Wednesday, November 19, 2025

World Defence News | International Global World Defence army military security industry news

 

On 17 November 2025, Russian media released the first verified footage of a miniature flamethrower robot operating on the Sumy axis of the war in Ukraine, showing a tracked unmanned vehicle striking Ukrainian positions in a tree line. 
The system, described as a robotic flamethrower complex based on the NRTK “Courier” platform, marks a new step in Russia’s use of ground combat robots, as reported by Rossiyskaya Gazeta. 
The video itself was published by the Telegram channel “Arkhangel Spetsnaz”, which presented the compact machine as a “small Solntsepek”, echoing the nickname of Russia’s heavy thermobaric artillery systems. 
The appearance of this unmanned flamethrower underlines how the front in Ukraine has become a laboratory for robotic warfare and the rapid weaponization of existing platforms. Read Full Defense News At this Link.

The modified Courier system is a compact tracked unmanned vehicle fitted with a roof mounted Shmel thermobaric rocket module that delivers short range incendiary or blast focused strikes through a remotely operated, sensor guided launcher block (Picture Source: Russian Social Media)
 

The White House announced on November 18, 2025, that U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman finalized a Strategic Defense Agreement that includes Saudi Arabia’s intention to purchase nearly 300 American-made M1 Abrams main battle tanks. 
Framed as a way to build up Saudi defense capabilities while sustaining U.S. jobs, the tank sale is embedded in a package that also raises Saudi investment in the United States to almost 1 trillion dollars and formalizes Riyadh’s reliance on American defense technology. Read more...

The M1A2 Abrams offers a 120 mm high-precision gun, advanced thermal sights for true hunter-killer engagements, heavy composite armor with protected ammunition storage, and a 1,500 hp turbine engine that delivers exceptional mobility in desert operations, making it one of the most survivable and lethal main battle tanks in service (Picture source: U.S. DoW).

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) published on November 18, 2025, that the U.S. State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Ukraine for Patriot air defense system sustainment valued at 105 million dollars. 
Coming as Russia renews large-scale missile and drone strikes on Ukraine’s cities and power grid, the package is aimed squarely at keeping Kyiv’s existing Patriot shield on the line rather than adding new batteries. Read more...
Patriot batteries give Ukraine high-altitude defense against Russian ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles using advanced radar and PAC-2/PAC-3 interceptors (Picture source: Dutch MoD).

In a press release dated 18 November 2025, the British Royal Air Force confirmed that 120 Squadron has begun a new deployment of P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to Keflavik Air Base in Iceland, placing one of the UK’s frontline submarine-hunting units back on familiar ground in the North Atlantic. 
The detachment, integrated into NATO tasking, will watch the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap, track Russian submarine and surface activity, and provide an armed air presence over some of the busiest and most strategically exposed sea routes linking North America and Europe. Read more. 

A Poseidon P-8A maritime patrol aircraft sits on the apron at Keflavik Air Base in Iceland. (Picture source: British MoD)

As the 2026 edition of World Defense Show (WDS) approaches, Saudi Arabia is openly positioning Riyadh as a long-term meeting point for the global defense industry, not just a rotating trade stop. 
Held under the patronage of King Salman and founded by the General Authority for Military Industries, the third edition will run from 8 to 12 February 2026 and carry the theme "The Future of Defense Integration", bringing together government delegations, primes, SMEs, and technology players to explore how multi-domain operations and industrial localization are reshaping the defense landscape. Read more. 

World Defense Show 2026 will redefine how the global defense industry connects, collaborates, and integrates across every domain. (Picture source: WDS)
 
 

Ukraine’s General Staff has publicly confirmed that its forces used U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles to hit targets inside Russia, ending months of operational constraints that had largely frozen such cross-border strikes.
 

