The M12 (top) is a 30×173 mm calibre autocannon that is already being fitted to Serbian armoured fighting vehicles. (Janes)  Serbia's Zastava has developed a new 30 mm autocannon that can fire NATO-standard munitions.  The company debuted its M12 autocannon at the Partner 2023 defence exhibition in Belgrade, and is already delivering the system for upgrades to in-service Serbian military armoured fighting vehicles, including the BVP M-80AB2.  The gas-operated autocannon has a dual-feed capability. This enables the operator to fire two types o...

The Pasars-16 has received four Rada radars and is armed with one 40 mm cannon, two types of surface-to-air missiles, and a pair of anti-tank guided missiles. (Janes/Christopher Petrov)  Serbia's Military Technical Institute (MTI) has developed a new version of the Pasars-16 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun and missile system.  The new variant was debuted at the Partner 2023 defence exhibition in Belgrade and features Rada's RPS-42 radar, otherwise known as the Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar.  Pasars-16 carries an array of weaponry. It is eq...

An Autel Evo Max UAV and a DJI Matrice quadcopter flying above a General Dynamics Land Systems LAV700 vehicle at C-UAS TIE23. (Janes/Olivia Savage)  NATO will publish its first counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) doctrine in 2023, which will lay the foundations for how militaries should standardise and operationalise countering UASs, Janes has learnt.  Along with informing members how best to plan and execute C-UAS missions, the high-priority document will address and outline the strategic environment, Senior Advisor for NATO's Science...

The US Army's XM7 rifle uses 6.8 mm ammunition. The rifle will be delivered to soldiers for a limited user test in October. (US Army)  The US Army will deliver the XM250 automatic rifle and the XM7 rifle to a unit in the 101st Airborne Division by the second quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2024, according to army officials.  The 101st Airborne Division received the first deliveries of the weapon on 20 September and will test those weapons in limited user tests starting in October, officials said during a media day at Aberdeen Proving Ground. The...

The laser weapon demonstrator installed on the German Navy's F 124 air-defence frigate FGS   Sachsen  will inform further development of operational laser weapon systems.  (MBDA)  The German armed forces (Bundeswehr) has successfully completed an extended laser weapon trial at sea onboard the Germany Navy's F 124 air-defence frigate FGS Sachsen.  Announcing the milestone on 22 September Rheinmetall Waffe Munition (RWM) said the laser weapon demonstrator (LWD) had performed more than 100 test-firings onboard Sachs...

Reminiscent of an earlier trend in SPAAG design, the Harpas system utilises a M-84 main battle tank hull combined with a turret equipped with anti-aircraft weaponry. (Janes/Christopher Petrov)  Serbia's Military Technical Institute (MTI) unveiled its Harpas self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) and missile system at the Partner 2023 defence exhibition in Belgrade.  Harpas utilises a modern radar connected to a pair of 40 mm L/70 Bofors anti-aircraft cannons, which feature on other recent anti-aircraft systems including the in-service Pasar...

Rheinmetall announced on 12 September that it had transferred a Role 2 containerised mobile field hospital to Ukraine, with two more to follow in late 2023 and early 2024. (Rheinmetall)  European countries announced new weapon donations to Ukraine in the lead up to or during the 15th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, southwestern Germany, on 19 September.  In a press conference following the meeting, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who chairs the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, noted announcements by Germ...

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu is shown a ‘351 land-attack cruise missile' at Iran's IRGC Aerospace Force museum in Tehran. (Russian Ministry of Defence)  The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that missiles previously only displayed by Yemen's Houthi rebels are Iranian, when it released photographs of Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu inspecting them during a visit to Tehran on 20 September. The missiles were also seen in footage broadcast by the Sputnik news agency.  The weapons included the cruise missile that Ansar Allah...

According to DAPA, the new KTSSM-II will have a greater range than the baseline KTSSM (pictured above), which Hanwha has said has a range of between 130 and 180 km. (Janes/Jon Grevatt)  South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has said it will invest KRW290 billion (USD218 million) over the next four years to complete the development of an upgraded version of its guided Korean Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile (KTSSM).  DAPA said on 19 September that funds for development of the new KTSSM-II will be available from Sep...

The Lithuanian Air Force conducted its first live firing of NASAMS during Exercise ‘Silver Arrow 2023' held in Norway. (Norwegian Armed Forces)  The Lithuanian Air Force (LAF) conducted its first live firing of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) III medium-range air-defence system during Exercise ‘Silver Arrow 2023', the Norwegian Armed Forces announced on their website on 15 September. The firing took place at the Nordmela missile firing range on Andøya in Nordland, Norway, and was supported by Ørland airbase's air-...

