China’s Ballistic Missile Industry

China Aerospace Studies Institute – This report is the next in the series of studies by the China Aerospace Studies Institute that seeks to lay the foundation for better understanding the Aerospace Sector of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). This report describes China’s ballistic missile capabilities and development. It reviews the history of the PRC’s research and development of ballistic missiles and traces the institutions that are key to these systems. It details the components and systems that are integral to these weapons and describes the companies, research academies, and production facilities, that form the core of the industry in the PRC.

Turkey Releases New Image Showing LHD Anadolu Carrying Drone

Naval News – After Turkey was removed from the F-35 project by the U.S. because of Turkey’s S-400 air defence system purchase from Russia, the Turkish Defence Industries Presidency announced that they have been working on deploying “TB-3 Bayraktar” Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAV) on Turkey’s future Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) Anadolu instead of F-35B aircraft which has vertical take-off and landing capability.

The U.S. Navy in the Indian Ocean: India’s ‘Goldilocks’ Dilemma

War on the Rocks – India’s strategic community was in a frenzy last month after USS John Paul Jones carried out a freedom of navigation exercise near India’s Lakshadweep Islands. Indian observers were mystified by the timing of maneuver, coming as it did at a moment when U.S.-Indian relations are on a high. The disquiet in New Delhi was compounded by a U.S. 7th Fleet press release that said the operation was carried out in India’s exclusive economic zone “without requesting India’s prior consent” to assert “navigational rights and freedoms”—language that many Indian observers saw as needlessly provocative.

Cannibalized parts, systems that sailors can’t fix: LCS maintenance woes could get worse, watchdog warns

Navy Times – Small crew size has led the Littoral Combat Ships to encounter maintenance challenges not seen elsewhere in the fleet, issues that could imperil the ability of such ships to get out of maintenance on time and therefore lessen the number of ships available for operations, according to a recent Government Accountability Office report.

China Wants To Revive A Strategically Located Airfield Deep In The Pacific: Report

War Zone – The Chinese government reportedly has plans to refurbish and expand an airstrip on the island of Kanton, also spelled Canton, part of the archipelago nation of Kiribati in the central Pacific Ocean. If true, this could give Beijing an airbase in an incredibly strategical location, between North America and New Zealand, potentially giving China’s military much greater reach throughout a critical and increasingly tense region.