DefenceTalkGermany said Wednesday it would hold firm on its decision to halt weapons exports to Saudi Arabia, shrugging off British warnings that the embargo could hurt European credibility and efforts to bring peace in Yemen. “The stance of the government is that we won’t deliver weapons to Saudi Arabia at the moment,” Foreign Minister Heiko […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-firm-on-saudi-arms-ban-despite-british-warning-72121/

DefenceTalkA German court Thursday fined gunmaker Heckler & Koch 3.7 million euros (USD4.2 million) and gave suspended jail terms to two of its ex-employees for illegally exporting thousands of rifles to violence-torn Mexican states. A former worker was given a suspended sentence of 17 months in prison and ordered to do 250 hours of social […]https://www.defencetalk.com/gunmaker-hk-convicted-for-illegal-arms-exports-to-mexico-72118/

DefenceTalkThe Economy Ministry has reported a 23 percent downfall in arms exports approvals in 2018, one of the biggest in years. A moratorium on all arms exports to Saudi Arabia was a major factor in the significant decline. The German government approved nearly 23 percent fewer arms exports in 2018 compared to the previous year. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-arms-exports-approvals-down-a-quarter-72054/

DefenceTalkSpiegel Online, citing official documents, reported on January 2, 2019, that the German Federal Security Council has approved the export of a Meko 200 frigate to the Egyptian Navy. The frigate, produced by ThyssenKrupp, likely costs around 500 million euros, sources told the publication. Spiegel noted that Egypt may buy another frigate from the manufacturer […]https://www.defencetalk.com/germany-approves-frigate-export-to-egypt-72003/

DefenceTalkThe State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Egypt of ten (10) AH-64E Apache Attack Helicopters for an estimated cost of $1.0 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today. The Government of the Egypt has requested to buy ten […]https://www.defencetalk.com/egypt-to-buy-ah-64e-apache-attack-helicopters-and-related-equipment-71957/

DefenceTalkTOKYO: Japan is considering buying up to 100 F-35 stealth fighters from the US for more than US$8.8 billion as it seeks to counter China’s growing military presence in the region, a newspaper reported Tuesday (Nov 27). The reported purchase comes as President Donald Trump pushes Japan to buy more military equipment and other US […]https://www.defencetalk.com/japan-mulling-purchase-of-100-f-35-us-stealth-fighters-71954/

DefenceTalkThe Romanian government has signed an agreement with the U.S. Army and transferred funding to the US government for the purchase of three additional Raytheon Patriot Air and Missile Defense Systems from the U.S. Army. As was the case with the first system, which came under contract in May, the additional units were procured via […]https://www.defencetalk.com/romania-to-procure-additional-patriot-air-and-missile-defense-systems-71928/

DefenceTalkThe Swiss government on Wednesday reversed a decision to loosen restrictions on weapons exports to countries wracked by internal conflict following outcry over the planned move. Switzerland’s government, known as the Federal Council, said in a statement at it had decided “not to amend the War Material Ordinance”. That marked a reversal from its highly […]https://www.defencetalk.com/swiss-backtrack-on-selling-weapons-to-conflict-states-71922/

DefenceTalkBulgaria’s booming arms trade continued to grow in 2017 with arms and ammunitions exports topping 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion), an official report showed Wednesday. Conflicts in the Middle East have boosted Bulgaria’s arms sales in recent years to levels not seen since the fall of communism in 1989. Arms exports in 2017 reached 1.219 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/bulgarias-arms-exports-top-1-2-billion-euros-in-2017-71919/

DefenceTalkPARIS: The French government said on Sunday it feared damage to its relations with India after former president Francois Hollande’s claims on the Rafale jet deal stirred a controversy. Hollande, who left office in May last year, said on Friday that French jet manufacturer Dassault Aviation had been given no choice about its local partner […]https://www.defencetalk.com/france-fears-damage-to-india-ties-after-hollande-fans-controversy-over-rafale-deal-71866/