Members of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force are preparing to parachute onto a small island in the northern Philippines later this month, a drill that will put Japanese paratroopers on the ground closer to Taiwan than at any point in recent memory.
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Category: Army
Former U.S. minesweeper that fought Japan in WWII sunk by Japanese anti-ship missiles
Japanese troops fired two Type-88 surface-to-ship missiles from the coast of northwestern Luzon on May 5, sinking a decommissioned Philippine Navy corvette that had once fought against Japan in the Pacific War. The missiles, fired from Culili Point in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, struck the BRP Quezon (PS-70) approximately 50 miles offshore, sending the 82-year-old vessel to the bottom of the South China Sea. The ship, which as USS Vigilance had conducted anti-submarine patrols near Okinawa, was sent to the bottom by the nation she once helped defeat. The live-fire was the centerpiece of this year’s Balikatan exercise, the annual joint military drill between the Philippines and the United States, which runs through May 8.
U.S. Marine Corps video by Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Pruett
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Belgium probes Chinese takeover of helicopter firm
Belgium’s military intelligence service is investigating a potential Chinese takeover of a helicopter company that could gain access to both critical energy infrastructure and newly purchased military aircraft, according to reporting by Belga News Agency.
Photo: Cara Irina Wagner – Airbus
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South Korea deploys Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile to frontline units
South Korea has begun deploying its most powerful conventional ballistic missile to frontline military units, defense officials confirmed on Jan. 18, marking a significant expansion of the country’s deterrence capabilities against North Korea.
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Elephant walk at Wattisham kicks off Anglo-French military exercise
Twenty-four British and French helicopters executed an “elephant walk” formation at Wattisham Flying Station in Suffolk this week, marking the launch of Exercise Pinion Titan, one of NATO’s largest aviation training operations this year.
Photo: British Army
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