Cyprus has rejected a Greek offer to supply it with 75-90 units of Leopard 1A5  tanks, due to Nicosia's desire to move forward with Israel in the purchase of Merkava Mark 3 and Mark 4 tanks, which will replace the obsolete Russian T-80  tanks, according to Cypriot and Greek media. Cyprus is concerned about Turkey, which, in addition to occupying the north of the island for about 50 years, is intensifying its actions and aggressive language against Nicosia. Just recently, Ankara declared  NAXTEX, a closed maritime zone, north of Cyprus, due to its decision to deploy a natural gas pipeline from Turkey to its puppet entity, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This step was taken after the Turks had previously worked to prevent Greece, Cyprus, and Israel from implementing the interconnector program for an electrical connection between the two countries. Despite the desire for a rapid reinforcement of the ground forces, according to a report by the "Pilnius" website, the Cypriots decided not to accept the obsolete German tanks held by Greece. In the opinion of the senior Nicosia officials who examined the vehicles, they do not meet operational needs – even as an interim solution. On the other hand, this leaves the Cypriots in a problem, because the  T-80  tanks are so outdated that it is difficult to find spare parts, ammunition, or proper technical know-how on the market. According to reports in Cyprus, what limits the realization of the sale of Merkava tanks is the operational needs of the IDF, which uses the Merkava Mark 3 and Mark 4 on a large scale, both in southern Lebanon and in the Gaza Strip. Nicosia's turn to Israeli tanks is not surprising in itself, thanks to their unprecedented operational proof and the close security relationship that includes, for example, the operation of IAI's Barak  MX  air defense system. Ultimately, the tanks are just one of several in Cypriot activity to strengthen the local army. Nicosia is interested, among other things, in purchasing Jaguar EBRC  armored vehicles. Unlike the Israeli Merkava, Cyprus can use funding from the European Union's  SAFE  program, which allows for financing of up to €150 billion in defense deals, provided that 65% of the value of the deal is purchased from EU countries or Ukraine.  

The U.S. Marine Corps is moving toward a vehicle-mounted high-power microwave weapon capable of disabling groups of drones in a single engagement. Military Times reported on the $11 million Epirus contract on August 10, 2026. The HAVOC program could give dispersed Marine forces a mobile counter-drone capability designed to blunt mass UAV attacks without relying on one interceptor missile for every target. HAVOC, or High-power Microwave Autonomous Vehicle Operational Capability, is a U.S. Marine Corps program designed to provide a mobile counter-drone weapon capable of disabling multiple unmanned aerial vehicles at once. The system uses high-power microwave energy to disrupt or damage electronic components such as flight computers, sensors, and control systems, allowing Marines to engage groups of drones without firing a separate missile or projectile at each target. Mounted on a vehicle and designed with autonomous detection functions, HAVOC is intended to protect deployed forces, command posts, logistics sites, and expeditionary bases against increasingly common mass drone attacks. By using high-power microwave energy against multiple unmanned aircraft, HAVOC is intended to protect maneuvering units, command posts, and other exposed positions from drone swarms. Its development reflects a broader shift toward mobile directed-energy defenses that can provide deeper magazines and more sustainable protection as low-cost drones become a growing battlefield threat. The HAVOC system is expected to be delivered in early 2027 and is designed to autonomously detect drone threats before using high-power microwave energy to disrupt or disable their electronics. The capability is intended to strengthen Marine Corps protection against large numbers of inexpensive drones that could otherwise overwhelm conventional short-range air defenses.

Algeria has donated two Mi-24V attack helicopters and two Mi-171 multirole transport helicopters to Niger. Algiers also supplied helicopter ammunition, spare parts, maintenance equipment, and logistical support. The aircraft departed from the In Guezzam deployment base in southern Algeria and flew to Niamey, while the ammunition and supporting equipment were transported separately aboard an Algerian military aircraft. Algeria described the transfer as part of broader defense and security cooperation with Niger. The two countries share a border of roughly 950 kilometers (590 miles) across the Sahel, a region affected by militant activity, weapons trafficking, and other cross-border security threats.

