Main features of the Blue Spear missile. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  In his May 2023 interview with Janes, Commander of the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN's) First Flotilla Colonel Ng Kok Yeng Daniel disclosed that the service will replace the Harpoon surface-to-surface missile (SSM) on its Formidable-class frigates with the Blue Spear SSM.  The missile will be incorporated as part of the Formidable class's mid-life upgrades (MLUs). This makes the RSN the first operator service to deploy the Blue Spear missile from seaborne units.  The Blue S...

An illustrative view of the MCH-101 helicopter with the Northrop Grumman airborne laser mine detection system. The aircraft type has since conducted deck landing trials on a Mogami-class frigate. (Northrop Grumman)  The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has conducted deck landing trials of the MCH-101 airborne mine countermeasures (AMCM) helicopter on one of its Mogami-class guided-missile frigates.    The milestone was confirmed by Fleet Air Squadron 51, a unit of the    JMSDF's Fleet Air Wing, on 13 July via an offici...

A model of the DP16 UAV displayed at the Defense & Security show in Bangkok in August 2022. ATIL used the DP16 to test-fire laser-guided bombs on 13 July. (Janes/Amit Kalra)  Thailand's Aero Technology Industry Company Limited (ATIL), which is partly controlled by the state-owned Defence Technology Institute (DTI), has test-fired laser-guided bombs (LGBs) using its DP16 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).  The test, announced by the DTI on 13 July, helped evaluate the strike capabilities of the DP16.  The DTI said two LGBs were launched from the D...

People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on 12 July. North Korea fired a Hwasong-18 ICBM earlier that day. (Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images)  North Korea has confirmed that the missile it fired on 12 July was a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), marking another milestone in the country's strategic weapons capabilities.  The confirmation was provided by state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in a statement published on i...

India's interest in acquiring a carrierborne variant of the Dassault Rafale potentially overshadows a competing bid by the Boeing F/A-18. In this 2018 photo, a French Navy Rafale M lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS   Harry S Truman  .  (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gitte Schirrmacher/US Navy)  The Indian government appears to be positioning itself for the procurement of 26 Dassault Rafale M carrier-based fighter aircraft for the Indian Navy.  The Indian Ministry of Defenc...

AUDS, a C-UAV system capable of detecting, tracking, and disrupting small UAVs, is being used by the Ukrainian military (library picture). (Blighter Surveillance Systems)  The Ukrainian military appears to be fielding a UK-developed counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) system.  Imagery posted on Twitter on 12 July closely resembles components of the Anti-UAV Defence System (AUDS) produced by UK companies Chess Dynamics, Blighter Surveillance Systems, and Enterprise Control Systems (ECS).  AUDS is designed to detect, track, classify, and di...

India's interest in acquiring a carrierborne variant of the Dassault Rafale potentially overshadows a competing bid by the Boeing F/A-18. In this 2018 photo, a French Navy Rafale M lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS   Harry S Truman  .  (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gitte Schirrmacher/US Navy)  The Indian government appears to be positioning itself for the procurement of 26 Dassault Rafale M carrier-based fighter aircraft for the Indian Navy.  According to Indian media rep...

Lockheed Martin completed another milestone in its efforts to integrate the PAC-3 missile with Aegis. (Lockheed Martin)  Lockheed Martin's Patriot Advanced Capability – 3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptor successfully communicated with the AN/SPY-1 radar, a key component in the Aegis Weapon System, for the first time, the company confirmed on 10 July.  “This successful test is a major step forward to fully integrate PAC-3 MSE into the Aegis Weapon System,” Tom Copeman, vice-president, Naval Systems, Lockheed Martin Missile...

As seen at the Paris Air Show 2023, the MBDA SCALP and Storm Shadow are essentially the same cruise missile as fielded by France and the UK, respectively. Ukraine will shortly be armed with both types, following President Emmanuel Macron's announcement of deliveries at the NATO summit in Vilnius. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to deliver “deep strike” missiles to Kyiv in the context of Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces.  Speaking at 2023 NATO Vilnius Summit in Lithuania,...

One of the BRDM-2 armoured reconnaissance vehicles donated by Egypt with M-30 howitzers in the background. (Ministère de la Défense Nationale du Niger)  The Armed Forces of Niger (FAN) has received a large consignment of military equipment from Egypt, the country's Ministry of National Defence (MDN) announced on 8 July.  It said the equipment included 30 BRMD-2 armoured reconnaissance vehicles, 12 122 mm M-30 howitzers, 12 mortars, 50 AK-47 assault rifles, 300 “light automatic rifles”, 1,900 pistols, other equipment and accessories that inclu...

