Leonardo DRS and its industry partners are unveiling a single-vehicle C-UAS at the AUSA 2022 conference in Washington, DC, from 10 to 12 October. (Leonardo DRS)  Leonardo DRS, along with seven industry partners, spent the past year designing, integrating, and testing a counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) based on a single Stryker Double-V Hull Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICVVA1) that it will showcase at the Association of the US Army (AUSA) 2022 conference in Washington, DC, from 10 to 12 October.    Ed House, Leonardo DRS's senior dire...

Indra to implement satcom antennas (pictured) to enable the Norwegian military to access the WGS constellation directly. (Indra)  Indra was awarded a contract by the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency to install satellite communication (satcom) ground segments as part of the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellite constellation.  Indra plans to implement X- and Ka-band nodes (antennas), “which will act as a gateway between user terminals at various locations for the WGS constellation”, the company announced on 6 October.  These WGS-certified...

The UK MoD is seeking portable tablets for use on rotary-wing platforms that alert users to potential obstacles. Pictured are 845 Naval Air Squadron (NAS), Commando Helicopter Force, Merlin Mk3, 662 Squadron AAC Apache AH1, and 27 Squadron RAF Chinook CH-47. (Royal Navy)  UK rotary-wing platforms will get portable electronic devices that enhance situational awareness for the crew.  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has detailed a requirement for a Common Aviation Situational Awareness (CASA) tool intended for use on rotary-wing platforms such...

The laser system used in early 2022 trials was the Iron Beam prototype previously seen at a Rafael facility. (Israel Ministry of Defense)  Rafael and the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMoD) want to have a 100 kW-class ground-based laser ready for fielding in the next couple of years that can assist Iron Dome intercepting unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), mortars, rockets, and anti-tank missiles in flight. The duo does not have an agreement with the US government to work together on the weapon yet, but Rafael will be at this year's Association...

Asio Technologies says it has delivered thousands of handheld Orion terminals to the IDF. (Asio Technologies)  Israeli tactical solutions manufacturer Asio Technologies has announced that it has completed the delivery of thousands of Orion infantry command-and-control (C2) systems to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).  “Orion systems are currently in operational use by the IDF, alongside the company's other cutting-edge tactical solutions,” the company said in a statement released on 28 September.  Called the Olar (penknife) by the IDF, Asio...

HMS   Northumberland  seen during Exercise ‘Cold Response' in March 2022. The new Ardent Wolf CESM capability will replace the current Hammerhead system on RN Type 23 frigates.  (Royal Navy/Crown copyright)  UK engineering and services group Babcock has been contracted by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to provide a new maritime communications electronic support measures (CESM) capability to replace the Hammerhead CESM suite fitted to Royal Navy (RN) Type 23 frigates.  The company announced on 6 October that the...

The Jaegar Searcher 300 mm cooled MWIR thermal zoom lens camera. (Silent Sentinel)  Silent Sentinel will provide its long-range thermal cameras to the Swedish Armed Forces.  The British threat-detection company was awarded a contract by Kongsberg Norcontrol to deliver its Jaegar multisensor platforms to the Swedish Armed Forces to bolster littoral security along the country's coastline, Silent Sentinel announced on 3 October.    A Silent Sentinel spokesperson told   Janes   that the company would deliver its Jaegar Searcher the...

Shown here is a USMC G/ATOR radar. In 2019 the USMC conducted a live-fire event to demonstrate initial ‘interoperability‘ of an Iron Dome launcher and Tamir interceptor with the G/ATOR and a CAC2S. The service has now completed a series of live-fire tests with the MRIC prototype, and leadership is expected to make a ‘certification' decision about deploying the weapon system. (US Marine Corps )  The US Marine Corps (USMC) recently completed a trio of live-fire tests with its new cruise missile defence prototype that integrates Iron Dome compo...

Two companies – Rowden Technologies and IBM – have been announced as the preferred bidders for two separate contracts under the broader British Army Human Machine Teaming (HMT) programme.  Speaking at the 2022 Disruptive Technology for Defence Tran...

French Boeing E-3F Sentry AWACS to get latest military tactical datalink. (Boeing)  The Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Low Volume Terminal Block Upgrade 2 (MIDS-LVT BU2) has been qualified for use on all four of the French Air and Space Force Boeing E-3F Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.  Announced by the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) on 22 September, the new terminal will enable the operation of the latest-generation Link 16 military tactical data network on its aircraft in September−Novem...

French Boeing E-3F Sentry AWACS to get latest military tactical datalink. (Boeing)  The Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Low Volume Terminal Block Upgrade 2 (MIDS-LVT BU2) has been qualified for use on all four of the French Air and Space Force Boeing E-3F Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.  Announced by the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) on 22 September, the new terminal will enable the operation of the latest-generation Link 16 military tactical data network on its aircraft in September−Novem...

