The Israel Defense Forces has operated an Iron Dome in the region to intercept rocket attacks. Since the outbreak of the most recent conflict, the US Army has declined to say if it will provide its own Iron Dome batteries or Tamir missiles in support of its ally. (Rafael)  The US Army's Iron Dome mobile, short-range air-defence system is operating with one of the service's Multi-Domain Task Forces (MDTFs) based in the Pacific, General James Rainey, commander of Army Futures Command, announced 9 October.  Designed by Israeli company Rafael, th...

The Brazilian Army has formally started the refurbishment process for its M109A3 self-propelled howitzers fleet. (Victor Manuel Saraiva Barreira)  The Brazilian Army has formally cleared a guideline on 2 October to start refurbishing its M109A3 self-propelled howitzers, according to a 22 September army announcement.  The effort is part of the subprogram ‘Field Artillery System' (SPrg SAC) and seeks to restore operability and extend the M109A3's life cycle by replacing structural parts and components or equipment, the army said. An army workin...

The MM40 Block 3c Exocet operational evaluation firing was performed from the frigate   Alsace  on 20 September.  (Marine Nationale)  The French Navy has completed an operational evaluation firing of the new Block 3c iteration of MBDA's MM40 Exocet surface-to-surface guided missile.  Undertaken from the Aquitaine-class multimission frigate Alsace in the Mediterranean in late September, the test was designed to prove the performance of the anti-ship missile, most notably the upgraded J-band active radar seeker int...

The US Army is confident its LRHW can be fielded this year despite a recent flight-test cancellation. (US Navy)  Despite testing delays, army officials are bullish that a new Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) could be fielded by the end of 2023.  “We are confident in the calendar year,” James Mills, deputy director of the Army Hypersonics Project Office in the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), said during a 9 October briefing at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual conference in Washington, DC....

A quadcopter co-ordinating autonomously alongside a UGV in a de-mining exercise in Belgium in September 2023, supported by the European Defence Agency. (European Defence Agency)  A de-mining exercise involving an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and two unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) was held in Belgium in September to assess the application of artificial intelligence (AI) for improvised explosive device (IED) detection.  The exercise, supported by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and announced on 2 October, involved a quadcopter and two UGVs...

Ukraine to receive Kongsberg Cortex Typhon C-UAS solution and Dingo 2 vehicles as part of the International Fund for Ukraine. (Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace)  Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is now in the test phase for integrating the Cortex Typhon counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) and plans to deliver the first platforms to Ukraine in early 2024, the company told   Janes  on 4 October.   The company announced in August it would send several systems to Ukraine worth GBP56 million (USD68 million), funded by the International F...

The Spanish Army operates Patriot air-defence systems acquired secondhand from Germany. (Spanish Army)  The US State Department notified Congress on 4 October of a possible US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Spain of Patriot Configuration-3+ modernised fire units for an estimated cost of USD2.8 billion, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced in a press release later the same day.  The agency said that the Spanish government had requested four Patriot Configuration-3+ modernised fire units consisting of 51 Patriot Advanced...

Thales Australia employees conduct the final visual inspection of .50 calibre ball linked ammunition on the production line at Benalla. (Thales Australia)  The Australian government will invest AUD220 million (USD139.9 million) in state-owned munitions production factories in Mulwala in New South Wales and Benalla in Victoria, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said in a press release on 6 October.  According to the DoD, the investment will improve industrial capacity through infrastructure redevelopments at each site to meet future d...

Spain is procuring 168 Spike LR2 ATGW systems. (Armasuisse )  Spain's Council of Ministers approved the signing of a EUR285 million (USD300 million) contract for 168 Spike LR2 long-range anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) systems, the Spanish government announced on its website on 3 October. They will replace obsolete systems and reduce life-cycle costs, the government said, adding that the procurement would allow interoperability of systems.  The Spanish Army has Spike LR, MILAN, and TOW ATGWs, according to Janes World Armies. Spike LR and LR2 a...

A computer-generated image of the final configuration of the Polish Navy's first Miecznik frigate. (Babcock)  Thales UK has sealed a contract with Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) to supply and integrate the core combat suite for Poland's Miecznik (Swordfish) frigate programme.  Signed on 4 October, the EUR400 million (USD419 million)-plus contract – being primed through the company's Above Water Systems business line – covers the supply of the TACTICOS combat management system (CMS) above-water sensors and fire control, and an anti-submarine s...

