The Netherlands has ordered 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks from Rheinmetall that it and Denmark are procuring for Ukraine, with the first vehicle to be delivered in January 2024. (Rheinmetall)  The Netherlands has ordered 14 Leopard 2A4 tanks from Rheinmetall that it and Denmark are procuring for Ukraine, the German company announced in a press release on 27 June.  The Danish and Dutch ministries of defence (MoDs) announced on 20 April that their countries would jointly procure the tanks. The two countries have now signed an agreement on the procuremen...

Smart Shooter's SMASH weapon sight uses ballistically calculated coincident shot release to significantly increase the hit rate against micro and mini UASs. (Smart Shooter Ltd)  The British Army will be equipped with new weapon sights that identify and track unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) announced on 27 June.  Known as SMASH, the fire-control weapon sight developed by Smart Shooter is designed to improve a soldier's accuracy on the battlefield by integrating a track and lock-on capability. It also feature...

Training solutions for the Challenger 3 main battle tank (pictured) and Boxer armoured vehicle are the mainstay of Project Vulcan. (RBSL)  The British Army's Ground Manoeuvre Synthetic Trainer (GMST) programme for the provision of simulators for its new Boxer and Challenger 3 platforms is more ambitious than the requirement suggested, with several other new or existing platforms in its sight.  A contract for Project Vulcan was awarded to Elbit Systems UK in April 2023 and the first installation is scheduled at the Combat Manoeuvre Centre at B...

South Korea has approved a project to upgrade the striking capability and turret of K9 Thunder SPHs in service with the RoKA. (Hanwha Aerospace)  South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has approved a project to upgrade the performance of K9 Thunder 155 mm/52 calibre self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) in service with the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA).  According to a press release by DAPA on 26 June, theproject will boost the striking capability of K9 howitzers. The howitzers will also be equipped with automated turrets a...

Hanwha has started production of the AS9 155 mm self-propelled howitzers and AS10 armoured ammunition resupply vehicles for the Australian Army. The above picture shows an AS9 from an Indian Army exercise in November 2022. The AS9 is known as K-9 Vajra T in India. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  Hanwha Defense Australia (HDA) has started production of the AS9 and AS10 Huntsman family of vehicles for the Australian Army under the country's Land 8116 Phase 1 programme, the company told Janes on 26 June.  Under this programme, the Australian Department of...

South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace plans to offer its Redback infantry fighting vehicle to fulfil the Indian Army's FICV requirement. (Hanwha Defense)  South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace is planning to participate in some of the Indian Army's most ambitious programmes to procure capabilities including Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicles (FICVs) and light tanks.  A Hanwha Aerospace spokesperson told Janes that the company plans to offer its Redback and K21 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to fulfil the Indian Army's FICV requirement.  The Indian Army...

The GM400α software-defined 3D air surveillance radar has an update rate of 6 seconds and an elevation coverage of up to 40°. (Thales)  Estonia has selected the Ground Master 400 Alpha (GM400α) long-range radar to enhance its air surveillance.  A total of two GM400α radars, developed by Thales, will be procured by the Estonian Centre for Defence Investment (ECDI) as part of the Medium Range Radar 2023 project (MRR 2023), the company announced at the Paris Air Show 2023, held from 19 to 25 June.  An ECDI announcement noted that the radars woul...

Thales Australia's Hawkei – pictured above in service with the Australian Army – and General Dynamics Land Systems' Eagle are competing to supply the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force with a successor to its locally built Light Armoured Vehicle. (Commonwealth of Australia)  The Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) will procure Thales Australia's Hawkei and General Dynamics Land Systems' Eagle protected mobility vehicles for trials as part of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's (JGSDF) acquisition of a new wheeled armoured vehicle.  “This fiscal ye...

It will cost more than planned to upgrade shoreside facilities, such as those in Kodiak, Alaska, to support the proposed US Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutters. (Michael Fabey)  The expected costs for new or upgraded facilities to accommodate the proposed US Coast Guard (USCG) Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) fleet has more than tripled over the last decade, according to a recently released US Government Accountability (GAO) Office report.  “[The] OPC's facilities acquisition cost estimate – including home ports and shore facilities – increased f...

The French Army's ATLAS automated FCS, provided by Thales, is being upgraded to receive UAV intelligence and target information. (Janes/Giles Ebbutt)  Thales has been awarded a contract by the French military to integrate most of their “in-service UAVs” into the army's ATLAS (Automatisation de Tir et des Liaisons l'Artillerie Sol-sol) automated artillery fire-control system (FCS), Janes learnt at the Paris Air Show 2023, held from 19 to 25 June.  The contract was awarded this month, Jean-Michel Negret, command chain product line manager for T...

