The Indian Army has inducted six Swathi Mark II mountain-variant WLRs under a contract awarded to manufacturer Bharat Electronics in December 2021. (Bharat Electronics Limited)  The Indian Army has announced the induction of six units of a mountain variant of the Swathi Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) to enhance battlefield surveillance.  The WLR, also known as the Swathi Mark II, was delivered to the Indian Army by state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in early August.  A BEL spokesperson told Janes on 9 August that the company received...

GRSE has launched an autonomous underwater vehicle (pictured) that can be used to support mine countermeasures, underwater monitoring, and search-and-rescue missions. (GRSE)  India's state-owned Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) has launched an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that can be used for a range of military operations.    A GRSE spokesperson told   Janes  in early August that the AUV, named Neerakshi, is equipped with mine-detection technologies to assist mine countermeasures (MCM), and sensors and im...

The Australian Army has equipped some of its Bushmaster 4×4 protected mobility vehicles with satcom systems as part of an ongoing programme to enhance battlefield telecommunications. (Capt Annie Richardson, Commonwealth of Australia)  The Australian Army has integrated satellite communication (satcom) systems into some of its Thales Australia Bushmaster 4×4 protected mobility vehicles, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said on 3 August.  An undisclosed number of Bushmasters have been equipped with the satcom systems to enable “stable...

The Switchblade UAV, designed by AeroVironment, is one of the many unmanned systems supplied to Ukraine through the US Department of Defense. (AeroVironment Inc)  Some of the US drones being sent to Ukraine are shaping the US Army's future competitions for unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and counter-UAS technology, the service's acquisition chief said on 7 August.  The army's newly announced Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) weapon development programme is meant for developing load-bearing attack munitions for infantry units....

Soldiers from the Indonesia National Armed Forces Peacekeeping Centre conduct driver training on the Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle with the 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, Darwin, Northern Territory. (Commonwealth of Australia)  The Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) hasreceived 15 Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles (PMVs) from Australia for peacekeeping missions, the TNI Information Centre said in a social media post on 8 August.  In September 2021 Australia offered 15 Bushmasters to Indonesia as a donation to suppo...

The Boxer CRV, pictured above from an Australian Army training, mounts the Rheinmetall LANCE 30 mm two-man turret, fitted with the Rheinmetall Mauser MK30-2/ABM dual-feed stabilised cannon and a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun. (Commonwealth of Australia)  The Australian Army has tested its Boxer 8×8 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRVs) for counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) capability that can detect and stop or redirect a UAS.  The Boxer CRV “surveilled Objective Otter” during Exercise ‘Talisman Sabre' 2023 – held between late July and...

Poland received its first company of 14 M1A1 tanks that equip the 18th Mechanised Division at the port of Szczecin on 28 June. (Polish MND)  The Polish 18th Mechanised Division is based on the US model, Polish Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak said on 5 August during a visit to Siedlce, eastern Poland, where the formation is headquartered.  Błaszczak said the division already has M1A1 Abrams tanks and expects it to receive Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers (MRLs) with a range of up to 300 km “soon”. The 18th Mechanised Division's...

The Stryker ICVs are designed to provide users with a common platform that enables a highly mobile rapid response formation. The above picture shows a Stryker from the US Army's 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team. (US Army)  The United States and India are exploring a partnership to jointly develop and produce land systems including mobility systems and howitzers.  In support of the shared commitment by the US and India to advance defence industrial co-operation, both sides have committed to jointly develop and produce military systems, potenti...

The Tarantula HMAV, seen here at the DSA 2022 defence exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, is powered by a 330 hp 7.2 litre Caterpillar diesel engine. (Janes/Jon Grevatt)    Malaysian firm Mildef International Technologies will supply 178 Tarantula 4×4 High Mobility Armoured Vehicles (HMAVs) to the Malaysian Armed Forces, a Mildef official told   Janes  on 7 August. The official added that delivery of the vehicles will start from 2024.     Mildef showcased its Tarantula HMAV at the DSA 2022 defence exhibition in Kuala Lumpur....

Hensoldt has launched a deployable variant of its Twinvis family of passive radars called Twinvis Military Sheltered. (Hensoldt)  Hensoldt has launched a new deployable variant of its passive radar Twinvis.  Known as ‘Twinvis Military Sheltered', the variant – initially only available as an upgrade – is fully integrated into a containerised shelter for military users that is designed for long-range aerial surveillance, the company said on 4 August.  It can be easily deployed on military carrier vehicles and set up and dismantled in the field...

