The Ground-Based Interceptor was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to simulate a combat launch from Fort Greely in Alaska. (Missile Defense Agency)  The Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) competition has come to an end as Lockheed Martin was selected as the prime to continue development of the weapon through critical design review (CDR), all-up round qualification, integration with the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, and flight testing, the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced on 15 April.  While no dolla...

The V-Bat UAV, shown here during testing, is becoming the UAV of choice for US forces. (US Navy)  Military planners and operators are beginning to consider unmanned surface and aerial vehicles in a more operational light given recent successes in experiments and in the battlespace, according to defence analysts.  One case in point is the Long-Range Unmanned Surface Vessel (LRUSV) the US Marine Corps (USMC) plans to use as a semi-autonomous vessel for extended travel and transporting loitering munitions that accurately track and destroy target...

A marine programs a counter-unmanned aircraft system on a Light Marine Air Defense Integrated System (LMADIS) during a predeployment training exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California. (US Marine Corps)  The Ultra Light Tactical Vehicle (ULTV) programme – a US Marine Corps (USMC) replacement for the ageing Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) – will now include a variant with more exportable power, according to Janes analysis of budget documents.  The fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget request is the first time the ULTV-...

The Royal Danish Navy (RDN) frigate HDMS   Iver Huitfeldt  (pictured in October 2021) has returned to Korsør from deployment in the Red Sea.  (Michael Nitz)    The Royal Danish Navy (RDN) frigate HDMS   Iver Huitfeldt  (F 361) returned to Naval Station Korsør, Denmark, on 4 April following its deployment in the US-led multinational task force Operation ‘Prosperity Guardian', Danish Defence Command has confirmed.   The frigate's return was originally scheduled for mid-April and comes amid contr...

A convoy of Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicles perform command-and-control operations for the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center training rotation in Fort Greely, Alaska. (Janes/Meredith Roaten)    Life in the Arctic can shift from -40ºF with 20 to 30 mph winds one week to the snow melting away as temperatures climb closer to 40ºF every day the next week. This kind of chaos makes the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) 24-02 training rotation an excellent trial for new US Army equipment and operations in contest...

The USN CNO noted the need for the development of directed energy weapons, such as the laser system shown in this artist's rendition. (Lockheed Martin)  Recent US Navy (USN) operations in the Red Sea have underscored the importance of logistics, according to Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the USN chief of naval operations (CNO).  Adm Franchetti also noted the importance of developing new weapons and related capabilities to match emerging threats.  The CNO made the comments during a discussion for Defense One that was shown online on 27 March.  “I'v...

BAE Systems was confirmed as the UK shipbuilding partner for AUKUS submarines, shown here as an artist rendition. (BAE Systems)  Britian's BAE Systems will partner with Australian shipbuilder ASC to build Canberra's nuclear-powered submarines for the trilateral AUKUS defence agreement, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed on 21 March.  The partnership deal follows “months of negotiations” and could be worth “billions of pounds”, theMoD said in a release.  First announced in September 2021, AUKUS calls for the three countries – Australia...

The Swedish flag was raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels on 11 March to mark the country's accession to the alliance as its 32nd member on 7 March. (NATO)  NATO welcomed Sweden as its 32nd member on 7 March. The Scandinavian country had intended to join together with Finland, but Turkey and Hungary blocked Swedish accession until the Grand National Assembly of Turkey approved it on 23 January, followed by the Hungarian parliament on 26 February.Response to Russia  In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Finland...

The CS/AA3 gun – pictured above in service with the Cameroonian Defence Forces – has a maximum slant range of 11 km, but its effective slant range is 4 km and effective altitude is 3 km. (Cameroon Ministry of Defence)  The Bangladesh Army's Adhoc 57 Air Defence (AD) Regiment Artillery test-fired two CS/AA3 twin-barrel anti-aircraft gun systems for the first time during a firing exercise held in mid-March at Inanistha AD Firing Range in Cox's Bazar.  According to a press release by Bangladesh Armed Forces' media and public relations wing Inter...

Janes Defence Budgets forecasts that growth in China's total military spending, which includes its official defence budget, will start to slow down in the second half of this decade. (Janes)  China released its annual ‘work report' on 12 March, outlining a government commitment to accelerate military modernisation in line with its current five-year plan, which ends in 2025.  The work report was formally adopted one day earlier on the final day of the second session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing.  In the report, the g...

