USAF Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) specialists conduct reconnaissance training in August 2021 in preparation for JADC2 and precision deep strike (RaPDS) capabilities. (US Air Force)  US Department of Defense (DoD) officials are conducting a series of analyses, geared towards developing a new campaign plan for the Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) capability, which when complete will update the department's current CJADC2 implementation plan.  “When you look at the [CJADC2] implementation plan ... it is saying the enti...

The VAMPIRE remote weapon system. (L3Harris)  L3Harris has selected Alabama-based EOS Defense Systems to support the Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE) programme, which has been tagged by the US Department of Defense (DoD) as one of several weapon systems bound for Ukraine.  The Pentagon contracted L3Harris to integrate the VAMPIRE remote weapon system (RWS) into DoD-provided combat vehicles scheduled for delivery to Ukrainian defence forces. Under the terms of t...

An Azerbaijani Su-25 is loaded with a glide bomb during Exercise ‘Anatolian Eagle' held at Turkey's Konya Air Base. (Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Azerbaijan)  A contract to upgrade Azerbaijan's Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircraft was signed on 26 July during the International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) held in Istanbul.  The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) released a statement saying the contract was signed with Turkish Aerospace (TUSAŞ) in a ceremony attended by Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Defence Agil Gurbanov and Haluk...

RAF Flylingdales in North Yorkshire supports the UK Space Operations Centre and is capable of tracking objects in space, including satellites and debris, up to 3,000 mile away. (DVIDS/Robert Lingley)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the UK Space Agency have published a joint space domain awareness (SDA) report that outlines their potential future requirements.  The requirements, as detailed in the Cross Government SDA Requirements Publication on 21 July, will be delivered within a dual-use military and civil SDA system of systems.  SDA i...

One of the first two AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters being unloaded from a US Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft on 26 July. (Czech Ministry of Defence)  The first Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters for the Czech Republic arrived in-country on 26 July, being airlifted from the United States aboard a US Air Force (USAF) Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft.  The Czech Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the milestone, saying the first two Viper helicopters had been delivered, with four more arriving in September.  The Viper is being acqui...

Janes   conceptualisation of China's new AR-XX loitering munition under development.  (Janes)  A Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) producer, Aerospace CH UAV Co Ltd, has announced that it is developing a new loitering munition based on the AR-series of air-to-ground missiles.  In an announcement on Weibo on 20 July, the company said the loitering munition is being developed for “super long-range” and will “deliver a number of new functions”.  Aerospace CH UAV Co Ltd is a subsidiary of the 11th Research Institute of China Aero...

One of the Abu Mahdi long-range anti-ship missiles that was displayed during the induction ceremony. (Islamic Republic News Agency)  The Abu Mahdi long-range anti-ship missile has entered service with both the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN), it was announced on 25 July.  At least 11 missiles were displayed during an induction ceremony attended by Minister of Defence Brigadier General Amir Mohammadreza Ashtiani, IRIN Deputy Commander Admiral Hamza Ali Kaviani, and IRGCN Commander Rear A...

During ‘Large Scale Exercise 2021', Marine KC-130J loadmaster deployed a Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System launcher. The US Navy and the US Marine Corps forces expect to conduct similar and expanded operations for ‘Large Scale Exercise 2023'. (US Marine Corps)  Leaders from the US Navy (USN) and the US Marine Corps (USMC) said they expect this year's ‘Large Scale Exercise (LSE) 2023', which takes place from 9 to 18 August, to push the US naval forces and command to the limit around the globe.  “We've not done anything like th...

An M1A1 Abrams main battle tank is transported via a mexefloat to the beach head with HMAS   Adelaide  in the background during Exercise ‘Sea Raider' 2023.  (Commonwealth of Australia)  The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has certified its Australian Amphibious Force (AAF) and the new service is now ready for deployment, Janes has learnt.  A DoD spokesperson told Janes on 24 Julythat the AAF, which is headquartered atthe Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) Fleet Base East in Sydney, comprises RAN ships includi...

The Type 20 rifle is a selective-fire, air-cooled, magazine box-fed, gas-operated assault rifle with a conventional layout. The rifle can be configured for either automatic or semi-automatic fire via a fire-selector lever. (Howa Machinery Ltd)  The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) will induct Type 20 5.56×45 mm assault rifles, produced by Japanese manufacturer Howa Machinery, from fiscal year (FY) 2024.  The service will also procure Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale (FN) Herstal's Minimi Mk 3 light machine guns (LMGs)...

