India's Nirbhay cruise missile, displayed above at Defexpo 2020 in Lucknow, will be equipped with Small Turbofan Engines, enhanced radio frequency seekers, and other subsystems to transform it into the proposed Long-Range Land Attack Cruise Missile. (Janes/Rahul Udoshi )  India's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh, has accorded an Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to procurethe Long-Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) for the Indian Air Force.  The AoN is the sixth step in Indian defence procurem...

Six Iranian Khorramshahr ballistic missiles are seen flanked by Haj Qasem ballistic missiles during the handover ceremony. (president.ir)  Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) officially received what appeared to be its first Khorramshahr and Haj Qasem ballistic missiles in a ceremony attended by President Ebrahim Raisi to mark the Defence Industry Day on 22 August.  Six liquid-fuel Khorramshahrs were shown with three solid-propellant Haj Qasems on either side during the ceremony, all of them on transporter erector launchers (TELs)....

Elbit Systems ReDrone C-UAS solution has been acquired by the Netherlands Ministry of Defence. (Elbit Systems)  The Netherlands has acquired new counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) from Elbit Systems for GBP43 million (USD55 million), the company announced on 21 August.  As part of the contract, the company will supply several mobile, stationary, and deployed configurations of its ‘ReDrone' integrated C-UAS solution. Logistics and training will also be provided.    A Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson told   J...

Poland's first K239 Chunmoo MRL mounted on a Polish Jelcz vehicle was delivered by sea to the Port of Gdańsk, Poland, on 21 August. (Polish Armaments Agency)  Poland's first K239 Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher (MRL) mounted on a Jelcz launch vehicle was delivered by sea to the Port of Gdańsk on 21 August 2023, the Polish Armaments Agency (AA) announced on its website on the same day.    Asked for more details, Hanwha Aerospace sent   Janes  a press release on 23 August, originally distributed only to Polish media on 29 June,...

The Spike LR II (pictured above) is being tested by an infantry team in manportable configuration. This is a fifth‐generation portable fire‐and‐forget ATGM system. (Rafael Advanced Defense Systems)  The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has signed a contract with Rafael Australia to procure an unknown number of Spike LR II long-range anti‐tank guided missiles (ATGMs) for Boxer 8×8 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRVs), the company announced on 22 August.  According to Rafael, the procurement is part of Australia's Guided Weapons and Expl...

Elbit Systems ReDrone C-UAS solution has been acquired by the Netherlands Ministry of Defence. (Elbit Systems)  The Netherlands has acquired new counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) from Elbit Systems for GBP43 million (USD55 million), the company announced on 21 August.  As part of the contract, the company will supply several mobile, stationary, and deployed configurations of its ‘ReDrone' integrated C-UAS solution. Logistics and training will also be provided.  The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) did not respond to Janes regard...

The US government has approved the sale of the AWS to Germany. (IAI)  The US government has approved the sale of the Arrow Weapon System (AWS) to Germany, the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) announced on its website on 17 August. The approval paves the way for the IMOD, the German Ministry of Defence (MoD), and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to sign a USD3.5 billion agreement on the procurement, Israel's largest ever defence deal, according to the IMOD.  The Israeli and German MoDs will sign a letter of commitment to start work immediate...

The HIMARS, pictured above from a US Army exercise, can hit targets at a range of 70 km using the Multiple Launch Rocket System Family of Munitions, both guided and unguided, and 300 km with the MGM-142 Army Tactical Missile System. (US Army/Sgt 1st Class Steven Queen)  The US Department of State has approved the possible Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of M142 High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARSs) and related equipment to the Australian government for an estimated cost of USD975 million.  The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (D...

The Royal Australian Navy Hobart-class destroyer, HMAS   Sydney  , firing a Harpoon missile during Exercise ‘Pacific Vanguard 2022'. The class will soon be equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles.  (Commonwealth of Australia)  The Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) fleet of Hobart-class air warfare destroyers will be equipped with the Tomahawk cruise missile, making Australia one of only three countries to field this weapon alongside the US and the UK.  The matter was disclosed by Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and...

The Standard Missile-3 Block IIA missile, pictured above launching from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii, is jointly developed by the US and Japan. The MDA said the GPI joint development with Japan will be pursued in a construct similar to that used for the SM-3 missile. (US MDA)  The US and Japan have initiated the joint development of a Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) to counter hypersonic weapons, the US Department of Defense (DoD) announced on 18 August.  According to the DoD, during the January 2023 Security Consultative Commit...

