The Dutch MoD has leased a second ro-ro ship, named MV Southern Rock , which will be operated by the RNLN to secure strategic transport on a more permanent basis. (Dutch MoD)
The Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) has officially put into service a second roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) ship, which it has leased from a private company as part of efforts to secure strategic transport on a permanent basis.
The ship, named MV Southern Rock , arrived in Dakar, Senegal, on 15 May with its first load of e...
A still from a video shows an ELM-2084 radar being deployed during an Azerbaijani artillery exercise. (Azerbaijan Ministry of Defence)
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed its land forces are using a smaller version of the Israeli-made ELM-2084 multimission radar to support artillery units.
An Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Elta ELM-2084 was seen clearly in a video released by the MoD on 16 May to show an artillery exercise involving 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and 2A36 Giatsint-B towed guns.
Azerbaija...
The Fatah-II rocket is initially propelled using a single-stage dual-thrust solid rocket motor, which then disengages and glides to supersonic speeds to engage the target. (Janes)
The Pakistan Army has initiated inducting the Fatah-II multiple rocket launcher (MRL), the Pakistan Armed Forces' Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) agency said on 15 May.
“Fatah-II is being inducted in Pakistan's Artillery Divisions for stand-off [capability] and to engage the targets with precision,” ISPR said.
The rocket system will enhance the “reach and...
Leonardo's SkyTender C-UAS software aims to optimise the deployment of C-UAS. (Leonardo)
Leonardo Canada – Electronics has debuted a new counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) planning and assessment tool designed to enable rapid site evaluation and optimisation prior to equipment deployment.
Known as SkyTender, the software toolset has been evolved from the outputs of a Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) contract awarded to Leonardo in March 2022 under the Innovative Solutions Canada programme. The company has subsequently ‘p...
Germany will pay for three US HIMARSs for Ukraine. (Janes/Patrick Allen)
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced during a visit to Washington, DC on 8–9 May that Berlin would pay for US High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARSs) for Ukraine. Germany will pay for three HIMARSs from US stocks.
During Pistorius's visit to Ottawa on 10 May, Canadian Minister of National Defence Bill Blair signed an agreement with his German counterpart to contribute CAD76 million (USD55.6 million) to the Immediate Action on Air Defence (IAAD) in...
The Sirko-S1 modular UGV developed by Ukrainian company SkyLab is designed to support resupply, medevac, reconnaissance, and mining operations. Its dimensions are 1100×800×500 mm with a maximum speed of up to 7.5 m/s. (Mykhailo Fedorov/Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine)
A Ukrainian-made unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), Sirko-S1, is undergoing trials in Estonia during Exercise ‘Spring Storm', held between 6 and 17 May.
The trials will focus on testing the vehicle's minelaying capabilities in collaboration with ASAX Innovation, the...
In March, the US Army demonstrated its new ERCA capability at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. (Janes/Ashley Roque)
US land forces want an artillery system that is more mobile and more lethal. While cutting-edge technology development failed to produce a production-ready system, the US Army is readjusting its acquisition approach and concepts of operations for artillery.
The army has determined that its Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) Program of Record is not an option for future artillery warfare, Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the...
The EDF is procuring and sustaining some of its L3Harris communications equipment. The force currently operates the Falcon III RF-7800M-MP multiband networking manpack radio (pictured). (L3Harris Technologies)
L3Harris Technologies has been contracted by the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) to supply its radios to the Estonian and Moldovan defence forces.
The EUR30 million (USD32.3 million) deal involves the procurement of radios, supplies, and training for the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) as well as maintenance and support f...
The Italian Army's Grifo air-defence system being tested and qualified with CAMM-ER. (MBDA)
The Italian Army's Grifo (Griffon) air-defence system has been test-fired and qualified with the Common Anti-air Modular Missile Extended Range (CAMM-ER) missile, MBDA announced in a press release on 8 May. The company said it was the first time the Grifo's Command Post and Engagement Module (Posto Comando Modulo di Ingaggio: PCMI) integrated with the missile launcher and CAMM-ER missile was tested-fired and qualified.
The test was conducted against...
Multichannel transmission systems operator-maintainers from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, assemble a Terrestrial Transmission Line Of Sight radio system at Fort Stewart in Georgia in August 2019. (US Army )
US Army officials are soliciting industry feedback on the service's technology development strategy to revamp its Terrestrial Transmission Line of Sight (TRILOS) communications equipment, with plans to acquire two to three new TRILOS variants beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2026.
Led by Program Manager Tactica...