At Dubai Airshow 2025, the Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement and MBDA recast their partnership as a full missile ecosystem project rather than a single product reveal. Building on the 2023 Missile Engineering Centre in Abu Dhabi, the two sides announced the creation of MBDA UAE, a locally anchored entity that will steer joint developments, while committing to develop and manufacture in-country a loitering munition based on France’s R2-120 Raijin airframe already shown at IDEX and SOFINS.
 

The Turkish defense software company HAVELSAN announced on 18 November 2025 that the Pakistan Navy corvette PNS Khaibar has completed live-fire trials under the PN MILGEM program, using the ADVENT combat management system to deliver direct hits during shore bombardment with its 76 mm main gun and repeat that accuracy with the Aselsan STOP 25 mm remote-controlled stabilized gun.
 

Ulbrichts Protection presents its new products on November 18, 2025, at Milipol Paris 2025. The Austrian specialist is unveiling a new generation of screwless ballistic helmets built around three flagship products: the ZENTURIO First Responder, the FORTIS VPAM 8 modular shield and the OPTIO Superlight high-cut.
 

On 19 November 2025, China’s United Aircraft Group confirmed that its R6000 large tiltrotor uncrewed aircraft system has entered flight testing, marking a new step in the country’s ambitions in advanced vertical-lift aviation, as reported by United Aircraft Group and a video published on Chinese social media. Early footage shows the aircraft performing a tethered hover, underscoring how quickly a six-ton-class tiltrotor drone has progressed since it first appeared publicly only a year earlier.
 

As reported by Sugar_wsnbn on November 15, 2025, China has likely equipped the Type 071 landing dock ship Qilianshan (985) with the LY-1 high-energy laser, marking the second vessel in the class to receive the system after its sister ship Simingshan (986). Imagery shows that the Qilianshan carries a rigid rectangular enclosure at the installation point, replacing the soft protective housing seen on the first integration.
 

On 18 November 2025, new images of Russia’s Orion reconnaissance and strike UAV armed with two Kh-BPLA laser-guided missiles began circulating on Russian social media, as reported by Russian social media channels and reposted by OSINT accounts on X. These photos appear to show a fully weaponized configuration of the medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drone that until now had mainly been associated with light guided bombs and test articles for the Kh-BPLA.
 

On November 7, 2025, Saab shared new information about its A26 Blekinge-class submarine, describing it as the world’s first fifth-generation conventional submarine designed to meet NATO’s Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) requirements, as part of Sweden’s plan to modernize its submarine fleet and maintain a domestic underwater industrial base.
 

The German Aid to Ukraine monitoring project (GAU) disclosed on 18 November 2025 that Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger told investors at the company’s Capital Markets Day that all Skynex short-range air defense systems financed by the German government are now in Ukrainian service.
 

According to the Bloomberg agency, on November 19, 2025, South Korea is courting the United Arab Emirates with a prospective $15 billion arms package that puts the KF-21 Boramae fighter jet at center stage. President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Abu Dhabi, timed with the Dubai Airshow, produced a political commitment to build a joint value chain covering development, local production and co-export of key systems.
 

The German company Dronivo GmbH, on October 7, 2025, formally introduced its MILAN V17 fixed-wing VTOL UAV concept to the geospatial community at INTERGEO 2025 in Frankfurt, then brought the defense-focused MILAN-17 configuration to Milipol Paris 2025 for its first dedicated homeland security showing. This dual debut underlines Dronivo’s intent to bridge civil mapping and tactical ISR requirements with a single modular platform.
 

At Milipol 2025, Turkish manufacturer Repkon Defence is using the latest iteration of its RDS40 automatic grenade launcher to signal that the weapon has moved beyond showpiece status and into real operational use.
 

Images posted on Telegram in mid-November by military blogger Sergey Flash show the black airframe of a downed loitering munition laid out on a blue tarp, its rear piston engine still attached and surrounded by a distinctive four-element antenna ring.
 

