Acquisition of the AGM-154C Block III missiles will allow Taiwan to augment its asymmetrical warfare capabilities. (Commonwealth of Australia)  The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Raytheon Missile Systems a USD68.4 million contract to produce AGM-154C Block III Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) air-to-ground missiles for Taiwan.  Under the contract, Raytheon Missile Systems will produce and deliver 50 AGM-154C Block III missiles for Taiwan over the next four years. The work on this batch of missiles is expected to be concluded before Ma...

Taiwan showcased the Sky Bow III surface-to-air missile system during a media event at Hualien Air Force Base in August 2022. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)  Taiwan has initiated deployment of its Sky Bow III surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems – known locally as Tien Kung III – at existing MIM-23 Hawk and Sky Bow II air-defence system sites, a Republic of China Army (RoCA) officer told Janes on 29 January.  The move follows a budgetary report submitted by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) to the Legislative Yuan in October 2023, w...

The NDMA has ordered NASAMS from Kongsberg to replace systems donated to Ukraine, with deliveries to the Norwegian Armed Forces expected in 2026–27. (Forsvaret)  The Norwegian government has ordered new National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMSs) from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to replace systems donated to Ukraine, the company announced in a press release on 31 January. Kongsberg valued the contract with the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) at approximately NOK1.4 billion (USD133 million),  with deliveries expe...

Naval Group's XLUUV demonstrator, which completed sea trials in late 2023, will be a key component of the UCUV project. (Naval Group)  Naval Group has been awarded a contract by French defence procurement agency Directorate General of Armament (DGA) for the development of an unmanned combat underwater vehicle (UCUV) demonstrator.  Under a framework agreement announced by both parties on 29 January 2024 but formalised on 28 December 2023, Naval Group will design, produce, and test a 10 m-long UCUV prototype.  The agreement follows a nine-mont...

The AD Counter FPV C-UAS developed locally by Kvertus is in service with the Ukrainian military. The device disrupts FPV RF signals, rendering the threats uncontrollable. (Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine/Mykhailo Fedorov)  Ukraine is deploying a new locally developed, portable counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) that blocks first-person view (FPVs) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).  The system – AD Counter FPV – is manufactured by Ukraine company Kvertus and is designed to disrupt FPVs operating in the 850–940 MHz radio freq...

The UK MoD has cancelled earlier plans to fit an LDEW demonstrator to a Type 23 frigate. (Thales)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has dropped plans to trial a laser-directed energy weapon (LDEW) demonstrator from a Royal Navy (RN) Type 23 frigate.  Revealing the decision in a 30 January parliamentary answer, Minister of State for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge said the move was intended to free up money for the UK's wider Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) programme. Thales had been under contract to develop the maritime LDEW demonstrator....

Iver Huitfeldt  sets sail from Korsør on 29 January. The frigate is Denmark's contribution to strengthening maritime security in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.  (Rune Dyrholm/The Armed Forces)  The Royal Danish Navy (RDN) has despatched its air-defence frigate Iver Huitfeldt (F 361) to the Red Sea where it will participate in the US-led multinational task force Operation ‘Prosperity Guardian'.  Iver Huitfeldt set sail from Korsør bound for the Mediterranean on 29 January, the Danish Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the sam...

North Korea's Hwasal-2 cruise missile. (Janes)  North Korea has carried out a test-firing of its Hwasal-2 cruise missile.  The test was carried out by a Korean People's Army (KPA) unit and the weapon was fired into the Yellow Sea (West Sea) on 30 January, according to a statement published by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) the next day.  “The drills validated the [North Korean armed forces'] readiness for rapid counter-attack and enhanced its strategic strike capabilities and did not have any detrimental effect on the...

SkyShield, displayed at IDEX 2023, is an omnidirectional C-UAS that can detect and neutralise multiple unmanned aerial threats. (Janes/Olivia Savage)  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed a contract with Edge company SIGN4L for the provision of counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs).  Announced by Edge on 30 January, the contract includes the provision of the vehicle-based SkyShield and the NavControl-G jammer.  SIGN4L had not responded to Janes at the time of publication regarding the number of units being supplied and the delivery...

The VMIMS (seen here at DefExpo in October 2022) consists of a modified MDSL ALSV 4×4 armoured vehicle fitted with a two-door cab and an Alakran-L deployable mortar system equipped with an 81 mm mortar. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  Milanion NTGS, the UK manufacturer of the Alakran deployable mortar system, has said deliveries of the Indian Army's Vehicle Mounted Infantry Mortar System (VMIMS) are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.  The announcement coincided with the Indian Army's first public display of the system at the 75th Republic Day...

