Asia-Pacific

Tokyo and Manila are negotiating the transfer of six Abukuma-class destroyer escorts and additional Beechcraft King Air TC-90 maritime surveillance aircraft. Philippine Navy chief Vice Adm. Jose Ma. Ambrosio Ezpeleta says discussions started after Japan signaled its plan to retire the 35-year-old ships.

Raytheon, an RTX business, has clinched a $250 million direct-commercial-sale contract with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. The agreement sets the stage for licensed production of the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Block 2 (ESSM B2) at MELCO’s Komaki-North complex. According to industry sources, the package is the largest single ESSM commitment Tokyo has placed since joining the NATO Seasparrow program.

China Eastern Airlines has unveiled a two-continent route that rewrites long-haul maps. The carrier will link Shanghai Pudong and Buenos Aires Ezeiza with a technical stop in Auckland, creating the world’s longest one-stop service when it launches in December 2025.

The Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) has approved a fresh contract for 12 additional FA-50PH light combat aircraft from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). The agreement, signed in the first week of June and publicly confirmed on 10 June 2025, is valued at about $700 million, or 975 billion South Korean won. Delivery of all aircraft is due by mid-2030.

Pakistan Air Force jets crossed the Line of Control at dawn and released laser-guided bombs against selected sites on the Indian side of Kashmir. Islamabad called the targets “non-military” and said the aim was to show both resolve and restraint. No casualties were reported at the time, yet the flight paths left a clear message: Pakistani aircraft could strike across the line and return home before Indian radar cues reached firing authority.