Republican Guard soldiers with Calidus MCAV-20 armoured vehicles. (Présidence RDC)  The Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) Republican Guard confirmed it is operating Calidus MCAV-20 armoured vehicles on 22 July, when a significant number were displayed on the streets of the capital, Kinshasa.  The presidential office said two groups from the Republican Guard conducted an endurance march through the streets of Kinshasa. “This march is one of the normal activities of the Republican Guard, namely maintaining the physical fitness of the u...

An M1A1 Abrams main battle tank is transported via a mexefloat to the beach head with HMAS   Adelaide  in the background during Exercise ‘Sea Raider' 2023.  (Commonwealth of Australia)  The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has certified its Australian Amphibious Force (AAF) and the new service is now ready for deployment, Janes has learnt.  A DoD spokesperson told Janes on 24 Julythat the AAF, which is headquartered atthe Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) Fleet Base East in Sydney, comprises RAN ships includi...

Serbia's new Miloš II 4×4 MPACV armed with a 20/3 mm RCWS conducted live firing at the Nikinci testing range on 18 July. (Serbian MoD)  Serbia's new Miloš II 4×4 multi-purpose armoured combat vehicle (MPACV) armed with a 20/3 mm remote-controlled weapon station (RCWS) participated in a live-firing demonstration at the Nikinci testing range on 18 July, the Serbian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on its website the same day. The Kerber 20/3 mm RCWS and an M15 12.7 mm RCWS mounted on a standard Miloš vehicle hit targets at ranges of 500–1,20...

The Type 20 rifle is a selective-fire, air-cooled, magazine box-fed, gas-operated assault rifle with a conventional layout. The rifle can be configured for either automatic or semi-automatic fire via a fire-selector lever. (Howa Machinery Ltd)  The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) will induct Type 20 5.56×45 mm assault rifles, produced by Japanese manufacturer Howa Machinery, from fiscal year (FY) 2024.  The service will also procure Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale (FN) Herstal's Minimi Mk 3 light machine guns (LMGs)...

DroneOptID utilises AI and is updated on a quarterly basis. It focuses on sensors such as thermal and electro-optical cameras. (DroneShield)  The US government has awarded DroneShield a USD33 million order, the largest to date for the counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) and electronic warfare (EW) company.    DroneShield CEO Oleg Vornik told   Janes  that the company could not disclose the details of the new contract, although he said it is tied to drone detection and defeat technology. It followed a USD9.9 million order...

US Marine Corps fires the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California, on 28 June 2023. (US Marine Corps)  The US Marine Corps (USMC) fired a Navy Strike Missile (NSM) out of its newly developed ship-killer weapons systems for the first time since 2021, according to an 18 July service announcement.  The Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) is a Kongsberg-made NSM – which has a range of around 100 n mile – that can be launched off the back of a remotely operated Joint Li...

The British Army's Sky Sabre air-defence system has been deployed to Poland to defend against air and missile attacks by Russia. (Crown copyright)  The UK is stepping up efforts to deliver an integrated air and missile defence approach to protect itself “against attack from the skies, both overseas and at home”, according to the Defence Command Paper 2023 (DCP23) refresh published on 18 July. The DCP23 described these threats as “at its most acute for over 30 years – as evidenced in the war in Ukraine”.  The UK Royal Air Force will take the l...

The PLAN has been deploying remotely operated vehicles alongside its Wozang-class vessels (pictured) to enhance mine countermeasure operations. (Chinese Ministry of National Defense)  The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has been experimenting with remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) that can support mine countermeasure (MCM) operations.    The PLAN's Northern Theater Command explored “new patterns of unmanned integrated minesweeping procedures” using two ROVs in a recent exercise conducted in the Yellow Sea (West Sea), state-owned new...

The Indian Army has inducted first batches of new 4×4 vehicles such as the Toyota Hilux, and Mahindra Scorpio (pictured above). (Mahindra Automotive)  The Indian Army has inducted first batches of new 4×4 vehicles including the Toyota Hilux Mountain off-Road Vehicles (MRVs) and Mahindra Scorpio light utility vehicles (LUVs) to enhance mobility.  The Northern Command of the Indian Army said in a social media post on 19 July that the service has received the first batch of an unknown number of Hiluxs.  “The Hilux, known for its toughness, durab...

The PLA Ground Force has repurposed a commercial UAV to support emergency logistics operations including dropping ammunition to soldiers during combat. (Janes)  The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been modifying and using commercial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to support its logistics operations.  Video footage broadcast by state-owned China Central Television (CCTV) in early July shows the PLA Ground Force's (PLAGF's) 83rd Group Army using a repurposed commercial vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) quadcopter during a combat exercise...

