The S-400 consists of a regimental command-and-control vehicle, regimental search radar to provide search-and-tracking functions for the S-400 system as a whole, transporter-erector-launcher (pictured above), and tracking and fire-control radar. (Janes/Peter Felstead)  Russia has delivered the third S-400 Triumf self-propelled surface-to-air missile (SAM) system to the Indian Air Force (IAF), a senior defence official told Janes on 2 March.  The official added that the system will be deployed at the western border with Pakistan. India signed...

NFS U212 submarine. (OCCAR)  The Italian Navy's Type 212 Near Future Submarine (NFS) programme has successfully completed its critical design review (CDR).  In a statement issued on 21 February, the European defence procurement agency Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) said the CDR had successfully demonstrated that the design is mature and fully compliant to mission performance requirements and can proceed with the manufacturing, system installation, integration, and trial test phase.  Under the Type 212 NFS programme, the...

BAE Systems has received a follow-on contract to supply five Mk 45 Maritime Indirect Fire Systems to equip the remainder of the eight-ship class of Type 26 frigates. (BAE Systems)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded BAE Systems Inc a contract to supply the Royal Navy (RN) with a second batch of Mk 45 Maritime Indirect Fire Systems (MIFS) for the service's Type 26 City-class frigate programme.  Under the contract, announced on 28 February and worth USD219 million, BAE Systems will supply five MIFS systems that will equip the remain...

Near Coastal Patrol Vessels are based on Damen Shipyards' Stan Patrol 2606 design, which is tailored by Metal Shark to suit the requirements of the Latin American navies. (Costa Rica Ministry of Public Security)  Shipbuilder Metal Shark recently delivered an 85 ft  (25.9 m) welded aluminium Near Coastal Patrol Vessel (NCPV) to the Costa Rica Coast Guard, the Ministry of Public Security confirmed.   The new vessel was acquired for USD5.5 million under a regional programme funded by the US Department of State and US Southern Command (S...

The QENF inaugurates its new coastal missile defence system at the Al-Houl Naval Base. (Qatari Ministry of Defence)  The Qatar Emiri Naval Forces' (QENF's) new coastal anti-ship missile system was officially inaugurated by Minister of State for Defence Affairs Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah at the new Al-Houl Naval Base, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 23 February.  It provided no further details but released a short video clip showing components for the MBDA Exocet and Marte ER coastal anti-ship missile systems lined up at the bas...

BAE Systems Australia unveiled its strike-capable Strix UAS at Avalon 2023. The system is predominantly aimed at the land and maritime markets. (Julian Kerr)  A new multimission unmanned aircraft system (UAS) – combining the advantages of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and fixed-wing flight – was launched by BAE Systems Australia at the Avalon 2023 international airshow on 28 February.  Named the Strix, the tiltable body and X-wing-configured UAS – which has four hybrid engines – combines the convenience of VTOL with the range and speed...

The Kronos moored at the NAVDEX naval area. (Andrew White)  Two underwater special-mission craft were unveiled during the IDEX 2023 show, held in Abu Dhabi from 20 to 24 February.  The futuristic-looking Kronos developed by the Emirati start-up Desert Power Designs/Highland Systems participated in the live demonstration at the NAVDEX naval area, with the company saying its craft'shydrodynamic hull gives it high surface and submerged speeds.  Designed for military, research, rescue, and underwater engineering purposes, the Kronos is 9.03 m lon...

The final of six new boats to improve support to Royal Navy divers has been delivered. (Royal Navy/Crown Copyright)  The UK Royal Navy (RN) has taken delivery of its sixth and final Sea-class dive support boat on order from Atlas Elektronik UK (AEUK).  The 15 m boats, which will be operated by the RN's Diving and Threat Exploitation Group, are intended to replace ageing vessels that have been in service since the early 1990s and are reaching the end of their service lives. According to the RN, the new boats feature significantly improved spee...

A low-resolution artist's impression of a Ghost Bat unmanned aircraft landing aboard a Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier, as it appeared in a briefing slide being presented under the Chatham House Rule. Boeing, which designed the Ghost Bat, confirmed it is an official image but declined to release a high-resolution copy. (Boeing via Janes/Gareth Jennings)    An official rendering shown for the first time at    an event on 21 February depicts a Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat ‘loyal wingman' landing aboard a UK Royal Navy (RN) Queen...

A televised North Korean military parade held in Pyongyang to mark the 75th founding anniversary of its armed forces, which showcased a record number of intercontinental ballistic missiles. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)  On 18 February, North Korea conducted a test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that a Hwaseong-15 ICBM was fired in a “surprise ICBM launching drill”, following written direction from the country's leader Kim Jong-un.  KCNA reported t...

