05 June 2023
by Nicholas Fiorenza
The Swedish Army plans to have three artillery brigades totalling 72 Archer SPHs in 2030. (Försvarsmakten/Marcus Olsson)
Sweden has been rebuilding artillery from scratch over the last decade, following neglect after the end of the Cold War, Janes learnt on the last day of Defence iQ's Future Artillery conference held in Munich from 30 May to 1 June.
Sweden's two artillery brigades with 24 Archer 6×6 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) each will grow by a third brigade with 24 Archer 8×8 SPHs in 2030. The country has no rocket artillery yet but is focusing on it as there is now political support for deep fires.
Sweden's four manoeuvre brigades have artillery battalions or batteries, with the Gotland task force also having a battery.
One artillery regiment each in northern and southern Sweden is responsible for training crews, which lasts 10 weeks for conscripts, followed by four weeks of exercises.
The Swedish Army has no artillery unmanned aerial vehicles and has a requirement for sensors. It plans to procure artillery fire-control systems in 2025 and weapon-locating radars in 2026.
07 May 2024
by Kapil Kajal
The Tarantula vehicle (pictured above from the DSA 2024 exhibition) is equipped with a remote-controlled weapon station with multiple machine guns – a 12.7 mm machine gun and a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun – and 16 units of 76 mm grenade launchers. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)
Malaysian firm Mildef International Technologies (Mildef) has showcased three 4×4 armoured vehicles known as Tarantula, High Mobility Light Tactical Vehicle (HMLTV), and Weapon Carrier Vehicle (WCV) at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur from 6 to 9 May.
Ahmad Ziad Rehman Bin Ahmad Zaidi, senior assistant engineer at Mildef, told Janes that the Malaysian Army has already ordered 178 Tarantula vehicles in 2023, while the other two vehicles are yet to be tested by the service.
The delivery of Tarantula vehicles will be initiated by the end of 2024, and nearly 80 vehicles will be delivered in the first batch, with final delivery in 2027, Ahmad said.
According to Mildef specifications, Tarantula has a crew capacity of 10, and it has a length of 5,700 m, a width of 2,500 m, and a height of 2,500 m.
06 May 2024
by Kapil Kajal
The upgraded ACV-300 – pictured above from the DSA 2024 exhibition – is fitted with a new-generation remote-controlled weapon system with a close-range surveillance system, auxiliary power unit, air conditioning system, automatic fire suppression system, spall liners, driver vision system, and navigation system. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)
Malaysia's state-owned DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies (DEFTECH) and Turkish vehicle manufacturer FNSS have unveiled a prototype of the upgraded ACV-300 ‘Adnan' tracked armoured combat vehicle at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2024 exhibition held in Kuala Lumpur from 6 to 9 May.
Mohd Nizam Saedon, head of the engineering department at DEFTECH, told Janes on 6 May that the vehicle, which has been in operation since the early 2000s, is being upgraded to extend its operational life.
The turret of the vehicle is upgraded with a 25 mm sharpshooter turret as a part of the upgrades, Mohd said.
Other enhancements include the addition of a laser rangefinder and a thermal imager in the turret, a laser warning system, and a 360° situational awareness system, Mohd added.
He said the Malaysian Army has “successfully” tested the upgraded vehicle, and DEFTECH is awaiting orders from the service.
06 May 2024
by Nicholas Fiorenza
After joining the CAVS programme in April 2023, Germany has joined the programme's R&D phase. (Patria)
Germany has joined the Finnish-led 6×6 Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) vehicle research and development (R&D) phase, Patria announced in a press release on 2 May. It joins the other CAVS countries – Finland, Latvia, and Sweden – participating in the R&D phase.
Patria said joining the R&D phase would give Germany access to the results of the product development packages developed in the CAVS programme and allow it to co-define its requirements for future mission variants.
A Patria spokesperson told Janes on 3 May, “During the R&D phase those variants that are important for every individual country participating in the programme are being evaluated by those countries. Germany now has access to the results of the product development packages developed in the programme and will be in a position to co-define the requirements for future mission variants. The timeline for this phase has been different for each participating country, depending on their requirements and needs.”
Germany formally joined the CAVS programme in April 2023 with the signing of the programme's technical arrangement.
Sweden has been rebuilding artillery from scratch over the last decade, following neglect after the ...
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