Articles

The History of Leopard 2 in Spain, as we see, has been the story of a want and I can't. The above inevitably leads us, in conclusion, to establish some considerations regarding the management of the weapons systems acquisition programs that, launched by the Ministry of Defense, in the mid-90s, have undoubtedly been the with the greatest economic reach in the history of the Spanish armed forces: the Eurofighter, the F-100 frigate, and the Leopard 2 battle tank, and precisely in this order. [Keep reading…]

The Russian Navy is immersed in an unprecedented modernization process that distances it increasingly from the trajectory followed by the Red Navy during the second half of the 20th century. In recent years it has sought a smaller fleet, with great combat power and focused on the defense of its coasts, but without giving up, much less its other mainstay: nuclear-powered submarines. Along these lines we examine its latest additions and the near future. [Keep reading…]

Unknown to most, the battle of Marawi, fought between the Philippine military and an alliance of Islamist groups led by Abu Sayyaf and supported by Daesh, has marked a before and after in many ways. More than four months of fighting were necessary to expel a few hundred insurgents from the city who, taking advantage of the urban terrain, making massive use of small drones and barely using light weapons, managed to challenge an entire country. [Keep reading…]

Normally when we think about the Russian Army - and even more so about the Soviet Army - images of soldiers subjected to aberrant conditions, mistreated and even malnourished automatically come to mind. This, which at certain times could have been true, cannot serve to hide the sustained effort, since Soviet times, to improve military nutrition. An effort that modern Russia has redoubled, achieving notable results. [Keep reading…]

In the last two decades the leap made by the armed forces of the People's Republic of China has been spectacular. From being a massive but very backward army, they have gone, thanks to the lessons of conflicts such as the Gulf War and humiliations such as the Taiwan Strait crisis of 1996, to putting all their efforts into developing modern weapons systems. The Type 99 battle tank, in its various and increasingly advanced variants, is a good example of this. [Keep reading…]

The S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft system has been, since its introduction almost a decade and a half ago (2007), an absolute reference in its field, for better and for worse. Used by Turkey and the People's Republic of China, in addition to Belarus and, logically, Russia, it will soon also serve India and Saudi Arabia. Sales, all of which have not been without controversy and have helped consolidate Moscow's international position, becoming, in addition to a first-rate military asset, an unparalleled diplomatic asset. [Keep reading…]

Since its entry into service in 2013, the Boeing P-8 Poseidon has not stopped demonstrating its capabilities, becoming an export success. In the coming years, furthermore, new equipment and weapons will increase its versatility to an extreme never seen before, moving it further away from other aircraft in the same segment such as the Persuader, its predecessor the P-3 or the Atlantique 2 Gauls. When this happens, what is undoubtedly the most complex and complete maritime patrol aircraft developed to date will also be a fearsome enemy equipped with sharp claws. [Keep reading…]

Using laser weapons on the battlefield is an old aspiration that is only now beginning to materialize. From the first developments, in the 50s, to modern systems, decades have passed marked more by promises and frustrations than by successes. However, in the last five years the systems being tested have multiplied and new technologies now allow us to have the first operational models with acceptable efficiency, inaugurating a new era on the battlefield. [Keep reading…]

Israel, specifically the IDF, its Defense Forces, have faced enemies superior in number and means for decades, defeating them in brilliant campaigns such as that of June 1967 or in extremis, such as in October 1973. They have fought enemies asymmetric as in 2006 and maintain deterrence on Iran. However, its multiple enemies, state ones or their proxies, increasingly have more developed technological capabilities, especially precision weapons, which threatens the security of the state of Israel. The Momentum Plan is your response to this enormous challenge. [Keep reading…]

The acronym A2/AD has ended up competing with concepts such as Hybrid Warfare or Gray Zone for the attention of academics, military personnel and even journalists. It has become a cliché and people talk about Russian or Chinese denial zones, but also Moroccan, Algerian or North Korean ones with a sometimes embarrassing laxity. We are going to try to shed some light on a more complex - and perhaps much less terrifying - concept than many think. [Keep reading…]