Three years after suffering serious damage caused by a fire while it was undergoing its final major overhaul, the French Navy's Rubis-class SSN   Perle  has been returned to active service.  (French Navy)  The French Navy's fire-damaged Rubis Améthyste-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) Perle (S 606) has been returned to active service following the successful completion of its refit, repair, and upgrade period, the French Navy has announced.  Perle, the youngest of the French Navy's four remaining Rubi...

Austrian Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner (right) and Viola Amherd, head of Switzerland's Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection, and Sports (centre), signed a letter of intent with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (left) for Austria and Switzerland to join the German-led European Sky Shield Initiative during a trilateral meeting in Bern on 7 July. (DDPS)  Austria and Switzerland signed a letter of intent (LOI) to join the German-led European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) on air defence during a trilateral meeting with Germany i...

The NG7 ULMG has been developed based on customer feedback that sought a lighter machine gun with full rifle calibre. (IWI Ltd)  Israel Weapon Industries' (IWI's) new Negev 7 Ultra Light Machine Gun (NG7 ULMG) has been developed based on customer feedback that called for a lighter-weight, full rifle calibre machine gun, Janes has learnt.  Speaking to Janes, Ronen Hamudot, executive vice-president of SK Group – owner of IWI – said the design puts greater emphasis on portability and mobility. The weapon has already been supplied to an unnamed E...

The Australian DoD has ordered an additional batch of an unknown number of Saab's Carl-Gustaf M4 recoilless rifles with FCD 558 fire-control systems. (Saab)  Saab has received an order worth AUD56 million (USD37.2 million) from the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) to supply additional Carl-Gustaf M4 84 mm recoilless rifles, the Swedish company said on 4 July.  Without disclosing the number of M4s to be delivered, Saab said the additional batch of rifles will be equipped with FCD 558 fire-control systems (FCSs). Deliveries are scheduled...

USS   Charleston  conducted the first set of overseas mine-countermeasures operations.  (US Navy)  The littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Charleston (LCS 18) recently completed the first set of overseas mine-countermeasures (MCM) training missions during a 26-month forward deployment in the Western Pacific, US Navy (USN) officials confirmed.  “The emphasis was showing we have the mission package capable of doing MCM not just inside US waters, but doing it outside US waters in conjunction with other units,” Commander...

Taiwan's CM-34 IFV, fitted with its 30 mm gun, is pictured at the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition in 2019. (Janes/Kelvin Wong)  The United States Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has announced potential deals with Taiwan worth USD440.2 million to supply the island with 30 mm ammunition as well as spare parts for military vehicles and weapons.  The DSCA said on 29 June that the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) deals have been approved by the State Department. The proposed sales must be approved by the US Congress before b...

Artist impression of ASW frigates. (Damen Naval)  The Dutch Materiel and IT Command (COMMIT) signed a contract with Damen for the design, build, and delivery of four anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigates for the Netherlands and Belgian navies on 29 June.  At the same time, COMMIT signed a separate contract with Thales to equip the ships with its Above Water Warfare System (AWWS) fire control cluster and sensor suite.  Under their joint ASW Frigate (ASWF) programme, the Belgian and Dutch navies are procuring two ships each to replace their res...

Nammo MAC displays its .50-calibre polymer-cased ammunition at Modern Day Marine 2023 in Washington, DC. (Janes/Marc Selinger)  US-based ammunition provider Nammo MAC plans to double its production capacity “over the next couple of years” to meet growing demand, according to a company official.    MAC will implement the expansion by adding machines and staffing at its factory in Bay St Louis, Mississippi, which is about 60 miles (97 km) northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana, said Joe Gibbons, MAC's manager of government programmes. Founde...

The F-35 demonstrating its ability to carry four SDB II bombs (plus an AIM-120 AMRAAM) in each of its two internal weapons bays. (Raytheon)  A Norwegian request for the additional purchase of Raytheon GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) IIs (now known more commonly as StormBreaker) for its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters has been approved by the US State Department.  The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the approval on 28 June, saying that a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of up to 580 SDBs...

UK CGS General Patrick Sanders told the RUSI Land Warfare Conference 2023 on 26 June that the upgrade of more than 60 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems would contribute to making the British Army more lethal. (Crown copyright)  At the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Land Warfare Conference 2023 on 26 June, United Kingdom Chief of the General Staff (CGS) General Patrick Sanders outlined plans to make the British Army better prepared to fight in Europe. “We must have the confidence to structure ourselves to meet our core purpose – to fight...