The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS   Barry   is seen here launching a Tomahawk cruise missile. Japan is seeking to accelerate its acquisition of this capability.   (US Navy)  Japan is accelerating efforts to procure selected stand-off weapons, including the US-supplied Tomahawk cruise missile, amid deteriorating security conditions in the region.  The matter was announced by the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) on 5 October.  “The Ministry of Defense and the [Japan] Self-Defense Forces will str...

Kimon  , the first FDI frigate for the Hellenic Navy, was officially launched at Naval Group's Lorient shipyard on 4 October.   (Naval Group)  French shipbuilder Naval Group has officially launched the first Frégate de Défense et d'Intervention (FDI) multimission frigate on order for the Hellenic Navy (HN).  A formal launch ceremony for the future HS Kimon (F 601) was held at Naval Group's shipyard in Lorient, France, on 4 October following the ship's technical launch the previous week. Kimon was laid down in October 2022 and f...

An unarmed Trident II (D5LE) missile launches from the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS   Wyoming   during a Demonstration and Shakedown Operation 31 in September 2021. A similar test was conducted on 27 September 2023 from the submarine USS   Louisiana  .  (US Navy)    The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS   Louisiana  (SSBN 743) launched an unarmed life-extended Trident II (D5LE) missile on 27 September on the Western Test Range off the coast of San Diego, Califor...

Germany and Israel signed a joint declaration of intent on 28 September on the procurement of the Arrow Weapon System for the Luftwaffe. (IAI)  German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, signed a joint declaration of intent in Berlin on 28 September on Germany's procurement of the Arrow Weapon System (AWS) for the Luftwaffe.  Pistorius said afterwards in a joint press conference with Gallant that “the Arrow system will prepare German air defence for the future”, with the system defending Germany from ba...

Northrop Grumman's Stand-in Attack Weapon. (Northrop Grumman)  The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded Northrop Grumman a USD705 million contract to develop and test the Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW), an air-to-ground missile intended to strike high-priority targets, the company announced on 25 September.  SiAW is designed to be carried internally by the Lockheed Martin F-35, which cannot employ ground attack missiles currently in the arsenal. The missile will also be integrated with other USAF platforms, although the F-35 is scheduled to be the...

The 81 mm mobile mortar system mounted on a HMMWV was showcased for the first time at the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition 2023 (TADTE 2023) held in Taipei from 14 to 16 September. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense's (MND's) Armaments Bureau has developed an 81 mm mobile mortar system mounted on a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV), a spokesperson for the bureau told Janes in mid-September.  The system is already deployed to an undisclosed number of Republic of China Army's (RoCA's...

The upgrade by Srboauto modernises the legacy 2S1 self-propelled artillery system for the Serbian Armed Forces. (Janes/Christopher Petrov)  Serbia's Srboauto has begun modernising the Serbian Army's 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems. The upgrade includes the ability to fire extended-range munitions, a defensive 7.62 mm machine gun for the commander, and a new fire-control system (FCS). An example of the upgrade was displayed at the Partner 2023 defence exhibition in Belgrade.  The 2S1 retains its 122 mm main armament, but with the...

The third Italian Navy PPA,   Raimondo Montecuccoli,  was formally handed over at Fincantieri's Muggiano shipyard on 27 September.  (Fincantieri)  Fincantieri has delivered the Italian Navy's first multi-purpose offshore patrol ship (Pattugliatore Polivalente d'Altura: PPA) configured for medium-intensity (light plus) operations.  Raimondo Montecuccoli (P 432) was handed over during a formal ceremony held at Fincantieri's shipyard in Muggiano, Trieste, on 27 September.  Laid down in November 2018 and launched in...

Japan's new medium-range AAM programme will assimilate research findings from the earlier Joint New AAM (JNAAM) project. (Japan Ministry of Defense/Janes)  Japan has said it will develop a new medium-range air-to-air missile (AAM) to arm its sixth-generation Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) fighter aircraft.  According to a spokesperson of the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) and the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA), development of the missile will begin in Japan fiscal year (JFY) 2024.  The spokesperson told Janes that the...

The M12 (top) is a 30×173 mm calibre autocannon that is already being fitted to Serbian armoured fighting vehicles. (Janes)  Serbia's Zastava has developed a new 30 mm autocannon that can fire NATO-standard munitions.  The company debuted its M12 autocannon at the Partner 2023 defence exhibition in Belgrade, and is already delivering the system for upgrades to in-service Serbian military armoured fighting vehicles, including the BVP M-80AB2.  The gas-operated autocannon has a dual-feed capability. This enables the operator to fire two types o...

