The 110 mm electro-optic/infrared-guided Spike SR (pictured above) is the only disposable system in the Spike family of precision-guided munitions. (Rafael Advanced Defense Systems)  The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a contract worth INR2.87 billion (USD34.7 million) with Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems Pvt Ltd (KRAS) to deliver an unknown number of Spike anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) to the Indian Armed Forces, Rudra B Jadeja, managing director and CEO of KRAS, told Janes on 31 August.  According to a press statement by KRA...

Nag anti-tank guided missile. (Janes)  India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) recently confirmed to Janes that the Nag anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), the development of which was started in the 1980s, has cleared all the flight and user trials required for induction into the Indian Army. The DRDO is currently awaiting an order from the Indian Army for the missile, a DRDO official said.  The Nag ATGM was developed by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and the DRDO's Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) to meet...

Spanish Minister of Defense Margarita Robles and her Estonian counterpart, Hanno Pevkur, agreed that Spain would extend its NASAMS air-defence unit rotation in Estonia on 29 August. (Estonian MoD)  Spanish Minister of Defense Margarita Robles and her Estonian counterpart, Hanno Pevkur, agreed on the fringes of the 29–30 August EU defence ministerial meeting in Toledo, Spain, that Madrid would extend its National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) anti-air defence unit (UDAA) rotation in Estonia, the Baltic state's Ministry of Def...

Rheinmetall is producing 40,000 rounds of 35 mm rounds in 2023 for Gepard SPAAGs that Germany has supplied to Ukraine. (Rheinmetall)  Rheinmetall is on track to deliver 40,000 rounds of 35 mmammunition by the end of 2023 for the Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (SPAAGs) it has supplied to Ukraine. “Deliveries are being made in accordance with the contract,” a company spokesperson told Janes on 29 August.  During the 14 February Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Rheinmetall would produc...

Sweden mounts the IRIS-T SLS air-defence system on the trailer section of the BvS10 armoured all-terrain vehicle. (Försvarsmakten/Jessica Krantz)    Germany has bought back 200 IRIS-T SLS (Surface Launched Short Range) air-defence missiles from Sweden to supply to Ukraine,   Janes  has learnt.   The Swedish missiles are being refurbished by Diehl Defence and will replenish IRIS-T SLM (Surface Launched Medium Range) missiles that have been fired by Ukrainian forces defending against Russian air attacks.  Sweden will procure...

A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system is a critical capability for US missile defence in Guam. Shyu said the US and Australia are working together to figure out how to integrate missile defence systems. (US Army)  The US is set to step up its technology partnerships with Australia in the coming months with an AUKUS-related announcement in the fall, the Department of Defense's (DoD's) chief technology officer announced on 29 August.  As part of the Australia, US, and United Kingdom subdevelopment agreement, US President J...

Japan intends to equip its fleet of Mitsubishi-Boeing F-15Js with AGM-158B/B-2 JASSM-ERs for stand-off attacks. Other aircraft in the JASDF, such as transport aircraft, could also be armed with missiles. (Lockheed Martin)  The US Department of State has approved a possible Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of AGM-158B/B-2 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range (JASSM-ER) to Japan.  The 28 August announcement follows a Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) disclosure that it is trying to develop and procure a stand-off missile launch...

The Rheinmetall-Diehl-Hensoldt ARGE NNbS working group is offering FlaRakPz (left) and fire control (right) versions of the Boxer armoured vehicle for the Bundeswehr's mobile air defence. (ARGE NNbS)  The Rheinmetall Electronics, Diehl Defence, and Hensoldt Sensors Arbeitsgemeinschaft (ARGE) Nah- und Nächstbereichsschutz (NNbS) short- and very short-range air defence (V/SHORAD) working group submitted its best and final offer (BAFO) to the Bundeswehr on 9 August, Oliver Hoffmann, Rheinmetall's head of press and public relations, announced dur...

India's Nirbhay cruise missile, displayed above at Defexpo 2020 in Lucknow, will be equipped with Small Turbofan Engines, enhanced radio frequency seekers, and other subsystems to transform it into the proposed Long-Range Land Attack Cruise Missile. (Janes/Rahul Udoshi )  India's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh, has accorded an Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to procurethe Long-Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) for the Indian Air Force.  The AoN is the sixth step in Indian defence procurem...

Six Iranian Khorramshahr ballistic missiles are seen flanked by Haj Qasem ballistic missiles during the handover ceremony. (president.ir)  Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) officially received what appeared to be its first Khorramshahr and Haj Qasem ballistic missiles in a ceremony attended by President Ebrahim Raisi to mark the Defence Industry Day on 22 August.  Six liquid-fuel Khorramshahrs were shown with three solid-propellant Haj Qasems on either side during the ceremony, all of them on transporter erector launchers (TELs)....

