India has cleared various defence equipment aquisitions, including the procurement of heavyweight torpedoes to enhance the attacking capabilities of Kalvari-class submarines, as shown in the above picture. (Ministry of Defence, India)  India's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has approved the procurement of various defence equipment worth INR845.6 billion (USD10.19 billion) for the Indian Armed Forces and the Indian Coast Guard.  The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement on 16 February that...

Singapore's defence budget is forecast by   Janes  to grow to around USD16.1 billion in real terms in 2025, up from USD12.1 billion five years earlier.  (Janes Defence Budgets)  Singapore has announced a defence budget of SGD20.25 billion (USD15 billion) for 2024. The new expenditure, announced on 16 February, is a 13% increase over the original defence budget for 2023 and a 2.5% increase over the revised allocation of SGD19.76 billion.  The 2024 defence budget includes SGD19.34 billion (95.5% of the total expend...

Through the NMH programme, the UK is looking to replace its ageing Puma HC2 helicopters with up to 44 new rotorcraft. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The UK government has said “positive progress” is being made on the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programme to replace the Airbus SA 330E Puma HC2 in military service.  Answering questions in the House of Commons, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) James Cartlidge said on 13 February that the effort to replace the Puma HC2s with up to 44 new rotorcraft should enter into its second half shor...

Italy has been approved to buy further SDB II and AIM-120C-8 air-launched munitions to be carried by its combat aircraft types, such as the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. (Italian Air Force)  The US government has approved the sale of air-launched munitions to Italy for an estimated USD219.3 million.  In two separate approval notifications posted by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 15 February, the US Department of State cleared the sale to Italy of RTX GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) II (also known as StormBreaker)...

The Netherlands has received the first of 20 PULS MRLs it ordered on 17 May 2023. (Elbit Systems)  The first of 20 Precise and Universal Launching System (PULS) multiple rocket launchers (MRLs) ordered by the Netherlands on 17 May 2023 has arrived in the country and will be presented to the local media in May, Janes has learnt.  The systems were ordered under an agreement between the Israeli and Dutch ministries of defence (MoDs). Under a USD305 million contract, Elbit Systems is supplying the MRLs as well rockets and missiles of various rang...

The UK is to review plans to buy 14 new H-47 ER Chinooks to augment its existing fleet of older model helicopters (pictured). (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to review its plan to acquire new Boeing H-47 Extended Range (ER) Chinook helicopters later in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024, ahead of any decision on final numbers.  Minister of State at the MoD James Cartlidge made the disclosure on 15 February, telling the House of Commons, “The Review Note for the Chinook extended range helicopter programme is due to be as...

The first GM200 MM/C radar was handed over to the RNLA by Thales Nederland on 14 February. (Dutch MoD/Sgt Maj Gregory Fréni)  The first Ground Master 200 Multi Mission/Compact (GM200 MM/C) radar was handed over to the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) by Thales in Hengelo, eastern Netherlands, on 14 February.  The handover included a live demonstration of the Scania Gryphus 8×8 truck-mounted system at the Dutch Ministry of Defence's ‘t Harde firing range on 15 February, tracking 81 mm mortar rounds and 155 mm Panzerhaubitze (PzH) shells fired at...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on 14 February 2024. (US Space Force )  The Pentagon's Space Development Agency (SDA) and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) successfully launched several new low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites on 14 February, marking key milestones for each agency's premiere missile warning and missile tracking satellite programmes.  The US Department of Defense (DoD) confirmed that two Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) satellites and...

The new KC-46's communications capabilities far exceed those of the KC-135s, and Block 1 upgrades are set to connect the tanker to yet more networks. Eventually the tankers may double as battle management nodes. (Senior Airman Kimberly Barrera)  General Mike Minihan, commander of the US Air Force's Air Mobility Command (AMC), intends to rapidly move the unit beyond traditional airlift and air-to-air tanking missions, he told reporters on 14 February at an Air Force Association conference.  Gen Minihan told reporters that turning airlifters an...

A Bell 212 and three Bell 412EP helicopters of the Sri Lanka Air Force's No 4 (VVIP/VIP) Helicopter Squadron fly over Colombo on 4 February 2024. Sri Lanka is planning to induct new helicopters to bolster its rotary-wing capabilities. (Pushpa Kumara/Anadolu via Getty Images)  The head of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) has announced the launch of several programmes to induct new aircraft and technologies.  Air Marshal R A Udeni P Rajapaksa, Commander of the SLAF, said during a press conference on 14 February that the SLAF is moving away from i...

