Thales has partnered with PT Len to provide 13 GM400α long-range air surveillance radars (pictured) and the SkyView command-and-control system to the Indonesian National Armed Forces. (Thales)  Thales will supply 13 Ground Master 400 Alpha (GM400α) long-range air surveillance radars and the associated SkyView command-and-control (C2) system to Indonesia, in collaboration with its local partner, PT Len Industri.  The contract will “span the next few years” with Thales building the radars and the C2 system and PT Len manufacturing “certain comp...

South Korea's Lockheed Martin C-130 fleet is a key component of its special forces' operations and deep infiltration and penetration. In this photo, a RoKAF C-130 drops five-gallon drums of water during a military exercise in South Korea in 2017. (US Department of Defense)  Hanwha Systems has announced that it has been awarded a contract by the South Korean government to improve the Republic of Korea's (RoK's) Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules aircraft.  In a filing on the South Korean financial market, Hanwha said the contract was awarded by S...

The Heron medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is a success story for Israel, with 15 or more countries known to be operating the systems. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Demand for Israeli-made defence systems has increased significantly in the past five years, with the value of government-to-government agreements amounting to USD4 billion in 2022, up from USD412 million in 2018, Brigadier General (Res) Yair Kulas, director of the Israeli Ministry of Defense International Defense Coo...

An MQ-9 Reaper sits on the flight line as the sun sets at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, on 20 November 2019. (US Air Force)  The US Air Force (USAF) is looking to demonstrate an expanded satellite communications (satcom) capability, leveraging satcom terminals integrated aboard the air service's MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft system (UAS).  Service officials from AFWERX, a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), inked a technology development deal with CesiumAstro to integrate the company's Ka-band satcom terminal into th...

Introduced between 2002 and 2005, the four De Zeven Provinciën-class ships are planned to remain in commission through to 2032–35. (US Navy)  The Netherlands government has confirmed its intention to upgrade the inner-layer hard-kill defences on two of the Royal Netherlands Navy's (RNLN's) four De Zeven Provinciën-class air-defence and command frigates (Luchtverdedigings en commandofregat: LCF).  In a 15 June letter to the Dutch parliament's House of Representatives, State Secretary for Defence Christophe van der Maat said that the two LCF fr...

The DAGR-SA system on trial with the British Army in a drop-down hands-free harness configuration. BAE Systems is proposing its new NavGuide platform as a replacement to the legacy DAGR. (Rockwell Collins)  Programme officials at BAE Systems have unveiled their newest Assured-Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (A-PNT) end-user device featuring full integration of M-Code-enabled Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.  The NavGuide system is a portable, handheld A-PNT device designed to replace legacy Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (DAGR)...

The RNoN's six Skjold-class corvettes are undergoing a life-extension programme to enable them to remain in service until at least 2030. (Norwegian Armed Forces)  Danish defence and aerospace company Terma has confirmed that Royal Norwegian Navy's (RNoN's) Skjold-class corvettes will be equipped with its Scanter 6000 surveillance radar as part of the class's life-extension programme.  In a 15 June announcement the company said the radar had recently completed factory acceptance testing (FAT) for the Skjold-class upgrade programme.  “These tes...

A mock-up of the Eurofighter EK, featuring a generic escort jammer pod, was showcased at the ILA Berlin Air Show in 2022. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The Luftwaffe has selected the Saab Arexis electronic warfare (EW) suite for its Eurofighter Elektronischer Kampf (EK) requirement, the Swedish company confirmed on 16 June.    Saab and its German partner for the project, Helsing, confirmed a   Der Spiegel  report from 13 June that said the selection will see the two companies provide the suite for the Luftwaffe's Eurofighter EK ele...

Elbit Systems Nano SPEAR displayed at the Paris Air Show 2023. (Janes/Olivia Savage)  Elbit Systems has launched a new airborne electronic countermeasure (ECM) system called Nano SPEAR (Self Protection Electronic Attack and Reconnaissance) at the Paris Air Show 2023, held from 19 to 25 June.  Nano SPEAR is a miniature countermeasure system designed to protect aircraft against radar-guided air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles.  Weighing less than 0.8 kg, the expendable radio frequency (RF) decoy fits in an aircraft's existing countermeasure...

The UK Royal Navy's Type 31 frigates are being equipped with the TACTICOS Baseline 2 combat management system. (NAVYPIX/Richard Scott)  The first Type 31 integrated combat system is on course to undergo factory acceptance testing (FAT) in the third quarter (Q3) of 2023, Thales has confirmed.  Speaking to media at Thales UK's facilities in Templecombe, UK, Julie Martin, naval senior account director, said that delivery of the first Type 31 mission system was on schedule.  “The key focus for us right now on the Type 31 is the fully integrated c...

