Australia's Birdon Group Pty Ltd has been selected as the preferred designer for the Landing Craft Medium capability. The above picture shows the design of Birdon's proposed Landing Craft Medium. (Birdon Group)  The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has signed a Heads of Agreement (HOA) with shipbuilding company Austal Limited to establish a Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement (SSA) to manufacture ships in Henderson, Western Australia, the DoD said in a press release on 23 November.  According to the DoD, the HOA will set out the principles...

The FAP now has seven Koala helicopters in its inventory. (Portuguese Air Force)  The Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa; FAP) has boosted its rotary-wing inventory with two new Leonardo AW119 MkII Koala utility helicopters.  The new aircraft wereofficially received on 22 November at the Maneuver Airfield No1, in Ovar, the FAP said.  The helicopters were delivered from Leonardo Helicopters in Italy, the FAP told Janes.  The two helicopters were acquired as an option placed as part of a contract worth EUR20.49 million (USD22.32 milli...

The armament of the T-72 MBT, pictured above taking part in an Indian Army exercise in November 2022, includes a 125 mm smoothbore 2A46 main gun, a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun mounted to the right of the main gun, and a 12.7 mm Nikitina-Sokolova-Volkova tank gun mounted on the commander's cupola. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  The Indian Army has issued a tender to support its programme for the restoration and life extension of in-service T-72 main battle tanks (MBTs).  According to a request for information (RFI) issued by the Indian Army on 21 Novem...

The already operational 617 Squadron is soon to be joined by 809 Naval Air Squadron as the UK's two front line units for the F-35B Lightning combat aircraft. (Crown Copyright)  The UK is to stand up its second operational squadron for the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning combat aircraft in the coming days, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed to Janes on 20 November.  With the Royal Air Force's (RAF's) 617 ‘Dambusters' Squadron already established as the type's first and so far only operational unit, the Royal Navy's (RN's) 809 ‘Immortals'...

The Brazilian SK105A2S Kürassier tank is armed with a 105 mm cannon, a coaxial 7.62 mm medium machine gun, and a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. (Victor Barreira)  The Brazilian Marine Corps wants to replace its ageing SK105A2S Kürassier light battle tank fleet with a new main battle tank (MBT) by 2032, Commander of the Marine Material Command Vice Admiral Rogério Ramos Lage told Janes.  The MBT project, part of the Marine Corps Combat Power Strategic Program (PROADSUMUS), aims to significantly increase the firepower of the marine air-ground task...

The National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System – pictured above firing an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile at Woomera Test Range in South Australia in mid-November – provides air defence against a variety of aerial threats, including UAV, missile, helicopter, and aircraft attacks within 40–50 km. (Commonwealth of Australia)  The Australian Army has test-fired the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) at Woomera Test Range in South Australia, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said in a press rel...

The Myasishchev M-55 ‘Mystic-B' high-altitude aircraft may be returned to service by Russia to fill an ISTAR gap over Ukraine. (Janes/Paul Jackson)  Russia may be about to return to service its Soviet Union-era Myasishchev M-55 ‘Mystic-B' high-altitude aircraft as it looks to fill an intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability gap, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has ascertained.  The UK MoD said in its Defence Intelligence update on Ukraine on 19 November that “Russia is likely considering bringing...

The DART AE is a 3.5 m long single-use hypersonic vehicle powered by a SPARTAN scramjet engine that, according to developer Hypersonix, has a top speed of Mach 7 and a range of 1,000 km. (Hypersonix Launch Systems)  Australian firms Hypersonix Launch Systems and Nominal Systems signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 15 November to develop digital twin technologies for Hypersonix's new hypersonic vehicle.  Under the agreement the companies will develop the ‘Hyper Twin X TM', a digital twin concept that will support the development of th...

An artist's impression of the Poseidon in German service. (Boeing)  Germany is increasing its buy of Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime multimission aircraft (MMA), with a further three aircraft approved by the country's government.  Kommandeur Marineflieger, Sea Captain Broder Nielsen, confirmed the additional purchase on 17 November, saying, “The budget committee of the Bundestag has approved the procurement of three more P-8A Poseidons. A good and important decision for the operational capability of German naval aviation.”  News of the approval...

Lockheed Martin is under contract to continue PrSM development for the army. (US Army)  The US Army's Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) completed its shortest ever trip during a production qualification test on 13 November, according to a service announcement on 16 November.  Fired from an M142 High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), the missile demonstrated “successful target engagements” at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, according to the army release. The test announcement comes as PrSM is expected to reach early operational c...