Texelis will supply its Celeris 4×4 chassis – pictured above – to Indonesia's PT SSE to develop a new armoured personnel carrier. (Texelis)  French vehicle chassis manufacturer Texelis and Indonesian vehicle manufacturer PT Sentra Surya Ekajayais (PT SSE) have signed a partnership agreement to develop an armoured personnel carrier (APC) for the Indonesian National Armed Forces.  According to a press release by Texelis on 15 February, the company will supply an undisclosed number of Celeris 4×4 chassis kits to PT SSE and will also provide “c...

Boeing's MQ-25A Stingray UAV tanker that the company is developing for the US Navy. (Boeing)  BAE Systems has been selected to execute upgrade and modernisation work for the US Navy's (USN's) MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aerial refueller, with programme officials aiming to increase on-board computing performance and revamp several legacy components and subsystems aboard the unmanned aerial system (UAS).  The overall modernisation programme envisioned for the MQ-25's vehicle management system computer (VMSC), in the end, “improves aircraft perform...

A digital twin of the French Army's VBCI infantry fighting vehicle is being developed by KNDS and Arquus that will eventually become their key offering for the modernisation and maintenance of the army's vehicle fleets. (Nexter)  KNDS and Arquus will develop a digital twin demonstrator of the Véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie (VBCI) 8×8 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) in support of the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and Defence Innovation Agency.  The digital twin will be developed under the ‘Digitization of Maintenance' (...

The Royal Marines Commando Raiding Craft are now operational. (Crown Copyright)  The UK Royal Marines has inducted the first batch of revamped raiding craft designed for use on coastal commando raids.  The vessels, which have been redesignated as Commando Raiding Craft (CRC), are an upgraded version of the service's in-service Offshore Raiding Craft (ORC). It is a multi-purpose craft that can be reconfigured, replacing the troop carrying and fire support variants.  Announcing the milestone, the Royal Navy (RN) said the in-service fleet of ORC...

The Russian Navy's Ropucha-class Project 775 LST   Tsesar Kunikov  (158).  (Yoruk Isik)  The Ukrainian Defence Intelligence (GUR) claims that its Group 13 unit has conducted a successful attack against the Russian Ropucha I-class tank landing ship (LST) Tsesar Kunikov using Magura V unmanned surface vessels (USVs).  Video footage released by the GUR on its Telegram channel on 14 February shows USVs approaching a Ropucha I landing ship and at least two detonating against its port side. The LST is then shown listin...

The Sabrah light tanks – pictured above from the Philippine Army training exercise – have a combat weight of 30 tonnes. They are capable of attaining a maximum onroad speed of 72 km/h. (GDELS)  The Philippine Army (PA) has completed the initial training courses on operations, driving, and maintenance of Sabrah ASCOD II combat vehicles.  According to a press release by General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) on 14 February, the training courses were conducted by the Spanish subsidiary of GDELS for members of the Armed Forces of the Phil...

Hessen  departs Wilhelmshaven naval base on 8 February, bound for the Mediterranean.   (Bundeswehr/Julia Kelm)    The German Navy has despatched its Type 124 Sachsen-class air-defence frigate FGS   Hessen  (F 221) to the Mediterranean ahead of the launch of the European Union's (EU's) new naval operation to protect merchant shipping against attacks by the Ansar Allah group (commonly known as the Houthis) in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.   Hessen  departed Wilhelmshaven, bound for the Mediterran...

The GM200 MM/C mobile radar in the compact antenna test range at Thales Nederland. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)    Thales Nederland has tripled its radar production over the last few years,   Janes  learnt while attending the company's handover of the first Ground Master 200 Multi Mission/Compact (GM200 MM/C) radar to the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) in Hengelo, Eastern Netherlands, on 14 February.   The increase is in the production of both land-based and naval radars, and the GM200 MM/C is a case in point, with the Netherl...

Artist's impression of the Boeing E-7/E-7A Wedgetail in UK Royal Air Force colours. The USAF's E-7 version is largely based off the UK's version. (Boeing)  The US Air Force (USAF) is “having a hard time getting a price agreement with Boeing” on purchasing E-7 Wedgetails, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall told reporters on 13 February.  The service intends to purchase 26 E-7s through 2032 to replace the Boeing E-3 as its sole airborne early warning aircraft type. Two E-7s are on contract.  Speaking separately, USAF Assistant Secretary f...

US Army Medevac UH-60L Black Hawk seen at Kandahar Airfield. DARPA is exploring new ways to produce battlefield medicines at front-line bases and outposts. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  A new Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) programme aims to accelerate drug manufacturing in austere environments, such as forward operating bases (FOBs), generating data and processes to evaluate new paradigms for real-time regulatory approval.  Launched in January 2024 the aim of the Establishing Qualification Processes for Agile Pharmaceutical Manufa...