Saudi Arabia’s increasingly assertive pursuit of fifth-generation combat aircraft has taken a new turn as the Kingdom eyes up to 100 Turkish-built KAAN stealth fighters, a move widely viewed as both a response to the collapse of its F-35 ambitions and a strategic recalibration aimed at reducing reliance on the United States.
In a decisive move to elevate its maritime airpower and strategic deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, the Indian government has cleared the procurement of 26 Rafale-Marine multirole fighter jets from France, a deal that underscores New Delhi’s intensifying focus on countering China’s expanding naval footprint in the Indian Ocean.
Algeria has officially joined the ranks of advanced airpower operators with the induction of the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-35 (Flanker-E) multirole fighters, as confirmed by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) on 8 April 2025—a milestone previously reported by Defence Security Asia and now corroborated by high-resolution satellite intelligence.
Probably impressed with the performance of Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones and their effective deployment by the Bangladesh Army, there are now reports suggesting that the Bangladesh Navy is considering acquiring these same drones for operational use.
In a moment that marks a significant milestone in Malaysia’s naval modernisation, the keel-laying ceremony for the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) three Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) Batch II vessels was officiated today by Navy Chief Admiral Datuk Zulhelmy Ithnain, with the Ministry of Defence Secretary-General Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali witnessing the event at Türkiye’s prominent Istanbul Naval Shipyard.
The Philippine Navy has officially commissioned its newest surface combatant, the BRP Miguel Malvar, marking a critical leap forward in Manila’s maritime force projection capabilities amid escalating tensions in the South China Sea.
The Sino-Pakistani JF-17 Thunder multirole combat aircraft is on the cusp of clinching another strategic export success, as Uzbekistan reportedly inches closer to selecting the platform to modernise its ageing air force fleet.
In a discovery that underscores the intensifying undersea intelligence conflict between major powers, British military forces have recovered covert Russian surveillance devices hidden within UK territorial waters — a potential indication of Moscow’s growing appetite to penetrate Britain’s most sensitive nuclear deterrent capabilities.
On April 7, 2025, a fleeting six-second video quietly uploaded online ignited global defence circles, offering the clearest glimpse yet of China’s elusive sixth-generation stealth fighter, the J-36, in flight.
In a significant demonstration of maritime combat readiness, the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has successfully conducted a live-fire test of an Aster surface-to-air missile from its stealth frigate, RSS Formidable, in the strategic waters off Toulon, France.