Engineers at the US Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) have designed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based decision aid designed to assist sailors operating high-energy laser (HEL) weapon systems.  An artist's rendering of Lockheed Martin's HELIOS system: one of several first-generation HEL weapons being introduced by the US Navy into frontline service. (Lockheed Martin)  The High Energy Laser Fire Control Decision Aid (HEL FCDA) is intended to improve response time and accuracy. Development has been informed by a NSWCDD...

The South Korean military will begin trailing two new types of locally sourced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the first half of 2022.  South Korea's Defence Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA) announced on 3 August that it will acquire an undisclosed number of “grenade-launching” and “small modular” UAVs through a fast-track procurement process ahead of the pilot trials, adding that new technologies developed in the civilian UAV sector will be applied for this project.  South Korea's military plans to trial both ‘grenade-launching...

Athens-based commercial and military rigid inflatable boat (RIB) manufacturer Barracuda has showcased its indigenously developed Barracuda 747 Multi-Mission (747MM) unmanned surface vehicle (USV) in public for the first time at the DEFEA 2021 exhibition in mid-July.  The 747MM, developed using internal funding, features a specially designed glass reinforced plastic hull joined to side-forming air-tubes with six air chambers. The hull measures 7.65 m long, 2.9 m wide, and has a draft of 0.52 m.  Barracuda 747 Multi-Mission USV shown at DEFEA 2...

Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturer Baykar Makina has unveiled concept drawings of its MIUS (Turkish for National Unmanned Aircraft System) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).  The MIUS will be a single-engine unmanned aircraft. The airframe features a tailless, blended wing body design optimised for reduced radar cross-section (RCS). The aircraft has two canards but no horizontal stabilisers and two canted vertical stabilisers. The air intakes are located on each side of the fuselage.  Concept art of the MIUS unmanned comba...

Australian companies Electro Optic Systems (EOS) and Nova Systems announced a partnership on 3 August to support the domestic production of missile systems.  The firms said their new joint venture (JV) – named Sovereign Missile Alliance (SMA) – off...

Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding highlighted recent progress on aircraft carrier   John F Kennedy  (CVN 79) on 2 August, as shipyard President Jennifer Boykin confirmed the facility was again implementing m...

A delegation from Kuwait's Land Force has officially received the first M1A2K main battle tank at a ceremony in the United States, the Kuwait Army General Staff Headquarters announced on 29 July.  Kuwaiti officers pose with a M1A2K tank. (Kuwait Army General Staff HQ)  “The entry of the new tank into operational service soon will represent an enhancement of capabilities and an addition to the combat efficiency of the Kuwaiti Land Force,” it said in a tweet.  It released photographs and a video of the tanks to show that it has been fitted with...

The Portuguese Army is planning a significant field artillery modernisation by 2030, which is likely to begin with new radar acquisitions next year.  Portugal's 2019–30 Military Programming Law, worth EUR4.6 billion (USD5.47 billion), includes EUR3...

Wargames (兵棋推演, bīngqí tuīyǎn) have experienced a renaissance in China, with computer wargames in particular becoming popular among university students, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), think-tanks, and scientific research institutions. Driven by the government's strategy of military-civil fusion (MCF) and to enhance national defence education among the public, a series of yearly national wargame competitions has been created. Moreover, wargames have also become a useful platform to improve the PLA's professional military education (PME),...

The US Navy (USN), in association with Northrop Grumman, conducted the first live fire test of an AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range (AARGM-ER) over the sea test range at Naval Air Station Point Mugu in southern California on 19 July.  Launched from from an F/A-18F Super Hornet multirole combat aircraft, the Flight Test Vehicle (FTV) event was conducted using a telemetry round, without a warhead. The USN said the live fire test successfully demonstrated the long-range capability of the missile's new design, althou...

