Missiles instead of planes: the country that buys weapons for 50 billion dollars

The trend of increasing defense budgets has been heard in the last year mainly from the European Union countries, but it is spreading all over the world. At the same time, European countries are taking care of Ukraine for UAVs, a major customer of Israel is also buying from India, and the Polaris company is launching new military snowmobiles. About all this in the weekly security corner.

Delivery of Latvian UAVs to Ukraine

Latvia will provide Ukraine with the first quota of unmanned aerial vehicles under the Ukraine First Defense Group (UDCG), a coalition that includes NATO allies, the European Union and other partners that coordinate aid to Kyiv.

In the shadow of the scope of the use of UAVs in the Russia-Ukraine war, the coalition members decided to implement a plan to increase the supply of UAVs to Ukraine, with the leaders of the program being Latvia, Sweden and Great Britain. In total, 14 countries have so far expressed their commitment to supplying UAVs to Kiev. For the goal of increasing the supply of UAVs to Ukraine, the administration in Riga decided to allocate an annual budget of approximately 10 million euros per year. The coalition’s plan also includes the supply of spare parts, production chains and logistical support, as well as technical assistance to the operating units.

Cruise missiles on their way from India to the Philippines

In the shadow of the Chinese threat in the Asia-Pacific region, between the years 2019-2023, the State of Israel was a supplier of 12% of the Philippines’ defense imports. This is according to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). However, in Manila they are constantly strengthening themselves by purchasing means from many countries.

In the coming period, the Philippine army will focus on receiving the medium-range BrahMos cruise missiles made in India, in a deal whose total cost is 19 billion Philippine pesos (about 375 million dollars). This is one of the transactions carried out in the Philippines as part of the “Horizon 2” program, which is designed to strengthen the Philippine military forces against the Chinese threat in the western Philippine Sea.

Polaris’ new military snowmobiles

The Polaris company, known as a major manufacturer of ATVs and Rangers, launched two advanced snowmobiles that are intended for military activity as part of the 2025 models: the 650 Titan 155 and the 850 Pro RMK 155.

Both models are equipped with a 12-volt socket for charging means while on a mission, they have two-stroke Polaris engines – and they can be driven electrically or manually. 650 Titan can carry two fighters and 56 kg of accompanying baggage, and has a tow hook. At the same time, 850 Pro is lightweight, and is designed for immediate and quick missions.

Australia is increasing its defense budget

The Australian government announced a historic change in which the defense budget is diverted from various missions to deterrence and amphibious warfare in the Pacific, while significantly increasing the defense budget. According to the announcement of Defense Minister Richard Marles, the defense budget will grow by 50.3 billion US dollars in the next decade, up to about 100 billion US dollars in 2033 – about 2.4% of GDP.

As part of the changes, the government decided to cut various planned programs, including the purchase of an additional F-35 squadron designed to replace the F-18 Hornet aircraft. This is a program whose cost is estimated at 1.9 billion US dollars. “Lockheed Martin is proud of the cooperation with the Australian Air Force, which receives the F-35 aircraft from us,” Lockheed Martin told the Breaking Defense website. According to the company, “the planes are a deterrent in the Pacific.” Contrary to that cut, Canberra plans to purchase up to 2033 long-range missiles, including the Tomahawk, in the amount of 28-35 billion dollars.