KAI's two-tiered combat MUM-T concept involves a formation of four unmanned fighters paired with a single KAI KF-21 fighter aircraft with an additional three to four smaller air-launched effects (designated by KAI as Adaptable Aerial Platforms) providing additional support. (Janes)  After unveiling a new unmanned fighter (or ‘loyal wingman') programme in support of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 in May 2023, two KAI officials told Janes that the company is also conceptualising air-launched effects (ALEs) to be linked to the unmann...

This infographic shows  Poongsan's 155 mm shells for the K9 Howitzer. A photograph of a cutaway version of the extended range 155 mm shell appears at the bottom.  (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)  The South Korean metal and munition manufacturer, Poongsan, has said that it has developed a new extended-range version of its 155 mm ammunition for the Hanwha Land Systems K9 self-propelled howitzer (SPH).    Speaking to   Janes   during the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2023, a company representative s...

Germany's AWS will be based at Holzdorf Air Base starting in 2025. (IAI)  German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius visited Holzdorf Air Base, 100 km south of Berlin, on 16 October, where Germany will base components of the Luftwaffe's Arrow Weapon System (AWS) and CH-47F Chinook helicopters.  Pistorius told journalists that Arrow would be based in Holzdorf starting in 2025, although he did not know if the conflict between Israel and Hamas would have an impact on production of the system. He said other locations in southern and northern Germany...

The Netherlands will donate more Patriot missiles to Ukraine (photo of Dutch Patriot air-defence system firing during a training exercise in Crete in October 2016). (Netherlands MoD)  The Netherlands will donate more Patriot air-defence missiles to Ukraine, Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren told parliament on 13 October, also on behalf of Minister of Foreign Affairs Hanke Bruins Slot and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Liesje Schreinemacher.  The decision follows Germany's announcement earlier in October that it wo...

A trial to standardise the assessment of C-UAS technologies was held in Belgium in October 2023. Pictured here are OpenWorks Vision Flex optical detection capability and the Iris system from Robin Radar. (Belgian Ministry of Defence/Gert-Jan D'Haene)  A trial to standardise the assessment of counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) was held from 2 to 5 October at Lombardsijde barracks, Belgium.  Organised by the Belgium Royal Military Academy (KMS) and announced by the Belgian Ministry of Defence on 12 October, project Courageous aims to de...

The UK is providing Ukraine with the Terrahawk Paladin VSHORAD system to counter UASs. (MSI-DS/RMMV)    Air-defence equipment was among the kit Western countries pledged to supply Kyiv in the lead-up to and during the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting    held at NATO headquarters in Brussels on 11 October. It was the first UDCG meeting attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke of his country's need for additional ground-based air-defence capabilities, as well as artillery platforms and munitions,...

Aluminium printed by the US Marine Depot Maintenance Command's Production Plant in Barstow, California. (US Marine Corps)  The war in Ukraine is reshaping how the US Army is looking at logistics and readiness as the service examines more opportunities to boost those operations through advanced manufacturing technologies and other innovations, according to Army Chief of Staff General Randy George.  The service established a Contested Logistics Cross-Functional Team (CLCFT) earlier in 2023, Gen George noted on 10 October during the Association...

The future of US homeland defence likely includes a need to protect the army's ability to deploy from domestic bases. (376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs/Staff Sgt Stacy Jonsgaard)  US Army North is examining the impact of emerging technologies on homeland defence through to 2040, with implications for how the ground service would project power in the event of a conflict with near-peer competitors such as Russia or China.  The Future of Homeland Defense project grew out of several years of work that informally began during the US gov...

Moldova has acquired a GM 200 radar from Thales. The system operates in the 2–4 GHz frequency range and can detect threats up to 24,384 m (80,000 ft) in altitude. (Thales)  Moldova has acquired a new tactical air-defence radar from Thales following a meeting between the French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu and Moldovan Minister of Defense Anatolie Nosatîi.  The agreement is for a Ground Master (GM) 200 medium-range radar, the French Ministry of Armed Forces announced on 6 October. While at the event, Lecornu said he wanted t...

A screengrab of a video posted in October by the Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shows the destroyed Russian R-330ZH Zhitel Automated Jamming Station. (Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine)  A Russian R-330ZH Zhitel Automated Jamming Station has been destroyed in the Zaporizhzhia region in Ukraine.  According to an announcement on 9 October by the Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the attack was “completed by artillerymen” and supported by its SOF units.  R-330Z...