At Milipol Paris 2025, Chinese firm Novasky is showcasing the NI L3K, a truck-mounted high-energy laser designed to burn down small drones skimming at low altitude around critical infrastructure. The system, installed on a Changan Hunter 2025 pickup, represents a 3-kilowatt-class directed energy weapon aimed at so-called low, slow, small threats, and follows earlier marketing to regional buyers, including Pakistan, suggesting Novasky is preparing a wider export push in the counter-drone segment.
 

During Milipol 2025, the homeland security exhibition held from 18 to 21 November at Paris-Nord Villepinte under the aegis of the French Ministry of the Interior, Chinese company Shanghai Terjin Radio Technology unveiled its PC1 handheld anti-drone system.
 

The Chinese manufacturer Novasky Technology unveiled its NI-KC300 Ultra-Short-Range Multirotor Interception System at Milipol Paris 2025 on 19 November 2025, paired with the CY200 Countermeasure Collision Drone as a containerized hard-kill solution against hostile UAVs and loitering munitions. The system is intendednull as the last layer in a multi-sensor low-altitude security network.
 

Barely days after its November 5 commissioning ceremony in Sanya, Hainan, China’s new aircraft carrier Fujian has already wrapped up its first at-sea “maritime live force training” campaign with its carrier strike group, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.
 

On 18 November 2025, U.S. Southern Command released on X new footage of U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II jets conducting live-fire training from the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean Sea, as announced by U.S. Southern Command on X.
 

During Milipol 2025, Latvian company Origin Robotics highlighted how unmanned combat capabilities are no longer reserved for large UCAVs and manned aircraft but are now directly accessible at infantry level. The company presented its BEAK man-portable UCAV configured with two PGM-18 BEAK precision-guided munitions, illustrating a complete weapon system rather than a simple drone platform.
 

Elistair announced a significant expansion of its tethered drone portfolio at Milipol 2025 in Paris, including the debut of the Khronos Dual Payload system, which combines communications and imaging capabilities in a single platform. The release confirms that the system integrates a Silvus StreamCaster 4200P tactical radio with a Nextvision DragonEye2 electro-optical camera, enabling operators to establish a secure communication relay while maintaining uninterrupted surveillance.
 

Pitagone is drawing international attention at Milipol 2025 after debuting the F-24 Big Boy barrier, a new addition to the company’s lineup of mobile anti-ram systems. Company representatives said the unit was developed in response to requests from European and Middle Eastern authorities for a barrier that balances mobility with higher stopping power. Read Milipol 2025 News at this link ...
 

Inkas Canada officially unveiled its new M1 MRAP at Milipol 2025, a homeland security exhibition in Paris, positioning the vehicle as a fresh option for agencies seeking reliable blast protection and all-terrain mobility. Company representatives highlighted upgraded hull geometry, reinforced underbody armor, and a powertrain tuned for harsh operational environments, presenting a system intended for rapid deployment by law enforcement and military partners in the United States and Canada.
 

On 17 November 2025, Raytheon was awarded a firm-fixed-price contract worth $698,948,760 for the production of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) fire units destined for Taiwan, as announced by the U.S. Department of War. This award, placed by the U.S. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, formalizes part of a broader Foreign Military Sales package intended to strengthen Taiwan’s ground-based air defence.
 

Bloomberg reported that during Dubai Air Show 2025, Steve Parker, the head of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, announced that the company has built a 40,000-square-foot facility to face the growing demand for Patriot missile seekers. The demand mainly comes from European countries, which are helping Ukraine against Russian aggression and fulfilling their stocks and magazines so as to be ready in case of a conflict.
 

On 18 November 2025, in the United Kingdom, BAE Systems, Saab, and Boeing announced the signing of a letter of intent to propose the T-7A Red Hawk as the basis for the next training system for Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilots. The information is made public in a joint corporate release that follows on from the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, which sets out the requirement for a new Advanced Jet Trainer to replace the Hawk family.
 

The Kingdom of Morocco has taken a definitive step in the comprehensive modernization of its aerial assets, formalizing a contract with Airbus Helicopters for the acquisition of ten H225M Caracal long-range tactical transport helicopters. The new helicopters, derived from the civilian EC225 Super Puma airframe but comprehensively militarized, are intended to operate across Morocco’s most demanding theaters, from Atlantic maritime approaches to the vast expanses of the Sahara.
 