KNDS France proposed its 6×6 CAESAR 155 mm/52 calibre SPH – a mock-up of which is displayed above from the DSA 2024 exhibition – to the Malaysian Army. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)
The Malaysian Army has expressed its willingness to initiate the 6×6 155 mm/52 calibre self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) procurement programme – which is facing delays since it was announced in 2010 – in 2024 at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition held at Kuala Lumpur from 6 to 9 May.
The Malaysian Army's 6×6 SPH procurement programme is “important” for t...
The Raybolt, displayed at the DSA 2024 exhibition, is a manportable anti-tank system designed to be carried and operated by one user. It fires guided projectiles that can be used in either top-attack or direct-attack flightpath modes. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)
South Korea is planning to initiate a “performance improvement plan” for its Raybolt anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), a LIG Nex1 spokesperson told Janes at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur from 6 to 9 May.
The Raybolt ATGM is developed by South Korea's Ag...
EPAIL has delivered 20 light tactical armoured vehicles to the Nigerian military. (Ministry of Defence Nigeria)
The Nigerian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 9 May that 20 locally produced armoured personnel carriers (APCs) were handed over in a ceremony attended by Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Gwabin Musa at Mogadishu Barracks in Abuja the previous day.
It did not name the APCs or their manufacturer, saying only that the vehicles are an improved version with better weapons and communications systems. However, it release...
The MoD is looking for a new partner to support the SSPAR at RAF Fylingdales, which has been operational since the early 1990s. (Crown copyright)
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is looking for a new partner to support the operation and maintenance of the Solid-State Phased-Array Radar (SSPAR) at Royal Air Force (RAF) Fylingdales.
RAF Fylingdales provides a continuous ballistic missile early warning service to the UK and the US. It also functions as a space surveillance and tracking (SST) system, capable of detecting objects the size of a c...
The NMS 4×4, displayed at the DSA 2024 exhibition, features a V-shaped monocoque body. The vehicle has the capacity to carry 11 personnel. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)
Turkish company Nurol Makina showcased its NMS 4×4 armoured vehicle at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur from 6 to 9 May.
A Nurol Makina spokesperson told Janes at the show that the company has partnered with Malaysian firm Nadicorp Holdings to offer the NMS 4×4 to the Malaysian Army.
“There are no orders for this system as of now but we [Nurol Maki...
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on 14 February 2024. (US Space Force)
The Pentagon's Space Development Agency (SDA) has awarded a USD414 million deal to build a series of new satellites, presumably capable of early warning and precision tracking of hypersonic missile systems.
Agency officials selected California-based Millennium Space Systems to construct the eight fire-control satellites as part of the SDA's Fire-control On Orbit-support-to-the-war Fighter (FOO...
The Tarantula vehicle (pictured above from the DSA 2024 exhibition) is equipped with a remote-controlled weapon station with multiple machine guns – a 12.7 mm machine gun and a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun – and 16 units of 76 mm grenade launchers. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)
Malaysian firm Mildef International Technologies (Mildef) has showcased three 4×4 armoured vehicles known as Tarantula, High Mobility Light Tactical Vehicle (HMLTV), and Weapon Carrier Vehicle (WCV) at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur from 6...
After joining the CAVS programme in April 2023, Germany has joined the programme's R&D phase. (Patria)
Germany has joined the Finnish-led 6×6 Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) vehicle research and development (R&D) phase, Patria announced in a press release on 2 May. It joins the other CAVS countries – Finland, Latvia, and Sweden – participating in the R&D phase.
Patria said joining the R&D phase would give Germany access to the results of the product development packages developed in the CAVS programme and allow it to co-define its req...
The upgraded ACV-300 – pictured above from the DSA 2024 exhibition – is fitted with a new-generation remote-controlled weapon system with a close-range surveillance system, auxiliary power unit, air conditioning system, automatic fire suppression system, spall liners, driver vision system, and navigation system. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)
Malaysia's state-owned DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies (DEFTECH) and Turkish vehicle manufacturer FNSS have unveiled a prototype of the upgraded ACV-300 ‘Adnan' tracked armoured combat vehicle at the Defence Servic...
A file image of a USMC ACV from 2022. The service marked its first employment of the ACV at an overseas exercise during ‘Balikatan' 2024 in the Philippines. (US Marine Corps)
The US Marine Corps (USMC) has marked the first employment of its amphibious combat vehicles (ACVs) in an overseas military exercise.
This milestone was accomplished on 4 May when ACVs from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) splashed down into Oyster Bay on the Philippines' Palawan Island from US Navy (USN) landing ship dock USS Harpers Ferry.
It was done as pa...