NATO is helping to develop simulation capabilities for the Iraqi Armed Forces. Pictured is a soldier using the new handgun simulator at the Tactical Training and Special Combat School. (Bundeswehr/PAO NATO Mission Iraq)  NATO is developing simulation facilities alongside the Iraqi Armed Forces in a bid to improve the force's training methods and strengthen security.  NATO Mission Iraq (NMI), specifically the Training Development Division (TDD), is tasked with delivering modern training technologies, improving best practices, and supporting th...

The Todendorf training facility will support the training of German and other NATO and ESSI countries that procure the IRIS-T SLM (pictured). (Diehl)  The Luftwaffe, Diehl Defence, and Gebäudemanagement Schleswig-Holstein (GMSH) have opened a ground-based air-defence (GBAD) training facility at the Todendorf training ground on Germany's Baltic Sea coast. Diehl said in a press release on 3 August that it would support the Bundeswehr in training, qualification, and maintenance of the IRIS-T SLM (Surface Launched Medium Range) ground-based air-d...

Slovakia handed over the first two Zuzana 2 SPHs paid for by Denmark, Germany, and Norway to Ukraine on 1 August. (Slovak MoD)  Konštrukta-Defence handed over the first two Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) paid for by Denmark, Germany, and Norway to Ukraine on 1 August, the Slovak state joint stock company and Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on their websites later the same day. The Slovak MoD expects all 16 Zuzana 2s, worth approximately EUR92 million (USD100.6 million), to be delivered by the end of 2024.  Denmark, Germany, and...

Denmark received its first ATMOS and PULS artillery systems. (Elbit Systems)  Denmark has received its first 155 mm/52 calibre Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS) self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and Precise and Universal Launching System (PULS) multiple rocket launcher (MRL) artillery systems, Elbit Systems tweeted on 3 August. The tweet included a video of one ATMOS on an 8×8 platform and two PULS systems on 6×6 platforms being delivered to a Danish port.  The Israeli company said the systems were delivered a few months after th...

Canberra has selected Hanwha's Redback for a long-standing Australian Army infantry fighting vehicle requirement. Hanwha plans to build an initial tranche of Redbacks in South Korea and the remainder in Australia. (Hanwha Defense Australia)  Hanwha Defense Australia (HDA) has outlined a short-term plan to meet the Australian Army's requirement for Redback infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).  In late July the Australian government selected HDA to deliver 129 Redbacks to the Australian Army under the Land 400 Phase 3 programme – worth AUD5–7 bil...

The Australian Army has equipped some of its Bushmaster 4×4 protected mobility vehicles with satcom systems as part of an ongoing programme to enhance battlefield telecommunications. (Capt Annie Richardson, Commonwealth of Australia)  The Australian Army has integrated satellite communication (satcom) systems into some of its Thales Australia Bushmaster 4×4 protected mobility vehicles, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said on 3 August.  An undisclosed number of Bushmasters have been equipped with the satcom systems to enable “stable...

The Eitans currently being produced have a remotely operated weapon station rather than the unmanned turret. (Israel Ministry of Defense)    The Israel Defense Forces' (IDF's) new Namer tracked and Eitan 8×8 wheeled armoured vehicles will be fitted with a new 30 mm turret in 2024, Brigadier General Oren Giber, the head of the Israeli Ministry of Defense's (MoD's) Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate, told   Janes  on 31 July.   The directorate is in charge of both current and future armoured vehicle production, which t...

WB Electronics exhibited the full Topaz ICMS hardware configuration for the FONET network at Eurosatory 2022. (Jakub Link-Lenczowski)    Poland has proven the interoperability of its army's    Topaz integrated combat management system (ICMS)    with US artillery command-and-control systems. During trials at Poland's War Studies University in Rembertów from 7 to 21 July, Topaz was successfully plugged into the Artillery Systems Cooperation Activities (ASCA) interface.   To join ASCA, Poland must prove the interoper...

A still from television footage shows one of Benin's three new Super Puma helicopters in Jordanian camouflage. (Radiodiffusion et Télévision du Bénin (ORTB) )  The parade to mark Benin's 63rd anniversary of its independence confirmed that its air force is now operating Super Puma helicopters.  Television coverage of the event showed what the commentators identified as three H215 and two H125 helicopters flying past.  The national broadcaster ORTB sent a news team to the airbase at Cotonou's international airport, where three Super Pumas were...

The DGA received the last batch of 10 VT4 4×4 Standard 2 tactical vehicles on 26 July. (SIMMT)  The Directorate General of Armaments (Direction générale de l'armement: DGA), the French armaments procurement agency, announced on its website on 27 July that it received its last batch of 10 VT4 4×4 Standard 2 tactical vehicles the day before.  This brings the total number of VT4 vehicles delivered to the three armed services, the Operational Energy Service (Service de l'Énergie Opérationnelle), and the Joint Munitions Service (Service Interarmé...