RBSL selects Elbit Systems UK ELAWS protection system for Challenger 3. (RBSL)  Elbit Systems UK (ESUK) will deliver its laser protection system for Challenger 3 main battle tanks (MBTs).  ESUK has been selected by Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) to deliver 150 of its Laser Warning Systems (ELAWS) for the Challenger 3 (CR3) programme, ESUK announced on 22 September.  An ESUK spokesperson was unable to disclose further details regarding the subcontract.  ELAWS can detect, categorise, and accurately pinpoint laser sources such as from range...

Allen-Vanguard's workshop in Somalia. (Allen-Vanguard)  Allen-Vanguard will deliver electronic countermeasure (ECM) equipment to Somalia in a multimillion Canadian dollar deal, the company announced on 21 September.    An Allen-Vanguard spokesperson told   Janes   that the company has received USD5 million in funding from an undisclosed customer to deliver its ECM systems to protect individuals most at risk in Somalia.    Allen-Vanguard 3XXX ECM suite of systems (3140, 3230, & 3330) will be delivered to the country. The fa...

Elbit Systems ICAVS(D) training simulator is one of the pathfinder projects in the British Army's Collective Training Transformation Programme. (Elbit Systems UK)  Elbit Systems UK Interim Combined Arms Virtual Simulation (Deployable) (ICAVS(D)) solution has successfully achieved full operating capability (FOC), the company announced on 21 September.  In September, the British Army's Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers operated ICAVS(D) at Tidworth on Salisbury Plain, marking the capability's 25th training event and FOC milestone, the c...

The Philippine Navy (PN) marked the first deployment of its Maritime Unmanned Aerial Reconnaissance Squadron 71 (MUARS71) by organising a “send-off ceremony” of the ScanEagle unmanned aerial system (UAS) acquired from the United States for  the squadron in 2020.  The ceremony, highlighting MUARS71’s first deployment after the completion of the squadron’s “one year in-country training”, was conducted by the PN’s Naval Air Wing (NAW) at its headquarters in Naval Base Heracleo Alano,  located in Cavite City, PN tweeted on 19 September.  “T...

Computer render of NGDS Configuration D. (Safran)  Safran Electronics & Defense has revealed details of a new variant of its New Generation Dagaie System (NGDS) trainable decoy launcher engineered for compatibility with NATO standard 130 mm countermeasures rounds.  The system, known internally as NGDS Configuration D, is being bid for the UK Royal Navy's (RN's) Electronic Warfare Counter Measures (EWCM) Increment 1a requirement. EWCM forms part of the RN's overarching Maritime Electronic Warfare Programme (MEWP), which is intended to recapit...

The Indian Army plans to upgrade its BMP-2 ICVs with capabilities including see-through armour and anti-UAV systems. (Indian Ministry of Defence)  The Indian Army has initiated trials to upgrade its licence-built BMP-2/2K ‘Sarath' infantry combat vehicles (ICVs) with three local firms – Bangalore-based Tonbo Imaging, Chennai-based Big Bang Boom, and Thane-based Dimension NXG.  The Indian Army plans to upgrade its BMP-2 ICVs with see-through armour, anti-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities, thermal imager-based gunner and panoramic comm...

Iraq's first Thales GM403 air surveillance radar. (Iraqi Ministry of Defence)  The Iraqi Air Defence Command (IADC) had held an inauguration ceremony for its first Thales Ground Master 403 (GM403) long-range air surveillance radar, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 11 September.  The event was attended by Iraqi Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah and the French ambassador to Iraq, Éric Chevallier.  The MoD said the recently arrived GM403 was switched on during the event so it could begin to detec...

A Patriot M903 launcher station assigned to 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, during Exercise ‘Arctic Edge 2022' at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. This defence capability could be included as part of a US homeland cruise missile defence architecture. (USAF)  Reports of Russian Tu-95 aircraft and submarines launching cruise missiles to strike targets in Kyiv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, and Odesa filled US news reports throughout 2022, offering momentary insights to a conflict on another continent.  Accompanying images of smouldering...

The Owl mobile surveillance system's UAV can be extended up to 100 m. (Janes/Huw Williams)  The National Aerocosmic Agency of the Ministry of Defence Industry for the Azerbaijan Republic (MODIAR) displayed the Owl mobile surveillance system for the first time at ADEX 2022 in Baku.  Developed in co-operation with DefTech, the Owl consists of a tethered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attached to a MODIAR Gyurza 4×4 patrol vehicle. The undisclosed UAV has a quadcopter design with a camera mounted to the side of the airframe.    The air vehic...