This infographic shows Poongsan's 155 mm shells for the K9 howitzer. A photograph of a cutaway version of the extended-range 155 mm shell appears at the bottom. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)  South Korean metal and munition manufacturer Poongsan will initiate the mass production of the extended-range 155 mm artillery shells for the Hanwha Land Systems K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) in 2024, a Poongsan official told Janes on 8 February.  Development and trials of the extended-range 155 mm shells were completed in 2023 and the company recei...

Boeing T-7A tail number 7002, the first to be delivered to the USAF, taking off from St Louis Lambert International Airport, Missouri, co-located with Boeing's factory. (Boeing/Eric Shindelbower)    The Boeing T-7A Red Hawk is undergoing flutter testing at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) and climatic ground testing at Eglin AFB, Evelyn Moore, Boeing's programme manager for the T-7, told   Janes  on 2 February.   Boeing delivered three engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) aircraft to the US Air Force (USAF) in 202...

The Viking 6×6 multirole UGV was used in the AUKUS TORVICE trial, held in Australia in 2023. The vehicle can carry payloads weighing up to 750 kg and is suitable for a range of missions including last-mile logistics, surveillance, combat, and improvised explosive device detection. (Crown Copyright)  Australia hosted a robotics and autonomous systems trial under the AUKUS Pillar 2 initiative to evaluate the technologies' resilience and performance in contested environments, the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) announced o...

An infographic showing the status of F-35 sales across Europe. (Janes)  Two recent announcements pertaining to the Czech Republic and Greece confirmed the seemingly relentless progress of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) in securing sales across Europe.  The US State Department approved the sale of up to 40 conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) F-35As to Greece on 26 January, and the Czech government signed a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) for 24 F-35As just days later on 29 January, setting the two on...

The UK has leased to Australia five H135 helicopters that will be used for training. (Crown Copyright)  The United Kingdom has leased to Australia five Airbus H135 Juno helicopters to be used for pilot training.  The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) announced the arrangement on 7 February, saying the helicopters will arrive in-country later in 2024 alongside ongoing deliveries of 40 newly ordered Lockheed Martin UH-60M Black Hawks.  “To support essential training requirements for army aircrew, Australia will procure five H135 Juno train...

An artist's impression of the Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules in Swedish markings. (Lockheed Martin)  Lockheed Martin is pushing its C-130J Hercules airlifter for Sweden, announcing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with national industry on 6 February.  With the Swedish Air Force (SwAF) scoping out a replacement for its ageing C-130H Hercules fleet, Lockheed Martin has launched its C-130J-30 offering with an MOU signed with MilDef, a Stockholm-based provider of ‘tactical IT solutions'.  “Lockheed Martin and MilDef announced a memorandum of...

Saudi Arabia will locally manufacture the Orion-H9 handheld jammer, developed by TRD Singapore, as part of a joint venture. (TRD Singapore)  Saudi Arabia has struck a deal with counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) manufacturer TRD Singapore to locally manufacture its Orion-H9 radio frequency (RF) jammer.  The agreement, disclosed at the World Defense Show (WDS) 2024 held in Riyadh from 4 to 8 February, is part of a joint venture (JV) called TRD Middle East Industry Co, established between TRD Singapore and domestic defence company Rakaa...

The Brazilian-made Astros II 6×6 multiple rocket launch system has been exported to Indonesia, Malaysia, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. A Brazilian Army Astros II MK6 rocket launcher is shown above. (Victor Manuel Saraiva Barreira)  Brazil's state-owned Banco do Brasil (BB) recently announced it will no longer use its equity capital in business with the country's defence sector. Responsibility for financing such operations, including guaranteeing exports, now falls to the government.    The local defence industry reacted negatively, expressing...

The New Zealand Army's Bushmaster vehicles at the Trentham Military Camp located in Upper Hutt near Wellington. The Bushmaster vehicles are designed to transport infantry into a battlespace. (CPL Maddy Butcher/New Zealand Defence Force)  The New Zealand Army has laid out its plans to introduce Bushmaster 4×4 Protected Mobility Vehicles into service.  The army has procured 43 Bushmasters from Thales Australia – under a NZD102.9 million (USD62.3 million) contract signed in July 2020 – to replace the ageing armoured Pinzgauer Light Operational...

CASC's CH-7 ‘Rainbow 7' stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) has been designed to operate in hostile adversarial airspace and conduct strikes on strategic targets. (Janes/Chinese state-owned media)  China's Cai Hong 7 (Rainbow 7, or CH-7) stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) has completed testing and is on schedule to conclude development in 2024, according to Chinese state-owned media.    Developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and powered by an undetermined turbofan engine, the CH-7 is a...

