BEL unveiled a new manpack version of its HF SDR at the Aero India 2023 show in Bangalore. (Janes/Rakend P)  India's state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) unveiled a manpack version of its newly launched high-frequency software-defined radio (HF SDR) at the Aero India 2023 show in Bangalore, which was held from 13 to 17 February.    The radio operates in an    HF band range of 1.5–30 MHz, with a maximum transmit power of 20 W. According to BEL, the radio features clear, secure, and frequency-hopping (FH) modes for voice,...

The new SWIR REV III – developed by the DRDO's Instruments Research and Development Establishment – displayed at the Aero India 2023 show in Bangalore. (Janes/Kasthurica Panigrahy)  India's Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has displayed its short wave infra-red (SWIR) REV III multisensor optical payload for the Dhruv Mk III light helicopter at the Aero India 2023 show, being held in Bangalore from 13 to 17 February.    The    Mk II version of the Dhruv helicopter is fitted with the Digital Compass electro-optical payload system...

NATO is considering the eventual procurement of Boeing's E-7 Wedgetail aircraft to gain an IOC for its Alliance Future Surveillance and Control capability. (Boeing)  NATO will probably lean towards an eventual procurement of Boeing's E-7 Wedgetail aircraft to gain an initial operating capability (IOC) for its planned multidomain Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) capability, according to allied officials. AFSC is supposed to replace NATO's ageing fleet of Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACSs) by 2035.  However, questions...

The Teevra Drushti electro-optical/infrared system was displayed at Aero India 2023. (Janes/Kasthurica Panigrahy)  Indian firm Alpha-Elsec Defence & Aerospace Systems has supplied 60 Teevra Drushti long-range reconnaissance and observation systemsto the Indian Army, the company told Janes at the Aero India 2023 show, held in Bangalore from 13 to 17 February.  The Teevra Drushti electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) system is deployed along India's borders for long-range reconnaissance and target acquisition operations, the company said. The system...

The CHITRA-M1 is the DRDO's first high-frequency sonar prototype. (Janes/Anish Markose)  The Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO's) Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) has displayed its Compact High Frequency Imaging Technology - Mark 1 (CHITR-M1) sonar system at the Aero India 2023 show in Bangalore, which runs from 13 to 17 February.  According to DRDO officials, the CHITR-M1 is the DRDO's first high-frequency sonar prototype. Development of this system took four years.  CHITR-M1 has a high-centre frequency...

As part of the SDW contract, Babcock International will be required to operate and manage the spacecraft and the ground communications network, refresh any obsolete ground assets, and introduce new processes and technologies. (Airbus)  Babcock International has been awarded a major contract to support the Skynet 6 programme.  According to a UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announcement on 15 February, the authority has awarded Babcock International a GBP400 million (USD486.7 million) contract to manage and operate Skynet, under the Skynet 6 sate...

India's MRMR/MMMA project aims to provide the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy with a medium-range maritime patrol aircraft. (Janes/Chinmay Kohad)  India's planned development of a maritime patrol variant of the Airbus C295 transport aircraft has been delayed after the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which is chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, raised questions about the project.    The Indian Coast Guard has outlined a requirement for six of the proposed maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) while the Indian Navy has issued a r...

Newport News Shipbuilding is preparing to test the combat systems for the carrier   John F Kennedy  .  (Janes/Michael Fabey)  Aircraft carrier John F Kennedy should enter combat system testing this quarter, according to Christopher Kastner, president, CEO, and director of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), whose Newport News Shipbuilding unit is constructing the ship.  “CVN 79 Kennedy is well into the test programme,” Kastner said during a quarterly investment call with investment analysts on 9 February. “Distri...

The DRDO's Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory has developed the Low Frequency Dunking Sonar-X – a model of which is pictured above – for use on India's Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter. (Janes/Chinmay Kohad)  The Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) – an agency under India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) – has unveiled a model of its Low Frequency Dunking Sonar (LFDS)-X system at the Aero India 2023 show being held in Bangalore from 13 to 17 February.  The sonar, which has a length of around 1.5 m,...

A US Army solider with 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment inspects a MAPS Gen 1 component installed on a tactical vehicle. (US Army)  The US Army has tapped US information technology company CACI International to support the service's ongoing development work on advanced Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (A-PNT) capabilities.  Company officials announced on 6 February they had finalised a five-year co-operative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the ground service to “further the development of advanced payload technolo...

