08 March 2022
by Nicholas Fiorenza
Some 135 members of the Belgian contingent of the NATO VJTF were flown to Constanta, Romania, from Melsbroek on 8 March. (Belgian Defence)
Some 135 members of the Belgian contingent of the NATO Response Force (NRF) Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) were flown by chartered aircraft to Constanta, Romania, from Melsbroek, the military part of Brussels airport, on 8 March. They were the last of 300 Belgian soldiers deploying to Romania, along with 500 French troops, to form a Franco-Belgian tactical group in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
They were preceded by an avant-garde airlifted by a Belgian air force A400M transport from Melsbroek to Romania on 4 March to prepare the integration into the battalion commanded by France.
Most of the Belgian contingent is drawn from the Bataillon 1/3 de Lanciers (1/3 Lancer Battalion), based in Marche-en-Famenne in southern Belgium, joined by combat engineers, logisticians, signals troops, and medics.
The avant-garde was followed on 5 March by over 100 vehicles that transported the Belgian contingent's vehicles and materiel in five convoys from Marche-en-Famenne to Romania. The Belgian contingent includes Piranha and Dingo wheeled armoured vehicles, with anti-armour capabilities provided by vehicle-mounted and tripod-launched Spike missiles.
The contingent will work closely with the French Army's 27ème Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins (27th Mountain Infantry Battalion), with which it is forming a Franco-Belgian tactical group, and will train and exercise with French, Romanian, and US troops also based at Constanta.
22 March 2024
by Kapil Kajal
The armament of the T-72 MBT (pictured above) – taking part in an Indian Army exercise in November 2022 – includes a 125 mm main gun, a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun, and a 12.7 mm gun. The Indian Army seeks to integrate the CALM system into the tank. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)
The Indian Army has outlined a programme to procure canister-launched anti-armour loiter munition (CALM) systems and associated accessories to enhance the operational efficiency of the mechanised infantry.
According to an initial procurement notice issued by the Indian Army on 21 March, the service seeks to procure CALM systems to integrate them on T-72 and T-90 main battle tanks (MBTs), BMP-2 armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), carrier mortar tracked vehicles, and reconnaissance vehicles.
The Indian Army seeks to procure 180 CALM systems to provide remote-controlled beyond-visual-line-of-sight capability to the mechanised infantry and armoured units at stand-off ranges of up to 15 km to destroy enemy AFVs with a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead.
21 March 2024
by Sonny Butterworth
A Patgb 300 CAVS showing the unique Swedish modifications to the platform. These include a roof-mounted Kongsberg RS4 Protector ROWS and two banks of four smoke dischargers mounted beneath the windshield. (Patria Land Oy)
Patria and the Swedish Armed Forces announced that Sweden placed a SEK5.3 billion (USD507.4 million) order for 321 Patria 6×6 Common Armoured Vehicle Systems (CAVS) on 20 March.
Designated Patgb 300 (Pansarterrängbil 300: Armoured All-Terrain Vehicle 300) in Swedish service, the vehicles are planned to be delivered in armoured personnel carrier (APC), command-and-control (C2), and ambulance variants. Deliveries are scheduled to commence with the APC variant during the first half of 2025, leading to the completion of all deliveries by 2030. In addition to motorised infantry units, the platform will be used to equip air-defence and artillery units.
This contract follows a previous Swedish order for 20 pre-series Patgb 300s placed on 19 April 2023, all of which were delivered by November 2023. According to a press release issued by the Swedish Armed Forces on 19 April 2023, these pre-series CAVS were handed over to the Swedish Army's Life Guards regiment.
18 March 2024
by Victor Barreira
An M113BR APC of the Brazilian Army integrated with REMAX 4 weapon system by Ares. (ARES)
Ares Aeroespacial e Defesa, a Brazilian subsidiary of Elbit Systems, has completed the development of an upgraded M113BR armoured personnel carrier (APC) belonging to the 20th Armoured Infantry Battalion of the Brazilian Army.
This self-funded technology demonstrator, developed with technical support from the army's manufacturing directorate, could emerge as a possible option for a potential upgrade of the M113BR by the army, Ares told Janes on 13 March. The upgraded vehicle is scheduled to be trialled in April.
The modernisation was aimed at improving situational awareness and protection of the M113BR. The company installed its REMAX 4 lightweight remotely controlled weapon station, an OIP Sentinal driver's thermal imaging system, a power management system featuring autonomy of 13 hours, and an adaptable mechanical interface, Ares said.
The REMAX 4, which was jointly developed with the Army Technological Center (CTEx), consists of a dual-axis gyro-stabilised weapon mount, 12.7 mm or 7.62 mm machine gun, ammunition feeding system, ammunition magazine, four 76 mm smoke dischargers, the OIP Sensor Systems EOPTRIS 2.0 imager, as well as command-and-control workstation.
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