Russia Vs France Fight To Take Nuclear Turn? Macron Revamps Air Base To Host Nuke Bombers
France is undertaking a $1.7 billion modernization of its Luxeuil Air Base to prepare for a future nuclear role, including hosting next-gen Rafale jets equipped with ASN4G hypersonic nuclear missiles by 2035. The 10-year overhaul will double the base's size, upgrade 1950s-era infrastructure, and significantly expand personnel. The move comes amid rising nuclear tensions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron also suggested extending France's nuclear deterrent to European allies, signaling a more assertive nuclear posture in Europe's defense strategy.
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India.com
28 minutes ago
- India.com
Pakistan's much hyped JF-17 fighter jet with Chinese frame and Russian engine costs..., much cheaper than India's...
New Delhi: Tensions between India and Pakistan are at an all-time high following the ceasefire. During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan attacked several Indian border towns with drones and missiles. India also retaliated strongly and destroyed many Pakistani targets. In the meantime, there is a lot of discussion about India's Rafale fighter jet and Pakistan's JF-17 Thunder fighter jet. India has purchased Rafale from France, while the JF-17 Thunder has been jointly developed by China and Pakistan. There is a significant price difference between the two. Rafale is considered the second most expensive fighter in the world after the F-22, while the price of JF-17 Thunder is comparatively much lower. The JF-17 Thunder is considered the backbone of Pakistan's Air Force alongside the F-16 fighter. It was built by the Chinese company Avic Chengdu Aircraft Co Ltd. Shares of this company rose by 53 percent in five days during the conflict. The JF-17 Thunder is a fourth-generation lightweight, single-engine multirole fighter. It has been jointly developed by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and China's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC). The JF-17 can be used for multiple roles, including interception, ground attack, anti-ship, and aerial reconnaissance. The JF-17 can deploy diverse ordnance, including air-to-air, air-to-surface, and anti-ship missiles, guided and unguided bombs, and a 23 mm GSh-23-2 twin-barrel autocannon. Powered by a Guizhou WS-13 or Klimov RD-93 afterburning turbofan, it has a top speed of Mach 1.6. The JF-17 was inducted in the PAF in February 2010. Although a lot of makeshift technology has been used in this fighter, it features a Chinese airframe, a Western avionics system, and a Russian engine. Its biggest advantage is that it is very cheap. This is why countries that cannot afford expensive fighters like Rafale, F-16, and Eurofighter Typhoon opt for JF-17 Thunder. These include Azerbaijan, Myanmar, and Nigeria. According to media reports, the price of one unit is 25 million dollars, which is about 2.13 billion rupees, while the price of Rafale is around 135 million dollars or 11 billion rupees.
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French pharma giant Sanofi to buy Biotech Blueprint for $9.1 billion
French pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi has agreed to buy Blueprint Medicines Corp. for at least $9.1 billion as the company aims to expand the company's reach in rare immunological diseases, reported the news agency Bloomberg on Monday, 2 June 2025. According to the agency report, Sanofi will pay $129 per share in cash for the US-based biotechnology firm. This marks a 27 per cent premium to Blueprint's shares last week. Blueprint Medicines Corp. shares were trading 26.41 per cent higher at $128.15 premarket on Nasdaq, compared to $101.35 at the previous US market close, as per data collected from Marketwatch. The French pharmaceutical firm aims to become an immunology powerhouse. Blueprint's acquisition brings a pipeline of experimental immunology treatments and one medicine already on sale for a rare condition known as systemic mastocytosis. 'Sanofi still retains a sizable capacity for further acquisitions,' said Paul Hudson, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sanofi, as cited by the news agency. In the big pharma industry, the largest acquisition deal was that of Johnson & Johnson acquiring Intra-Cellular Therapies for $14.6 billion. And this upcoming $9.1 billion deal is the French company's largest deal since the purchase of Bioverativ Inc., a spinoff from Biogen Inc. in 2018, as per the report. 'We see synergies with Sanofi's existing rare-disease footprint, but expect investors to question valuation and confidence in the remaining internal R&D offering,' Sarita Kapila at Morgan Stanley wrote in an analyst report, cited the news agency. Sanofi SA shares were trading 1.46 per cent lower at 86.24 euro on Monday, 2 June 2025, compared to its 87.52 euro levels at the previous market close last week. The deal data suggests that Blueprint shareholders will also receive one non-tradable contingent value right, which will pay the holder @2 and $4 per right for future development and regulatory milestones. The equity value is $9.1 billion, which includes potential CVR payments; the deal amounts to nearly $9.5 billion on a fully diluted basis, according to the agency report. The estimated time period for the completion of the acquisition is the third quarter of 2025. The company also announced that the acquisition deal will not have any impact on the financial guidance for 2025, as per the report.
