The MRC weapon system (pictured above from its trials in June 2023) is a containerised version of the Mk 41 VLS that can be integrated and fired from the bed of a M983A4 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck. (US Army)  The US Army's 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (1MDTF) has deployed its Mid-Range Capability (MRC) weapon system – also known as the Typhon Weapons System – at Northern Luzon in the Philippines as part of Exercise ‘Salaknib 24', the US Army Pacific said in a press release on 15 April.  This deployment aims to enhance the Philippin...

Seen on its maiden flight in February, the first KC-390 for Hungary arrived in the country on 12 April to allow national personnel to become acquainted with the aircraft before it is officially handed over later in 2024. (Embraer)  The first of two Embraer KC-390 Millennium tanker-transport aircraft for Hungary arrived in-country on 12 April.    The milestone, which is intended to provide the Hungarian Defence Force familiarisation time with the type ahead of its official    handover later in 2024, was marked by an event at Kec...

The backdrop to the signing ceremony in Denmark was an F-16BM aircraft in Argentine Air Force markings. (Danish MoD)  Argentina has finalised a deal to procure surplus Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft from Denmark, signing a contract on 16 April.  The Danish Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the milestone, saying the defence ministers of the two countries concluded the contract for the transfer of 24 former Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) F-16AM/BM jets to the Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina: FAA) during a sign...

A mock-up of the Sky Sword II – locally known as TC-2 land-based missile – is pictured at TADTE 2023. The missile structure consists of the active radar seeker, followed by the electronics section, proximity fuze, warhead, and rocket motor, ending in the exhaust. (Janes/Kapil Kajal )  The Republic of China Army (RoCA) test-fired a land-based short-to-medium-range air-defence system known as the Sky Sword II for the first time in Pingtung County, the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense (MND) said via its Military News Agency on 16 April.  The...

The Indian Army and the DRDO conducted warhead flight trials of the MPATGM weapon system at the Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan on 13 April 2024. The MPATGM can strike the armoured vehicles at a maximum range of 2.5 km. (Indian Ministry of Defence)  India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Army have test-fired a manportable anti-tank guided missile (MPATGM) weapon system at the Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a press release on 14 Apri...

Aircraft MSN139, the first of two A400Ms for Kazakhstan, seen in the paint shop having its bespoke scheme and markings applied ahead of delivery later in 2024. (Airbus)  Airbus has rolled out the first of a pair of A400M Atlas transport aircraft for the Republic of Kazakhstan, following the application of its new paint scheme at the company's final assembly line in Seville.  Images of aircraft MSN139 were released on 15 April, showing it to be finished in a bespoke high-gloss ‘wet' version of the familiar low-visibility grey paint scheme, as...

Two US Navy Saildrone Explorer USVs take part in maritime security operations in the Arabian Sea in early 2023. (US Navy)  Saildrone's family of wind- and solar-powered unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) offer a way to free up manned naval assets for more important missions, Richard Jenkins, founder and CEO of Saildrone, told Janes at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2024 global maritime exposition in National Harbor, Maryland, on 10 April. The USVs are already operating under contracts with the US Navy (USN) and other agencies, he said.  The wind...

A graphic depiction of the NFS U212 submarine. (OCCAR)  Tests of the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery system for the Italian Navy's Improved Todaro (Type 212 NFS)-class submarines are moving forward, according to the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), which manages the programme.  Speaking at the Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) 2024 conference and exhibition in London on 10 April, Commander Alessandro Irvia, Platform Officer, U212 Near Future Submarine (NFS) Programme, confirmed that a thermal propagation test conducted on 9 A...

A paratrooper exits one of the two side doors of the A400M during a demonstration of the aircraft's low-level parachuting capabilities. (Crown Copyright)  The United Kingdom continues to open up the tactical capabilities of the Royal Air Force's (RAF's) Airbus A400M Atlas C1 fleet, with the announcement on 14 April that the airlifter is now cleared for low-level parachuting.  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that the clearance had been awarded after trials in the US in 2023 were followed by a capability demonstration by the Air and Space...

A mock-up of the Eurofighter EK displayed at the ILA 2022 airshow in Berlin. The proposed escort jammer pod is seen in the foreground. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Hensoldt is considering how to proceed with its plans to offer a new airborne electronic attack (AEA) capability to Germany, following its recent acquisition of Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH (ESG).    A company representative told   Janes   on 12 April that having previously proposed a joint solution with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for Step 2 of the Eurofighte...

