The precision approach radar that has been inaugurated at INS Utkrosh in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands. (Andaman And Nicobar Command)  India's Andaman and Nicobar Command has improved its ability to recover fixed-wing aircraft, especially during times of inclement weather over the territory.  This capability has now been enhanced with the operationalisation of a precision approach radar at INS Utkrosh, a naval air station that is located within the Andaman and Nicobar Islands' capital known as Port Blair.  The precision approach radar a...

Tron Future Tech displays its C-UAS' new hard-kill component called T.Interceptor at the World Defense Show 2024 in Riyadh. (Janes/Akshara Parakala)    The Republic of China Army (RoCA) has deployed a modular counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) developed by Taiwan's Tron Future Tech, the company told  Janes  at the World Defense Show (WDS) 2024 held in Riyadh from 4 to 8 February.   The C-UAS, with a new hard-kill component named T.Interceptor, has been displayed at the show.    Tron Future Tech told   Jane...

Sweden plans to replace its in-service ARTHUR WLS, with the procurement process beginning in 2026. Pictured is the rear view of the ARTHUR weapon locating radar integrated on an M113F4 series tracked armoured platform. (Christopher F Foss)  The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has issued a request for information (RFI) on 5 February for the replacement of its Saab ARTHUR (ARTtillery HUnting Radar) weapon locating system (WLS).    According to the RFI provided to  Janes  , the Swedish Armed Forces seeks a future WLS...

An F-16 is flown by Alec ‘Bulldog' Spencer during a mission at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in February 2019. (US Air Force/Tech Sgt John Raven)  Turkey will upgrade its fleet of F-16 fighter aircraft with Northrop Grumman's latest electronic warfare (EW) suite, with plans to integrate the system into future blocks of the venerable jet fighter, Janes has learnt.  Ankara's decision marks the first major Foreign Military Sales of the AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) for the company, said James Conroy, vice-presid...

Aircraft carrier USS   Gerald R Ford  has reported success with launching and recovery systems, but a Pentagon report says more testing is needed.  (Janes/Michael Fabey)  US Navy (USN) aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) has proven the effectiveness of its flight operations and other vital systems during recent deployments and testing, but some of these systems still present reliability issues, according to the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) FY 2023 Annual Report released on 2 February....

A screengrab from the video shows the Kodiak 100 that has been modified into a surveillance aircraft for the FAN. (Forças Armadas Angolanas)  The Armed Forces of Angola (FAA) revealed on 1 February that it has acquired a Kodiak 100 utility aircraft that has been modified into a surveillance aircraft when it released a video to highlight the role of its female crew members.  Angola's National Air Force (FAN) already had one Kodiak 100 that was unveiled in May 2021, when the FAA's official magazine reported that the aircraft had been equipped...

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 US Department of Defense is working on a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with OpenAI that will be signed in the next few months, a top official in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering...

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...

Personnel from the Royal Australian Navy test an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) in Western Australia in 2021. Australia will collaborate with Japan to develop communication technologies that can enhance the interoperability of UUVs used by both countries. (Commonwealth of Australia)  Japan and Australia plan to initially focus on enhancing underwater communication technologies under a recently signed bilateral agreement to co-develop robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) for undersea warfare.  A spokesperson for Australia's Department of D...

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...

Belgium is procuring a further 3,500 Mikron night-vision goggles as part of the Night Vision Capability programme. (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation)  The Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR)is procuring on behalf of Belgium an additional 3,500 Mikron night-vision goggles (NVGs) from the Theon Sensors and Hensoldt consortium following an amendment to the Night Vision Capability (NVC) contract.  The NVC contract was signed in July 2021 between OCCAR and the consortium for the provision of NVGs to Belgium and Germany t...

Saab is now fitting the first of two Global 6000 airframes with its GlobalEye mission equipment for the Swedish Air Force. (Saab)  Saab has inducted the first of two Global 6000 airframes for conversion to the GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) configuration for the Swedish Air Force (SwAF).  The prime contractor for the programme announced the milestone on 26 January, about six months after it officially received the aircraft from Bombardier in Canada in July 2023. With the earlier handover seeing the aircraft receive its i...

The UK Royal Navy is looking to upgrade the search radars of its 30 Merlin HM2 helicopters as it seeks to extend the type's service life out to 2040. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The UK Royal Navy (RN) is to upgrade the radar of its Lockheed Martin AW101 Merlin HM2 maritime helicopters to see them out to their planned 2040 retirement date.  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) released a supply chain notice on 25 January, in which it said it is looking for “expressions of interest” from organisations wishing to be considered for qualification for the c...

A testbed radar – installed atop a 40 ft tower acting as a proxy ship mast – has been employed by NSWCDD since mid-2020 as an FXR test asset and risk reduction system. (US Navy)  A request for information (RFI) released by US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) on 16 January has called for industry input to inform future decisions on development and initial production of the Future X-band Radar (FXR) being planned for large surface combatants, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, and amphibious ships.  Complementary to the Raytheon AN/SPY-6(V) f...

The Land Warfare School in Skövde is one of the various centres receiving the new Leopard 2A5 MBT simulators. (Swedish Armed Forces)  The Swedish Armed Forces is procuring new Stridsvagn 122 (Leopard 2A5) tank simulators from KNDS to improve crew training.    KNDS – a joint venture between Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Nexter – will be supplying the new simulators, replacing all current turret trainers as well as the “full mission simulator” at the Land Warfare School, a spokesperson from the Defence Material Administration told...

The crew training facility, BTA 122, is one of various centres receiving new Leopard 2A5 MBT simulators, replacing existing systems such as the one pictured. (Swedish Armed Forces)  The Swedish Armed Forces is procuring new Stridsvagn 122 (Leopard 2A5) tank simulators from KNDS to improve crew training.  KNDS – a joint venture between Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and Nexter – will be supplying the new simulators, replacing the trainers at the BTA 122 and TBTA crew training facilities, according to an announcement by the Swedish Armed Forces on...

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...

The Saniya C-UAS fitted on the turret roof cage of a Russian 1st Army Corps T-80BVM tank. (Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation)  A new counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) known as Saniya, developed by Russian company 3MX, has been equipped on one of Russia's T-80BVM tanks.  The system was seen onboard a Russian 1st Army Corps T-80BVM tank operating near Pervomayskoye, Ukraine in a video posted by the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation on Telegram on 14 January.  Tests of the C-UAS were scheduled to be completed by the...

An artist's rendering of the upgraded BriteCloud countermeasure for aircraft. (Leonardo)  The UK-based electronic warfare (EW) business of Leonardo has upgraded the large aircraft variant of its BriteCloud expendable active decoy (EAD) to meet the latest NATO STANAG-4871 self-protection standard and offer compatibility with new ‘smart' countermeasure dispenser systems.  Announcing the development on 18 January the company revealed that the latest BriteCloud 55-T variant will also be able to exchange data with the host aircraft's onboard self-...