An LMAMS is launched from a T38 Devil Ray USV during Exercise ‘Digital Talon' on 23 October. (US Navy)    The US 5th Fleet's Task Force 59 has fitted an unmanned surface vessel (USV) with the Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System (LMAMS),    the fleet revealed on 2 November.   The fleet released a statement saying Task Force 59, which was formed to pioneer unmanned and artificial intelligence capabilities in the Middle East, fired LMAMS loitering munitions from a Martac T38 Devil Ray USV multiple times during Exercise ‘Dig...

Denmark is now the third country in Europe after Norway and the Netherlands to acquire the Thales Ground Master 200 Multi Mission Compact radar. (Thales)  Denmark will acquire five new Thales Ground Master 200 Multi Mission Compact (GM200 MM/C) radars under a government-to-government deal with the Netherlands.  According to the Danish Ministry of Defence's Materiel and Procurement Agency (FMI) on 31 October, the new mobile radars are for the Royal Danish Air Force and will bolster the country's air-surveillance capabilities especially when d...

Ansar Allah's video purportedly showing the weapons launched at Israel showed what appeared to be a Zulfiqar ballistic missile. (Ansar Allah)  The Iranian-backed Yemeni group Ansar Allah (Houthis) confirmed on 31 October that it has launched ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at Israel, warning that it would continue to do so for as long as the military operation against Hamas continues.  The spokesman for the group's armed wing said it had launched a large number of ballistic and “winged” missiles earlie...

Artist's impression of the Pohjanmaa-class corvettes. (RMC)  Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) has announced the start of production of the first Pohjanmaa-class multi-purpose corvette on order for the Finnish Navy.  A steel-cutting ceremony was staged at RMC's shipyard in Rauma, Finland, on 30 October.  Under its Squadron 2020 fleet renewal programme, the Finnish Navy is procuring four Pohjanmaa-class corvettes from RMC under a EUR647.6 million (USD707.4 million) design and construction contract awarded in 2019, with the build to be carried o...

The R‐Han rocket, pictured above, being test‐fired from a locally developed Rantis MLRS. (Kementrian Pertahanan Indonesia)  The Indonesia Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced in late-October that state-owned arms manufacturer PT Pindad has completed the development of a 122 mm multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) known as the R-Han 122B.  In a social media post, the MoD said that PT Pindad conducted a “series of successful trials on the system” before declaring its completion of development.  The MoD added it is now working on finalising the c...

TDW is resuming production of the DM22, the Bundeswehr's designation for the original DM12 off-route anti-tank mine modified so that it can be disarmed. (MBDA)  MBDA subsidiary TDW will resume production of the Panzerabwehrrichtmine Deutsches Modell 22 (PARM DM22) off-route anti-tank mine after it was stopped over a decade ago, the subsidiary's managing director, Andreas Seitz, told international journalists including Janes visiting MBDA Deutschland on 27 October.  The budget committee of the Bundestag, Germany's parliament, has approved the...

Dstl alongside the Royal Navy and British Army conducted a beach landing exercise with a multitude of vessels including the Madfox unmanned surface vessel, to shape AI development. (Crown Copyright)  The UK held a large beach landing exercise in Hampshire to shape the development of artificial intelligence (AI) for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the authority announced on 31 October.  Held over five days, the maritime exercise involved 130 personnel, 13 vessels, multiple unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), a light aircraft, and more than 50 cameras...

Columbia-class submarine construction remains a Pentagon priority. (US Navy)  The US Navy (USN) has continued to face difficulties in delivering Virginia-class attack submarines (SSNs), maintaining existing vessels, and gearing up for the construction and delivery schedule for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) meant to replace the Ohio-class boats for the US fleets.  Meeting the requirements for the trinational Australian, UK, and US (AUKUS) agreement to bolster the Australian submarine fleet will likely mean a dip in th...

ST-1 is an experimental unmanned mine detector that is being actively tested in the field. (Mykhailo Fedorov/Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine)  Ukrainian innovators from the Brave1 defence technology cluster are developing an unmanned mine detector called ST-1.  According to Mykhailo Fedorov, minister of digital transformation for Ukraine on 27 October, the mine detector autonomously searches for mines and works, on average, four times faster than a human.  This will “significantly speed up the process of demining Ukrainian terri...

Baden-Württemberg   departs its home port of Wilhelmshaven bound for the Eastern Mediterranean on 20 October.  (Bundeswehr/Leon Rodewald)  The first of the German Navy's Baden-Württemberg (Type 125)-class frigates has departed on its maiden deployment.    First-of-class   Baden-Württemberg  (F 222) set sail from Wilhelmshaven, Germany, on 20 October bound for Limassol, Cyprus, where it will participate in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission off the Lebanese coast.     Announcing t...