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS   Barry   is seen here launching a Tomahawk cruise missile. Japan is seeking to accelerate its acquisition of this capability.   (US Navy)  Japan is accelerating efforts to procure selected stand-off weapons, including the US-supplied Tomahawk cruise missile, amid deteriorating security conditions in the region.  The matter was announced by the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) on 5 October.  “The Ministry of Defense and the [Japan] Self-Defense Forces will str...

Kimon  , the first FDI frigate for the Hellenic Navy, was officially launched at Naval Group's Lorient shipyard on 4 October.   (Naval Group)  French shipbuilder Naval Group has officially launched the first Frégate de Défense et d'Intervention (FDI) multimission frigate on order for the Hellenic Navy (HN).  A formal launch ceremony for the future HS Kimon (F 601) was held at Naval Group's shipyard in Lorient, France, on 4 October following the ship's technical launch the previous week. Kimon was laid down in October 2022 and f...

An unarmed Trident II (D5LE) missile launches from the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS   Wyoming   during a Demonstration and Shakedown Operation 31 in September 2021. A similar test was conducted on 27 September 2023 from the submarine USS   Louisiana  .  (US Navy)    The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS   Louisiana  (SSBN 743) launched an unarmed life-extended Trident II (D5LE) missile on 27 September on the Western Test Range off the coast of San Diego, Califor...

Germany and Israel signed a joint declaration of intent on 28 September on the procurement of the Arrow Weapon System for the Luftwaffe. (IAI)  German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, signed a joint declaration of intent in Berlin on 28 September on Germany's procurement of the Arrow Weapon System (AWS) for the Luftwaffe.  Pistorius said afterwards in a joint press conference with Gallant that “the Arrow system will prepare German air defence for the future”, with the system defending Germany from ba...

The third Italian Navy PPA,   Raimondo Montecuccoli,  was formally handed over at Fincantieri's Muggiano shipyard on 27 September.  (Fincantieri)  Fincantieri has delivered the Italian Navy's first multi-purpose offshore patrol ship (Pattugliatore Polivalente d'Altura: PPA) configured for medium-intensity (light plus) operations.  Raimondo Montecuccoli (P 432) was handed over during a formal ceremony held at Fincantieri's shipyard in Muggiano, Trieste, on 27 September.  Laid down in November 2018 and launched in...

Northrop Grumman's Stand-in Attack Weapon. (Northrop Grumman)  The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded Northrop Grumman a USD705 million contract to develop and test the Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW), an air-to-ground missile intended to strike high-priority targets, the company announced on 25 September.  SiAW is designed to be carried internally by the Lockheed Martin F-35, which cannot employ ground attack missiles currently in the arsenal. The missile will also be integrated with other USAF platforms, although the F-35 is scheduled to be the...

The 81 mm mobile mortar system mounted on a HMMWV was showcased for the first time at the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition 2023 (TADTE 2023) held in Taipei from 14 to 16 September. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense's (MND's) Armaments Bureau has developed an 81 mm mobile mortar system mounted on a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV), a spokesperson for the bureau told Janes in mid-September.  The system is already deployed to an undisclosed number of Republic of China Army's (RoCA's...

The upgrade by Srboauto modernises the legacy 2S1 self-propelled artillery system for the Serbian Armed Forces. (Janes/Christopher Petrov)  Serbia's Srboauto has begun modernising the Serbian Army's 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems. The upgrade includes the ability to fire extended-range munitions, a defensive 7.62 mm machine gun for the commander, and a new fire-control system (FCS). An example of the upgrade was displayed at the Partner 2023 defence exhibition in Belgrade.  The 2S1 retains its 122 mm main armament, but with the...

The new class of the ASWFs is planned to enter service with the Netherlands and Belgian navies from 2029 to 2031. (Damen)  Dutch shipbuilder Damen Naval has awarded Heinen & Hopman a contract to supply the climate and filtration systems for the four new anti-submarine warfare frigates (ASWFs) on order for the Netherlands and Belgian navies.  Under the contract, announced on 26 September, the Spakenburg-based company will supply a complete heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAR-R) system as well as a chemical, biologic...

Japan's new medium-range AAM programme will assimilate research findings from the earlier Joint New AAM (JNAAM) project. (Japan Ministry of Defense/Janes)  Japan has said it will develop a new medium-range air-to-air missile (AAM) to arm its sixth-generation Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) fighter aircraft.  According to a spokesperson of the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) and the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA), development of the missile will begin in Japan fiscal year (JFY) 2024.  The spokesperson told Janes that the...