The Damen Stan Patrol 5009   Mudhafar   at NAVDEX 2023.  (Janes/Jeremy Binnie)  The United Arab Emirates' (UAE's) Critical Infrastructure and Coastal Protection Authority (CICPA) has been renamed as the National Guard. It was revealed during the IDEX 2023 show being held in Abu Dhabi from 20 to 24 February.  Headquartered at the Camp Mahawi military base in Abu Dhabi, the CICPA included a coastguard component and a terrestrial security force tasked with protecting the emirate's energy infrastructure.    The n...

Funding has been allocated to support the return to service of the South African Air Force's Gripen fleet. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  South Africa's defence budget for 2023–24 is slightly down from the previous year's adjusted allocation of ZAR51.6 billion (USD2.84 billion) to ZAR51.12 billion (USD2.8 billion), with the Medium Term Expenditure Framework plan seeing it increase to just over ZAR53 billion in 2026–27, according to data released by the government on 22 February.  A total of ZAR3.1 billion has been allocated over the three-year perio...

Mistral missile production has been increased from 20 in 2022 to 30 in 2023, and is expected to rise to 40 in 2024. (MBDA)  French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu unveiled an action plan to accelerate ammunition production and relocate strategic activities during a meeting with defence industry representatives on 22 February.    The war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic have resulted in the relocation of stocks and production sites, according to the French Ministry of Armed Forces. Lecornu described Eurenco's decision –...

A computer-generated image of the BR71 MK II corvette design. (Edge)  Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), a subsidiary of the United Arab Emirates' (UAE's) Edge Group, will build three 71 m corvettes and an unspecified number of smaller vessels for the Angolan Navy under a EUR1 billion (USD1.05 billion) deal announced at IDEX 2023 in Abu Dhabi.  “Signing a EUR1 billion defence export deal represents a momentous achievement for Edge as well as ADSB,” said Khalid al-Breiki, Edge's president for platforms and systems. “This demonstrates our strategi...

EMGEPRON and TideWise have jointly developed the Suppressor multi-purpose USV. (EMGEPRON)    The Brazilian state-owned naval engineering house Empresa Gerencial de Projetos Navais (EMGEPRON) and the local privately owned unmanned systems specialist TideWise have jointly developed a long-endurance unmanned surface vehicle (USV) configured to carry out mine countermeasure (MCM) operations and meet potential requirements of navies for such type of unmanned systems, André Gabriel Sochaczewski, the head of the EMGEPRON Trade Promotion Departm...

A model of the Norinco AR3 on display at the International Golden Group stand at IDEX 2023. (Janes/Jeremy Binnie)  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced during the IDEX show held in Abu Dhabi from 20 to 24 February that it has awarded a AED902 million (USD245 million) contract to procure AR3 multiple rocket/missile launchers made by Chinese company Norinco.  Announced by Tawazun Council, which manages procurement for the UAE Armed Forces, the contract was awarded to International Golden Group, Norinco's Emirati partner, and includes in-co...

XV Patrick Blackett sails from Portsmouth to start sea acceptance tests on 20 February. (Royal Navy/Crown Copyright)    The UK Royal Navy's (RN's) new experimental trials and evaluation vessel, XV   Patrick Blackett,  has departed Portsmouth to start sea acceptance tests (SATs).   Patrick Blackett  is a Damen Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 4008 fast attack crew support vessel that was purchased off-the-shelf in early 2022 and converted into a dedicated testbed platform that will be used by the RN's NavyX innovation unit t...

EOS Advanced Technologies displayed a mock-up of its 14.5 mm MG at IDEX 2023. The system is expected to progress to the prototype stage by the end of 2023. (Janes/Sonny Butterworth)  The United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based subsidiary of Electro Optic Systems (EOS) displayed a mock-up of an electrically operated 14.5 mm machine gun (MG) at IDEX 2023, being held in Abu Dhabi from 20 to 24 February.  Speaking to Janes, Waad Abujarad and Fatmah Alkaabi, mechanical design engineers at EOS Advanced Technologies, said that a prototype of the system is...

A model of PT PAL's 163 m multimission support vessel at NAVDEX 2023 in Abu Dhabi. (Janes)  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced it had awarded the Indonesian shipyard PT PAL an AED1.5 billion (USD408.32 million) contract to supply a “multimission vessel” during the IDEX 2023 show being held in Abu Dhabi from 20 to 24 February.  PT PAL confirmed to Janes that the contract was for a 163 m multimission support vessel, which is a landing platform dock (LPD). The plan is to start construction in Indonesia in 2024 with the completed vessel del...

A model of the Tejas Mk2 fighter aircraft was displayed at Aero India 2023, featuring an IRST, the small black object in front of the cockpit. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)  India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is testing an indigenous infrared search and track (IRST) system that has been developed for the Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk2.    HAL told   Janes  at the Aero India 2023 show in Bangalore, held from 13 to 17 February, that the Tejas Mk2 variant is expected to feature an inter...