Aerial warfare

Turkey will begin works for the deployment of the Russian made S-400 air defense systems by October 2019, the defense minister has said, informing that selected military personnel will be sent to Russia for training on how to use the sophisticated anti-ballistic weapons.

The U.S. is seeking cooperation with Turkey to boost Turkish air defense capabilities as an alternative to Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile batteries.

The Chinese and Russian militaries will next month hold anti-missile drills in Beijing, China's Defence Ministry said on Friday, amid concern in both countries about the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea.

Sweden announced on Nov. 7 it has chosen the US Patriot missile defense system over that of a Franco-Italian rival, in an estimated one billion-euro deal.

Turkey continues its provocations against Greece. Today, 12 Turkish airplanes -eight F-16, two F-4 and two CN-235 electronic warfare aiplanes- flew over the northeastern, the central and the southeastern Aegean Sea.

The two CN-235 proceeded to 30 violations of Greek airspace and in three cases the interception by the Greek fighter jets evolved into dogfights.

South Korea approved a plan yesterday to send $8 million worth of aid to North Korea, as China warned the crisis on the Korean peninsula was getting more serious by the day and the war of words between Pyongyang and Washington continued.

The Japanese defense ministry has asked for a record high budget for 2018 to improve Japan's defense against the growing threat from North Korea, the Associated Press and the France press reported.

The request is for 5,255 billion yen (about USD 48 billion or EUR 40 billion), which means an increase of 2.54 percent. The budget for the past year was 5,125 billion yen.

Turkish pilots engaging in mock dogfights with their Greek counterparts over the Aegean Sea have recently displayed signs of nervousness and inexperience, according to Hellenic Air Force sources.

Beijing has made no secret of its displeasure with South Korea's deployment of the American-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system - and now that the deployment has resumed, China may seek to retaliate against Seoul.

China reaffirms its strong objections to US plans on deploying a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea, as it may threaten China's national security, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lu Kang said Friday.