The Korea Air and Missile Defense system consists of several layers of capability designed to intercept missiles from North Korea. The L-SAM can intercept missiles at an altitude of 50–60 km, the Patriot and Cheongung II can intercept missiles at around 40 km altitude, while the LAMD can intercept at a maximum altitude of 5 km. (Janes)  South Korea has started to develop and deploy capabilities that are part of its indigenous ballistic missile defence (BMD) architecture known as the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system.  The KAMD is a...

UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace said the provisional layout of the Global Response Force is a light brigade and 16 Air Assault Brigade (pictured training in Morocco in late 2022), supported by a logistical support brigade. (Crown copyright)  The UK is forming a Global Response Force to “get there first”, according to the Defence Command Paper (DCP23) refresh published on 18 July. The force will bring together the UK's deployed and high-readiness forces and draw on capabilities from all domains.  During the parliamentary debate o...

The UK has awarded a GBP20 million contract to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for Trophy-MV APSs for testing on the Challenger 3, a prototype of which is shown at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2021 show, fitted with a mock-up of the system. (Janes/Riccardo Cociani)  The UK has awarded a GBP20 million (over USD26 million) contract to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for the Trophy active protection system (APS) for testing on the Challenger 3 main battle tank, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced in a press release...

The JGSDF is testing a new RCV prototype based on the Type 16 MCV pictured above. The Type 16 MCV is designed for high-speed self-deployments. (Janes/Kelvin Wong )    The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) is testing a new reconnaissance combat vehicle (RCV) prototype based on the Type 16 Mobile Combat Vehicle (MCV), a Japan Ministry of Defense's (MoD's) Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) spokesperson told   Janes  .   “It [the RCV] was developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and is currently bein...

Leonardo DRS makes equipment for Bradley fighting vehicles, shown here. (US Transportation Command)  Leonardo DRS is exploring a potential role in the US Army‘s future XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle, which will replace the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, according to the chief executive of the US-based company.    “We're talking at this point” with American Rheinmetall Vehicles (ARV) and General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), which are vying to be the XM30 prime contractor, Leonardo DRS chairman and CEO William Lynn told...

This 6×6 Polaris Alpha variant is the first the company has designed in nearly a decade. (Polaris)  Vehicle specialist Polaris Government and Defense is developing a 6×6 variant of its MRZR Alpha light tactical vehicle (LTV) as it explores concepts to increase payload capacity for infantry, marine, and special operations forces (SOF).    Speaking to   Janes,   company officials described how the decision to start development of the 6×6 vehicle had initially been made 18 months ago. Since then, Polaris has modified a 4×4 Alpha i...

Otokar presented the Alpar, Turkey's second UGV, on 13 July. (Otokar)  Otokar unveiled its Alpar heavy tracked unmanned armoured vehicle in Arifiye, Sakarya, on 13 July.  The vehicle is designed to meet the robotic and unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces and be capable of operating on the battlefield with both manned and unmanned systems.  Otokar expects Alpar to reduce the number of personnel, especially those performing routine tasks, on the battlefield and the risk they face while using artificial intelli...

Australian Army officers work in the joint operations room at Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane in November 2016. The Australian Army's battlefield management capabilities are expected to improve under the LAND 200 Phase 3 Battlefield Command Systems project, which received the government's preliminary budget approval on 13 July. ( Commonwealth of Australia/SGT Janine Fabre)  The Australian government has given a‘first-pass' or initial approval for the Department of Defence's (DoD's) LAND 200 Phase 3 Battlefield Command Systems project that ai...

AUDS, a C-UAV system capable of detecting, tracking, and disrupting small UAVs, is being used by the Ukrainian military (library picture). (Blighter Surveillance Systems)  The Ukrainian military appears to be fielding a UK-developed counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) system.  Imagery posted on Twitter on 12 July closely resembles components of the Anti-UAV Defence System (AUDS) produced by UK companies Chess Dynamics, Blighter Surveillance Systems, and Enterprise Control Systems (ECS).  AUDS is designed to detect, track, classify, and di...

Akaer Engenharia developed a new powertrain for the EE-9 M VII Cascavel 6×6 armoured reconnaissance vehicle among other design upgrades. (Akaer Engenharia )  The Brazil programme to deliver increased firepower, situational awareness, command-and-control, and mobility to its EE-9 M VII Cascavel 6×6 armoured reconnaissance vehicle (ARV) will roll out the first prototype of the newly modernised vehicle in July.  The first Akaer Engenharia prototype principally includes components of the new powertrain, Aldo da Silva Júnior, the company's busine...