While the US Army's hypersonic weapon programme is delayed, the service's Mid-Range Capability is on track for operational capability. (US Army)  It is predicted that the US Army will not be able to field its hypersonic weapon by the end of the calendar year as planned after a critical test was cancelled before launch.  Similar to the cancelled tests in September and March 2023, the “problem” was identified before the launch schedule to take place from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Doug Bush, US Army assistant secretary for acq...

The Royal Thai Army has taken delivery of 60 Norinco VT-4 main battle tanks, a model of which is displayed at the Defense & Security 2023 show in Bangkok. (Janes/Jon Grevatt)  China North Industries Group Corporation (Norinco) has disclosed that it has completed deliveries of all 60 VT-4 main battle tanks (MBTs) on order for the Royal Thai Army (RTA).    A spokesperson for the company told   Janes  on 8 November at the Defense & Security 2023 exhibition in Bangkok that the last 12 tanks were delivered to the RTA's 6th Cavalry...

The new rocket pods for Chinese CHAIG Z-10 are intended to provide the PLA Ground Force (PLAGF) with a means to conduct saturation attacks against adversarial land- or maritime-based targets. (Janes/Getty Images)  China is arming its new AVIC Changhe Aircraft Industries (Group) Company (CHAIG) Z-10 attack helicopter with at least two new types of rocket pods.  This includes a seven-tube rocket pod equipped with a new guided variant of China's North Industries Group Corporation's (Norinco's) 70 mm air-launched rocket. A separate, 19-tube rocke...

A model of the F-35 was displayed at the IQPC International Fighter Conference in Madrid. Tellingly, it featured Czech markings rather than those of the host country, Spain. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Spain has rowed back its previously stated interest in procuring the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II as a potential partial replacement for its current Boeing EF-18 Hornet and McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II aircraft.    Having told   Janes   in November 2021 that it had requested information on both the conventional take-off a...

Under current fielding and procurement plans, the Spanish Air and Space Force will have 96 Eurofighters that may be fitted with LTE enhancements. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Spain may retrofit Long Term Evolution (LTE) enhancements for the Eurofighter combat aircraft (C.16 in national service) to its wider fleet, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) told   Janes  on 6 November.   Timed to coincide with the IQPC International Fighter Conference 2023 (IFC 2023) in Madrid, the MoD response to a   Janes  question on Spanish Air and Space Forc...

With the F-16 providing the US Air Force with its affordable mass, the service will shortly begin considering what follows the aircraft type in the future. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The US Air Force (USAF) is to shortly begin assessing its longer-term requirement for an “affordable” aircraft that it can operate in the post-Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon timeframe.  Speaking under the Chatham House Rule, an official said the work will begin in the coming few years to field a combat aircraft type with a cost per flight hour that is sustain...

A model of a Halcon II Eurofighter displayed at IFC 2023. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft to be delivered to the Spanish Air and Space Force (Ejército del Aire y del Espacio: EdAE) under the Halcon II procurement programme will be at the Tranche 4+ standard, Airbus confirmed on 6 November.  Speaking at the IQPC International Fighter Conference (IFC) in Madrid, Marco Gumbrecht, head of Combat Air Systems, Airbus Defence and Space, said that with 20 Halcon I aircraft to be built at the Tranche 4 standard, the 25...

Al Seer Marine 11 m USV that was unveiled at NAVDEX 2021. (NAVDEX)  The United Arab Emirates' (UAE's) Coast Guard Group contributed an unmanned surface vessel (USV) to the ‘Union Fortress 9' demonstration that was held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on 5 November.  ‘Union Fortress' is held every year in different locations to show the public the capabilities of the UAE Armed Forces and security organisations.  The USV seen in the television coverage of this year's event looked like the 11 m one unveiled by the local company Al Seer Marine during...

The Royal Thai Air Force has recently completed an exercise using its newly inducted Korean GPS-Guided Bomb (KGGB), a model of which is pictured above at the Defense & Security 2023 exhibition in Bangkok. (Janes/Jon Grevatt)    The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has taken delivery of an initial batch of Korean GPS-Guided Bomb (KGGB) kits, an official from manufacturer LIG Nex1 told   Janes  at the Defense & Security exhibition in Bangkok on 6 November.   The official also confirmed that the RTAF has held its first exercise us...

The D11A, pictured at the Defense & Security 2023 show in Bangkok, is intended to launch guided and unguided rocket systems of different calibres, with an effective range between 40 and 300 km. (Janes/Jon Grevatt)  The Defence Technology Institute (DTI) – an agency under the Thai Ministry of Defence – has furthered the development of the D11A, a local version of Elbit Systems' multicalibre Precise and Universal Launching System (PULS).  A DTI official told Janes at the Defense & Security 2023 exhibition in Bangkok on 6 November that developme...