The Skywiper EDM4S C-UAS handheld jammer, displayed at DSEI 2023 in London, is widely used by the Ukrainian army. Its dimensions are 1,045 (L) × 350 (H) × 250 (W) mm. (Janes/Olivia Savage)    “Thousands” of Lithuanian counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) are operational with the Ukrainian army, Ivan Sybyriakov, manager of the unmanned systems centre at Ukrainian state-owned SpetsTechnoExport (STE), told   Janes  .   The C-UAS solutions in question are the Skywiper Electronic Drone Mitigation 4 - System (EDM4S) and the...

Steel Core Designs Black Widow 5.56 mm assault rifle. (Janes/Amael Kotlarski)  Steel Core Designs publicly unveiled its Black Widow 5.56×45 mm assault rifle at DSEI 2023 in London.  Speaking to Janes, Mike Cherry, the company's CEO and designer of the Black Widow, explained the design philosophy behind the new weapon. Better known for their high-precision rifles, the company decided to design an assault rifle using a unique and patented action.  The bolt is locked by an ‘over-cam' system using two actuating arms to lock the bolt face to the b...

The Skyranger 35 is an unmanned 35 mm air-defence turret that in this case has been fitted to a Boxer module. The turret is housed atop the module and consumes an insignificant amount of internal volume. (Janes/Christopher Petrov)  Rheinmetall displayed a new mobile cannon-based air-defence solution at DSEI 2023 in London.  Rheinmetall has already developed the Skyranger 30 and its new Skyranger 35 introduces a larger-calibre gun, using the 35 mm revolver gun design that is also employed on its semi-mobile and static air-defence solution, Sky...

Thales MBR 5.56 mm assault rifle. (Janes/Amael Kotlarski)  Thales Australia and Lithgow Arms revealed further details of their latest small-arms developments at DSEI 2023 in London.  Speaking to Janes, representatives from the companies outlined work undertaken on a range of rifles, including the F90 Modular Bullpup Rifle (MBR). Essentially an improved F90 rifle, development of the MBR began in 2017 with an aim of improving the weapon's overall ergonomics and functionality. A new ambidextrous magazine release was repositioned on the front of...

Piorun MANPADS – the Next Generation system is intended to be more effective against modern countermeasures. (Jakub Link-Lenczowski)  Polish missile and ammunition specialist Mesko is developing a new version of its Piorun manportable air-defence system (MANPADS).    Przemysław Kowalczuk, a member of Mesko's board, told   Janes  that the Piorun Next Generation (NG) is intended to improve the system's effectiveness against modern countermeasures, including jamming, decoys, and laser-based countermeasures. “The biggest improveme...

The Alakran-S mounted on a Polaris MRZR Alpha 4 all-terrain vehicle at DSEI in September 2023. The mortar is shown in its deployed position, with the screen for the fire-control system on the left side. (Janes/Sonny Butterworth)  Milanion New Technologies Global Systems (NTGS) and Polaris Government & Defense publicly displayed the Alakran-S 81 mm mortar system mounted on a Polaris MRZR Alpha 4 4×4 vehicle for the first time at the DSEI 2023 exhibition in London.  The Alakran-S (the ‘S' denoting ‘small') made its debut at IDEX 2023 mounted on...

A 5.56 mm XT112 assault rifle prototype showcased at TADTE 2023. The rifle has a firing range of 600 m. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense's (MND's) Armaments Bureau has developed a new 5.56 mm rifle called XT112 assault rifle to replace the Republic of China Army's (RoCA's) in-service T91 assault rifles.  The bureau showcased the rifle at the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition 2023 (TADTE 2023) held in Taipei from 14 to 16 September.  Under development by the 205th Arsenal of the Armaments Bureau, w...

HK421 7.62 mm machine gun, right-hand side. (Janes/Amael Kotlarski)  Heckler & Koch (H&K) debuted its new lightweight 7.62×51 mm chambered machine gun at DSEI 2023 in London.  The new weapon has the HK421 designation and is derived from the company's MG5 series of 7.62 mm general-purpose machine guns (GPMGs). Compared with the MG5A2 – the standard infantry model fitted with a 460 mm-long barrel – the HK421 with its 421 mm-long barrel (the longest currently on offer) is approximately 2.7 kg lighter. The company also offers a 330 mm-long barre...

Beretta NARP 5.56 mm rifles in different configurations. (Beretta Defense Technologies)  Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta, part of the Beretta Defense Technologies Group, unveiled its new 5.56×45 mm rifle at DSEI 2023 in London.    Speaking to   Janes  , a company representative said the rifle was developed under the New Assault Rifle Platform (NARP) project and will complement the company's existing ARX160 in its portfolio. The NARP project began in 2018, with the first functional prototypes being handed over to units of the Ita...

The Sky Bow III – locally known as Tien-Kung III – is a mid/long-range surface-to-air missile system. It is displayed at TADTE 2023. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)    Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology (NCSIST) has developed two upgraded variants of the Sky Bow III surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, a spokesperson for NCSIST told   Janes   at the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition 2023 (TADTE 2023) held in Taipei from 14 to 16 September.   The new variants are named Strong Bow I and Strong B...