Healy  is one of only two US icebreakers working in polar regions.  (Janes/Michael Fabey)  The US Coast Guard (USCG) released its Arctic Strategic Outlook Implementation Plan on 26 October to make the necessary acquisitions and force improvements to accommodate national requirements detailed in the 2022 National Strategy for the Arctic Region (NSAR).  The plan includes new USCG icebreakers, aviation assets, communication upgrades, and other platforms, systems, or programmes meant to improve the force's operations in the Arctic....

The Royal New Zealand Navy's three 12.5 m-long Littoral Manoeuvre Craft have been manufactured using high-density polyethylene to offer endurance and resistance to wave impacts. (NZDF)  A set of three new Littoral Manoeuvre Craft (LMC) is being introduced into the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN).  A New Zealand Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson told Janes that two of the LMCs have formally been handed over to the RNZN in Auckland. The third will arrive in December. “It is anticipated [that] all three LMCs will be fully operational by mid-[...

A 3D diagram of Japan's EM railgun. (Japan Ministry of Defense)  The Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) has given further details on its intentions behind the country's electromagnetic (EM) railgun programme.  As reported by Janes on 18 October, Japan has carried out the first shipboard test firing of an EM railgun.  It was carried out with co-operation from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), the MoD's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) announced via an official social media page on 17 October.  In response to question...

The German Navy's Frankenthal-class minehunters will be equipped with the SeaCat AUV. (ATLAS ELEKTRONIK GmbH)  Atlas Elektronik has been selected to supply its SeaCat autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for integration onboard the German Navy's Frankenthal (Type 332C/CL)-class minehunters.  After receiving the green light from the German federal parliament's Budgetary Committee, the President of the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) signed a framework agreement for the purchase of...

Under a recently announced agreement, Australian company Sentient will provide its Visual Detection and Ranging system for Shield AI's V-BAT unmanned aerial vehicle (pictured) to enhance the surveillance capabilities of the platform. (Shield AI)  Australia's Sentient Vision Systems has signed an agreement with US-based Shield AI to provide its wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) system for the latter's V-BAT unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).  Under the agreement, Sentient will supply its Visual Detection and Ranging (ViDAR) system, which will work a...

The US State Department has approved the possible FMS of 36 AIM-120C-8 AMRAAMs and related equipment for Lithuanian NASAMS, pictured during its first live firing during Exercise ‘Silver Arrow 2023' in Norway. (Norwegian Armed Forces)  The US State Department has approved the possible Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) and related equipment worth USD100 million for the Lithuanian National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA...

Under a recently announced agreement, Australian company Sentient will provide its Visual Detection and Ranging (ViDAR) system for Shield AI's V-BAT unmanned aerial vehicle (pictured) to enhance the surveillance capabilities of the platform. (Shield AI)  Australia's Sentient Vision Systems has signed an agreement with US-based Shield AI to provide its wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) system for the latter's V-BAT unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).  Under the agreement, Sentient will supply its Visual Detection and Ranging (ViDAR) system, which wi...

Finnish Navy divers examine damage and objects around the Balticconnector gas pipeline in the Gulf of Finland. (Finnish Navy)  An undersea telecommunications cable between Sweden and Estonia has been damaged by means of external force or tampering, the Swedish government has confirmed.  The incident has been linked to the suspected sabotage of the Balticconnector undersea gas pipeline and telecommunications cable that connects Finland and Estonia in early October.  In a 23 October announcement the Swedish government said the damage, which was...

A rendering of the Relay Ground Station-Asia antenna facility to be deployed in Guam. (Northrop Grumman)  A critical piece of the US Navy's early warning missile defence capability in the Indo-Pacific has achieved a key development milestone, clearing the way for eventual fielding and deployment into the region.  Service officials overseeing the Relay Ground Station-Asia (RGS-A) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) antenna programme approved the Northrop Grumman-built system for critical design review (CDR) certification, comp...

The UK Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel HMS   Spey  is pictured at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 2021.   Spey  and sister ship   Tamar  are permanently forward deployed to the Indo-Pacific region.  (Crown copyright/UK Ministry of Defence, 2022)  The UK needs to devote more resources to the Indo-Pacific region amid China's growing threat and create a dedicated strategy that sets out how military instruments can be used to protect London's interests in the region.  This was the as...