The CV9035NL mid-life upgrade has a new turret with a pop-up ATGM launcher, a mast-mounted commander's sight, and a hard-kill active protection system. Although the first production-standard vehicles have yet to be delivered, the RNLA is considering further upgrades for some of its subsystems. (Dutch MoD)  The Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) is considering multiple engineering change proposals for its CV9035NL mid-life upgrade (MLU) infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), Janes learnt at Defence iQ's International Armoured Vehicles (IAV) 2024 conferen...

The Spanish Army is planning to upgrade the firepower, mobility, protection, command, control, and communications of its Leopard 2E fleet by 2032 under a three-phase modernisation programme. (Janes/Patrick Allen)    Spain is making progress on several armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) modernisation programmes and intends to start a three-phase programme to modernise its Leopard 2E main battle tank (MBT) fleet,  Janes  learnt at Defence iQ's International Armoured Vehicles (IAV) 2024 conference held in London from 22 to 25 January...

The Turkish Navy's Ada-class corvette TCG   Kınalıada  (F-514) test-fires an Atmaca anti-ship missile in the Black Sea in early November 2019.  (Roketsan)  Turkey has begun serial production of its indigenously developed Akya heavyweight torpedo (HWT), Atmaca surface-to-surface anti-ship guided missile, and Sapan anti-aircraft air-defence missile.  A contract signing ceremony to start mass producing the three weapon systems, which were developed by Turkish manufacturer Roketsan, was held on 20 January, the Turkis...

The Pinaka 214 mm (12-round) MBRL is an all-weather, indirect fire, free-flight artillery rocket system. The system is designed for shoot-and-scoot operations and is based on a locally manufactured Tatra 8×8 truck chassis. (BEML Limited)    The Indian Army has approved the development of advanced rockets for its Pinaka Multi‐Barrel Rocket Launchers (MBRLs),    a source at India's state-owned rocket manufacturer Munitions India Limited (MIL) told  Janes  on 24 January.   The army has granted official permission t...

An Atmaca missile seen here being launched from the Turkish corvette TCG   Kınalıada  . Indonesia looks set to be the first export customer of the missile.   (Roketsan)    Indonesia has awarded local defence company PT Republik Defensindo the contract to procure an initial batch of Atmaca anti-ship guided missiles from Turkey,   Janes  has been informed by multiple sources close to the matter.   This contract, which covers the procurement of 45 missile rounds and associated launcher units and u...

The PLA deploys YJ-62 missiles in Haiyang drills. (Janes)    The 333rd Coastal Defence Brigade of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Northern Theater Command (NTC) has deployed land-attack YJ-62 anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs) in a drill that took place in Haiyang, a coastal city southeast of the Shandong Peninsula    in China.   According to the drill's video footage released by Chinese state-owned broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), the brigade was seen exercising with four 8×8 WS2400 transporter-erector-launch...

Rheinmetall officially opened its new factory in Zalaegerszeg, western Hungary, on 18 August 2023, which is producing the Lynx IFV for the HDF. (Rheinmetall)    Hungary will arm its Lynx infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) with Hero loitering munitions,   Janes  learnt at Defence iQ's International Armoured Vehicles (IAV) 2024 conference being held in London from 22 to 25 January. This is in addition to other ammunition for the vehicles and the 163 Lynx IFVs being produced in Hungary.   Hungary ordered Hero loitering munitio...

Germany is to join Spain and the UK in integrating the Brimstone air-to-surface missile onto its Eurofighter combat aircraft. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Germany is to equip its Eurofighter combat aircraft with the MBDA Brimstone air-to-surface missile, the government revealed on 17 January.  Revealed in Bundeswehr budgetary documents disclosed by Der Spiegel, the Luftwaffe intends to acquire 274 of the low-yield missiles to equip its Eurofighter fleet, with a contract to be awarded in the second quarter (Q2) of 2024.  No further details of the pl...

An artist's portrayal of the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM. (Northrop Grumman)  The US Air Force's (USAF's) LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) programme is to cost at least 37% more and enter service two years later than anticipated, the USAF said in a 19 January statement.  The Program Acquisition Unit Cost (PAUC) has increased from a projected USD118 million in 2020 to roughly USD162 million per missile in December 2023. Most of the overrun is due to cost increases in the command-and-control (C2) and missile...

The FMV has ordered two MSHORAD systems with RBS 70 NG missiles mounted on the roof of the Bv410 and two EldE 98s with four IRIS-T missiles on the back of the ATV (pictured). (Försvarsmakten/Jessica Krantz)  The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) ordered mobile short-range air defence (MSHORAD) systems from Saab during the fourth quarter of 2023, the agency and company announced on 17 January.  Saab valued the contract at SEK300 million (over USD28 million) and said the contract period ranged from 2024 to 2026, while the FMV expect...