On November 17, 2025, a significant joint military exercise took place in Hinterrhein. The French 5th Dragoon Regiment deployed its cutting-edge Leclerc XLR tanks to work alongside Switzerland's 17th Mechanized Battalion. This combined live-fire exercise was specifically designed to test protective measures and operational readiness in the demanding alpine conditions, a deployment officially reported by the French Army.
 

On 17 November 2025, Russia unveiled the Yak-130M with an expanded weaponry suite and upgraded avionics at the Dubai Airshow, marking a clear move to reposition the type from advanced trainer to low-cost multirole combat asset, as reported by Tass News Agency and social media posts during the Dubai Airshow.
 

As announced by the state-owned Rostec Corporation, on 14 November 2025, Russia is using the Dubai Airshow 2025 to showcase the export-oriented Pantsir SMD-E short-range air defense system, presenting the modular, missile-only variant as a dedicated answer to mass UAV attacks against critical infrastructure.
 

At the Dubai Airshow, the Czech company LPP s.r.o. presented two advanced strike systems, developed locally, as revealed by @Praisethesteph on X. The company unveiled the MTS Narwhal cruise missile and the MTS Nightray, a one-way attack unmanned aerial system (OWA-UAS) focused on stealth. Both platforms are designed and manufactured entirely in-house in the Czech Republic, marking an expansion of the country's defense technology base.
 

The Chinese state-owned Xinhua News Agency announced on November 16, 2025, that China’s first Type 076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan returned to Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai after a three-day maiden sea trial. The PLA Navy reported that engineers checked the ship’s electric, propulsion, and other core systems and achieved the desired results, and further trials will follow under the construction plan.
 

As of 18 November 2025, the United Arab Emirates is still in detailed talks with France over a joint partnership for the development of the Dassault Rafale F5 fighter jet and its associated loyal wingman combat drone. The latest intelligence notes and research confirm that Abu Dhabi is negotiating not only future aircraft purchases, but a deeper role as co-financer and industrial partner in the wider Rafale F5 ecosystem. Read more...
 

On 18 November 2025, Japan Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. Armed Forces completed a bilateral aerial exercise centered on readiness and teamwork, underlining their shared commitment to defense and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. Conducted against a backdrop of rising military activity and strategic competition in the region, the mission brought together long-range U.S. bombers and Japanese fighter aircraft in a complex combined formation.
 

The latest presentations from RTX at this year’s Dubai Airshow make one thing clear: the air defense map of the Gulf is now being redrawn around a Raytheon-centric architecture. Regional officials and company representatives describe a threat picture that is changing faster than traditional procurement cycles, shaped by cruise missile raids, massed drone attacks, and the spread of long-range strike capabilities in Iran and among non-state actors.
 

Speaking in the Oval Office on 17 November, President Donald Trump told reporters that the United States "will be selling F-35s" to Saudi Arabia, signaling his intention to approve a multi-billion-dollar fighter deal on the eve of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the White House.
 

BAE Systems Hägglunds said on 12 November 2025 that it has signed a teaming agreement with General Dynamics Land Systems Canada to field the BvS10 Beowulf for Ottawa’s Domestic Arctic Mobility Enhancement program, an effort to recapitalize the Army’s vintage Bv206 all-terrain vehicles. The partners are pitching an “off the shelf, low risk” solution that draws on Beowulf’s recent selection as the U.S.
 

According to the Rostec State Corporation, on 14 November 2025, Rosoboronexport JSC will host the single Russian exhibit at Dubai Airshow 2025, filling a 1,000 m² national pavilion and surrounding static park with more than 850 products, including over 30 full-scale systems drawn from the United Aircraft Corporation, United Engine Corporation, Almaz-Antey and Tactical Missiles Corporation.
 
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