Babcock has been contracted to provide sustainment and support for the two ex-Royal Navy Sandown-class minehunters recently donated by the UK to Ukraine. (UK MoD/Crown Copyright)
Babcock International has been awarded a contract covering the support and maintenance of the Ukrainian Navy's two newly acquired ex-Royal Navy (RN) Sandown-class mine-countermeasures vessels (MCMVs) – Chernihiv (ex-HMS Grimsby) and Cherkasy (ex-HMS Shoreham).
Under the MCMV contract, announced by Babcock on 15 December, the company will provide preventative mainte...
USN Secretary Carlos Del Toro touted the EW capabilities of the EA-18G Growlers. (US Navy)
Recent global conflicts highlight the increasing use of electronic warfare (EW) in military operations, US Navy (USN) Secretary Carlos Del Toro said on 12 December during a keynote speech at the Association of Old Crows' (AOC's) 60th Annual International Symposium & Convention at National Harbor, Maryland.
“For the US and our NATO allies, the conflict in Ukraine reinforces the emphasis we place on developing and maintaining a ready, interoperable comb...
Queen Elizabeth pictured in the South China Sea during its inaugural deployment to the Indo-Pacific region in 2021. (Royal Navy)
The UK's planned carrier strike group (CSG) deployment to the Indo-Pacific region in 2025 will include a port call to Japan, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has announced.
The 2025 naval task force, which will include an aircraft carrier, its escorts, and F-35 combat aircraft, will work alongside the Japan Self-Defense Forces and other partners to help defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacif...
The maritime capability coalition will support Ukraine's two newly acquired ex-Royal Navy Sandown-class mine countermeasure vessels, Chernihiv (ex-HMS Grimsby) and Cherkasy (ex-HMS Shoreham ), which were commissioned into service in July 2023. Cherkasy is pictured during the flag-raising ceremony, which was held in Glasgow, Scotland. (Armed Forces of Ukraine)
The United Kingdom and Norway have established a maritime capability coalition...
The SIG716 is a gas-cycled, air‐cooled, magazine box-fed weapon of a conventional layout with a maximum hitting range of 800 m. (SIG SAUER)
India's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the procurement of 70,000 additional SIG Sauer's SIG716 7.62×51 mm rifles worth INR8.4 billion (USD100 million) for the Indian Army, A Bharat Bhushan Babu, principal spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD),told Janes on 14 December.
The MoD ordered the first batch of 72,400 SIG716 rifles worth USD90 million in 2020 using the Fast Track...
A trial held at Radnor Range, Wales, in October demonstrated how a blend of live and synthetic environments can be used to assure artificial intelligence. (Crown Copyright)
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 4 December that they have developed, alongside a consortium of companies, a new test and evaluation (T&E) capability for the assurance of autonomous systems under Project Zeus.
Led by Radnor Range, the new capability blends live and synthetic evaluation techniques to create a fast and more efficient approach to the T&E of aut...
More US attack submarines such as USS Asheville are planned to call in Australia under the AUKUS agreement. (US Navy)
US, UK, and Australian leaders noted their AUKUS agreement Pillar 1 milestones and plans on 1 December, even as the US struggles to reach its own desired submarine production rate.
“There has been an enormous amount of progress, particularly in respect of Australia acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine capability, with the help of the United States and United Kingdom under Pillar 1 of AUKUS,...
A mock-up of the Sky Sword II missile – locally known as the TC-2 land-based missile – is pictured at TADTE 2023. The missile structure consists of the active radar seeker, followed by the electronics section, proximity fuze, warhead, and rocket motor, ending in the exhaust. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)
Taiwan's state-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) has started the mass production of its land-based short-to-medium-range air-defence capability known as the Sky Sword II (locally termed Tien Chien II), a Republic o...
A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron takes off from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, for a deployment to an undisclosed Middle East location on 16 October 2023. (48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs)
The US conducted two rounds of strikes against what the Department of Defense (DoD) described as sites used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliates in response to attacks on US bases in Syria and Iraq.
On 8 November two US Air Force (USAF) F-15Es bombed what US Secretary of Defen...
The Kestrel rockets are free-flight and fin-stabilised. In the above picture, a Kestrel rocket launcher is shown with the HEAT (on the left) and HESH (on the right) munitions. (Janes/Patrick Allen)
Taiwan's Republic of China Army (RoCA) has ordered an additional 5,962 Kestrel individual shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon systems (ATWSs) from state-owned National Chung‐Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), a RoCA officer told Janes on 7 November.
The new order of 5,962 brings the total number of Kestrels to be procured to 10,96...
HII prepares to deliver Virginia-class submarine New Jersey as the company looks to open new markets through AUKUS deal. (Janes/Michael Fabey)
HII sees the AUKUS agreement made by Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States for submarine programme development as a vehicle for new international business.
“We actually see that as an opening of markets,” Christopher Kastner, HII CEO and president told investment analysts on 2 November, during a quarterly earnings call.
In particular, HII expects to r...
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...
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...
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...
The KaraOk anti-tank guided weapon (pictured above) is fitted with a tandem high-explosive anti-tank warhead designed to defeat explosive reactive armour. (Rocketsan Missiles Inc)
The Malaysian Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has selected Turkey's defence company Roketsan's KaraOK anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) for the Malaysian Army requirement of 18 medium-range anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) systems, Rahayu Bahaudin, general manager at Malaysia's Ketech Asia, told Janes on 26 October.
The contract has been signed, and Ketech Asia – which i...
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...
The Carl-Gustaf M4 (pictured above) is an 84 mm, shoulder-fired, one-manportable, breech-loaded, percussion-fired, recoilless rifle. (ECDI)
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) has ordered 300 Carl-Gustaf 84 mm shoulder-fired recoilless rifles from Swedish defence company Saab, the company said in a press release on 19 October.
Without specifying the Carl-Gustaf variant to be acquired by the JGSDF or the cost of the order, Saab said the rifles will be delivered in 2025.
Janes assesses that the JGSDF order potentially includes the pr...
A Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 transport aircraft performs a tactical take-off from an unprepared runway. (Lockheed Martin Aeronautics)
The Department of National Defense (DND) in Manila has announced plans to procure three Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules medium-lift transport aircraft for the Philippine Air Force (PAF).
The DND said on 17 October that it has issued a ‘notice to proceed' with the procurement and awarded the project to Lockheed Martin. It said deliveries are scheduled for July 2026, October 2026, and January 2027 respe...
The Type 10 MBT has a typical combat weight of 44 tonnes, although it can be stripped down to 40 tonnes for improved transportability via road, rail, or sea. This feature enables the tank to be rapidly deployed across the Japanese home islands. (Japan Ground Self-Defense Force)
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) will procure additional Type 10 main battle tanks (MBTs) and 155 mm/52 calibre Type 19 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) in fiscal year (FY) 2024, a spokesperson for the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) told Janes in mid-Octo...
The UK is deploying a naval task group comprising RFA Lyme Bay (pictured), RFA Argus , three Merlin HC Mk4 helicopters, and a company of Royal Marines as well as surveillance aircraft to the Eastern Mediterranean in the coming days to support Israel, reinforce regional stability, and prevent escalation. (Michael Nitz/Naval Press Service)
The UK government has announced plans to deploy a Royal Navy (RN) task force and surveillance aircraft to the Eastern Mediterranean as part of efforts to st...