ARTEC, a joint venture between KNDS Deutschland and Rheinmetall, has been contracted to procure 69 additional Boxer RCT30 infantry fighting vehicles for the German and Dutch armed forces. Signed through the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation, the optional purchase follows the two countries’ procurement of 222 vehicles in 2025. The German Armed Forces, which previously ordered 150 Boxer RCT30 vehicles, will receive 35 additional vehicles. The Royal Netherlands Army will receive the remaining 34, bringing its total fleet of wheeled infantry fighting vehicles to 106. “For decades, we have been a proud partner of the Dutch Army. Whether it is the LEOPARD 2 or the Boxer system, to name just the most recent procurement programs that Germany and the Netherlands have carried out together,” KNDS Deutschland CEO Florian Hohenwarter said. “This demonstrates what European cooperation can achieve. Joint procurement of a system and the resulting higher production volumes not only enable faster deliveries. It also has a direct, positive impact on training and logistics and guarantees interoperability between the armed forces. KNDS, as a European company, stands for exactly this.” Boxer RCT30 The Boxer RCT30, developed by KNDS, will serve as the backbone of the German Armed Forces’ new “Medium Forces,” a category of land forces designed to provide highly mobile, wheeled combat formations operating between heavy armored forces and light infantry. Combining the proven Boxer platform, already in service with seven nations, with the 30mm turret developed for the Puma infantry fighting vehicle, the RCT30 can engage moving targets while in motion. Designated “Schakal” by the German Armed Forces, the wheeled infantry fighting vehicle is also equipped to counter drones and aircraft. Its integrated MELLS anti-tank guided missile system enables it to engage heavily armored targets, including main battle tanks. With a dismount capacity of six soldiers, the Schakal will serve as the primary weapon system for mechanized infantry units within the Medium Forces.

Six Deep Draft River Operation Boats (Bofbc) were delivered by the Colombian shipyard Cotecmar to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), thus concluding an important naval export contract developed by the Colombian industry for this country. The delivery of the last two vessels took place at the Coast Guard Command facilities in Georgetown, where the final reception of the units was formalized. The programme included the design and construction of the boats, acceptance tests, technology transfer and training of the crews responsible for operating them. As part of their incorporation into the service, Cotecmar specialists carried out operational acceptance tests and training of GDF personnel. During these activities, they checked the performance of the platforms under real conditions of use and transferred the technical knowledge necessary for their operation, maintenance and maintenance, in order to accelerate the acquisition of initial operational capacity. The closure of the project was also formalized in a ceremony led by the president of Cotecmar, Rear Admiral Walter Wilches, and the Guyanese Chief of Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan. Both signed the final delivery document for the six units. With the signing, the parties fulfilled the contract and reaffirmed bilateral cooperation in the field of defense and naval industry.

The new structure will be made up of the National Police, Senan, Senafront and SUME and will depend on the Ministry of Public Security Panama's Ministry of Public Security has created a joint command, made up of the different components of the national security forces, to ensure the security of seven specific areas of the Panama Canal, including critical and vital infrastructures for its operation. The so-called Joint Command for Security in the Specific Areas of the Panama Canal (CCSCP) has its origin in the signing of the Framework Agreement for Surveillance, Security and Protection Services of Specific Areas of the Panama Canal, signed between the Ministry of Public Security and the Panama Canal Authority (ACP). The agency will be made up of the National Police, the National Aeronaval Service (Senan), the National Border Service (Senafront) and the Unified System for Pre-hospital Emergency Management (SUME) and will operate under the Ministry of Public Security. The responsibilities of the new agency include securing and protecting critical and vital infrastructures linked to the operation of the Panama Canal that are located in the seven specific areas under the competence or administration of the ACP and identified in the Framework Agreement. In addition, it must develop permanent processes for the collection, analysis and production of intelligence to identify risks and threats. The main mission of the new command will be to plan, coordinate, direct and execute comprehensive security, prevention, control and protection operations in the watersheds of the Panama Canal and in the strategic areas established in the Framework Agreement. Among the arguments for creating the joint command is the need to articulate an integrated response of Panamanian security institutions to threats of a climate, environmental, cyber, social and transnational nature.  

The Army has declared void the tender with a budget of 2.2 million euros - including taxes - for the supply of fire configurators for the programmable ammunition of the Leopard 2E battle tanks, a particularly sensitive contract because it is initially linked to Israeli technology. The procedure, which began in May of this year, concludes without an award despite the fact that a company participated in the tender. According to the documentation in the file, the only proposal received corresponded to Fabricaciones Militares de Granada (FMG), which was finally excluded after not submitting the economic offer. The tender, promoted by the Army Logistics Support Command (MALE), included the supply of firing configurators for 120 mm battle tanks and expressly included the acquisition of 246 units of the M339 Setter Setter 120 mm Fuze, a system developed by the Israeli IMI Systems, currently integrated into the Elbit Systems group. and associated with the M339 family of ammunition developed by that firm, in service with the Army. The programmer acts as an electronic interface installed on the tank that allows the projectile fuse to be configured before firing. With this device, the munition can select different modes of operation, such as impact detonation, delayed explosion after penetrating an obstacle or airburst, increasing its effectiveness against protected infantry, fortified positions or drones.

