A full-scale mock-up of the Eurofighter EK (formerly ECR) was displayed at ILA 2022, complete with an electronic attack pod in the foreground. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The Luftwaffe's commitment to field an airborne electronic attack (AEA) capability for NATO has slipped by at least three years, with an overdue formal requirement expected to be launched by the Bundeswehr in the coming months.    Industry officials told   Janes  at the ILA Berlin Air Show on 22 June that the previously stated timeline of 2025 for fielding the L...

The US Navy recently exercised an option to acquire the guided-missile frigate   Chesapeake   (FFG 64).  (US Navy)  Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) is set to start building the first Constellation-class guided-missile frigate (FFG 62) close to the scheduled construction-start time, programme sources confirmed.  FMM and US Navy (USN) sources say Constellation work will begin during the US summer – that started 21 June and ends 22 September – but a source familiar with the programme told Janes the shipbuilder wil...

Meprolight Tigon, which was unveiled at Eurosatory 2022. (Meprolight)  Meprolight, part of the SK Group, provided further details of its recently unveiled Tigon hybrid sight at Eurosatory 2022 in Paris.  The Tigon combines a standard red-dot-type sight with a thermal sight in a single unit, with the ability to seamlessly transition from the red dot to the thermal channel.  The day sight is similar to the company's existing Mepro M5, offering a wide field-of-view (FOV) window used to display the sight's reticle. The model shown at Eurosatory...

IAI has developed Scorpius-SP based on the configuration of its ELL-8222 pod (pictured above). (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has secured a contract to provide their Scorpius-SP airborne electronic warfare (EW) self-protection jammer pods to an undisclosed country in Asia.  The “multimillion-dollar deal” has been finalised to enhance the capabilities of the concerned country's air force, IAI said in a media release on 21 May.    IAI had not responded to  Janes  request for more information regarding...

Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates a new prototype task-orientated software for radio monitoring at Eurosatory 2022. (Olivia Savage)  Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) has unveiled a new radio monitoring software at Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris.    The software ‘Ceptor' controls radio monitoring systems, and has an intuitive structured user-interface that guides the user through typical work procedures, Luc Dondainas, domain expert in communications Intelligence (COMINT) and manportable communications electronic support measures (C-ESM) at...

FGM-148F launch tube assemblies on the production line. (Javelin Joint Venture)  Lockheed Martin representatives outlined the road map for the Javelin anti-armour weapon system at Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris.    Speaking to   Janes  , company representatives confirmed that missile production had completely switched over to the FGM-148F model, which was developed under the Spiral 2 missile improvement programme. Any new customers, or follow-on orders from existing customers, would now be receiving this missile m...

Vice chairman of the board and procurement manager of KMW Heinz Oestervoss (left) and president of EODH Andreas Mitsis signed an expanded framework agreement at Eurosatory 2022. (EODH)  Krauss-Maffei Wegman (KMW) and EODH signed an expanded framework agreement covering co-operative development and joint marketing of protection upgrades for main battle tanks (MBTs) at Eurosatory 2022 on 16 June. The agreement also contains provisions for guaranteeing the supply chain of strategic materials and joint marketing of the EODH Hoplite 4×4 armoured v...

The mission module for Thales' Synaps-H handheld SDR enables interoperability with specialist MANET radios. (Andrew White)  Thales unveiled a new mission module for its handheld Synaps-H software defined radio (SDR) at Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition.  Designed to extend levels in connectivity at the tactical edge, the clip-on device attaches to the back of the Synaps-H SDR, a lightweight very/ultra-high frequency (V/UHF) SDR designed for the commanders at the tactical level as part of a “collaborative combat” concept, according to Thales...

Lockheed Martin SkyKeeper solution (pictured) was trialled in a NATO C-UAS trial in 2021. (Richard Turner)  Lockheed Martin is working with a number of European companies as part of their SkyKeeper solution.    Speaking to   Janes  , Richard Turner, ground-based air defence (GBAD) business development manager at Lockheed Martin, said that the company has been working with Danish company Weibel, UK-based Chess Dynamics, and Dutch company Robin Radar.   SkyKeeper is a modular battlespace management command, control, communic...

