Two US B-52 bombers flew over a disputed area of the East China Sea without informing Beijing, US officials said Tuesday, challenging China’s bid to create an expanded “air defense zone.” The unarmed aircraft took off from Guam on Monday and the flight was previously scheduled as a part of a routine exercise inside the area, the defense officials said. “Last night we conducted a coaching exercise that was long-planned. It involved two aircraft flying from Guam and returning to Guam,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren told reporters. No flight plan was submitted beforehand to the Chinese and the mission... Read More »
Marine Corps Light Armored Vehicle Anti-Tank prototypes are in the middle of developmental tests of upgrades which may extend their lives for many years to come back. The modernization program is taking shape at various sites during the country. Development of the LAV-ATs has already successfully met threshold testing as four of the prototypes have fired 14 missiles at government facilities. In mid-March, the vehicles were put through a swim test and landing craft air cushion tests on the Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch at Camp Pendleton, Calif. “The LAV-AT modernization program is designed to enhance mission effectiveness and supportability for... Read More »
A British sniper killed five Taliban insurgents and a would-be suicide bomber in Afghanistan with one bullet, the Ministry of Defence has said. The 20-year-old marksman, a lance corporal within the Coldstream Guards, hit the trigger switch of the device from 930 yards away, causing the bomb to blow up. The blast killed the would-be bomber and five men around him, an MOD spokesman said. The incident in December in Kakaran, southern Afghanistan, have been disclosed as Britain prepares to depart from the rustic by the top of the year. Lt Col Richard Slack, commanding officer of 9/12 Royal Lancers,... Read More »
China has established its first air defense identification zone according to Chinese law and international practices to safeguard its sovereignty, the Ministry of National Defense announced on Saturday. The move allows early-warning time and helps China protect its sovereignty and territories, and guarantee regional air security, officials and analysts said. An air defense identification zone is a defensive area of airspace established by a coastal state beyond its territorial airspace, explained Wang Ji, a Chinese expert on domestic and international law from an establishment affiliated with China’s air force. It is used to spot, monitor, control and react in a... Read More »