Taiwan's cabinet will propose a 16% annual rise in defence ‌spending for 2027 which will for the first time exceed T$1 trillion ($31 billion), the official Central News Agency reported on Sunday, as Taipei bolsters its military. The move will come as China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own ​territory, has ramped up military and political pressure over the past few years to assert ​its claims, which Taipei strongly rejects. But Taiwan also faces calls from Washington to ⁠spend more on its own defence, mirroring pressure from the United States on Europe, something President ​Lai Ching-te has enthusiastically embraced. The proposed budget of more than T$1.1 trillion, to be unveiled on August 20, ​includes funding for the coast guard, veterans and special projects, and will - like this year - exceed 3% of gross domestic product, the Central News Agency said. Detailed figures await the final cabinet meeting, it added. Taiwan's government has made military modernisation ​a key policy platform and has repeatedly pledged to spend more on its defences, including developing ​made-in-Taiwan submarines, given the rising threat from China. China's military operates almost daily around Taiwan, and holds periodic war games, the ‌last ⁠in late December. China is also rapidly modernising its armed forces, with new aircraft carriers, stealth fighter jets and missiles. In March, China unveiled a rise of 7% in this year's defence spending, to 1.91 trillion yuan ($283.08 billion). China refuses to talk to Lai, saying he is a "separatist". He says only Taiwan's people can decide ​their future. Taiwan is currently in ​the middle of ⁠its annual Han Kuang military exercises. Watching drills in the northern city of Taoyuan on Sunday, Lai said every exercise was an accumulation of experience giving the military ​greater confidence. "Every bit of solid preparation in peacetime adds another measure of ​stability and strength ⁠for our nation," he said, in comments posted on his Facebook account. On Taiwan's east coast on Sunday, the military also carried out a nuclear, biological and chemical decontamination drill, simulating a chemical weapons attack. Soldiers, tanks ⁠and armoured ​vehicles were decontaminated and disinfected in a drill aimed at ​testing the ability to respond quickly to such an event and get personnel and equipment back out to the front lines as ​soon as possible.

Among the main commitments are payments for the purchase of four A-29 Super Tucano and two C-295 Panama to receive four Embraer A29 Super Tucano Panama's Ministry of Public Security would receive an additional $116.5 million in 2027, an increase of 11.8% from the $985 million budgeted for this year. If the project is approved, the allocation would reach $1,101.5 million. This allocation is part of the draft General State Budget for 2027, which amounts to a total of 35,111.75 million dollars and could soon be approved by the Legislative Branch. The project includes funds for the Ministry of Public Security to meet the State's financial commitments, including the payments provided for in the multi-year contract for the acquisition of four A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, from the Brazilian company Embraer. The purchase of these aircraft was adjusted last year to $76.3 million due to the extension of the payment term and the corresponding interest. In addition to this operation, there are other acquisitions that could require funds from the 2027 budget: at least six Bell 407GXi helicopters, whose contract was signed in January of this year for more than 10 million dollars; and two C-295 transport and cargo aircraft, ordered from Airbus for about 109 million dollars.

The US State Department has approved a $270-million foreign military sale of its homegrown M795 155mm high explosive (HE) projectiles to Norway. The potential deal incorporates technical services and documentation, logistics, and other elements supporting the acquisition. Washington said that the proposed sale will be used to amplify the Norwegian Armed Forces’ artillery and mid-range firepower, and assured the NATO military will have no difficulty adopting the capability. It added that the package will address current and future threats without altering the basic military balance in Europe. According to officials, the procurement also supports America’s broader foreign policy and national security objectives by enhancing the security of an ally playing a key role in maintaining stability and economic progress across Europe. Work for the contract will be facilitated by American Ordinance in Iowa and General Dynamics in Arizona. The M795 is a 103-pound (47-pound) high-fragmentation steel weapon developed by the US Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center for use across towed and self-propelled howitzers. Following its introduction in the 1980s, the projectile received modifications to address modern threats for ground forces. Its latest iteration, the M795 HE, uses a 24-pound (11-kilogram) TNT or IMX-101 warhead to effectively neutralize enemy personnel, heavy vehicles, electronic surveillance, targeting and communications infrastructure, supply zones, and installations.