Trinity aims to enhance front-line connectivity for military personnel, linking small reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles, combat vehicles, fighter jets, aircraft carriers, and military commands. (BAE Systems )  BAE Systems has won the contract to deliver the Trinity network communications system for the British Armed Forces under the wider Land Environment Tactical Communications and Information Systems (LE TacCIS) programme.  Awarded by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), the five-year contract will require BAE Systems to design and manuf...

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense has said the new IRST pods will be fitted onto its Lockheed Martin F-16V fighter aircraft. (Lockheed Martin)  The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of F-16 infrared search and track (IRST) systems to Taiwan.  The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said on 23 August that the potential deal, which needs Congress approval, is worth USD500 million.  The deal involves an unspecified number of IRST systems and associated equipment and support services. Lockheed...

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...

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...

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 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...

US Coast Guard   Healy  is providing support for Office of Naval Research studies in the Arctic.  (Michael Fabey)    The US Coast Guard (USCG) cutter   Healy   (WAGB 20), one of two USCG icebreakers and the only one specifically designed for Arctic research, in late July and early August offloaded Office of Naval Research (ONR) equipment onto a floe of multi-year ice for the first of three multi-instrument ice stations in the Arctic Ocean Basin, the USCG confirmed on 14 August.   Healy  o...

A US Army UH-60 Black Hawk flies in formation over Yamaguchi Bay during joint exercises with the US and Japan during ‘Orient Shield'. (US Army)  Officials with the US Army's cloud computing directorate are developing a series of technology initiatives geared towards integrating the Mission Partner Environment (MPE) into tactical formations in the Indo-Pacific region.  Service leaders within the army's Enterprise Cloud Management Agency (ECMA) are leveraging lessons learned from ongoing MPE integration efforts with European partners as a way t...

Kongsberg's Cortex Typhon C-UAS solution is being delivered to Ukraine. The collective solution integrates the company's RWS and surveillance systems from Teledyne FLIR Defense. (Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace)  Ukraine will receive new counter unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace to enhance the capabilities of its armed forces.  According to a Kongsberg announcement on 14 August, the company will deliver several Cortex Typhon systems for GBP56 million (USD71 million), funded by the International Fund for Ukrain...

A B-2 Spirit bomber, deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, is prepared for a training mission at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on 17 January 2019. (US Air Force)  The US Air Force (USAF) and representatives at Northrop Grumman have successfully demonstrated a new digital data transmission capability for the B-2 bomber, as part of a larger effort to overhaul the legacy stealth aircraft, according to a company statement on 9 August.  Service officials and company representatives completed an integrated airborne mission tran...

The PLA has been enhancing capabilities to gather and analyse open-source intelligence to support military operations including information warfare. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)  The proliferation of publicly available data since the information revolution in the mid-1980s has rapidly increased the role of open-source intelligence (OSINT) in shaping strategic and military decision making.  The expanding opportunities to leverage OSINT for military gains were highlighted by the US think-tank, the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), in a...

The Australian Army has equipped some of its Bushmaster 4×4 protected mobility vehicles with satcom systems as part of an ongoing programme to enhance battlefield telecommunications. (Capt Annie Richardson, Commonwealth of Australia)  The Australian Army has integrated satellite communication (satcom) systems into some of its Thales Australia Bushmaster 4×4 protected mobility vehicles, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said on 3 August.  An undisclosed number of Bushmasters have been equipped with the satcom systems to enable “stable...

The Indian Army has inducted six Swathi Mark II mountain-variant WLRs under a contract awarded to manufacturer Bharat Electronics in December 2021. (Bharat Electronics Limited)  The Indian Army has announced the induction of six units of a mountain variant of the Swathi Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) to enhance battlefield surveillance.  The WLR, also known as the Swathi Mark II, was delivered to the Indian Army by state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in early August.  A BEL spokesperson told Janes on 9 August that the company received...

GRSE has launched an autonomous underwater vehicle (pictured) that can be used to support mine countermeasures, underwater monitoring, and search-and-rescue missions. (GRSE)  India's state-owned Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) has launched an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that can be used for a range of military operations.    A GRSE spokesperson told   Janes  in early August that the AUV, named Neerakshi, is equipped with mine-detection technologies to assist mine countermeasures (MCM), and sensors and im...

Hensoldt has launched a deployable variant of its Twinvis family of passive radars called Twinvis Military Sheltered. (Hensoldt)  Hensoldt has launched a new deployable variant of its passive radar Twinvis.  Known as ‘Twinvis Military Sheltered', the variant – initially only available as an upgrade – is fully integrated into a containerised shelter for military users that is designed for long-range aerial surveillance, the company said on 4 August.  It can be easily deployed on military carrier vehicles and set up and dismantled in the field...

The SKEC WSS capability will eventually replace the MoD's existing satcom fleet, such as Skynet 5 (pictured). (Paradigm Secure Communications)  Companies bidding in the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) Skynet Enduring Capability (SKEC) Wideband Satellite System (WSS) programme have been revealed.  The MoD disclosed on 4 August that Airbus Defence and Space, Lockheed Martin, and Thales Alenia Space are bidding for the programme and have been downselected for the next phase of the competition.  The three companies are now eligible to receive the W...

Deseaver MK-4, Elbit Systems' latest EW dispensing system, successfully conducted sea trials with the Israeli Navy. (Elbit Systems)  The Israeli Navy and Elbit Systems have successfully completed sea trials with the company's new maritime electronic warfare (EW) countermeasures system.  According to the company on 1 August, the Deseaver MK-4 Countermeasure Dispensing System (CMDS) was involved in a series of sea trials onboard Israeli Navy vessels that tested its capability to respond effectively to complex missile attack scenarios. This invo...

The Todendorf training facility will support the training of German and other NATO and ESSI countries that procure the IRIS-T SLM (pictured). (Diehl)  The Luftwaffe, Diehl Defence, and Gebäudemanagement Schleswig-Holstein (GMSH) have opened a ground-based air-defence (GBAD) training facility at the Todendorf training ground on Germany's Baltic Sea coast. Diehl said in a press release on 3 August that it would support the Bundeswehr in training, qualification, and maintenance of the IRIS-T SLM (Surface Launched Medium Range) ground-based air-d...

The Australian Army has equipped some of its Bushmaster 4×4 protected mobility vehicles with satcom systems as part of an ongoing programme to enhance battlefield telecommunications. (Capt Annie Richardson, Commonwealth of Australia)  The Australian Army has integrated satellite communication (satcom) systems into some of its Thales Australia Bushmaster 4×4 protected mobility vehicles, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said on 3 August.  An undisclosed number of Bushmasters have been equipped with the satcom systems to enable “stable...

The four Horizon-class anti-air warfare frigates in service with the navies of France and Italy. (Thales)  Naviris and Eurosam have been awarded a EUR1.5 billion (USD1.7 billion) contract from the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) for the mid-life upgrade (MLU) of four Franco-Italian Horizon-class anti-air warfare (AAW) frigates.  The contract follows a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by representatives from Italy and France at the Paris Air Show on 20 June.  Built under a joint programme between Fincantieri and Nav...