Chinese tank manufacturer Norinco is using social media to criticize the Russian T-14 Armata.

Chinese tank manufacturer Norinco is using social media to criticize the T-14 Armata and boost their tank.(BB).

China and Russia signed an agreement last month agreeing not to carry out cyber-attacks on each other. Looks like no one told China’s biggest arms maker.

Norinco is resorting to social media to lob military-grade taunts at its Russian rival’s most advanced tank. It took to popular messaging service WeChat in May to tout its top-line armored vehicles... and trash-talk the competition.

The Beijing-based company took aim at a widely reported and embarrassing incident involving the T-14 Armata, the latest product of Russia’s military machine. One of the high-tech tanks ground to an abrupt halt on Red Square during rehearsals for the 70th anniversary celebrations of World War II victory.

The jibe was particularly galling given Russia and China were allies who suffered the worst casualties in that global conflict.

“The T-14’s transmission is not well-developed, as we saw through a malfunction taking place during a rehearsal before the May 9 parade,” Norinco said in a Chinese-language post on its official WeChat account.

“The VT-4 has never encountered such problems so far. Our tanks also have world-class fire-control systems, which the Russians are still trying to catch up with.” Read the full story here.

"Change" - French Rafale fighter jets & Fremm Frigate sale to Egypt "imminent".

"Change" - French Rafale fighter jets and Frigate sale to Egypt "imminent". (AA).

The sale of 24 Dassault Aviation-built Rafale fighter jets to Egypt is "imminent", a French source said, adding that the French and Egyptian defence ministries, and Dassault were holding technical talks on Tuesday.

Two industrial sources have told Reuters that Cairo is looking to buy 24 Rafale jets, a Fremm naval frigate and MBDA missiles in a deal worth 5 billion to 6 billion euros ($5.65-$6.78 billion).

"It will happen. It's imminent. For me the signature is certain," the source close to the matter said, adding that it was not clear if the deal would be sealed "this week or next week".

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has approved the deal, Le Monde newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Despite exclusive negotiations with India for the last three years, Dassault has until now not found a foreign buyer for its multi-role Rafale, billed to be one of the most effective and sophisticated fighter jets in the world, but also one of the most expensive.

A second source, close to French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, said talks were due to conclude in "several days", but said that Paris had not received any official confirmation from the Egyptian presidency.

Officials from Egypt's army and the presidency could not immediately be reached for comment.

Dassault declined to comment, but its chief executive, Eric Trappier, told Le Figaro in comments published on Saturday that its first export deal was close to being agreed.

The Fremm frigate is built by state-controlled DCNS, which is 35 percent owned by defence electronics group Thales . MBDA is a joint venture of Airbus Group, the UK's BAE Systems and Italy's Finmeccanica. Hmmmm.....At least they bought no arms from the Russians....oh wait those will build a nuclear plant. 

@MFS001 Pr Holland of France apparently confirm sales of 24 Raffles Fighters jets to #Egypt a EUR 6 billions deal http://t.co/a236CyFWbg …

— Amr Fahmy (@AmrAdelFahmy) February 13, 2015