The Kuwait Low Altitude Surveillance System is seen during a visit by Minister of Defence Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah in January 2021. (Kuwait News Agency)  US Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) is carrying out market research to see if there are contractors other than TCOM that can operate the Kuwait Low Altitude Surveillance System (KLASS).  In a request for information released on 13 June MARCORSYSCOM said the KLASS consists of a TCOM 71M tethered aerostat that carries a TPS-63 solid-state radar, as well as associated groun...

USS   Freedom  and USS   Independence  were both decommissioned in 2021.  (US Navy)  As the US Navy (USN) assesses some of the first overall fleet operations – and recreates operational concepts – for its littoral combat ships (LCSs), the service appears to be just as determined to quickly reduce LCS numbers as it was to introduce and augment the LCS force decades ago.  LCSs were initially designed decades ago and built to conduct antisubmarine warfare (ASW), surface warfare (SuW), and mine counter...

The RE-liON Blacksuit immersive virtual training system provides small unit tactical training. (Netherlands MoD)  The Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) has initiated a four-pronged plan to improve its simulation capability by 2030, focusing particularly on expanding virtual simulation.    Speaking at the 2023 Defence Simulation Education and Training conference (DSET 23) in Bristol, Lieutenant Colonel Marcel Wassenaar, head    of the RNLA Simulation Centre for Land Operations (SIMCEN Land) at Amersfoort, said that in 2020 the RNLA...

A mock-up of the Eurofighter EK, featuring a generic escort jammer pod, was showcased at the ILA Berlin Air Show in 2022. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The Luftwaffe has selected the Saab Arexis electronic warfare (EW) suite for its Eurofighter Elektronischer Kampf (EK) requirement, German national media reported on 13 June.  Der Spiegel said the selection will see Saab and national partner Helsing provide the suite for the Luftwaffe's Eurofighter EK electronic attack (EA) escort jammer aircraft by 2030. Integration will be done by Airbus as the o...

BAE Systems will support radars on UK Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers, such as HMS   Dauntless  .  (Derek Fox)  BAE Systems has received a GBP270 million (USD338.71 million) contract to support the radars on Royal Navy (RN) Type 23 and Type 26 frigates, Type 45 destroyers, and the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.  The company will upgrade, maintain, and provide in-service support for the BAE Systems Sampson multifunction radar and Advanced Radar Target Indication Situational Awareness and Navigation (ARTISAN...

Ocius Technologies' Bluebottle USV operates in the waters of Jervis Bay during Exercise ‘Autonomous Warrior 2022' at HMAS Creswell in the Australian Capital Territory. On 9 June the Australian DoD announced that Ocius has completed the delivery of the fifth and final Bluebottle USV to the RAN. (Commonwealth of Australia)  Ocius Technologies has completed the delivery of all Bluebottle unmanned surface vessels (USVs) to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) under a AUD4.9 million (USD3.3 million) contract secured in November 2022.  The Australian De...

The 4GD stand at DSET 2023 – one of the members of the Alliance team headed by Lockheed Martin UK that is competing for the MoD STP CTTP contract. (Janes/James Rands)  The competition for the Strategic Training Partner (STP) under the British Army's Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP) has been delayed, Janes learnt at the 2023 Defence Simulation Education & Training (DSET) exhibition, held in Bristol from June 5 to 8.  Initially, the competition was scheduled to be announced in January 2023, but it was then delayed until April...

The US Marine Corps is focusing on developing better logistics. (Janes/Michael Fabey)  To lay the foundation for revamped US Marine Corps (USMC) expeditionary operations, USMC leadership has underscored the need to properly support dispersed forces with sufficient logistics.  In much the same way, the US Navy (USN) is developing its own somewhat similarly designed distributed lethality concept that also must provide the logistics support for those far-flung, thinly spread forces.    The USN acknowledges the importance of logistics force...

A mock-up of the OctoEye360 on display at MADEX 2023. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  Germany-headquartered Hensoldt has partnered with South Korea's LIG Nex1 to market a line of persistent surveillance systems to the region.  The solutions are marketed under the joint venture company known as LNZ Optronics.    The early products that are marketed to the region include the OctoEye360 observation system for submarines, said a company representative who spoke to   Janes  at the MADEX 2023 exhibition held in Busan.   The OctoEye360 i...

During the live demonstration observed by the NCIA on 9 March, multiple laptop devices were connected to OneWeb's LEO constellation via Kymeta's Hawk u8 user terminal, which was mounted onboard a 4×4 Land Rover Discovery vehicle. (OneWeb)  The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) has disclosed details regarding its most recent evaluation of commercial low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications (satcom).  The event, which was conducted on 9 March at Eutelsat's teleport facility in Rambouillet, France, featured a live demonstra...