09 March 2022
by Nicholas Fiorenza
The United States is to deploy Patriot to Poland, and the Netherlands and Germany are preparing the joint deployment of the air defence system to Slovakia. (Dutch MoD)
The United States will reposition two Patriot air defence batteries to Poland, and Germany and the Netherlands are planning to deploy their own Patriots to Slovakia.
The US European Command (EUCOM) announced on 9 March that its commander, General Tod Wolters, had directed US Army Europe and Africa to reposition the batteries at the invitation of Poland.
EUCOM said, “This defensive deployment is being conducted proactively to counter any potential threat to US and allied forces and NATO territory. This is a prudent force protection measure that underpins our commitment to Article 5 [the collective defence clause of the North Atlantic Treaty] and will in no way support any offensive operations. Every step we take is intended to deter aggression and reassure our allies.”
The Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on its website on 8 March that the Netherlands and Germany were preparing the joint deployment of Patriots in Slovakia at the request of NATO. Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren said the government cabinet in The Hague agreed in principle to deploy the Patriots. She added that this would involve the deployment of 150–200 air defence personnel as quickly as possible after a formal cabinet decision.
The Dutch MoD said the deployment's purpose is to protect the eastern flank of NATO territory against incoming projectiles, noting that the Patriot can destroy aircraft, helicopters, and ballistic and cruise missiles up to a range of 60 km and a height of 20 km.
Germany's chief of defence staff, General Eberhard Zorn, was quoted on the Bundeswehr website on 3 March as saying that under consideration was “what we can do to support the defence belt that NATO wants to build”, mentioning not only Patriot but also Germany's Ozelot air defence system.
03 February 2023
by Gareth Jennings
Currently destined for retirement in 2025, the UK's Tranche 1 Eurofighter Typhoon force could be extended according to BAE Systems. (Janes/Patrick Allen)
There is no technical reason why the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) could not upgrade and retain its fleet of Tranche 1 Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft, BAE Systems told the country's parliamentary Defence Select Committee in January.
In a written response to the committee submitted on 23 January, the lead UK contractor in the Eurofighter consortium said that it would be “technically feasible” to bring the RAF's remaining 30 Tranche 1 jets up to a standard where they could be retained in service rather than retired in 2025, as currently planned.
“It is technically feasible to bring a Tranche 1 aircraft to the standard of a Tranche 2 or Tranche 3 aircraft. BAE Systems has previously provided data to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that outlines the scope of structural and avionic modifications that would be required,” BAE Systems said, noting that it has not been asked to provide an assessment of the non-recurring design effort, or associated costs, to implement such an upgrade.
03 February 2023
by Kapil Kajal
The AK-203 assault rifle is chambered for 7.62×39 rounds and can use ammunition and magazines that exist within the Indian Army supply chain. The weight of the rifle is 3.8 kg, the length is 690 mm with a folded butt and 930 mm with an extended butt, and the rate of fire is 700 rds/min. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)
Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) – a joint venture between Russia and India to manufacture AK-203 assault rifles for the Indian Armed Forces – has completed the production of the first batch of rifles in Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh.
Alexander Mikheev, director general of Russian defence export agency Rosoboronexport, which is one of the stakeholders in IRRPL, said that the joint venture has produced the first batch of 7.62 mm Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles and the beginning of deliveries to the Indian Army is expected soon.
India's Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande recently said that the joint venture will produce 5,000 AK-203 rifles by March 2023.
03 February 2023
by Richard Scott
The UK's RC-135W Rivet Joint fleet has been operating at almost 200% of the normal tempo. (Crown Copyright)
UK Royal Air Force (RAF) RC-135W Rivet Joint signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft have been operating at nearly three times their normal operating tempo to support intelligence-gathering operations in the Black Sea theatre, according to the service's senior operations officer.
Delivering the annual Sir Sydney Camm Lecture at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London on 1 February, Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, deputy commander (operations), added that operations over the last year had put crews “well within harm's way”.
Operated by No 51 Squadron at RAF Waddington, the three Rivet Joint aircraft – ZZ664, ZZ665, and ZZ666 – form part of a wider enterprise between the RAF and the United States Air Force (USAF). As part of the RAF's Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) Force, the RC-135W fleet is used to monitor, collect, and analyse communications and radar signals of interest.
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