after the US Air Force test-flew the first four Boeing delivered last year.
Moving from testing to production is a significant step toward operationalizing the MH-139 and enhancing the U.S. Air Force’s missile defense capabilities, said Boeing MH-139 Program Manager Azeem Khan. Deliveries could begin in 2024.
Today's World Military column on the People's Army Newspaper sends readers the latest information on world military security and defense activities in the past 24 hours.
MAI HUONG (synthesis)
Source
Comment (0)