17 July 2023
by Tim Fish
The Royal New Zealand Navy's tanker, HMNZS Aotearoa , was commissioned into service in July 2020. (RNZN)
The New Zealand Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) annual Major Projects Report (MPR) has identified problems with completing some procurement programmes.
The MPR highlighted the progress of 12 procurement programmes under way during 2021–22. It found that the long-term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on supply chains and ongoing staffing issues meant the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and the MoD experienced delays in securing ‘Operational Release' for military equipment. Just three of the 12 projects in the MPR were reported as fully on schedule.
Sarah Minson, deputy secretary for capability delivery at the MoD, told Janes, “We need experienced NZDF personnel to help us introduce these capabilities into service and there are less of those people available than there have been in the past and that has an impact.”
Huntley Wright, assistant secretary for capability delivery, told Janes there is additional pressure because “demand spikes” for staff have increased because of the need to manage the Covid-19 response and support New Zealand's contribution to supporting Ukraine.
24 April 2024
by Jeremiah Cushman
Saab has developed an autonomy package for its CB 90 fast boat and demonstrated its ability to navigate the Swedish coast. Pictured above is a CB 90 that was delivered to Malaysia. (Dockstavarvet)
Saab has established a new business function to revamp how it develops and delivers products to meet changing customer requirements. Skapa, a Swedish word that means “to create, to make, or to shape”, will focus on solving customer and stakeholder problems at speed, Erik Smith, president and CEO of Saab in the United States, told reporters on 23 April. “Skapa will accelerate the development and deployment of cutting-edge solutions to our warfighters” at pace, he said.
24 April 2024
by Giles Ebbutt
The XR Training consortium's USMC Amphibious Combat Vehicle driver simulator in its seat configuration with two DoF motion platform. The Vive HTC Elite headset is on the seat. The Instructor station laptop is on the table behind. (XR Training)
A consortium led by XR Training has been awarded a contract by the US Marine Corps (USMC) under an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to produce a driver training simulator for the new Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV). The value of the contract was not disclosed but Neil Levin, XR Training CEO, told Janes that it was “in the high seven-figure area”.
The consortium, which also includes Talon Simulations (hardware), 302 Interactive (software development), and Theory Studios (modelling and visuals), will deliver 81 simulators by the end of 2024, followed by a two-year training and sustainment period. Most simulators will be deployed to Camps Pendleton and Lejeune, with some for use for “schoolhouse” training and some for deploying units.
18 April 2024
by Jeremiah Cushman
Actual and planned Canadian defence spending by category from 2021–22 to 2026–27. (Janes)
The Canadian government released its fiscal year (FY) 2024 defence budget on 16 April. The document projects spending of CAD33.8 billion (USD24.6 billion) in 2024–25, including adjustments from the Budget 2023 Refocusing Government Spending Exercise and incremental funding in the 2024 budget, although it warns that forecast amounts may change as programmes move through implementation. This is an increase from the forecast CAD29.9 billion spending in 2023–24, according to the document.
The 2024–25 main estimates produced by the Treasury Board projected defence spending of CAD30.6 billion, a small increase from the latest spending estimate for 2023–24, which totalled CAD30.3 billion. This is a 14% increase over the initial 2023–24 main estimate of CAD26.5 billion, according to Treasury Board figures. Expenditures in 2022–23 totalled CAD26.9 billion.
The New Zealand Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) annual Major Projects Report (MPR) has identified prob...
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