First-in-class TCG   Istanbul  will feature 16 VLS cells.   (STM)  Follow-on Istanbul-class frigates,İzmir, İzmit, and Içel, will feature additional vertical launching systems (VLSs), a TAIS Shipyards official confirmed to Janes.  Speaking at the IDEF 2023 exhibition in Istanbul, the official, however, declined to comment further on how many additional VLS cells the three frigates would be equipped with.  TCG Istanbul, the first vessel of the class, will feature 16 cells of Turkey's locally produced National Vert...

A still taken from video footage of UVision's loitering munition test in Finland's High North. (UVision)  Israeli loitering munition specialist UVision has conducted a series of cold weather and high-altitude test flights in the Arctic and Himalayas.    UVision confirmed to   Janes  it had successfully satisfied “winter battlefield requirements in the Arctic region”, although company officials were unable to provide specific details because of customer sensitivities.   Officials confirmed Hero-120 – the company's medium-si...

The Stryker ICVs are designed to provide users with a common platform that enables a highly mobile rapid response formation. The above picture shows a Stryker from the US Army's 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team. (US Army)  The United States and India are exploring a partnership to jointly develop and produce land systems including mobility systems and howitzers.  In support of the shared commitment by the US and India to advance defence industrial co-operation, both sides have committed to jointly develop and produce military systems, potenti...

The Australian Department of Defence said the first firing of the MGM-140 ATACMS within the country – at Exercise ‘Talisman Sabre' 2023 – demonstrated logistical co-ordination between Australian and US forces to employ the missile over long distances. (Lockheed Martin Vought Systems)  The US fired an MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) for the first time in Australia as part of Exercise ‘Talisman Sabre' 2023, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said on 3 August.  According to the DoD, the Lockheed Martin ATACMS surface-to-sur...

Denmark received its first ATMOS and PULS artillery systems. (Elbit Systems)  Denmark has received its first 155 mm/52 calibre Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS) self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and Precise and Universal Launching System (PULS) multiple rocket launcher (MRL) artillery systems, Elbit Systems tweeted on 3 August. The tweet included a video of one ATMOS on an 8×8 platform and two PULS systems on 6×6 platforms being delivered to a Danish port.  The Israeli company said the systems were delivered a few months after th...

The four Horizon-class anti-air warfare frigates in service with the navies of France and Italy. (Thales)  Naviris and Eurosam have been awarded a EUR1.5 billion (USD1.7 billion) contract from the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) for the mid-life upgrade (MLU) of four Franco-Italian Horizon-class anti-air warfare (AAW) frigates.  The contract follows a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by representatives from Italy and France at the Paris Air Show on 20 June.  Built under a joint programme between Fincantieri and Nav...

Belarus is seeking to establish an indigenous Shahed production facility. An Iranian-made Shahed-136 is seen in an underground facility, in a video released by Iran's IRGC in March 2022. (IMA Media)  Belarus is likely seeking to establish an indigenous Iranian Shahed loitering munition production facility, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on 31 July.  Belarusian Defence Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin and his Iranian counterpart Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani met in Iran on 31 July to sign a memorandum of und...

WB Electronics exhibited the full Topaz ICMS hardware configuration for the FONET network at Eurosatory 2022. (Jakub Link-Lenczowski)    Poland has proven the interoperability of its army's    Topaz integrated combat management system (ICMS)    with US artillery command-and-control systems. During trials at Poland's War Studies University in Rembertów from 7 to 21 July, Topaz was successfully plugged into the Artillery Systems Cooperation Activities (ASCA) interface.   To join ASCA, Poland must prove the interoper...

The US and Australia have agreed to deepen co-operation on guided weapons including the sustainment and upgrade of the Standard Missile-2, pictured above being fired from Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS   Newcastle  .  (Australian Department of Defence )  The US and Australia have agreed to strengthen co-operation on Canberra's drive to locally develop and produce guided weapons. The agreement was announced in late July at the 33rd Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) held in Brisbane, according to a...

The four Horizon-class anti-air warfare frigates in service with the navies of France and Italy. (Thales)  Naviris and Eurosam have been awarded a EUR1.5 billion (USD1.7 billion) contract from the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) for the mid-life upgrade (MLU) of four Franco-Italian Horizon-class anti-air warfare (AAW) frigates.  The contract follows a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by representatives from Italy and France at the Paris Air Show on 20 June.  Built under a joint programme between Fincantieri and Nav...

