News about defense

HMS Prince of Wales, Britain's largest warship, has left Portsmouth Naval Base to lead the UK Carrier Strike Group to the Arctic and North Atlantic, marking the second phase of Operation Firecrest focused on readiness, training and NATO interoperability. It is accompanied by the Type-45 destroyer HMS Dauntless and carries an air group that includes F-35 jets and several types of helicopters. More than 1,200 British personnel are deployed, working with Norway, Denmark and Germany. The ship will host military and political leaders in Oslo for forums on Northern European security. A former Royal Navy chief has warned earlier this year that the navy is in its most parlous state in the 60 years he has been on the active list.

Japan's government is reportedly considering raising corporate tax to fund a rise in defense spending, according to Japan Today citing sources familiar with the matter. The option comes as Japan revises three key security policy documents by year-end, which would likely push defense outlays above 10 trillion yen (about $63 billion) annually. The next five-year plan, covering fiscal 2027 through 2031, will focus on large-scale drone procurement and securing ammunition and missiles for a prolonged conflict, with a rough official estimate putting total spending at 70 trillion to 80 trillion yen. Businesses may resist a tax increase over concerns about wage growth and international competitiveness, and it remains unclear whether enough revenue can be raised. Defense spending for fiscal 2023 through 2027 is projected at about 43 trillion yen, and the 2% of GDP target for fiscal 2027 was reached ahead of schedule in fiscal 2025 after Sanae Takaichi became prime minister.

HMS Prince of Wales, the UK's largest warship, left Portsmouth on Sunday to lead the UK Carrier Strike Group on a deployment to the Arctic and North Atlantic, marking phase two of Operation Firecrest, focused on readiness, training and NATO interoperability. It sails with the Type-45 destroyer HMS Dauntless and carries an air group of F-35 jets, Merlin and Wildcat helicopters and Malloy drones. The Royal Navy says more than 1,200 British personnel are deployed, working with Norway, Denmark and Germany. The UK government says the deployment will help keep key energy, trade and communication links in the region secure, and the carrier will host military and political leaders in Oslo to discuss Northern European security.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked European partners for at least 70 billion euros more for 2027 to fund defense, equipment and resilience, on top of a 90 billion euro loan already agreed for 2026-2027, and estimated the 2027 war will cost 155 billion euros. The EU has planned about 45 billion euros for 2027, and the European Commission acknowledged a funding gap but has not decided how to raise the extra money. Options including new loans, market borrowing backed by the common budget, frozen Russian assets or third-country contributions all face legal, political or burden-sharing obstacles. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said Czechia will not guarantee the funds, while Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called a nearly 60% rise in Sweden's net EU budget contribution “completely unacceptable” and said a small group of countries cannot keep carrying a growing burden.

Iran's parliament confirmed Mehrdad Akhlaghi as defence minister with 237 votes in favour and 15 against out of 277 cast, replacing Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed in US and Israeli strikes on Tehran in February. Akhlaghi, a longtime senior defence official who once headed the state-run Iranian Defence Industries Organization, warned that Iran would respond with a surprising and forceful reaction if the US and Israel attacked again. He said Iran's rivals face a 'strategic deadlock' and that Iran's defence capabilities have been upgraded since the 12-day war. President Masoud Pezeshkian had nominated him on October 5.

The Russian tank industry has entered a new phase, with customers increasingly demanding production technology rather than finished vehicles, according to Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) CEO Alexander Potapov. UVZ is willing to support this trend despite concerns that customers could eventually become competitors, especially India's localization demands under 'Make in India' and similar interest from Arab buyers. Because traditional markets have shrunk considerably, UVZ is turning to Africa and Southeast Asia, while continuing negotiations and improving after-sales service. UVZ tanks have been exported to dozens of countries, with India being the most prominent customer, operating about 1,000 T-72M1 and T-90S tanks.