Sig Sauer displays its XM250 automatic rifle at the AUSA 2023 annual conference. (Janes/Meredith Roaten)  As the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) programme enters its limited-user test phase, Sig Sauer says its XM7 and XM250 meet the army's requirements for toxic fumes.    The replacement for the M4/M4A1 carbine weapon, the XM7, and the replacement for the M249 squad automatic weapon, the XM250, both had pressure built up in the chambers of the weapons that led to toxic fumes being pushed out, Jason St John, senior director of governm...

GD OTS expects to submit its RGW90 (bottom) and/or its RGW60 (top) to compete for the army's XM919 IAM requirement. (Janes/Daniel Wasserbly)  The US Army is moving ahead with a long-planned effort to consolidate and update its shoulder-launched munitions (SLMs) and issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the XM919 system in September 2023, Janes learnt at the annual Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2023 symposium in Washington, DC.  The service's Project Manager Close Combat Systems's (PM CCS's) Individual Assault Munition (IAM)...

BrahMos ER is an improved variant of baseline BrahMos (pictured above) taking part in India's Republic Day parade. The estimated range of the extended variant is 72% (between 450 and 500 km) more than the baseline version range of 290 km. (Indian Ministry of Defence)  The BrahMos Missile Regiment of the Indian Army has test-fired a land-attack version of extended range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile (BrahMos ER) from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 10 October, an Indian Army official told Janes.  The official said the test was part of t...

Hirtenberger Defence Technology's ArcFire in use by the Royal Danish Army with its 81 mm mortars. (Hirtenberger Defence Technology)  Hirtenberger Defence Technology has continued to make progress with its ArcFire indirect fire-control system (FCS), including integrating it with both command-and-control (C2) and simulation systems.  Speaking to Janes, Ian Garnett, Hirtenberger's CEO, said the relationship with Mandus Group, which produces the Hawkeye high mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicle (HMMVW)-mounted 105 mm artillery system, continued...

The Israel Defense Forces has operated an Iron Dome in the region to intercept rocket attacks. Since the outbreak of the most recent conflict, the US Army has declined to say if it will provide its own Iron Dome batteries or Tamir missiles in support of its ally. (Rafael)  The US Army's Iron Dome mobile, short-range air-defence system is operating with one of the service's Multi-Domain Task Forces (MDTFs) based in the Pacific, General James Rainey, commander of Army Futures Command, announced 9 October.  Designed by Israeli company Rafael, th...

The MRSAM system (pictured above) can intercept multiple targets at ranges up to 70 km. (Israel Aerospace Industries)    The Indian Air Force (IAF) has deployed an air-defence system known as the medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM) near India's northwestern borders with Pakistan, an IAF source told   Janes  on 9 October  .  The MRSAM – which is the domestic variant of the Israeli-developed Barak-8 SAM system – is deployed at Air Force Station (AFS) Adampur in Jalandhar district, Punjab, the source added.  AFS Adam...

BAE Systems displays the XM1155-SC projectile at the AUSA 2023 annual defence conference. (Janes/Meredith Roaten)  BAE Systems and a Boeing-Nammo team have both claimed to break records for the US Army's XM1155 programme, the companies announced on 9 October.  In September, BAE Systems fired its XM1155-SC guided projectile “the furthest distance an M109 Paladin has ever fired a guided projectile”, according to a press release. The Boeing- and Nammo-developed 155 mm projectile set the record for the “longest indirect fire test of a ramjet-powe...

SmartShooter is supplying its lightest weapon-mounted fire control system, the SMASH 2000L, to the US for C-sUAS defence. (SmartShooter)    Smart Shooter's US subsidiary on 3 October was contracted to supply more of its SMASH 2000L weapon-mounted fire control systems to the US Army for counter-small unmanned aerial system (C-sUAS) defence, the company told   Janes  .   SMASH optics uses image processing to automatically acquire a target from a weapon sight's field-of-view (FOV) and then displays a box around the target in...

A quadcopter co-ordinating autonomously alongside a UGV in a de-mining exercise in Belgium in September 2023, supported by the European Defence Agency. (European Defence Agency)  A de-mining exercise involving an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and two unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) was held in Belgium in September to assess the application of artificial intelligence (AI) for improvised explosive device (IED) detection.  The exercise, supported by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and announced on 2 October, involved a quadcopter and two UGVs...

The US Army is confident its LRHW can be fielded this year despite a recent flight-test cancellation. (US Navy)  Despite testing delays, army officials are bullish that a new Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) could be fielded by the end of 2023.  “We are confident in the calendar year,” James Mills, deputy director of the Army Hypersonics Project Office in the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), said during a 9 October briefing at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual conference in Washington, DC....