The first production Tejas Mk 1A, from the IAF's initial order of 83 aircraft (placed in 2021), prepares for take-off from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited airport in Bangalore on 28 March 2023. (HAL)  The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued a tender to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the procurement of 97 additional Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk 1A fighter aircraft.  The potential acquisition has an initial proposed value of INR650 billion (USD7.7 billion), an industry source told Janes on 12 April. The possible acqui...

AVIC's new HH-100 cargo-delivery unmanned aerial vehicle is being designed for a maximum take-off weight of 2 tons. (AVIC/Janes)  The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) is preparing its HH-100 large cargo unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for flight-testing.    The UAV, which has a planned maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 2 tons, completed its high-speed automatic taxiing test at Yangchang airport in southwest China's Sichuan Province on 3 April and is being readied for its maiden flight, AVIC announced on 7 April. The programme...

The planned deployment of an RNZAF Boeing P-8A Poseidon to Japan in mid-April 2024 to participate in the enforcement of sanctions against North Korea, is the sixth such RNZAF deployment since 2018. (New Zealand Defence Force)  New Zealand has said that it will deploy a Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to Japan for the first time in support of UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions on North Korea and assist with the monitoring and surveillance of illegal ship-to-ship transfers by Pyongyang.  The deployment will see the P-8A conduct...

With interim Red Air pilot training for the UK now being provided by Draken Europe L-159E Honey Badger aircraft (pictured), the MoD is considering its next-generation requirements under the NGRA requirement. (Draken Europe)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is seeking commercial contractors to deliver Next Generation Red Air (NGRA) pilot training for the Royal Air Force (RAF).  A tender posted by the ministry in mid-March said the effort is part of a wider modernisation of the UK's air training infrastructure taking place under Portfolio Must...

The Mission Master SP UGV (pictured above) features a bay that can be equipped with a variety of payloads such as remote weapon stations and masts equipped with sensors, and it is fitted with localisation and navigation sensors for remote and autonomous control. (Rheinmetall)  German automotive and arms manufacturer Rheinmetall has signed a “multimillion-dollar” contract with the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) to supply three Mission Master SP wheeled unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) for testing,...

Seen here in US Army service, the UH-60M Black Hawk will soon be flown by the Hellenic Army also, following the signing of an LOA for 35 helicopters. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Greece has joined the international UH-60M Black Hawk programme, with the announcement on 5 April that it signed a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) for 35 of the medium-lift helicopters.  Lockheed Martin disclosed the milestone some four months after the US government approved the approximately USD1.95 billion Foreign Military Sales (FMS) in December 2023. This figure...

The Italian Air Force retired the last of its AMX combat aircraft on 5 April. (Italian Air Force)  The Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militaire Italiana: AMI) has retired its Aeritalia Macchi eXperimental (AMX) light attack aircraft after 35 years of service.  The last of the single-engined jets that Italy co-developed with Brazil in the 1980s and 1990s were withdrawn from operational service during a ceremony on 5 April.  Designated A-11B Ghibli by the AMI, the last of 136 examples of the type ordered by the service were being operated by th...

L3Harris Technologies is supplying its AN/PRC-163 handheld radio (pictured) for the ‘Replacement of Ground-Air Radios' requirement under Foxtrot. The very-high-frequency (VHF)/ultra-high-frequency (UHF) radio supports secure two-channel, simultaneous up-and-down echelon connectivity and Mobile Ad hoc Network (MANET) applications. (Janes/Olivia Savage)    The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) is looking for a systems integrator to assist with running the Foxtrot tactical digitisation programme,   Janes  learnt.   Foxtro...

The Agni-Prime – pictured above from its first test firing in June 2021 – is a surface-to-surface missile with a length of 10 m. It has a conical-shaped re-entry vehicle in comparison with the Agni II's blunt biconic re-entry vehicle. (DRDO via PIB)  India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Strategic Forces Command (SFC) test-fired the Agni-Prime medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) on 3 April from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the northeastern coast of Odisha, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a press rele...

The Hwaseong-16Na missile has an estimated range of 3,000–5,500 km. When launched from Pyongyang, the missile has the ability to strike US military base in Guam at its maximum estimated range. (Janes)  North Korea test-fired a “new” solid-fuelled intermediate-range hypersonic missile known as Hwaseong-16Na for the first time on 2 April, state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on 3 April.  The test firing of the missile – which features a “newly developed” hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) – was aimed at confirming its designed techn...