Quantum-Systems Vector UAV has been ordered for a third time by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. (Quantum-Systems)  Ukraine has ordered 300 additional reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from German-based Quantum-Systems.  An announcement by the company on 31 May stated the order would be the third placed by Ukraine for the Vector electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) UAV since August 2022.    A Quantum-Systems spokesperson confirmed to   Janes  the order was funded by the German government.   Overall...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches Starlink at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 23 May 2019. Following an agreement with the US DoD, the services will continue to support Ukraine for the foreseeable future. (US Air Force)  The US Department of Defense (DoD) has contracted SpaceX to provide its Starlink satellite communication (satcom) services to Ukraine.  An announcement by the DoD on 1 June stated it had contracted Starlink to provide satcom services to Ukraine as it “constitutes a vital layer in Ukraine's overall communications...

The Indian Army is upgrading its 9K111-1M Konkurs-M ATGW systems – pictured above in operation with the Russian Army – with thermal imagers for use in low-light or night operations. (KBP Instrument Design Bureau)    The Indian Army has upgraded its 9K111‐1M Konkurs‐M anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) systems with Bangalore-based Tonbo Imaging's cooled, longwave Infrared (LWIR) thermal imagers known as Sarisa, a source at Tonbo told   Janes.  According to Tonbo, Sarisa is a thermal imaging camera used for detection, recognition, and id...

South Koreans watch a television broadcast showing a file image of a North Korean rocket launch at Seoul railway station on 31 May. A rocket carrying what North Korea claims to be a reconnaissance satellite crashed into the Yellow Sea (West Sea) soon after its launch in the early morning of 31 May. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)  North Korea's first attempt at launching a claimed military satellite into space has resulted in failure. The rocket carrying the satellite fell into the Yellow Sea (West Sea) soon after launch, state-run Korean Centr...

Lockheed Martin's AN/TPS-77 ground-based radar is a deployable version of the AN/TPS-117 radar that can be set up within 30 minutes. (Lockheed Martin)  The Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition Logistics Organisation (Forsvarsministeriets Materiel: FMI) has contracted Lockheed Martin to extend the life of the Royal Danish Air Force's two AN/TPS-77 long-range transportable radars.  According to the FMI on 31 May, the two radars will receive a mid-life upgrade (MLU) that was planned as part of the Danish Defence Agreement 2018–2023. The MLU is...

The AN/PRC-163 two-channel radio will be procured for the Dutch armed forces as part of a wider communications programme known as Foxtrot that seeks to develop an agile interoperable land force supported with secure communications. (Harris Corp)  The Netherlands will replace all of its existing portable ground-to-air radios as part of the broader EUR1.5 billion (USD1.6 billion) 10-year Foxtrot tactical communications programme.  The project, known as the ‘Replacement of Ground-Air Radios', will involve acquiring L3Harris Technologies Falcon I...

Sailors stand watch in the Fleet Operations Center at the headquarters of US Fleet Cyber Command/US Tenth Fleet (FCC/C10F). (US Navy)  Potential cyber attacks by China and Russia against the United States and its allies continue to be one of the pre-eminent threat facing the US Department of Defense (DoD), according to the Pentagon's latest cyber strategy.  The classified version of the 2023 DoD Cyber Strategy was sent to US congressional lawmakers on 26 May, according to an unclassified fact sheet on the key aspects of the strategy issued b...

A Comtech COMET troposcatter system set up for a BLOS network demonstration at SOF Week 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Comtech)  Industry officials are looking to leverage Cold War-era tactical communications technologies as a potential enabler for the US Department of Defense's (DoD's) Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) capability.  Programme officials with satellite communications (satcom) development company Comtech in May conducted a multivendor demonstration that blended satcom, tropospheric scatter links, and local area ne...

A computer-generated rendering of the Arrowhead 140 design, which is the basis for Indonesia's ‘Red White' frigate programme. (Babcock)    Turkey's Havelsan will equip the Indonesian Navy's new Arrowhead 140 frigates with its Advent combat management system (CMS), the company told   Janes  at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023 in Malaysia.   The frigates are being constructed by state-owned Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL, with steel cutting of the first ship in December 2022.  The Arrow...

The quantum accelerometer has been developed by Imperial College London. (Imperial College London)    A prototype quantum sensor device developed by Imperial College London completed the first period of at-sea testing onboard the UK Royal Navy (RN) trials and experimentation vessel XV   Patrick Blackett  .   The experiment is seen as a potential first step in understanding the application and exploitation of quantum-enabled navigation, which could provide significant navigational advantages when operating in environments wh...

