Author: Defenceline Webdesk

WASHINGTON — Rick Freeman, vice president at Amazon overseeing Amazon Leo for Government, is no longer leading the company arm charged with military space business, Breaking Defense has learned. “Rick Freeman left Amazon in late February to explore new opportunities outside the company,” an Amazon spokesperson said. “This change has no impact on our commitment to government and public sector customers in the US or elsewhere around the world. Amazon Leo was designed to provide resilient, secure communications to public sector customers across civil and defense, and we remain fully committed to that segment alongside our consumer and enterprise segments,”…

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US Central Command (CENTCOM) says it has carried out more than 3,000 airstrikes against Iranian military positions in the first week of Operation Epic Fury, a US-led air campaign launched against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), air defence sites, ballistic missile facilities, and naval assets across Iran.According to CENTCOM, the strikes have achieved full US air dominance over Iranian airspace and produced a 95% reduction in Iranian drone and missile launches. Independent verification of these figures has not been available.Israeli defence officials claim that joint US-Israeli operations have destroyed 80% of Iran’s air defence systems and 60% of its…

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STORM 2 to protect soldiers from drone threats. Credit: Thales. Thales has officially launched STORM 2, a cyber and electromagnetic activities (CEMA) node designed to support soldiers with localised defence against radio frequency controlled uncrewed aerial systems (UAS). The device weighs less than two kilograms to lessen the load carried by personnel during missions. Discover B2B Marketing That Performs Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms. Find out more According to Thales, STORM 2 covers frequencies between 20 MHz and 6 GHz, enabling it to counter a “wide and evolving” range of…

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India has received urgent requests from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives for supplies of petroleum products, particularly diesel, amid escalating disruptions in global fuel markets.These pleas come as the ongoing conflict in West Asia—sparked by hostilities between the US-Israel alliance and Iran—threatens to choke off key shipping lanes and refine critical energy flows.The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, confirmed the developments during a briefing in New Delhi on Thursday. Bangladesh, grappling with acute shortages of petrol and diesel, has already benefited from Indian exports delivered via waterways, rail, and the dedicated India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline.India stands as…

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WASHINGTON — A US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker air refueler crashed in Iraq due to an “incident” that “occurred in friendly airspace,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement late Thursday. Casualties and circumstances surrounding the crash are not immediately clear. According to CENTCOM, the incident was “not due to hostile or friendly fire” and occurred during Operation Epic Fury, the US military’s name for the war against Iran. Three US F-15s were recently shot down over Kuwait in a friendly fire incident, but all pilots involved ejected safely. The Stratotanker, however, does not have ejection seats. CENTCOM said…

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The United States and its Gulf allies are reportedly negotiating the procurement of interceptor drones and accelerating the deployment of directed-energy weapons to counter Iranian Shahed-136 drone swarms, amid what US officials describe as a cost-exchange problem created by Iran’s use of low-cost unmanned systems against high-value air defence assets.According to US defence officials, the US military has been relying on Patriot PAC-3 missiles – each reportedly costing $13.5 million – to intercept Shahed-136 drones that cost an estimated $30,000 per unit. The disparity has prompted an urgent search for cheaper countermeasures, with Ukrainian-tested and American-developed systems emerging as leading…

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The US Army M111 marks the first new lethal hand grenade to achieve FMR since 1968. Credit: U.S. Army photo by Christopher Arthur. The US Army has granted full material release for the M111 Offensive Hand Grenade (OHG), marking the first time since 1968 that a new lethal hand grenade has reached this stage. The new OHG will replace the Mk3A2 series, which is now restricted due to its asbestos body. Discover B2B Marketing That Performs Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms. Find out more Developed by the Capabilities Program Executive…

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Iran has granted safe passage to Indian-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions in West Asia, according to sources. This decision comes as the ongoing conflict, triggered by US and Israeli attacks on Iran, has severely disrupted maritime traffic in the vital chokepoint.Following high-level diplomatic talks between foreign ministers, Iran has granted safe passage to Indian-flagged tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. While vessels from the U.S., Europe, and Israel remain subject to transit restrictions, Indian tankers—specifically the Pushpak and Parimal—have successfully navigated the critical waterway. This move underscores an effort to maintain the flow of crude…

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