US Army Major Aaron Spence, an international technology integrator assigned to Army South, demonstrates the RIC-U to a group of Brazilian soldiers. US Army National Guard photo by Staff Sergeant Jonathan Pietrantoni. (US Army South)    The US Army wants to move its conversations with allies from sending slideshows and emails back and forth to being able to communicate via voice in the field, army officials told   Janes   ahead of the ‘Southern Vanguard 24' exercise in Macapá, Brazil.   The US Army is testing a new configura...

A Luftwaffe Eurofighter at the ILA 2022 exhibition in Berlin. With the previous German government having said it would buy Eurofighter Tranche 5 aircraft to partially replace the Luftwaffe's Tornado fleet, an official told   Janes  that this plan is now ‘undecided'.  (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Germany has not yet determined if it will proceed with its previously announced plan to buy Eurofighter Tranche 5 combat aircraft.    Speaking to   Janes  under the Chatham House Rule, an official said that th...

The Kavro Doma 360 helmet (pictured above) comprises top-to-chin (longitudinal) and side-to-side (lateral) harness adjustment functionality. (MKU Limited)  Indian defence company MKU Limited has launched a new ballistic helmet known as the Kavro Doma 360 at the Milipol Paris 2023 exhibition held in Paris from 14 to 17 November.  The helmet, according to the company specifications, can protect against AK-47's 7.62×39 mm mild steel core (MSC) bullets, as well as 7.62×51 mm and 5.56×45 mm NATO rounds.  The helmet can be equipped with night-visio...

EOS has secured a contract to supply spares of its R600S remote weapon system (pictured) to a South East Asian military. (Electro Optic Systems)  Electro Optic Systems (EOS) has secured a contract worth AUD28 million (USD18.2 million) to supply spares of its R600S remote weapon system (RWS) to a South East Asian military, a spokesperson for the company told Janes on 15 November.  Under this contract, EOS will provide “gimbals and sensor units” for the R600S to the customer, the spokesperson said.  “The R600S is mainly used for ground-to-groun...

Serbia received its second and final Airbus C295 airlifter on 14 November, seen here at Batajnica in its temporary Spanish delivery markings. (Serbian MoD)  The second of the two Airbus Defence and Space C295MW (Modernised, Winglets) transport aircraft ordered by Serbia was delivered to Milenko Pavlović Air Base at Batajnica on 14 November, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced.  Ordered on 23 February 2022 the aircraft is part of a wider effort to modernise the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence (Ratno Vazduhoplovstvo i Protivvazduhoplovna...

An artist's portrayal of the Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM. (Northrop Grumman)  The Northrop Grumman LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is “struggling” with “unknown unknowns”, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall told a crowd at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) on 13 November.  “Sentinel is one of the most large, complex programmes I've ever seen,” Kendall said. “It's probably the biggest thing in some ways that the air force has ever taken on, because it's a vast real estate development [and...

Seen in Portuguese markings, the C-390 is to be pitched to Sweden by Embraer and Saab. (Embraer)  Embraer and Saab have agreed to jointly pitch the C-390 Millennium for Sweden's future medium-lift aircraft requirement.  Announced on 14 November, the arrangement will see the companies collaborate on offering the Brazilian-made airlifter to replace the Swedish Air Force's (SwAF's) ageing Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules fleet.  “Both companies announced a collaboration to position the C-390 Millennium as the preferred solution for renewing the S...

With the Jupiter HT1 already used by the UK as a training helicopter, additional Jupiter HC2s are to be acquired to perform support and training roles in Cyprus and Brunei. (Airbus)  The United Kingdom is to acquire six new Airbus Helicopters H145 rotorcraft to be used in Cyprus and Brunei.  The Ministry of Defence (MoD) published a transparency notice of the intended procurement on 13 November, saying that six helicopters are to be acquired along with three years of support for an estimated GBP140 million (USD172 million). Known as Jupiter H...

RAF aircraft, such as the Poseidon MRA1 pictured, are providing surveillance support to Israel. (Crown Copyright)  The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) is providing aerial surveillance support to Israel in its ongoing operation against Hamas militants in Gaza, it was disclosed on 13 November.  Answering questions in the House of Commons, Minister of State for the Armed Forces James Heappey said, aircraft have been deployed to the region in support of Israel and the UK's wider security concerns.  “A total of 12 aircraft have deployed to the eastern Me...

The European F-16 Training Center for the training of Ukrainian pilots was officially opened in Romania on 13 November. (Kajsa Ollongren/Netherlands Ministry of Defence)  The European F-16 Training Center that will instruct Ukrainian pilots was officially opened in Romania on 13 November.  The ministers of defence for Romania and the Netherlands, Angel Tîlvăr and Kajsa Ollongren unveiled the centre along with Orlando Sanchez, Lockheed Martin's vice-president,at the 86th Fetesti Air Base in eastern Romania. Officials from Denmark and the Unite...