14 April 2022
by Nicholas Fiorenza
The UK has ordered 100 more Boxer MIVs. (Rheinmetall)
The United Kingdom has ordered 100 more Boxer Mechanised Infantry Vehicles (MIVs) for the British Army. The UK government, represented by Europe‘s Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), and Rheinmetall-Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) consortium Artec signed an extension to the original GBP2.8 billion (nearly USD3.7 billion) contract between OCCAR and Artec in November 2019 for 523 Boxers. KMW subsidiary WFEL, which is manufacturing the vehicles at its new facility in Stockport, said that the contract extension was worth several hundred million pounds. The 100 additional vehicles will be infantry carriers, command-and-control (C2) vehicles, and ambulances, which will be used for the British Army‘s new armoured brigade combat teams (BCTs), as planned by the British Army‘s 2021 Defence Command Paper.
Rheinmetall and KMW reported that Boxer series production is under way in Germany, after which most of the vehicles already ordered would be produced in the UK by Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) and WFEL. According to WFEL, the additional vehicles will be manufactured in both the UK and Germany for delivery from 2024, while deliveries of the original 523 Boxers are scheduled to begin in 2023.
24 April 2024
by Victor Barreira
The new VBMT-LSR Guaicurus vehicles will include configurations with the new Ares REMAX 4 remotely controlled weapon station. (Victor Barreira)
The Manufacturing Directorate of the Brazilian Army plans to acquire up to 420 new Iveco Defence Vehicles (IDV) Light Multirole Vehicles (LMVs).
The IDV and the Army High Staff signed a protocol of intent on 17 April to pave the way for this acquisition. Designated Viatura Blindada Multitarefa Leve Sobre Rodas (VBMT-LSR) Guaicurus in Brazil, the 4×4 vehicle project is part of the army's Strategic Program Armoured Forces (Programa Estratégico do Exército Forças Blindadas: Prg EE F Bld).
The contract for the acquisition is currently being drafted, according to the army's projects office.
The Brazilian LMV will be acquired in different configurations, the army's Manufacturing Directorate told Janes in 2023.
The original VBMT-LSR project called for acquiring an initial batch of 32 LMVs and placing subsequent orders for two tranches of 77 vehicles each. The plan has since evolved to procuring 420 vehicles, thanks to ordering fewer new IDV VBTP-MSR Guarani 6×6 armoured vehicles than originally planned, a defence sector source told Janes .
24 April 2024
by Nicholas Fiorenza
A Spanish NASAMS anti-air defence unit (UDAA) has been deployed in Estonia since April 2023. (GBAD Task Force Estonia)
The Spanish government has announced the EUR410 million (USD438 million) modernisation and acquisition of additional National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMSs), Kongsberg announced in a press release on 19 April.
The Dirección General de Armamento y Material (DGAM), the Spanish Armaments Directorate, approved a contract for the modernisation of Spain's NASAMS on 19 April. Kongsberg expected the contract to be signed in May 2024.
The NASAMS modernisation includes upgrading the system's Sentinel radar, Spain's Council of Ministers announced on 9 April. The EUR45.9 million contract includes additional equipment, technical support, and auxiliary tools and equipment necessary for integration into the system, as well as related training and maintenance.
The 655 AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) that the US Congress announced would be provided to Spain in early December 2023 include NASAMS missiles.
Spain was the first export customer for NASAMS, which it has operated for over 20 years.
23 April 2024
by Vishal Sengupta & Sonny Butterworth
Mbombe 6 with Spys ROWS seen in Ukraine. (General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine)
A video released by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on 18 April shows a South African Mbombe 6 6×6 armoured vehicle equipped with a Ukrainian remotely operated weapon system (ROWS).
The video shows the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, being presented with and inspecting several armoured vehicles, including the Mbombe, at an undisclosed location.
The Mbombe 6 is a wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed and manufactured in South Africa by Paramount Group, as well as under licence in India, Jordan, and Kazakhstan. The vehicle comes with an all-welded steel armour construction providing protection against small-arms fire up to NATO Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 4569 Level 4 standards.
The vehicle features a mine-resistant honeycomb flat-bottomed hull design, which lowers its overall height and provides protection against a 10 kg anti-tank mine detonated underneath the hull or a wheel station.
The United Kingdom has ordered 100 more Boxer Mechanised Infantry Vehicles (MIVs) for the British Ar...
In this podcast Janes analysts discuss the Iranian attacks on Israel on the 14 April. They highlight the military systems used by Iran and the performance and impact of these on Israel. They also discuss the implications of this attack goi...
Listen now