More than two years after first advertising its requirement for a stopgap anti-ship missile to replace the soon-to-retire Harpoon Block 1C, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has still to formally invite bids from industry.    HMS   Montrose  fires a Harpoon Block1C anti-ship missile. The MoD has still yet to start the competition for an Interim Surface-to-Surface Weapon to succeed Harpoon.   (Royal Navy/Crown Copyright)  The delay in kicking off the GBP200 million (USD278 million) Interim Surface-to-Surface Guided...

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) signed a KRW18 billion (USD15.6 million) contract with Boeing on 28 July to support the US company in upgrading the Republic of Korea Air Force's (RoKAF's) four Boeing E-737 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft with new mission systems.  The contract, which was announced by KAI on 30 July, formalises the company's participation in the RoKAF's ‘E-737 AEW&C Performance Improvement Project', which is led by Boeing and includes upgrades to both the identification friend-or-foe (IFF) and Link 16 tact...

The UK government envisages ‘volume production' of the Tempest Future Combat Air System (FCAS) at BAE Systems sites in northwestern England.  UK defence secretary Ben Wallace announced the launch of the Tempest FCAS (photo of mock-up) concept and assessment phase during a visit to BAE Systems' Warton site on 29 July. (BAE Systems/Ray Troll)  Visiting the company's Warton site in Lancashire on 29 July to formally announce the launch of the FCAS concept and assessment phase, UK defence secretary Ben Wallace told Janes that significant numbers o...

The Indonesian Ministry of Finance (MoF) has granted approval for the country's armed forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia: TNI) and defence ministry to obtain up to USD5.8 billion in foreign loans for the 2021 financial year.  Permissions to source for foreign loans have been approved for a total of 31 procurement, upgrades, and maintenance programmes across all three services of the TNI, according to documents and circulars that have been provided to Janes by Indonesian government sources.  The approvals have been granted after consultations...

The US State Department has approved a potential sale of Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin anti-tank missiles to Thailand for an estimated USD83.5 million, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DCSA) announced on 30 July.  Thailand is looking to buy Javelin anti-tank missiles from the United States. (Raytheon Missile Systems)  The Foreign Military Sale (FMS), which is subject to US Congressional approval, includes 300 Javelin FGM-148 missiles, 50 launch units, and associated equipment and support. The DCSA said the Javelin will replace t...

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has signed a contract with the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) to supply two T-50TH Golden Eagle lead-in fighter trainer aircraft, the company announced on 2 August.  KAI said in a stock exchange filing that the deal, w...

ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is planning to build a large unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) demonstrator in the second phase of its Modifiable Underwater Mothership (MUM) project, which is expected to enter trials from mid-2024.  MUM is a modular UUV being developed for various applications such as deep-sea exploration, scientific research, and maritime security. The modular design of the UUV supports the integration of third-party modules and other customisations to address a range of mission requirements.  Conceptual art of ThyssenKru...

The US Air Force (USAF) 780  th  Test Squadron, based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida has successfully conducted the first arena test of the warhead intended to equip the Lockheed Martin AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) prototype conventional hypersonic glide weapon system.   Intended to collect lethality data on developmental AGM-183A weapon, the detonation test was designed and conducted “to ensure the customer's data requirements were met using new and improved test tools, technologies, and techniqu...

The Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) third and final Hobart-class Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) returned to Garden Island in Sydney on 30 July following a four-and-a-half month-long deployment to the United States and Canada in which it qualified for operational duty.    The Department of Defence (DoD) in Canberra said in a news release that, while away, HMAS  Sydney  (pennant number 42) and its 174-strong crew conducted combat system sea qualification trials, including weapons firings off the western coast of the United States...

The UK Royal Navy (RN) Type 23 frigate HMS  Portland  has completed first-of-class sea acceptance trials (SATs) of Ultra Electronics' Sonar 2150 bow-mounted medium-frequency sonar.   Ultra Electronics' Sonar 2150 bow-mounted medium-frequency sonar is planned to equip the RN's eight ASW-roled Type 23 frigates. (Crown Copyright)    Undertaken over a number of days in June, the SATs period saw the Sonar 2150 system perform detection and tracking on a submerged target. “Despite somewhat challenging weather conditions, th...