Australia unveils biggest defense overhaul in decades with wary eye on China. Australia has unveiled a radical shakeup of its defense spending billed as the most significant review of its military preparedness since World War II, shifting its emphasis onto long-range strike capabilities and building munitions at home

‘Absolutely no prospect’: Richard Marles dismisses report Russia seeking Indonesian airbase. Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed he had received direct reassurance from his Indonesian counterpart that there is “absolutely no prospect” of Russian aircraft operating in the country.

China detonates non-nuclear hydrogen bomb – media. The South China Morning Post has cited researchers as saying the 2kg magnesium hydride device generated a 1,000 degrees Celsius fireball.

China and Egypt have launched their first joint air drill, “Eagles of Civilisation 2025”. signalling a deepening military partnership amid Egypt’s strained ties with the US. This marks a significant geopolitical shift as Cairo moves toward Beijing for advanced defence systems and strategic alternatives to US military support.

China has imposed an export ban on seven critical rare earth elements vital to U.S. defense systems. The move threatens to disrupt the production of F-35 jets, submarines, and advanced weapons. With Beijing controlling up to 90% of global REE refining, the ban exposes a major strategic vulnerability in U.S. military supply chains.

Indonesia weighs US arms purchases to curb tariff threat. Indonesia is reportedly considering buying American weapons to reduce tensions and avoid US tariff escalation amid ongoing trade talks.

US deploys two more B-1B strategic bombers to Japan. Another pair of American B-1B Lancer strategic bombers have arrived at Misawa Air Base in the north of the Japanese island of Honshu, where two such aircraft were already stationed earlier this week.

Japan unveils sea-based railgun. Japan has publicly showcased a close-up of its shipmounted electromagnetic railgun for the first time. It represents a future-forward artillery system that uses electromagnetic energy to launch projectiles.

Japanese ships make historic first port call at Ream Naval Base. Two vessels from Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force became the first foreign naval ships to make a port call at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, following the base’s official inauguration in early April.

Republic of Korea and UAE sign cooperation agreement on KF-21 fighter jet programme. Commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence, visited the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) facilities. As part of the agreement, UAE representatives will be allowed to visit KF-21 testing units and observe the aircraft’s trials.

Indonesia to Intensify Frigate Acquisition Talks with Japan. Indonesia is ramping up highlevel talks with Japan over the joint development and production of a customized variant of Japanese Mogami-class frigates for its navy.

North Korea says it tested hypersonic intermediate range missile aimed at remote Pacific targets. North Korea its latest weapons test was a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to strike remote targets in the Pacific.

Seoul launches 4th spy satellite to boost surveillance on North Korea. South Korea’s military launched its fourth domestically developed spy satellite, advancing efforts to build a constellation of reconnaissance satellites aimed at enhancing the nation’s capability to monitor North Korea and detect signs of potential provocations in real time.

Egypt nears deal with South Korea for 100 FA-50 light combat aircraft. Egypt is in the final stages of negotiations with South Korea to acquire approximately 100 FA-50 light combat aircraft. The deal, currently being discussed with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), is expected to include a technology transfer component.

Japan’s secret satellite weapon now in Ukraine’s ‘war hands’. Japan announced it would share images produced by synthetic aperture radar [SAR] satellites operated by the Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space [iQPS] with Ukraine’s military intelligence agency. This marks the first time Japan has ever shared such geospatial intelligence with any foreign nation.

Russian Infrastructure Plays Crucial Role in North Korean Cybercrime Operations. Trend Research has identified multiple IP address ranges in Russia that are being used for cybercrime activities aligned with North Korea.

Vietnam agrees to buy US F-16 fighters, defense website says. Vietnam has reached an agreement with the United States to buy F-16 fighter jets, a defense website said. Hanoi will acquire at least 24 of the Lockheed Martin single-engine fighters.

India Delivers BrahMos Missiles To Philippines Amid Regional Tensions. This shipment is part of a $375 million defense deal signed in January 2022 and follows the initial delivery in April 2024.

U.S. Navy Seeks Large Storage Facility in the Philippines by 2026. The US is looking to lease a climate-controlled facility between 19,000 and 33,000 square meters near Subic Bay and Clark for the storage of equipment in the Philippines by 2026 under a ten-year-long lease which could mark the largest prepositioning effort to date between Washington and Manila since 1992.

United States approves sale of F-16 fighters to Philippines to enhance country’s defence capabilities. The F-16 Block 70 is a modernised version of the renowned multirole fighter jet, equipped with advanced mission systems such as the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS).

Vietnam to Sign $700-Million BrahMos Missile Deal With India. Vietnam is finalizing an agreement with India to acquire BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles amounting to $700 million.

First Joint US-South Korea Simulation of Nuclear Response to North Korean WMD Threat. For the first time, a US military unit specialized in responding to nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) scenarios conducted a training exercise in South Korea.

Japan, Philippines likely to sign military information agreement. The Japanese and Philippine governments have entered the final phase in coordinating the early signing of a bilateral general security of military information agreement (GSOMIA).

South Korea, Japan announce sanctions over alleged Russia-North Korea arms trade. South Korea and Japan declared a series of sanctions targeting individuals, organizations, and vessels connected to Russia’s alleged procurement of weapons from North Korea.

Russian strike that hit residential building in Kyiv used North Korean missile. Russia used a North Korean ballistic missile for the deadly overnight strike that hit a residential building and killed 12 in Kyiv, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

China rebuts Ukrainian weapons claim. Zelensky has accused Beijing of secretly supplying arms to Russia. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated his country “has never provided lethal weapons to any party to the [Ukraine] conflict, and has kept its dual-use exports under strict control.”

Russia dismisses Ukrainian claims it attacked Indian warehouse in Kiev. The facility was likely destroyed by “inept” air defenses, according to the Russian embassy in New Delhi.

Russian spy chief hints at meeting with CIA boss. Sergey Naryshkin confirmed that he had spoken with his US counterpart again and hinted at the possibility of a direct meeting.

Fully import-substituted Russian Superjet makes first test flight. The program to replace all Western-made parts on the regional passenger aircraft was launched in response to the sweeping sanctions-imposed Russia’s aviation industry by the US and EU after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.

Ukrainian troops kill platoon of North Korean soldiers in close combat in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. Ukrainian soldiers from the 6th Ranger Regiment of the Special Operations Forces (SOF) have engaged in close combat with a larger unit of North Korean troops fighting for Russia, wiping out an entire platoon.

South Korea seeks growing arms deals with Iraq. With negotiations to provide more military equipment, such as fighter jets, helicopters, and air defense systems, South Korea is stepping up its attempts to increase its military sales to Iraq.

UK, New Zealand to Send Drones to Ukrainian Military. The UK has partnered with New Zealand to deliver unmanned military systems for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.The initiative is part of bilateral cooperation between London and Wellington