Aircraft carrier USS   Gerald R Ford  has reported success with launching and recovery systems, but a Pentagon report says more testing is needed.  (Janes/Michael Fabey)  US Navy (USN) aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) has proven the effectiveness of its flight operations and other vital systems during recent deployments and testing, but some of these systems still present reliability issues, according to the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) FY 2023 Annual Report released on 2 February....

An F-16 is flown by Alec ‘Bulldog' Spencer during a mission at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in February 2019. (US Air Force/Tech Sgt John Raven)  Turkey will upgrade its fleet of F-16 fighter aircraft with Northrop Grumman's latest electronic warfare (EW) suite, with plans to integrate the system into future blocks of the venerable jet fighter, Janes has learnt.  Ankara's decision marks the first major Foreign Military Sales of the AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite (IVEWS) for the company, said James Conroy, vice-presid...

The Netherlands is to provide Ukraine with 24 surplus F-16s. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The Netherlands has cancelled a previously announced sale of Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft to private training contractor Draken International, freeing up additional airframes for Ukraine.  The Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the cancellation on 5 February, saying that negotiations had been suspended and that both parties had agreed to the move.  “The Netherlands had made agreements with [Draken International] in 2021 about the...

With 48 F-35Bs contracted and a further 27 being negotiated, the UK government has restated its commitment to buying 138 aircraft over the 30-plus-year life of the programme. (Crown Copyright)  The United Kingdom has reasserted its commitment to procuring 138 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning combat aircraft, having recently shied away from the full programme of record (PoR) number.  Answering questions in the House of Commons, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) James Cartlidge said on 5 February that “the UK remains committed to...

The Constellation-class frigate design is derived from the Italian Navy's Bergamini-class FREMM frigates. (US Navy)  Greek Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias has announced that the country is interested in the joint production of a modified version of the Constellation-class frigates being built for the US Navy (USN). Dendias' comments were made following a meeting with the defence minister of the Republic of Cyprus on 29 January.  “On 16 January we received a letter from the US Navy accepting in principle our interest in the co-desig...

The keel-laying ceremony of the first Swordfish frigate was held on 31 January. (PGZ)  A keel-laying ceremony for Poland's first Project 106 Miecznik (Swordfish)-class frigate was held at the Polish Armaments Group (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa: PGZ) Naval Shipyard in Gdynia on 31 January, PGZ has confirmed.    The future ORP   Wicher   (274) is the first of three multi-purpose frigates in the class being built by PGZ Naval Shipyard in co-operation with strategic partners Babcock (as the platform design provider and technology part...

Kronstadt  , the second Lada-class SSK on order for the Russian Federation Navy, is pictured during its commissioning ceremony at Admiralty Shipyards on 31 January.  ( United Shipbuilding Corporation)  The Russian Federation Navy (RFN) formally commissioned Kronstadt, the second Project 677 Lada (Sankt Petersburg)-class diesel-electric submarine (SSK), in a ceremony at Admiralty Shipyards in St Petersburg on 31 January.  Speaking at the ceremony, which was announced by Admiralty Shipyards the same day, RFN Commander-in-Chief Admi...

The DGA has awarded Nexter a contract for 109 CAESAR 6×6 Mk II SPHs, with deliveries beginning in 2026. (Nexter)    The Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA), the French defence procurement agency, has awarded Nexter a contract for 109 CAESAR 6×6 Mk II new generation self-propelled howitzers (SPHs), KNDS (KMW+Nexter Defense Systems) announced in a press release on 2 February. Later the same day, a KNDS spokesperson confirmed to   Janes  that all 109 CAESARs would be newbuilds, with deliveries beginning in 2026.   Developm...

Acquisition of the AGM-154C Block III missiles will allow Taiwan to augment its asymmetrical warfare capabilities. (Commonwealth of Australia)  The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Raytheon Missile Systems a USD68.4 million contract to produce AGM-154C Block III Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) air-to-ground missiles for Taiwan.  Under the contract, Raytheon Missile Systems will produce and deliver 50 AGM-154C Block III missiles for Taiwan over the next four years. The work on this batch of missiles is expected to be concluded before Ma...

BAE Systems is acquiring Malloy Aeronautics, a UK-based company that develops a range of heavy-lift quadcopters including the T-600, which can carry 200 kg payloads at ranges up to 80 km. (Crown Copyright)  BAE Systems has acquired UK quadcopter manufacturer Malloy Aeronautics in a bid to expand its product portfolio.  The acquisition, announced by BAE Systems on 2 February, will integrate Malloy Aeronautics into its FalconWorks – a research and development arm that specialises in the air domain.  The companies have been collaborating on unma...