The Australian DoD has accelerated the acquisition of a range of guided weapons including Tomahawk cruise missiles (pictured above). (US Navy)  The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has outlined a short-term plan to accelerate the domestic development of guided weapons as part of the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise, which was launched in 2021.    A DoD spokesperson told   Janes   that the Australian government has committed AUD2.5 billion (USD1.6 billion) over the next four years to accelerate the G...

Raytheon Technologies is building the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor for the US Army's integrated missile defence architecture in Guam. (Raytheon)  The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) transitioned its power to the US Army in June 2023 on the integrated missile defence of Guam effort, service leaders announced recently.  The memo – signed by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks – establishing Army Sustainment Command as the lead service for Guam's defence, went out in June, Lieutenant General Robert Rasch, director of the Rapid C...

A US Army HIMARS launcher from the 17th Field Artillery Brigade fires its first salvo at the Lancelin Defence Training Area in Western Australia as part of Exercise ‘Highball'. (Commonwealth of Australia)  The Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the US Army have carried out a live firing of the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) against a maritime target in a bid to hone this capability for Australia.  The activity was carried out in Western Australia as part of Exercise ‘Highball', which was conducted by the ADF in conjunction wit...

The 4×4 Waran launcher vehicle of the Gladius system with the FT-5 tactical reconnaissance UAV mounted. To the left is the training version of the BSP-U strike UAV. (Jakub Link-Lenczowski)  The Polish army unveiled the components of its new Gladius artillery strike-reconnaissance system during a military parade on 15 August, displaying a commander's vehicle and a mobile launcher vehicle, the FT-5 tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and the training version of the BSP-U strike UAV (BSP-U(T)).  Huta Stalowa Wola's (HSW) Waran 4×4 is used as...

A BGM-71F TOW 2B missile is fired from a US Army 4×4 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle during an exercise at Joint Multinational Training Command in Grafenwoehr, Germany. (US Army)  The US Army selected Raytheon Technologies for a USD322.5 million contract that requires the company to build tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided (TOW) 2B top-attack missiles, according to a 15 August announcement.  The procurement will produce TOW weapons for the army, the US Marine Corps, and international customers with a ceiling of USD400 mi...

In June 2023 the RCCTO oversaw the launch of a Tomahawk missile from the army's prototype Mid-Range Capability system. (US Army)  The US Army fired a cruise missile for the first time since 1944, completing the operational tests necessary to deliver the first Mid-Range Capability (MRC) weapon system by the end of fiscal year (FY) 2023, the service announced recently.  The US Army's 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) worked with the US Navy to launch a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile from an MRC system on 27 June, according to an army release. Th...

The ZSSW-30 30 mm remote-controlled weapon station will become a primary weapon for future and current APCs and IFVs replacing the manned Hitfist 30P turrets. (Jakub Link-Lenczowski)  Three months before Poland's parliamentary elections, Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak has announced three contracts that will provide several types of armoured vehicles for the Polish army during the next 12 years.  The first contract, announced on 14 August, was signed between the Polish Armaments Agency (AA) and state-owned Polish Armaments Grou...

A computer-generated image of the final configuration of the Polish Navy's first Miecznik frigate. (PGZ)  A steel-cutting ceremony was held for the first Polish Project 106 Miecznik (Swordfish)-class frigate at the Polish Armaments Group (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa: PGZ) Naval Shipyard in Gdynia, Poland, on 16 August.  Under the Miecznik programme, which is valued at around PLN8 billion (USD1.95 billion), PGZ Naval Shipyard is building three frigates for the Polish Navy in co-operation with strategic partners Babcock (as the platform design pro...

Swedish Leopard 2 MBTs and CV90 AFVs donated to Ukraine will receive additional ammunition from Sweden following a military aid package. (Krauss-Maffei Wegmann)  The Swedish government is preparing a SEK3.4 billion (USD313.4 million) military aid package for Ukraine, the authority announced on 15 August.  The assistance includes ammunition and spare parts for several of the equipment donated to Ukraine by Sweden, including the CV90 armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) and Leopard 2 main battle tanks (MBTs).  In addition, Sweden intends to supply...

The northern lights glow behind a Patriot M903 launching station assigned to 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, during Exercise ‘Arctic Edge 2022' at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, on 5 March 2022. The Patriot system allows soldiers to detect, analyse, and defend against incoming air and missile threats. (USAF)  The latest US security assistance package will allocate about USD200 million worth of equipment for Ukraine, including 155 mm and 105 mm artillery rounds and ammunition for air-defence systems, according to a 14 Augu...