Russia plans for its RS-28 Sarmat heavy ICBM (pictured), leaving a silo during its first test launch from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Oblast on 20 April, to begin combat duty at the end of this year. (Russian MoD)

Russia's first RS-28 Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) will begin combat duty at the end of the year, Russian President Vladimir Putin told military university graduates he met in the Kremlin on 21 June.

The announcement came two months after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Russian Federation reported the first test launch of the ICBM with a dummy warhead from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Oblast on 20 April.

Armed with a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV), Sarmat will replace the Voyevoda RS-20 ICBM, also known by its NATO designation SS-18 ‘Satan' Mod 5, which Russia's Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) plan to retain until the RS-28 is officially accepted into service.

Developed by State Rocket Center ‘Academician V P Makeyev', the three-stage Sarmat is produced by the Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant (KrasMash), a subsidiary of Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos.

IWI ACE Sniper 7.62 mm self-loading rifle. (IWI )

Israel Weapons Industry (IWI) representatives provided further details of the company's new ACE Sniper rifle at the Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition.

Announced in April, the ACE Sniper is the successor to the company's Galil Sniper SA self-loading sniper rifle. Based on the ACE-N 52, the ACE Sniper brings all the improved features of the ACE series over the Galil pattern rifles, including steel and polymer receiver; left-hand side cocking handle with spring-loaded dust cover; redesigned ambidextrous fire-selector levers; side-folding stock; and modern optics and accessory rail capability.

The ACE Sniper is a long-stroke gas piston-operated weapon, with a semi-automatic only mode of fire. It is fitted with a 584 mm long, heavy profile barrel, featuring a double baffle muzzle brake. The barrel features six grooves, with a right-hand turn every 241 mm.

FGM-148F launch tube assemblies on the production line. (Javelin Joint Venture)

Lockheed Martin representatives outlined the road map for the Javelin anti-armour weapon system at Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris.

Speaking to Janes , company representatives confirmed that missile production had completely switched over to the FGM-148F model, which was developed under the Spiral 2 missile improvement programme. Any new customers, or follow-on orders from existing customers, would now be receiving this missile model.

Produced by the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV), which consists of Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Missiles & Defense, the system entered service with the United States in 1996 and has received a number of updates since then, with further updates planned in the next few years.

The F-model is an evolution of the FGM-148E (Spiral 1), which was introduced in 2006 and saw its final improvement made in 2017 with the replacement of the missile's analog control and actuation system (CAS) with a single digital card. The F-model brought a new multi-purpose warhead (MPWH) to increase lethality against lightly armoured targets and personnel.