A French Air and Space Force Rafale operating under NATO command shot down an unidentified drone after it crossed into Latvian airspace near the eastern border. The engagement shifts Baltic Air Policing from routine air sovereignty patrols into a live counter-drone response on NATO’s northeastern flank. The interception followed air warnings in eastern Latvia, where authorities told residents to shelter indoors as NATO fighters responded to the aerial threat. Sky News reported that French NATO jets shot down the drone, while a Latvian military chief said the incursion was linked to Russian electronic warfare, without confirming the drone’s origin. French Rafales are currently tied to NATO’s Baltic Air Policing rotation from Šiauliai, Lithuania, a mission tasked with protecting Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian airspace. Latvia’s armed forces have also reinforced eastern border air defenses after repeated unmanned aerial vehicle incidents. Read more. France deploys four Rafale B fi...
Australia’s first domestically produced AS9 Huntsman self-propelled howitzer fired 155mm rounds at Puckapunyal Training Area in Victoria after Army artillery training. The milestone moves a locally built tracked artillery system from Geelong production into live training, strengthening protected mobile fires for allied operations in the Indo-Pacific. Soldiers from Townsville’s 4th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, fired the Australian-built AS9 during live-fire serials linked to an Army School of Artillery operator course. The event marks a practical step in replacing parts of Australia’s towed M777 fire-support fleet with a protected 155mm tracked howitzer able to fire and rapidly displace before counter-battery threats can respond. Read more . The AS9 is a self-propelled howitzer, not a towed gun, and this distinction changes the way Australian artillery can fight (Picture source: Australian MoD) Read full Defense news. from World Defence News https://ift.tt/q04zotP ...