A model of the GCAP fighter displayed at DSEI Japan 2023 in Chiba. (Janes/Jon Grevatt)  Japan is considering the implementation of further reforms to support military exports. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on 6 March that the additional reforms are necessary to allow future Japan sales of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) aircraft to international customers.  Speaking at the House of Councillors budget committee, Kishida said that additional export reforms – to support GCAP sales – are required for three reasons: to reduce GCAP produ...

Hessen  is pictured departing Wilhelmshaven naval base on 8 February to join the EU's new maritime security mission to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea.  (Bundeswehr/Julia Kelm)    The German Navy's Type 124 Sachsen-class air-defence frigate FGS   Hessen   (F 221) successfully repelled two one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Red Sea launched by Yemen-based Ansar Allah (commonly known as the Houthis) militants on 27 February.   Briefing media at a German government press conference o...

According to Janes Defence Budgets, Australia's total defence spending will rise from the equivalent of about USD38.4 billion in 2024 to nearly USD48 billion by 2030. About 19% of the annual defence expenditure is allocated to procurement. (Janes Defence Budgets)  Australia launched on 29 February a new strategy to enable local industry to meet the future capability requirements of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The Department of Defence (DoD) in Canberra said the Defence Industry Development Strategy (DIDS) will shape Australia's indust...

The Hellenic Navy's frigate   Hydra  is pictured at Salamis Naval Station prior to departing for the Red Sea on 26 February.  (Hellenic MoD)  The Hellenic Navy has despatched its lead Hydra (MEKO 200 HN)-class frigate to the Red Sea where it will participate in the European Union's (EU's) new maritime security mission Operation ‘Aspides'.  The EU officially launched Operation ‘Aspides' on 19 February to help protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from the ongoing attacks by Iran-backed Ansar...

The German Navy's Type 124 Sachsen-class air-defence frigate FGS  Hessen  (F 221) departs Wilhelmshaven, bound for the Red Sea, on 8 February.  (Bundeswehr/Julia Kelm)  The European Union (EU) has officially launched its new maritime operation to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels.  The new mission, dubbed Operation ‘Aspides', was inaugurated on 19 February with the aim of providing EU naval presence to help restore and protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea...

The Russian Navy's Ropucha-class Project 775 LST   Tsesar Kunikov  (158).  (Yoruk Isik)  The Ukrainian Defence Intelligence (GUR) claims that its Group 13 unit has conducted a successful attack against the Russian Ropucha I-class tank landing ship (LST) Tsesar Kunikov using Magura V unmanned surface vessels (USVs).  Video footage released by the GUR on its Telegram channel on 14 February shows USVs approaching a Ropucha I landing ship and at least two detonating against its port side. The LST is then shown listin...

Hessen  departs Wilhelmshaven naval base on 8 February, bound for the Mediterranean.   (Bundeswehr/Julia Kelm)    The German Navy has despatched its Type 124 Sachsen-class air-defence frigate FGS   Hessen  (F 221) to the Mediterranean ahead of the launch of the European Union's (EU's) new naval operation to protect merchant shipping against attacks by the Ansar Allah group (commonly known as the Houthis) in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.   Hessen  departed Wilhelmshaven, bound for the Mediterran...

The US Marine Corps ACV is designed to deploy off the back of a ship and swim in open waters as well as operate in littoral environments. (US Marine Corps)  Amphibious combat vehicles (ACVs) and other tactical vehicles find themselves with an uncertain future until after the US Marine Corps (USMC) finishes its Infantry Battalion Experimentation (IBX), service officials said in January.  The USMC first released its Ground Combat and Tactical Vehicle Strategy (GCTVS) in 2021, but service leaders have since incorporated the vehicle strategy into...

Iver Huitfeldt  sets sail from Korsør on 29 January. The frigate is Denmark's contribution to strengthening maritime security in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.  (Rune Dyrholm/The Armed Forces)  The Royal Danish Navy (RDN) has despatched its air-defence frigate Iver Huitfeldt (F 361) to the Red Sea where it will participate in the US-led multinational task force Operation ‘Prosperity Guardian'.  Iver Huitfeldt set sail from Korsør bound for the Mediterranean on 29 January, the Danish Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the sam...

Sentinel‐1A, launched in 2014, was the first Earth-observation satellite built for Europe's Copernicus programme. (ESA)  The European Union (EU) awarded separate contracts to two consortiums led by Telespazio and OHB System on 23 January to explore the feasibility of exploiting the Copernicus Earth-observation constellation for defence.  The two contracts were awarded as part of the Earth Observation Governmental Service (EOGS), which seeks to bolster the defence and security of the EU member states. The selected consortiums will now compete...