The Polish Land Forces will field SitaWare Frontline (pictured) and Headquarters. (Systematic)  Systematic's SitaWare Frontline command-and-control (C2) software will be installed in all of the Polish Land Forces' Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs), and the service will also receive the company's SitaWare Headquarters system, Janes has learnt.  The 18th Mechanised Division's M1A1 and M1A2 System Enhancement Program version 3 (SEPv3) Abrams MBTs and various support vehicles will be equipped with the mounted battle management system (BMS) – SitaW...

India seeks to develop long-range surface-to-air missile systems to provide interception capabilities similar to the Russian S-400 Triumf air-defence system (pictured above) recently inducted by the Indian Air Force. (Janes/Peter Felstead)    India has initiated a programme to develop long-range surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) systems for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to strengthen its air-defence capabilities, an official at India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) told   Janes  in early November....

The HMCS   Ottawa  's CH-148 helicopter lowers supplies onto the flight deck of the USS   Ralph Johnson  (DDG 114) in the South China Sea on 10 September. HMCS   Ottawa  is currently on deployment in South East Asia as part of Canada's commitment to increase the number of Canadian warships annually deployed to the Indo-Pacific region from two to three, starting from 2023.  (US Navy)  Canada's Department of National Defence (DND) has said that Chinese combat jets aggressively intercept...

A soldier aims a XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement system during testing at Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland. (US Army)  The US Army's contest for a follow-on contract for its high-explosive airburst munition system, Precision Grenadier System (PGS), is now down to two finalists.  The army's xTechSoldier Lethality has been awarding companies cash prizes for their solutions to replace legacy M320 grenade launchers. The army earlier tried to replace the grenade launchers with the XM25, which failed after the army terminated Orbital ATK's...

The US Navy fired its first live munitions from an unmanned surface vessel during an exercise. (US Navy)  Unmanned surface vessels (USVs) of the US Navy (USN) fired live weapons on 23 October during Exercise ‘Digital Talon' in the international waters surrounding the Arabian Peninsula – the first use of lethal munitions from USVs in the Middle East region, US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) confirmed on 1 November.  During the exercise, co-ordinated with and supported by Commander, Special Operations Forces Central Command, NAVCENT's T...

The Indian Air Force is seeking to withdraw all Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Bison aircraft from service in 2025. (Indian Air Force)  The Indian Air Force (IAF) is transferring Sukhoi Su-30MKIs from other operational squadrons to ensure that a former Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 squadron remains in active service.  On 31 October the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced that the IAF's No 4 Squadron (Oorials) was converting from MiG-21s to Su-30MKIs.  A senior officer in the IAF told Janes that the Su-30MKIs re-equipping No 4 Squadron are not newly...

A scale model of the ADE Archer (SRUAV-W) pictured at ADMS 2023. (Janes/Akshara Parakala)  India's Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) – an agency under the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) – has disclosed new details about the development and testing of its new Short-Range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Weaponised (SRUAV-W) – also known as ‘Archer'.    An ADE official told   Janes   at the eighth Aerospace and Defence Manufacturing Show (ADMS), which was held in Bangalore from 26 to 27 October...

The first training sortie for the reformed 42 Squadron was flown on 26 September. (Crown Copyright)  The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has reformed 42 Squadron as a joint operational conversion unit (OCU) for its Boeing 737-based aircraft, it announced on 1 November.  Most latterly the former OCU for the BAC Nimrod MR2 maritime patrol aircraft before its disbandment in 2010, 42 Sqn was stood up at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland on 21 September. This is the station from where both the Boeing P-8A Poseidon MRA1 maritime multimission aircraft (MMA) and...

A scale model of the ADE Abhyas at ADMS 2023. (Janes/Akshara Parakala)  Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) – an agency under the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) – revealed an updated configuration of the Abhyas High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) at the eighth Aerospace & Defence Manufacturing Show (ADMS) 2023 held in Bangalore on 26 and 27 October.  The original configuration of Abhyas was launched in 2013 and featured twin underslung boosters. However, the new configuration features a single...

The Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile during integration tests with a Spanish Air Force EF-18. (Spanish Air Force)    Integration of the Taurus KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missile into a Ukrainian Su-24 combat aircraft would take a couple of months and training crews for its use would take three or four months, Joachim Knopf, CEO of MBDA Deutschland-Saab Dynamics 67:33 joint venture Taurus Systems, told international journalists, including   Janes,  visiting MBDA Deutschland on 27 October. Integration of Taurus into F-16 combat...