The German Navy's F126 frigates will be equipped with Systematic's SitaWare C2 suite. (Damen Naval)  Germany's F126 frigates will be equipped with Systematic's command-and-control (C2) software, the company announced on 20 November.  The project, called the National Maritime C2 Service Bundeswehr (NMC2S Bw), will involve adding SitaWare Maritime and Fusion to the Bundeswehr's SitaWare Headquarters (HQ) licences and installing this onboard the F126 frigates.    A Systematic spokesperson told   Janes   the licences are aimed to b...

L3Harris Technologies will supply its radios for the combat net radio requirement as part of the Foxtrot digitisation programme. The company is already supplying its AN/PRC-163 radios to meet the ‘Replacement of Ground-Air Radios' requirement under Foxtrot. (Janes/Olivia Savage)  L3Harris Technologies has been selected by the Netherlands Armed Forces to supply its radios for the Foxtrot tactical digitisation programme.  This will involve delivering radios for approximately 8,000 vehicles, 3,500 military personnel, 135 vessels, 170 aircraft, a...

The NDM   Bahia  LPD, formerly the Foudre-class FS   Siroco  LPD with the French Navy between 1998 and 2015, was acquired by Brazil in 2015.  (Victor Barreira )    The Brazilian Navy is acquiring a new satellite communications (satcom) system for NDM   Bahia   (G40) multi-purpose landing platform dock (LPD) to improve the satcom capability of the amphibious warfare ship.     A tender launched by the Brazilian Naval Commission in Washington, DC, on behalf of the Logistics Cen...

FFG is working on the Boxer RRV variant. (FFG )  Lieutenant Colonel Karlheinz Boehnke, Multi-Role Armoured Vehicle (MRAV) Boxer representative in the German Army Concept and Capabilities Development Centre, presented a Boxer jamming variant and an update on other planned versions on the second day of SAE Media Group's Future Armoured Vehicles Survivability (FAVS) 2023 conference held in London from 13 to 15 November.  The Boxer Knifefish jamming variant would exist in two versions – ultra-high frequency (UHF)/very high frequency (VHF...

The new antenna array associated with Project Strongbow is shown here in testing at SwRI's San Antonio, Texas, facility. (SwRI)  The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) has begun retrofitting an upgraded communications eavesdropping suite on its 12 Halifax-class frigates under Project Strongbow.  Work has started on the implementation phase, according to Canada's Department of National Defence (DND), with initial operational capability (IOC) planned for 2025. Initial shipboard installations on three frigates are following now-completed environmental qu...

US Army Major Aaron Spence, an international technology integrator assigned to Army South, demonstrates the RIC-U to a group of Brazilian soldiers. US Army National Guard photo by Staff Sergeant Jonathan Pietrantoni. (US Army South)    The US Army wants to move its conversations with allies from sending slideshows and emails back and forth to being able to communicate via voice in the field, army officials told   Janes   ahead of the ‘Southern Vanguard 24' exercise in Macapá, Brazil.   The US Army is testing a new configura...

Eter is currently deployed with the Armed Forces of Ukraine to detect Russian radio signals. (Mykhailo Fedorov/Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine)  Ukraine has developed and is deploying a signals intelligence (SIGINT) system on the frontline called Eter, the Ukrainian Minister for igital ransformation, Mykhailo Fedorov said on 14 November.    Eter is a radio-electronic intelligence complex developed by Ukraine-based company Falcons and supported by the defence technology cluster Brave1. It comprises three direction finding (D...

The first of three Global 6000 business jets seen in Kansas in November 2022, ahead of its conversion with PEGASUS SIGINT mission systems. (Bombardier)  The Global 6000 business jet-based Persistent German Airborne Surveillance System (PEGASUS) has passed its critical design review (CDR), prime contractor Hensoldt announced on 16 November.  The CDR, which was conducted by representatives of the Bundeswehr, was successfully completed two years after Hensoldt was contracted to develop the capability based on its Kalaetron signals intelligence (...

EOS has secured a contract to supply spares of its R600S remote weapon system (pictured) to a South East Asian military. (Electro Optic Systems)  Electro Optic Systems (EOS) has secured a contract worth AUD28 million (USD18.2 million) to supply spares of its R600S remote weapon system (RWS) to a South East Asian military, a spokesperson for the company told Janes on 15 November.  Under this contract, EOS will provide “gimbals and sensor units” for the R600S to the customer, the spokesperson said.  “The R600S is mainly used for ground-to-groun...

A rendered image of the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft in NATO markings, showcased at the DSEI 2023 defence exhibition in London. (Boeing via Janes/Gareth Jennings)  NATO has selected the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail to replace its Boeing E-3A Sentry Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft.  The alliance announced the selection on 15 November, saying the approval was granted in the same month. Six aircraft will be acquired to begin operations from 2031.  The six Wedgetails will replace the 14 Sentries operated by the NATO E-3A Com...

