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...

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 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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

This is the fourth order for the TRML-4D radar from the AFU in less than two years. The C-band ground-based air-defence radar (pictured) has been designed for near- to long-range ground-to-air detection and for weapon assignment. (Hensoldt)  Ukraine is receiving another batch of TRML-4D ground-based air-defence radars from Hensoldt to strengthen the country's air defence.  In total, six additional radars will be delivered later in 2024 to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) as part of a deal worth a EUR100 million (USD107.1 million), the compan...

The German Army's re-established air defence force is scheduled to receive Skyranger 30 air-defence systems in 2026. (Rheinmetall)  The German Army announced on its website on 30 April that it is re-establishing its air defence force, initially based in Lüneburg, northern Germany.  The force was disbanded in 2012 but is being re-established as part of the Bundeswehr's refocus on national and alliance defence. Initially, the force will be equipped with Skyranger 30 air-defence systems mounted on Boxer armoured vehicles, providing mobile short-...

Japan has delivered the TPS-P14ME air surveillance radar (pictured), manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, to the Philippine Air Force. (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation )  The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has received a mobile radar system from Japan to strengthen air surveillance.  Japan has delivered the TPS-P14ME radar manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Melco) to the PAF, the Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) announced in late April.  “[The TPS-P14ME radar] will provide high-resolution surveillance of a...

Ultra Light Tactical Vehicle High Power 1 kW variant was on display for the first time at the Modern Day Marine 2024 conference. (Janes/Meredith Roaten)    The US Marine Corps has received its first four units of Ultra Light Tactical Vehicle High Power (ULTV HP), a Polaris    executive told   Janes  on 30 April.     Two ULTVs delivered in January 2024 are equipped with 1 kW of exportable power, while the other two are equipped with 5 kW of expeditionary power, John LaFata, Polaris programme manager, said in...

The AA signed a second executive contract with Hanwha on 25 April for 72 K239 Chunmoo MRLs (pictured), several thousands of missiles, and technology transfer. (Hanwha Aerospace)  The Polish Armaments Agency (AA) signed a second executive contract with Hanwha Aerospace for 72 K239 Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers (MRLs) on 25 April, the Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND) and the South Korean company announced the same day. The USD1.6 billion contract also covers the delivery of several thousands of missiles with ranges of 80–290 km, in...