Defence cooperation between Australia, Canada, the UK, and US has been further enhanced by the establishment of a formal partnership on combined space operations.

The NZDF is looking into the possibility of acquiring a third OPV for the RNZN, which currently operates two 85 m Otago-class OPVs which were commissioned in 2010.

HMAS Darwin operating in the Indian Ocean in international waters intercepted a suspected drug smuggling dhow on May 13, 2014.

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The US Office of Naval Research earlier this month successfully demonstrated a new lightweight ramp intended for use on the Navy's JHSV that could potentially expand the mission sets of the vessel to include ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore transport.

Defense and information systems specialist Excelis has announced the successful test of a new airborne long-wave infrared, hyperspectral sensor that can be aimed in multiple directions and is capable of detecting explosives, gases and dangerous chemicals.

Engineering technology consultancy Frazer-Nash has won a research contract with the UK's CDE, part of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, following a submission to the themed competition on protecting military vehicles.

The US Army has awarded a US$52.3 million contract modification to General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada to develop upgrades in support of the USMC LAV MOB Upgrade and Integration Program.

BAE Systems has launched Artful, the latest state-of-the-art submarine into the dock at its site in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.

The UK government has published for the first time a cross-department maritime security strategy, designed to advance and protect national interests at home and overseas in the maritime environment.

The full version of Defence Week Premium no.300 of 15 May 2014 can be downloaded here as a PDF. A separate PDF of the latest Defence tenders can also be downloaded here.

From a Defence point of view, the Abbott Government's first budget since gaining office is 'encouraging' according to Australian Strategic Policy Institute Analyst Mark Thomson.

In his Defence budget statement this week, Defence Minister Senator David Johnston noted that the Government had already approved the acquisition of key capabilities that will support the ADF for decades to come.

Data security company Vormetric, a leader in data security for physical, virtual and cloud environments, this week announced the results from its first Australian Insider Threat Report.

According to Grant Turnbull writing in Army-Technology.com, the Australian government is close to making a decision on its ambitious Land 400 project which aims to replace much of the Land Force's existing armoured vehicle fleet.