“A newly surfaced photograph of a dark grey Ilyushin Il-78 aerial refuelling tanker has renewed speculation that Russia may be preparing to supply China with a previously reported order for 20 aircraft. The aircraft carries a marking on its tail resembling part of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) insignia, although the marking is only partially visible and its intended customer has not been confirmed. Neither the Russian nor Chinese government has publicly acknowledged a contract for the aircraft. The photograph was reportedly taken as the aircraft emerged from the factory in early October, as unconfirmed reports have indicated that deliveries are scheduled for 2027 and 2028.”

I know MW Magazine is a pretty trash source, but the pic seems pretty legit. What do you guys make of this, given the current state of the Chinese tanker fleet?

Iranian President is on now his way to Russia to meet Putin aswell, at the time of posting. He is set to meet with both Putin and the Qatari emir tomorrow.

Greek and Israeli naval forces conducted live-fire trials in the northern Cretan Sea, testing SPIKE NLOS and ER2 guided missiles from patrol and special-operations vessels. The most dramatic part came when a Greek Type 214HN submarine used an SUT torpedo to sink the decommissioned frigate HS Bouboulina, creating a realistic target for coordinated naval training. Exercises like this can validate weapons and crew coordination—but how closely do they reflect the conditions of an actual contested battle?

Airbus executives will meet counterparts from BAE Systems to explore how the pan-European group could join the UK company’s next-generation fighter jet programme, as it seeks to chart a new course for its military aircraft business.  Executives will discuss opportunities in the coming week for collaboration between the two companies across several areas in future combat air, including the Global Combat Air Programme between BAE and its partners from Italy and Japan, according to four people familiar with the plans. They stressed that no final decisions were expected at this stage.    The talks come just over a fortnight after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the UK would be open to Germany joining GCAP. Berlin has been seeking new partners since the collapse in the summer of its own project with France and Spain, known as FCAS, after a bitter industrial dispute between Airbus and French jet maker Dassault Aviation.  An initial plan for a German-led alternative by Airbus, its Spanish partner Indra and other industrial groups has been dropped, leaving Berlin with the option of either joining GCAP or forging an alliance with Sweden’s defence champion Saab. Bringing Airbus and Indra into GCAP would not be straightforward. BAE and its partners, Italy’s Leonardo and Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, have already agreed on the key workshare elements of the programme, as well as on ownership of intellectual property. The UK, Italy and Japan have also made clear that they do not want to delay their plan to have a supersonic jet in service by 2035. “Our programme is marching on and we don’t want to affect timescales,” said one British official. The message from Burnham to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, he said, was: “Are you interested? If so, let’s get a discussion going.” Despite the industrial hurdles, Berlin’s entry would bring money — and more orders — for GCAP. Airbus also has a history of working with BAE on combat air and the two are partners on the pan-European Eurofighter Typhoon programme, which also includes Leonardo.  Mike Schoellhorn, head of Airbus’s Germany-based Defence and Space business, said in an interview this month with business paper Handelsblatt that Airbus would insist on playing a “key role” in shaping the project. “We won’t just be making the fin or a wing,” he added. That view is shared by German officials, who stress the importance of an industrial agreement that secures a “fair” workshare, not only for Airbus but also for other German industrial groups including MTU Aero Engines. At the upcoming meeting, Airbus and BAE will also discuss alternative areas for co-operation such as on autonomous “collaborative combat aircraft”, according to one of the people familiar with the plan. Another would be the so-called combat cloud — the software architecture to connect aircraft with sensors, radars, drones and satellites. Germany’s other main option is Sweden, which offers a potentially more straightforward partnership on fighters with Saab, the builder of the Gripen jet. Airbus’s Schoellhorn said in the Handelsblatt interview that his company had “always had a good working relationship with Saab” and that it could be quicker to have just “two or three” big defence groups working together rather than “five or six”. However, Saab is doing exploratory work for the Swedish government on a next-generation project that would succeed the Gripen. With the jet expected to be in service until 2060, the country is under no pressure to make a decision.  Airbus declined to comment but pointed to the recent remarks by Schoellhorn. BAE said the upcoming meeting with Airbus was “routine”, declining to comment further.

China is using lessons from Ukraine to reshape military training around FPV drones, electronic warfare, and layered counter-drone defenses ranging from nets and jammers to lasers and microwave weapons. One striking detail is the reported speed of this process: Chinese analysts identify emerging battlefield tactics within about four months, although turning them into documented training or equipment typically takes a year or more. China is clearly preparing for drone-heavy warfare, but whether these systems would work reliably against a capable opponent remains unproven.

Elon Musk..acknowledged that..SpaceX throttled the Starlink satellite internet service.

“Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be..Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week.”

..the U.S. government controlled whatever changes happened with Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink..

Philippines like to follow the Americans in many things, not a good sign for their pilots’ life expectancy.

The Royal Navy is under pressure after suffering “systematic underinvestment”..

..more than 500 instances of Russian civilian vessels loitering above vital undersea cables..mapping..to allow them to be attacked, potentially disrupting banks, hospitals, transport and mobile phones.

..a report from MPs warned the Royal Navy has lost its ability to fight beneath the ice c….last Navy exercises..in 2018 and the last submarine capable of doing it retired in 2024.

..concerns about a shortage of Navy captains..last year..not a single submarine commander made the cut.

“We shouldn’t forget energy cables and pipelines. Oil and gas..we need to build redundancy and put protection measures in place..”

“..must improve ship and submarine availability, should accelerate..new Type 26 and Type 31 frigates, and deliver more autonomous vessels..”

..introduced two new multi-role ocean surveillance ships, HMS Stirling Castle and RFA Proteus, which are tasked with monitoring and protecting the cable network.

The AIP went into production. Minor news, since going back into service deserves a post, but since there were questions in the previous post of AIP, some months back, I'm making this basically as a followup

INS Khanderi ( 2nd submarine of the class) is expected to undergo MLU next year and would recieve the AIP, with trials beginning by the end of 2027. Subsequently, each submarine will undergo refit annually.

INS Kalvari, the lead ship, missed the refit cycle and is unlikely to receive the upgrade until the 2030s.

The AIP system uses PAFC technology which instead of storing hydrogen, it uses liquid fuel such as ethanol/ methanol, which is converted into hydrogen gas by a reformer. This hydrogen reacts with stored liquid oxygen in the fuel cell to generate electricity for propulsion and onboard systems.

Advantages are that it avoids storing large quantity of hydrogen which as a rrsult reduces risks; and it uses liquid fuels that are easier to handle and can utilise existing naval fuel infrastructure.

Disadvantages:

It's complex system, and it's difficult to develop

Lots 41 through 47. Over five years, with two optional years. 1,900 AMRAAMs a year.

This year, venture capital funding for European defense start-ups is projected to quadruple to €10.5bn ($11.8bn), with about three-quarters going to drone development and manufacturing.

..spurring demand for..a set of critical minerals, including gallium for semiconductors, germanium for optics, rare-earth elements for brushless motors, and cobalt and graphite for batteries..

..only use these minerals in small or even trace quantities, sourcing is..at risk of disruption..significant supply chain diversification can be achieved by focusing on refining and recycling when feasible.

The EU has already begun..initiatives like the 2024 Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and the 2025 RESourceEU Action Plan..

..announced 46 “Strategic Projects” under the CRMA, of which 30 focus on refining and recycling. The goal is to ensure capacity meets at least 10% of the EU’s consumption for extraction, 40% for processing, and 25% for recycling by 2030.