Inflatech displayed an inflatable Leopard 2A4 tank decoy system at IDET 2023. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)  Inflatable Leopard 2A4 tank decoys are being supplied to Ukraine, Janes learnt at the International Defence and Security Technology Fair (IDET) 2023 held in Brno, Czech Republic, from 24 to 26 May. At the show, Czech-based company Inflatech displayed Leopard 2A4 and Czech STARKOM communication jammer inflatable decoys.  The decoys are designed to deceive and mislead an enemy by simulating objects and for use in electronic warfare training....

Poland is set to acquire two Saab 340 Erieye AEW&C aircraft from Sweden, according to a statement made by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, as well as a briefing slide shown by the Polish Air Force. (Saab)  Poland is in the advanced stages of negotiations with Sweden to acquire airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft for the country's armed forces.  The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, made the disclosure on 22 May, saying he expects a contract...

The Guardian 30 unmanned turret displayed on the International Golden Group stand at IDEX in February 2023. (Janes/Sonny Butterworth)  Spain's Escribano Mechanical and Engineering (EM&E) announced on 22 May that it has signed a contract to deliver its Guardian 30 remotely operated weapon stations (ROWSs) to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces.  A deal was signed at the beginning of this year covering 516 Guardian 30s to upgrade wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles in service with the UAE Armed Forces over an initial three-year period...

Indra will deliver three Lanza-N 3D radars to the Indian Navy in collaboration with its Indian partner company, TASL. The first of these radars has been delivered and is being installed on an Indian Navy destroyer. TASL is expected to build 20 more Lanza-N radars in India based on technology transfers from Indra. (Indra)  Spanish company Indra has begun delivery of the naval version of its Lanza 3D surveillance radar to the Indian Navy, in collaboration with its Indian partner company, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL).  Indra said on 17 M...

The UK has signed a contract with Elbit Systems UK for up to 130 ground-based surveillance radars. (Elbit Systems UK)  The UK will receive new ground-based surveillance radars (GBSRs) to bolster its front-line threat-detection capabilities following a contract signed with Elbit Systems UK.  Under the contract, Elbit Systems UK will deliver 90 GBSR systems between 2023 and 2024, with an option for an additional 40 systems, the company announced on 23 May.  The portable GBSR systems are designed to detect, track, and classify targets moving on...

Airbus is providing the German armed forces with a Heron TP capability that it now proposes to upgrade with a SIGINT package. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Airbus Defence and Space (DS) has outlined a signals intelligence (SIGINT) capability option for the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron TP unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) provided to the German armed forces (Bundeswehr) under a service-level agreement.  Addressing the Association of Old Crows (AOC) Europe 2023 conference in Bonn on 16 May, Stefan Loebel, responsible for sales and business...

RT-1000, the first version of RAIVEN, will support a wide array of missions, including the US Army's Future Vertical Lift modernisation effort. First flight tests are scheduled for 2024. (Raytheon)  Raytheon's new multispectral, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) sensor and targeting platform, dubbed RAIVEN, was the company's attempt to close emerging capability gaps in legacy EO/IR systems developed in the post 9/11 era.  “There was a … demand for EO/IR products during the global war on terror and so we devel...

The first MESA radar being installed on Boeing 737 NG airframe undergoing modification into the E-7A Wedgetail for the UK Royal Air Force in November 2022. Despite cutting its planned procurement to three aircraft, the MoD has opted to retain its purchase of five radar systems, which it will now use for spares. (Boeing)  The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has defended its decision to continue with the purchase of five radar sets for its Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning Mk1 (AEW1) programme, despite the procurement having been reduced to...

Indra will deliver three Lanza-N 3D radars to the Indian Navy, in collaboration with its Indian partner company, TASL. The first of these radars has been delivered and is being installed on an Indian Navy vessel. TASL is expected to build 20 more Lanza-N radars in India based on technology transfers from Indra. (Indra)  Spanish company Indra has begun delivery of the naval version of its Lanza 3D surveillance radar to the Indian Navy, in collaboration with its Indian partner company, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL).  Indra said on 17 May...

Poland's KAI FA-50 light attack aircraft ordered in 2022 will be equipped with the PhantomStrike radar, with deliveries expected by 2025. (KAI)  Poland's FA-50 Fighting Eagle aircraft – manufactured by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) – will be equipped with Raytheon's PhantomStrike radar, a Raytheon spokesperson confirmed to Janes on 17 May.  The PhantomStrike active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar is a compact platform designed for light attack aircraft, rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and stationary platfor...