The Pasars-16 has received four Rada radars and is armed with one 40 mm cannon, two types of surface-to-air missiles, and a pair of anti-tank guided missiles. (Janes/Christopher Petrov)  Serbia's Military Technical Institute (MTI) has developed a new version of the Pasars-16 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun and missile system.  The new variant was debuted at the Partner 2023 defence exhibition in Belgrade and features Rada's RPS-42 radar, otherwise known as the Multi-Mission Hemispheric Radar.  Pasars-16 carries an array of weaponry. It is eq...

The new class of the ASWFs is planned to enter service with the Netherlands and Belgian navies from 2029 to 2031. (Damen)  Dutch shipbuilder Damen Naval has awarded Heinen & Hopman a contract to supply the climate and filtration systems for the four new anti-submarine warfare frigates (ASWFs) on order for the Netherlands and Belgian navies.  Under the contract, announced on 26 September, the Spakenburg-based company will supply a complete heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAR-R) system as well as a chemical, biologic...

An Autel Evo Max UAV and a DJI Matrice quadcopter flying above a General Dynamics Land Systems LAV700 vehicle at C-UAS TIE23. (Janes/Olivia Savage)  NATO will publish its first counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) doctrine in 2023, which will lay the foundations for how militaries should standardise and operationalise countering UASs, Janes has learnt.  Along with informing members how best to plan and execute C-UAS missions, the high-priority document will address and outline the strategic environment, Senior Advisor for NATO's Science...

Reminiscent of an earlier trend in SPAAG design, the Harpas system utilises a M-84 main battle tank hull combined with a turret equipped with anti-aircraft weaponry. (Janes/Christopher Petrov)  Serbia's Military Technical Institute (MTI) unveiled its Harpas self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) and missile system at the Partner 2023 defence exhibition in Belgrade.  Harpas utilises a modern radar connected to a pair of 40 mm L/70 Bofors anti-aircraft cannons, which feature on other recent anti-aircraft systems including the in-service Pasar...

The US Army's XM7 rifle uses 6.8 mm ammunition. The rifle will be delivered to soldiers for a limited user test in October. (US Army)  The US Army will deliver the XM250 automatic rifle and the XM7 rifle to a unit in the 101st Airborne Division by the second quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2024, according to army officials.  The 101st Airborne Division received the first deliveries of the weapon on 20 September and will test those weapons in limited user tests starting in October, officials said during a media day at Aberdeen Proving Ground. The...

The laser weapon demonstrator installed on the German Navy's F 124 air-defence frigate FGS   Sachsen  will inform further development of operational laser weapon systems.  (MBDA)  The German armed forces (Bundeswehr) has successfully completed an extended laser weapon trial at sea onboard the Germany Navy's F 124 air-defence frigate FGS Sachsen.  Announcing the milestone on 22 September Rheinmetall Waffe Munition (RWM) said the laser weapon demonstrator (LWD) had performed more than 100 test-firings onboard Sachs...

Rheinmetall announced on 12 September that it had transferred a Role 2 containerised mobile field hospital to Ukraine, with two more to follow in late 2023 and early 2024. (Rheinmetall)  European countries announced new weapon donations to Ukraine in the lead up to or during the 15th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, southwestern Germany, on 19 September.  In a press conference following the meeting, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who chairs the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, noted announcements by Germ...

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu is shown a ‘351 land-attack cruise missile' at Iran's IRGC Aerospace Force museum in Tehran. (Russian Ministry of Defence)  The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that missiles previously only displayed by Yemen's Houthi rebels are Iranian, when it released photographs of Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu inspecting them during a visit to Tehran on 20 September. The missiles were also seen in footage broadcast by the Sputnik news agency.  The weapons included the cruise missile that Ansar Allah...

According to DAPA, the new KTSSM-II will have a greater range than the baseline KTSSM (pictured above), which Hanwha has said has a range of between 130 and 180 km. (Janes/Jon Grevatt)  South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has said it will invest KRW290 billion (USD218 million) over the next four years to complete the development of an upgraded version of its guided Korean Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile (KTSSM).  DAPA said on 19 September that funds for development of the new KTSSM-II will be available from Sep...

The Lithuanian Air Force conducted its first live firing of NASAMS during Exercise ‘Silver Arrow 2023' held in Norway. (Norwegian Armed Forces)  The Lithuanian Air Force (LAF) conducted its first live firing of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) III medium-range air-defence system during Exercise ‘Silver Arrow 2023', the Norwegian Armed Forces announced on their website on 15 September. The firing took place at the Nordmela missile firing range on Andøya in Nordland, Norway, and was supported by Ørland airbase's air-...