The EDA's ATRIT project seeks to improve the technology behind automatic targeting, as well as in threat recognition and identification. (EDA)  Six European militaries have begun a new research project with a small budget but a big goal – to carry digitalised collaborative combat between different platforms to a new degree of automation. If their work succeeds, it will connect to many other research strands of work within the European Defence Agency (EDA), which is overseeing the project.  “The legacy aspect of making this capability applicab...

The Peregrine UAS, which comprises a Schiebel S-100 Camcopter and a Thales I-Master radar, will be deployed on board an RN Type 23 frigate in the Gulf from 2024. (Schiebel)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded Thales and Schiebel a GBP20 million (USD24.1 million) contract to supply the Royal Navy (RN) with a rotary-wing unmanned aircraft system (RUAS) to meet an urgent capability requirement (UCR) for enhanced situational awareness, principally in the Gulf region.  Under the contract, announced on 10 February, Schiebel, together with...

The COMSATBw spacecraft were developed in collaboration with Airbus Defence and Space, Thales Alenia Space, and TESAT. The systems are the first dedicated military communications satellites operated by the Bundeswehr. (EADS Astrium)  Airbus will continue to operate and provide support for Germany's military satellite communication (satcom) systems.  Announced by the Bundeswehr on 9 February, the company has been awarded a contract extension for the operation of the authority's COMSATBw 1 and 2 satellites until 31 December 2028.  The deal is v...

The GM200 tactical, medium-range air-defence radar operates in S band and provides 3D coverage from -7° to 70° in one rotation. (Thales)  French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov signed a contract with Thales for the delivery of a short-range air-defence system.  Under the contract, Thales will supply its Ground Master 200 (GM200) radar as well as a command-and-control (C2) centre, a radio communications system, and air target designators to Ukraine, the company announced on 1 February.  The sy...

The Hughes 9203 BGAN Patrol manpack satcom system shown at the SAE Media Mobile Deployable Communications 2023 conference, London. The white square object is the BGAN modem, which is carried in the backpack. (Giles Ebbutt)  Inmarsat and Hughes have developed a new on-the-move (OTM) manpackable satellite communications (satcom) terminal for use with Inmarsat's L-Band Tactical Satellite (L-TAC) service.    Speaking to   Janes  at the SAE Media Mobile Deployable Communications 2023 conference in London, Daan Ruhe, Inmarsat global...

The CIRRUS MoD cloud delivery model from the Cloud Strategic Roadmap that seeks to join the dots within Defence Digital and across the wider defence landscape. (MoD Crown Copyright 2023)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has published the first edition of its ‘Cloud Strategic Roadmap for Defence'.  Released on 2 February, the road map outlines the vision, deliverables, and outcomes for achieving a “hyperscale cloud ecosystem” designed to span across all MoD “functions, commands, and enabling organisations”. This is intended to provide the fou...

The UK's RC-135W Rivet Joint fleet has been operating at almost 200% of the normal tempo. (Crown Copyright)  UK Royal Air Force (RAF) RC-135W Rivet Joint signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft have been operating at nearly three times their normal operating tempo to support intelligence-gathering operations in the Black Sea theatre, according to the service's senior operations officer.  Delivering the annual Sir Sydney Camm Lecture at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London on 1 February, Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, deputy commander (operation...

The USAF's 45th Space Wing launches an advanced extremely high frequency satellite onboard an Atlas V launch vehicle, which is part of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle programme. (US Air Force)  Engineers at the US Department of Defense (DoD) and US Space Force (USSF) are looking to develop a new generation of microchips that can withstand the harsh radiation exposure associated with deep-space operations, while also employing cutting-edge micro-electronics (ME) technologies from the military and commercial sectors.  The Advanced Next Ge...

An artist's rendering of the SEWIP Block 3 EA subsystem installed on a DDG-51 destroyer. (Northrop Grumman)  Northrop Grumman is preparing to conduct a new round of sea trials of its prototype electronic attack (EA) system for the US Navy, building upon the lessons learned from the system's last live demonstration carried out during the sea service's Rim of the Pacific' (RIMPAC) exercises in the summer of 2022.  As part of thatramp up to the new sea trials, tentatively scheduled for the end of 2023, company officials are preparing to conduct...

Several US Army conventional 155 mm artillery projectiles outfitted with Northrop Grumman's Precision Guidance Kit. (US Army/Northrop Grumman)  US defence company Northrop Grumman will begin integrating Military Code (M-Code) global positioning system (GPS) capability into the company's precision guidance systems for medium- and long-range artillery systems.  CAES, a Northern Virginia-based company specialising in advanced radio frequency (RF) technologies, will carry out the M-Code GPS integration work into Northrop Grumman's Precision Guid...