The ARES demonstrator aircraft seen on its maiden flight in August 2021. The aircraft is based on the Global 6000/6500 business jet airframe that will likely satisfy the US Army‘s latest RFI related to its HADES high-altitude fixed-wing ISR mission. (L3Harris)  The US Army is expanding the size of its fixed-wing high-altitude intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability, with a solicitation for an additional business jet airframe posted by the service on 9 June.  Published on the sam.gov US government procurement website,...

Rohde & Schwarz unveiled a new software for radio monitoring at Eurosatory 2022. (Janes/Olivia Savage)  Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) has unveiled a new radio monitoring software at Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris.  The software ‘Ceptor' controls radio monitoring systems, and has an intuitive structured user-interface that guides the user through typical work procedures, Luc Dondainas, domain expert in communications Intelligence (COMINT) and manportable communications electronic support measures (C-ESM) at R&S told   Janes  ....

Leonardo launched a new TMMR radar for very short-range air-defence and C-UAS missions. (Leonardo)  Leonardo has launched a new software-defined radar – the Tactical Multi-Mission Radar (TMMR) – at the Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris.  TMMR is an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar that is suited for counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), counter rocket, artillery, and mortar (C-RAM), very short-range air defence, and the surveillance and protection of platforms, vehicles, borders, territories, and critical infrastr...

Camero has launched a new through-the-wall system capable of discerning between individuals, animals, and static objects (Janes/Olivia Savage)  Camero unveiled its latest through-the-wall system, the Xaver 1000, at the Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris.    The Xaver 1000, intended for tactical and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, has an HD 3D ‘sense-through-the-wall' capability, IIan Abramovich, vice president of business development, sales, and marketing at Camero, told   Janes   on 15 J...

IAI launched Green Lotus, a new multisensor situational awareness system, at Eurosatory 2022. (Janes/Olivia Savage)  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has launched ‘Green Lotus' – a multisensor system for tactical air and ground situational awareness – at the Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris.  According to the company, Green Lotus is a multimission multisensor system designed for tactical low-tier air and ground surveillance, force protection, ground-based air defence (GBAD), counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS), and counter-ro...

A US marine looks over the MADIS Increment 1 engineering development model aboard a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle during a February 2022 visit to the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic in Charleston, South Carolina. The US Marine Corps wants to field the new air-defence weapon in 2024. (US Navy)  The US Marine Corps (USMC) is testing two early versions of its new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Increment 1 to defeat aerial threats and is plotting ways to produce a future, more lethal version of the weapon, according to Don...

Milrem Robotics has launched a command-and-control (C2) platform for autonomous systems at the Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris.    Speaking to   Janes  , Johan Persson, head of Systems Engineering for Milrem Robotics, sai...

Elbit Systems launched DAiR – a new multimission tactical radar – at Eurosatory 2022. (Olivia Savage)  Elbit Systems unveiled a new multimission tactical radar – DAiR – at the Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris.  The system operates in the X-band and implements solid-state Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology, capable of detecting land-based, airborne, and maritime threats including people, vehicles, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and artillery, the company said.  Speaking to Janes, Nimrod Ben Meir, vice-president...

Thales has launched the VisioLoc geolocation system for the latest versions of its Sophie handheld thermal imagers. Sophie Ultima is pictured here. (Thales/François Guenet)  Thales has announced the launch of the VisioLoc geolocation system for the latest versions of its Sophie handheld thermal imagers. The system is designed for use by land forces in high-intensity collaborative combat in any environment, even when no satellite signal is available, the company said in a press release embargoed until 13 June, the first day of the Eurosatory 2...

An RQ-5 Hunter UAS is equipped with the GPS-enabled Viper Strike munition. (MBDA)  The newest variant of the BAE Systems-built global positioning system (GPS) guided weapons receiver will be capable of transmitting across Military Code (M-Code) signals, company officials announced this week.  The new Strategic Anti-jam Beamforming Receiver – M-Code (SABR-M) GPS receiver leverages “advanced beamforming technology” to improve signal reception across military and civilian GPS spectrums, while meeting size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements i...

Israeli soldiers pose for a photograph in during Exercise ‘Beyond the Horizon', which was held in Cyprus from 29 May to 2 June. (Israel Defense Forces)  The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) completed Exercise ‘Chariots of Fire' on 3 June, saying it was the largest it has held in decades. The exercise was designed to simulate simultaneous fighting in several arenas, with the primary focus on the north, meaning against the Lebanese militant group Hizbullah.  It was broken into a series of smaller exercises that included ‘Beyond the Horizon', which...