The latest firing of France’s ASTER B1NT air-defence missile has validated a long‑promised capability: hitting high‑speed, long‑range threats far beyond a fleet’s radar line of sight, and tightening Europe’s shield against Russian and Chinese weapons. A test shot that sends a strategic message The trial, carried out in late July on a French defence test
Lithuania has agreed a major loan to buy brand-new German Leopard 2A8 tanks, creating the first heavy armoured battalion in its history. For Vilnius, this is less about prestige and more about signalling to Moscow that the Baltic state will not be an easy target. A historic tank battalion for Lithuania Since regaining independence from
Poland has launched an unprecedented armoured build-up, signing multibillion-euro deals that will give it more tanks than France, Germany, Italy and the UK combined by 2030. The move is transforming Warsaw from a “frontline state” into a heavyweight land power inside the Alliance. Poland’s grand tank gamble At the heart of this shift lies a
The tank rolled out looked vaguely familiar, yet everything that mattered had changed: where the crew sits, how it fires, how it survives, and how long it can stay relevant. For a combat vehicle that already tops European sales charts, this new upgrade is less a facelift than a statement of intent. The Leopard that
While fighter jets and drones hog the headlines, Paris is investing heavily in something more discreet: long-range electronic-intelligence aircraft that listen, rather than shoot. With its new ARCHANGE programme, France is edging into a tiny club of nations able to field sovereign, high-end SIGINT platforms — and could soon rank fourth worldwide for this type
Belgium’s decision to buy American F‑35 fighters instead of France’s Rafale has gone far beyond a simple procurement choice, stirring accusations of “betrayal”, exposing fault lines inside NATO, and raising fresh doubts about whether Europe can ever build genuine military autonomy. How a fighter jet tender turned into a political earthquake Belgium’s ageing F‑16 fleet
That sound came from the Fujian, China’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, and it marked a move that quietly drags the country’s navy into the same technological club as the United States – right down to a once-exclusive high-tech launch system. Fujian’s electric leap puts China in a new league The Fujian is China’s
What looks like an obscure materials science experiment could soon spill over into the space race. Chinese researchers say they have grown a record-breaking crystal designed for high-power lasers, a technology that could, in theory, target satellites hundreds of kilometres above Earth from a mountaintop or desert base. A laser crystal built to punch through
After years of watching its navy shrink back to home waters, Russia is working on a new high-seas combat ship that, if it leaves the drawing board, could push its flag back into contested maritime spaces from the Mediterranean to the Pacific. A blue-water comeback taking shape in silence Russian military leaders have confirmed that
That aircraft, the Northrop YF-23, was stealthier and potentially more future-proof than the F-22 Raptor that eventually won. Three decades later, as the F-22 is being retired with no true successor in service, the decision is raising uncomfortable questions inside the Pentagon. A competition that shaped American air dominance The context was the end of