US Army weighing armour, mortar CATVs for Arctic
22 February 2024
by Meredith Roaten
A convoy of Cold-Weather All-Terrain Vehicle perform command-and-control operations for the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center training rotation in Fort Greely, Alaska. (Janes/Meredith Roaten)
The US Army needs to buy more Cold-Weather All-Terrain Vehicles (CATVs) and is considering buying an armoured variant in addition to the general-purpose and cargo variants it has already decided to buy, Major General Brian Eifler, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division, told Janes on 21 February.
BAE Systems delivered five CATVs to the US Army's 11th Airborne Division in October 2023, and now the service has involved them in their first large-scale exercise. At least three of the vehicles participated in the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) 24-02 in Fort Greely, Alaska, held from 12 to 22 February, and their use in the exercise had leaders considering new ways to utilise them, Maj Gen Eifler said in an interview.
The current Army Acquisition Objective is 163, according to budget documents from 2023. Maj Gen Eifler said the 11th Airborne is preparing to receive roughly 40 of those vehicles. However, that fielding number is based on the Army Alaska mission before the 11th Airborne was reactivated in 2021, he noted.
Brazil to buy additional VBMT-LSR Guaicurus 4×4 vehicles
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 .
Spain upgrades and acquires more NASAMS systems
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.
Ukraine unveils Mbombe 6 with Spys ROWS
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 US Army needs to buy more Cold-Weather All-Terrain Vehicles (CATVs) and is considering buying an...
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