Poland is establishing a HIMARS academy and the 1st Rocket Brigade. (Polish MND)  Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak approved the establishment of a High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) academy and the 1st Rocket Brigade, Błaszczak's ministry announced on its website on 27 July. The brigade will be based in Toruń in north-central Poland and Orzysz, 120 km from the Belarusian border.  Modelled on the Abrams Tank Training Academy in Biedrusko, the HIMARS academy will provide training and lo...

Roketsan's UAV-230 air-to-surface ballistic supersonic missile is integrated into Akıncı's UCAV, and all missile tests are conducted from this platform. (Roketsan)  Roketsan's UAV-230 air-to-surface supersonic missile is in its final qualification phase and is scheduled to begin series production by the end of 2023, the company announced at the 16th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) held from 25 to 28 July in Istanbul, where a prototype of the missile was displayed. According to Roketsan, the UAV-320 will enter service in 2024.  The...

The VAMPIRE remote weapon system. (L3Harris)  L3Harris has selected Alabama-based EOS Defense Systems to support the Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE) programme, which has been tagged by the US Department of Defense (DoD) as one of several weapon systems bound for Ukraine.  The Pentagon contracted L3Harris to integrate the VAMPIRE remote weapon system (RWS) into DoD-provided combat vehicles scheduled for delivery to Ukrainian defence forces. Under the terms of t...

A TV screen showing an image of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile at a North Korean military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice. (Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)  North Korea has for the first time displayed its Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at a public event. The weapon was showcased at a parade on 27 July to mark the 70th anniversary of Korean Armistice Agreement.  The Hwasong-18 is a nuclear-capable ICBM that has been test-fired twice thus far....

EDePro unveiled its new Hurricane 262 mm surface-to-surface rocket at IDEF 2023. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)  Serbian company Engine Development & Production (EDePro) displayed its new Hurricane 262 mm unguided surface-to-surface rocket at the 16th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) held from 25 to 28 July in Istanbul. With a range of up to 70.7 km, the rocket is intended for attacking motor rifle and infantry units in concentration areas, on the march, and in battlefield mode, as well as artillery and mortar batteries, air-defence unit...

Rokestan MAM-L IIR munition. (Janes/Raghuraman CS)  Roketsan unveiled new variants of its Mini Akıllı Mühimmat (MAM) smart micro munition at the 16th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) held in Istanbul from 25 to 28 July.  The new additions were publicly displayed for the first time and include imaging infrared (IIR), designated as MAM-L IIR and MAM-T IIR, and dual seeker variants, designated as MAM-T Dual Seeker (MAM-T DS).  The lightweight MAM munitions are modular air‐launched, precision-guided weapons developed for use from unmann...

GIDS Taimur air-launched cruise missile prototype at the IDEF 2023 show. (Janes/Raghuraman CS)  Pakistan's state-owned Global Industrial & Defence Solutions (GIDS) unveiled a range of air-launched weapons at the 16th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) held in Istanbul from 25 to 28 July.  Prototypes of the Taimur air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) and FAAZ air-to-air missiles (AAM) were displayed for the first time.  Optimised as a fast jet-launched missile for air-to-surface missions, the Taimur (also known as Taimoor) is designed a...

Global Industrial & Defence Solutions AZB range extension kit for converting Mk 80-series general-purpose bombs into PGM. (Janes/Raghuraman CS)  Pakistan's state-owned Global Industrial & Defence Solutions (GIDS) revealed details of new range-extension and precision-guidance kits under development for Mk 84 general-purpose bombs at the 16th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF), held in Istanbul from 25 to 28 July.  The prototype wing-assisted guidance kits, designated as AZB-V and AZB-VI, convert the air-droppable, unguided low-drag gen...

Roketsan UMTAS-GM ATGM (side view). In comparison with the original UMTAS, distinct differences are visible in the nose section and control surfaces. (Janes/Raghuraman CS)  Roketsan debuted its latest Long-Range Anti-Tank System – Future Combat System (Uzun Menzilli Tanksavar Sistemi – Geleceğin Muharebe Sistemi: UMTAS-GM) anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) at the 16th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) held in Istanbul from 25 to 28 July.  The company, which produces the UMTAS and L-UMTAS ATGMs, has optimised the latest variant for use...

Unirobotics' Trakon Targan RWS on display at IDEF 2023. (Janes/Prathamesh Karle)    Turkey-based Unirobotics' remote weapon stations (RWSs) will be integrated on the Turkish navy's offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) and unmanned surface vessels (USVs), Unirobotics board member Cem Kurter confirmed to   Janes  at the 16th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) held in Istanbul.   Among the RWSs displayed by Unirobotics at IDEF 2023, the Trakon Targan, developed in partnership with Havelsan, will be integrated on the Hisar-c...