Soldiers from the Indonesian 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)  Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) troops have completed training conducted by the 5th Battalion of the Australian Army on the operation and maintenance of Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles (PMVs).  In mid-April the Indonesian Ministry of Defense approved Australia's offer to donate 15 Bush...

The new command post variant of the K808 wheeled armoured vehicle is expected to enter the RoKA service in 2023. (DAPA)  South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has signed a contract worth KRW700 billion (USD541 million) with Hyundai Rotem for the mass production of the second batch of an unspecified number of wheeled command post vehicles (CPVs).  DAPA said in a press release on 21 June that in the second mass production batch the agency intends to evaluate the “Ukrainian-Russian war pattern” to detect improvements i...

The ‘Targets' component of Rafael's Advanced Defense Systems Puzzle suite, which presents to the user the date, time, and priorities of identified targets. (Rafael Advanced Defense Systems)  Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has launched a new artificial intelligence (AI) decision support suite called Puzzle at the Paris Air Show 2023 held from 19 to 25 June.    The Puzzle suite integrates information from diverse sensors to create a comprehensive and filtered dataset enabled by AI, which processes and analyses large volumes of information...

The Franco-Italian SAMP/T medium-range air-defence system (seen here test firing an Aster 30 missile) donated to Ukraine has been deployed and is operational. (MBDA)  The SAMP/T medium-range air-defence system donated to Ukraine by France and Italy has been deployed and is operational, protecting “key installations and lives”, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on behalf of himself and ItalianPrime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, during a conference on air and anti-missile defence on the fringes of the Paris Air Show 2023 on 19 June.  When...

Leonardo RAT 31DL/M radar will be delivered to the German Air Force to supplement its air-defence capabilities. (Janes/Patrick Allen )  Leonardo will deliver a new tactical RAT 31DL/M long-range deployable air-defence radar (DADR) to the German Air Force following an agreement with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), the company announced at the Paris Air Show 2023 held between 19 and 25 June.  This will be the third system delivered by the company to the German Air Force since 2007.  The two radars currently in service will recei...

Israeli defence exports. (Israeli Ministry of Defense )  The Israeli Ministry of Defense (MoD) has announced record defence exports for 2022, saying the contracts agreed on totalled USD12.5 billion, up from USD11.4 billion in 2021, which was itself a record high.  The figures the MoD released on 14 June on the regions buying Israeli military products showed a massive increase in the ‘Abraham Accords' category, from USD853 million (7% of the total) in 2021 to USD2.962 billion (24%) in 2022, as well as a significant decrease in the Europe categ...

Taiwanese navy soldiers walk by   Yushan  during its handover ceremony in Kaohsiung City on 30 September 2022. The ship was commissioned on 19 June 2023.  (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)  The Republic of China Navy (RoCN) has commissioned its first locally built landing platform dock (LPD)-like amphibious assault ship.  The vessel, ROCS Yushan, was commissioned on 19 June at a ceremony in Kaohsiung City; various Taiwanese media outlets reported on the same day with images from the event. Neither the RoCN nor the T...

AID awarded a contract to Nexter Arrowtech, EOS Technologie, and Traak on 16 June to develop a medium-range loitering munition under its and the DGA's Larinae call for projects. (Nexter)  The Agence de l'Innovation de Défense (AID), the French defence innovation agency, awarded a contract to Nexter Arrowtech, EOS Technologie, and Traak on 16 June to develop a medium-range loitering munition under the Larinae call for projects aimed at providing the French Army with such a system armed with an anti-tank warhead, Nexter announced in a press re...

South Korea's DAPA is planning to equip the fourth production batch of the K2 MBTs with transmission developed by local firm SNT Dynamics. An example of the K2 MBT is pictured above. (Hyundai Rotem)  South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) plans to equip the fourth batch of the Hyundai Rotem K2 main battle tanks (MBTs) with indigenous 1,500 hp EST15K transmission developed by SNT Dynamics.  A spokesperson for DAPA told Janes on 20 June that the organisation is “planning to use local transmission made by SNT Dynamics fo...

Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder and Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister François Bausch signed a co-operation agreement on 15 June on the establishment of a binational reconnaissance battalion. (Belgian MoD)  Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder and François Bausch signed a co-operation agreement on 15 June on the establishment of a binational reconnaissance battalion, the Belgian Ministry of Defence and Luxembourgs government announced in press releases the same day. The two ministers signed a declaration o...