The Spike LR II (pictured above) is being tested by an infantry team in manportable configuration. This is a fifth‐generation portable fire‐and‐forget ATGM system. (Rafael Advanced Defense Systems)  The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has signed a contract with Rafael Australia to procure an unknown number of Spike LR II long-range anti‐tank guided missiles (ATGMs) for Boxer 8×8 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRVs), the company announced on 22 August.  According to Rafael, the procurement is part of Australia's Guided Weapons and Expl...

Poland's first K239 Chunmoo MRL mounted on a Polish Jelcz vehicle was delivered by sea to the Port of Gdańsk, Poland, on 21 August. (Polish Armaments Agency)  Poland's first K239 Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher (MRL) mounted on a Jelcz launch vehicle was delivered by sea to the Port of Gdańsk on 21 August 2023, the Polish Armaments Agency (AA) announced on its website on the same day.    Asked for more details, Hanwha Aerospace sent   Janes  a press release on 23 August, originally distributed only to Polish media on 29 June,...

Elbit Systems ReDrone C-UAS solution has been acquired by the Netherlands Ministry of Defence. (Elbit Systems)  The Netherlands has acquired new counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) from Elbit Systems for GBP43 million (USD55 million), the company announced on 21 August.  As part of the contract, the company will supply several mobile, stationary, and deployed configurations of its ‘ReDrone' integrated C-UAS solution. Logistics and training will also be provided.    A Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson told   J...

Elbit Systems ReDrone C-UAS solution has been acquired by the Netherlands Ministry of Defence. (Elbit Systems)  The Netherlands has acquired new counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) from Elbit Systems for GBP43 million (USD55 million), the company announced on 21 August.  As part of the contract, the company will supply several mobile, stationary, and deployed configurations of its ‘ReDrone' integrated C-UAS solution. Logistics and training will also be provided.  The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) did not respond to Janes regard...

The US government has approved the sale of the AWS to Germany. (IAI)  The US government has approved the sale of the Arrow Weapon System (AWS) to Germany, the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) announced on its website on 17 August. The approval paves the way for the IMOD, the German Ministry of Defence (MoD), and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to sign a USD3.5 billion agreement on the procurement, Israel's largest ever defence deal, according to the IMOD.  The Israeli and German MoDs will sign a letter of commitment to start work immediate...

The HIMARS, pictured above from a US Army exercise, can hit targets at a range of 70 km using the Multiple Launch Rocket System Family of Munitions, both guided and unguided, and 300 km with the MGM-142 Army Tactical Missile System. (US Army/Sgt 1st Class Steven Queen)  The US Department of State has approved the possible Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of M142 High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARSs) and related equipment to the Australian government for an estimated cost of USD975 million.  The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (D...

The Royal Australian Navy Hobart-class destroyer, HMAS   Sydney  , firing a Harpoon missile during Exercise ‘Pacific Vanguard 2022'. The class will soon be equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles.  (Commonwealth of Australia)  The Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) fleet of Hobart-class air warfare destroyers will be equipped with the Tomahawk cruise missile, making Australia one of only three countries to field this weapon alongside the US and the UK.  The matter was disclosed by Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and...

The Standard Missile-3 Block IIA missile, pictured above launching from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii, is jointly developed by the US and Japan. The MDA said the GPI joint development with Japan will be pursued in a construct similar to that used for the SM-3 missile. (US MDA)  The US and Japan have initiated the joint development of a Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) to counter hypersonic weapons, the US Department of Defense (DoD) announced on 18 August.  According to the DoD, during the January 2023 Security Consultative Commit...

Raytheon Technologies is building the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor for the US Army's integrated missile defence architecture in Guam. (Raytheon)  The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) transitioned its power to the US Army in June 2023 on the integrated missile defence of Guam effort, service leaders announced recently.  The memo – signed by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks – establishing Army Sustainment Command as the lead service for Guam's defence, went out in June, Lieutenant General Robert Rasch, director of the Rapid C...

The 4×4 Waran launcher vehicle of the Gladius system with the FT-5 tactical reconnaissance UAV mounted. To the left is the training version of the BSP-U strike UAV. (Jakub Link-Lenczowski)  The Polish army unveiled the components of its new Gladius artillery strike-reconnaissance system during a military parade on 15 August, displaying a commander's vehicle and a mobile launcher vehicle, the FT-5 tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and the training version of the BSP-U strike UAV (BSP-U(T)).  Huta Stalowa Wola's (HSW) Waran 4×4 is used as...