RAF aircraft, such as the Poseidon MRA1 pictured, are providing surveillance support to Israel. (Crown Copyright)  The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) is providing aerial surveillance support to Israel in its ongoing operation against Hamas militants in Gaza, it was disclosed on 13 November.  Answering questions in the House of Commons, Minister of State for the Armed Forces James Heappey said, aircraft have been deployed to the region in support of Israel and the UK's wider security concerns.  “A total of 12 aircraft have deployed to the eastern Me...

The RN's Type 26 frigates are among one class of ship being installed with Elbit Systems' electronic intelligence solution as part of MEWSIC Increment 1. (BAE Systems)  The programme to deliver a next-generation electronic surveillance system for the Royal Navy's (RN) surface warships has passed the critical design review (CDR), the UK Ministry of Defence announced on 13 November.  Known as the Maritime Electronic Warfare System Integrated Capability (MEWSIC), the programme – being delivered by Babcock, Elbit Systems UK, and QinetiQ – aims t...

The RN has taken delivery of six REMUS 300 vehicles to meet its SAUV requirement. (HII)  The UK Royal Navy (RN) has begun training on the new REMUS 300 small autonomous underwater vehicles (SAUVs) delivered by HII's Mission Technologies division.  Being introduced to support mine-countermeasures (MCM) operations, the REMUS 300 is intended to enhance the capability of the RN's Hunt-class MCM vessels to deliver a full-spectrum ‘find-fix-finish' capability to maximum depth. The new 300 m-capable vehicles will also inform the next-generation Mine...

The ASBM-1 satellite undergoes vibration testing at Northrop Grumman's satellite manufacturing facility in Dulles, Virginia. (Northrop Grumman)  A Northrop Grumman-built satellite communications (satcom) space vehicle (SV) for the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) programme has cleared key developmental testing, according to company officials.  ASBM-1, one of two broadband satcom SVs being developed by Northrop Grumman for the joint ASBM programme between the US and Norway, has completed thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing, a 7 November com...

PhantomBlu prototype. ( Blu Wireless)  PhantomBlu from Blu Wireless is the first mobile V-band self-forming and self-healing mesh network radio, utilising millimeter-wave (mmWave) technology to provide multi-gigabit per second network throughput with lowest probability of detection.  A V-band radio operating in 57–71GHz frequency band, PhantomBlu successfully completed live trials aboard moving platforms with a speed of 300 km/h, Macy Summers, president and CEO of Blu Wireless Inc, told Janes.  The system trials were undertaken by various mil...

The Royal Australian Navy Hobart-class destroyer, HMAS   Sydney  , firing a Harpoon missile during Exercise ‘Pacific Vanguard 2022'. Lockheed Martin has recently upgraded this class to enable integration of the Aegis Baseline 9 combat management system.  (Commonwealth of Australia)  Lockheed Martin has upgraded the design architecture of the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) Hobart-class destroyers to enable integration of the Aegis Baseline 9 Combat Management System (CMS) into these vessels.  The upgrades were de...

The Bundeswehr aims to operate a multi-orbit satcom space architecture comprising its future MEO constellation and GEO spacecraft as well as through utilising LEO services from its partners. Pictured is one of the current GEO COMSATBw spacecraft. (EADS Astrium)  The German Bundeswehr aims to develop its own medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellation consisting of up to 24 satellites, Janes learnt at SAE's 2023 Global MilSatCom conference held between 6 and 9 November in London.  Speaking at the conference, Major General Michael Färber, director o...

The UK is procuring the GM200 multimode radar under a government-to-government deal with the Netherlands. (Thales Nederland)  The UK has elected to pursue a government-to-government deal with the Netherlands for the procurement of a new Deep Find radar as part of a wider recapitalisation of the British Army's weapons locating capability under Project Serpens, Janes has learnt.  The move, which will see the UK join other NATO members in buying the Thales Nederland Ground Master 200 (GM200) multimission radar, is intended to accelerate delivery...

The Polish Land Forces will field SitaWare Frontline (pictured) and Headquarters. (Systematic)  Systematic's SitaWare Frontline command-and-control (C2) software will be installed in all of the Polish Land Forces' Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs), and the service will also receive the company's SitaWare Headquarters system, Janes has learnt.  The 18th Mechanised Division's M1A1 and M1A2 System Enhancement Program version 3 (SEPv3) Abrams MBTs and various support vehicles will be equipped with the mounted battle management system (BMS) – SitaW...

SitaWare Headquarters – seen here in use with Germany's Bundeswehr – is in widespread service. The British Army has acquired 1,400 new licences for the software. (Bundeswehr/Marco Dorow)  The British Army is expanding its use of Systematic's SitaWare Headquarters command-and-control (C2) software, the company announced on 1 November.  In total 1,400 new licences for SitaWare Headquarters have been acquired for use across the army.  A company spokesperson was unable to disclose the value of the contract.    The British Army had not resp...