An AH-64D Apache Longbow of the Kuwait Air Force. Along with Egypt, Kuwait is modernising its fleet to the latest AH-64E Apache Guardian standard. The Gulf state is also acquiring newbuild helicopters. (Boeing)  The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Boeing a production contract for the AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopter, for work that includes Egypt and Kuwait.  Announced on 21 July the USD393 million modification to an earlier US Army multi-year contract includes Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funding for remanufactured helicopt...

A plethora of tube-launched UAVs, such as AeroVironment Switchblade (pictured above), have entered the market in recent years. These and other ‘suicide' UAVs are commonly used in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. (DVIDS)  On 7 July the US Army announced the May initiation of the Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) programme, intended to deliver a soldier-portable, tube-launched anti-tank unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to infantry brigades.    “The army is preparing to engage near-peer threats in a conventional conflict, [and] it...

The Australian Army has not had a fixed-wing support capability since its Beechcraft King Air 350 light utility aircraft were transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force in 2009. (Commonwealth of Australia)  The Australian government has sought to lease two fixed-wing aircraft to rebuild the Australian Army's tactical airlift and support capability.  In an expression of interest (EOI) issued on 13 July, designated as FCOMD/EOI/37171/1 (Army Aviation General Fixed Wing Support), the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has said it seeks to...

First showcased at the Farnborough International Airshow in 2016, the armed Black Hawk is now being acquired by the Polish Armed Forces. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Poland has launched a tender for the procurement of Lockheed Martin S-70i Black Hawk helicopters, the Polish Armaments Agency (AA) said on 21 July.  The AA made its announcement weeks after Janes first reported Poland's interest in acquiring domestically built armed Black Hawk helicopters on 7 June.  “The procurement procedure for multirole S-70i Black Hawk helicopters for the Aeromo...

Despite recent reports that the UK had scaled back its NMH requirement, the MoD has reaffirmed its commitment to buy ‘up to 44' new helicopters to replace the Puma (pictured) and three other types. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has reaffirmed its commitment to the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programmefollowing a report that it had scaled back the number of rotorcraft it was looking to procure.  Answering questions in the House of Commons, Minister of State in the MoD James Cartlidge said the number of helicopters to...

A US Air Force officer operates a virtual reality headset in support of the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) Onramp 2 on 2 September 2020 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. The ABMS is the air-domain component of the CJADC2 capability. (US Air Force)  The Pentagon's ongoing maturation of its Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) capability is being dramatically hindered at the services' level because of a lack of specific, concrete operational command-and-control (C2) requirements – from well-defined mission threads to...

HAL Light Utility Helicopters perform during the inauguration of the Aero India 2023 show at the Yelahanka Air Force Station on 13 February 2023 in Bengaluru, India. The five-day event is held to showcase India's aerospace and defence capabilities. (Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images)  The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) is seeking to lease 20 reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters for the Indian Army.  In a request for information (RFI) issued on 19 July, the MoD described the period of the lease as being five years. According to the docu...

A Luftwaffe Eurofighter equipped with a pair of AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles on its central underwing pylons, which it carries in conjunction with the MBDA Meteor missiles on the underfuselage recessed hardpoints. (Luftwaffe)  The US government has approved the sale of the extended-range Raytheon AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) to Germany, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 19 July.  The US Department of State approval for the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) covers up to 969 missiles, related equi...

Sweden is to field two GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft from 2027. (Saab)  Bombardier has delivered to Sweden the first of two Global 6000 airframes for conversion to the GlobalEye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) configuration for the Swedish Air Force (SwAF).  The business jet manufacturer announced on 19 July that the aircraft, which is the first for the SwAF but the sixth for the wider GlobalEye programme, had been delivered to Saab's Linköping facility in Sweden from its Toronto manufacturing plant in Canada.  News of the delivery came...

The PLAN has been deploying remotely operated vehicles alongside its Wozang-class vessels (pictured) to enhance mine countermeasure operations. (Chinese Ministry of National Defense)  The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has been experimenting with remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) that can support mine countermeasure (MCM) operations.    The PLAN's Northern Theater Command explored “new patterns of unmanned integrated minesweeping procedures” using two ROVs in a recent exercise conducted in the Yellow Sea (West Sea), state-owned new...