13 October 2022
by Olivia Savage
R&S to supply its SOVERON HR radios to Portuguese Armed Forces. (Rohde & Schwarz)
Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) will deliver its software-defined radios (SDRs) to the Portuguese Army.
According to an R&S announcement on 13 October, the company has entered into a partnership with EID to deliver its SOVERON HR (handheld radios) to the Portuguese Army, as part of EID's Dismounted Soldier Communications System solution.
EID was unable to provide details regarding its Dismounted Soldier Communications System at the time of publication.
SOVERON HR is a multiband very-high-frequency/ultra-high-frequency (VHF/UHF) handheld software-defined tactical radio designed for use by dismounted soldiers. It operates in the 30–512 MHz frequency range and has an operational range of up to 7 km.
Thomas Stepanski, director of Sales Tactical Communications for R&S told Janes that “[R&S] will ensure a sovereign capability in country to support the Portuguese Army throughout the lifetime of their communications systems, [this will also involve] upgrading the existing equipment to the latest standard”.
SOVERON radios incorporate R&S ‘SOVERON WAVE' waveform suite, which permits communications in anti-access/area denial environments. Frequency hopping and advanced encryption technologies are used to counter jamming and interception.
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.
11 April 2024
by Zach Rosenberg
A Nigerian A-29 Super Tucano is pictured here. Embraer Defence CEO Bosco da Costa sees potential for up to 450 Super Tucanos over 20 years, including from Africa. (US Africa Command Public Affairs)
Embraer Defence & Security sees a market for up to 490 A-29 Super Tucano trainer and attack aircraft over the next two decades, Embraer president and CEO Bosco da Costa Jr told Janes on 10 April at the FIDAE 2024 airshow in Santiago, Chile.
“We are in touch with several countries around the world, not only here in South America, but we have some potential [customers] in Africa, in Asia, and in Europe as well,” said da Costa. “We are in advanced conversations with countries in Europe [and] in advanced conversations with countries in Asia. I cannot disclose the countries because the defence procurement process does not allow us to do that. But I assure you that we are now in a final stage in some of them.”
11 April 2024
by Olivia Savage
Saab has been contracted to upgrade the army's live training capability. Pictured are troops practising their debussing drills from a Saab DFWES-equipped Warrior infantry combat vehicle in Alberta. (Janes)
The British Army has signed a GBP60 million (USD75.7 million) three-year support contract with Saab to improve its live training capability.
The contract – Instrumented Live Training (ILT-D) – is replacing the existing Direct Fire Weapon Effects Simulator (DFWES) contract with Saab and will involve modernising its live training capabilities to improve interoperability and address obsolescence.
ILT-D is essentially a mid-life upgrade of the DFWES capability that will comprise upgrading and providing the latest soldier and vehicle training systems as well as EXCON software to ensure it remains relevant to the army's evolving training needs and is interoperable with its allies, Joakim Alhbin, the vice-president of Training and Simulation at Saab, informed Janes and other media representatives at the International Training Technology Exhibition & Conference (IT²EC) 2024.
DFWES is a laser-based Tactical Engagement Simulation (TES) capability that simulates direct and indirect fire.
Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) will deliver its software-defined radios (SDRs) to the Portuguese Army.
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