397: Israel Responds to Houthi Drone & Missile Attacks - IDF Strikes Houthi Coastal Ports and Sanaa Powerplant + Iranian Media: Military to Field 1000 Strategic Drones + France's Defense Exports are Second Largest in the World + More

For review: 1. Israel Responds to Houthi Drone & Missile Attacks - IDF Strikes Houthi Coastal Ports and Sanaa Powerplant. The Israel Defense Forces said over 20 IAF aircraft — including fighter jets, refuelers and spy planes — participated in the Israeli strikes. 2. Iranian Media: Military to Field 1000 Strategic Drones. Reportedly the unmanned aerial vehicles to be delivered include Ababil-4 and Ababil 5, which serve multipurpose missions from reconnaissance, patrolling and combat operations. 3. UK Defense Ministry Release: The Ukraine Defense Contact Group - Drone Capability Coalition (led by UK & Latvia), will deliver 30,000 drones to Ukraine. These state-of-the-art, first-person view drones will help Ukraine fight against Russian aggression, allowing Ukraine’s Armed Forces to manoeuvre past Russian air defences to target enemy positions and armoured vehicles. 4. Serbia looks to countries other than Russia- for defense materiel (France, Israel, & China). Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces: "When it comes to weapon deliveries from the Russian Federation, they are currently practically impossible." 5. France's Defense Exports are Second Largest in the World. In the 2019-2023 period- France was the second-largest arms shipper, after the United States, accounting for 11% of global arms exports, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 6. Indo-Pacific countries are taking steps to improve their amphibious capabilities (Japan; Philippines; Australia; & India). 7. An Amphibious Warship Industrial Base Coalition survey says that US Navy multi-ship buys lead to immediate benefits. Under multi-ship buys, the Navy and defense shipbuilding industry agree on the prices of multiple ships years in advance and within the same contractual agreement.