The Bundestag's budget committee on 14 June approved the procurement of the Arrow Weapon System and Arrow 3 missiles for the Bundeswehr. (IAI)  The budget committee of the Bundestag, Germany's parliament, on 14 June approved the procurement of six IRIS-T SLM (Surface Launched Medium Range) ground-based air defence (GBAD) systems and the Arrow Weapon System (AWS), including missiles.  Germany plans to sign a letter of commitment with the Israeli government by the end of 2023 on the procurement of the AWS and Arrow 3 missiles, with a planned in...

The UK Royal Navy's Type 31 frigates are being equipped with the TACTICOS Baseline 2 combat management system. (NAVYPIX/Richard Scott)  The first Type 31 integrated combat system is on course to undergo factory acceptance testing (FAT) in the third quarter (Q3) of 2023, Thales has confirmed.  Speaking to media at Thales UK's facilities in Templecombe, UK, Julie Martin, naval senior account director, said that delivery of the first Type 31 mission system was on schedule.  “The key focus for us right now on the Type 31 is the fully integrated c...

A computer-generated image of the Sky Sonic. (Rafael Advanced Defense Systems)  Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced on 14 June that it is developing a new air-defence missile called the Sky Sonic to intercept hypersonic threats.  In a statement released ahead of the missile's official unveiling at the Paris Air Show on 19 June, the company claimed the new interceptor offers “exceptional manoeuvrability and high-speed capabilities” enabling it to counter hypersonic missiles travelling at Mach 10 with “unmatched precision and ste...

USS   Freedom  and USS   Independence  were both decommissioned in 2021.  (US Navy)  As the US Navy (USN) assesses some of the first overall fleet operations – and recreates operational concepts – for its littoral combat ships (LCSs), the service appears to be just as determined to quickly reduce LCS numbers as it was to introduce and augment the LCS force decades ago.  LCSs were initially designed decades ago and built to conduct antisubmarine warfare (ASW), surface warfare (SuW), and mine counter...

The US plans to take 15 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles from its reserves and send them to Ukraine. (US Transportation Command)  The US wants to supply more Stryker armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) in the latest assistance package to Ukraine.  The package will provide Ukraine with USD325 million worth of equipment from US stocks, the Pentagon announced on 13 June. The 15 Bradleys and 10 Strykers will help support Ukrainian offensive operations as vehicles are damaged, said Deputy Pentagon Pre...

Caracal offers its CAR 816 assault rifles, an example of which is pictured above, to the Malaysian Army. The rifles are chambered for the 5.56×45 mm cartridge. (Edge)  United Arab Emirates small-arms manufacturer Edge Group's Caracal subsidiary has offered its CAR 816assault rifles to the Malaysian Army.  A spokesperson of Edge told Janes that Caracal is “in discussion” with the Malaysian Army regarding the possible sale of CAR 816s to the service.  In late May Caracal signed an agreement with Ketech Asia for the production and resale of the...

The ZMT SR-50M may feature multiple calibre options in future. (Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów)  Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów (ZMT) presented its ZMT SR-50M anti-materiel sniper rifle at a conference held at the Military Institute of Armament Technology in Zielonka on 2 June 2023.  The event included the first live-firing demonstration of the 12.7 mm (.50) calibre bolt-action rifle since it passed initial factory trials earlier this year.  Roman Uznański, chief small arms designer at ZMT, told Janes that the ZMT SR-50M has a modular design and migh...

The US Marine Corps is focusing on developing better logistics. (Janes/Michael Fabey)  To lay the foundation for revamped US Marine Corps (USMC) expeditionary operations, USMC leadership has underscored the need to properly support dispersed forces with sufficient logistics.  In much the same way, the US Navy (USN) is developing its own somewhat similarly designed distributed lethality concept that also must provide the logistics support for those far-flung, thinly spread forces.    The USN acknowledges the importance of logistics force...

The Sea Ghost (above) can control up to four M-Searcher USVs operating in swarm. (Janes/Chinmay Kohad)  Hanwha Systems displayed its manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) solution for the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) at the MADEX 2023 exhibition in Busan, which concluded on 9 June. The concept features two types of unmanned surface vessel (USV) platforms – the Sea Ghost and the M-Searcher.  The Sea Ghost USV has a length of 12 m and a width of 3.5 m. This vessel is powered by two engines using hybrid propulsion, with two water-jets enabling a crui...

A new US government report cites concerns about installing hypersonic missile equipment on the USS   Zumwalt  .  (Janes/Michael Fabey)  Both US Navy (USN) vessel platforms lined up for the service's first Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) deployments face issues with scheduling and development, according to a US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released on 8 June.    The first USN platform lined up for the CPS weapon system is the guided-missile destroyer, USS   Zumwalt  (DDG 1000)....

A model of the Surion MCH displayed at MADEX 2023. (Janes/Chinmay Kohad)  Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and BAE Systems signed a contract agreement on 8 June to support delivery of the UK company's Archerfish Mine Neutralisation System (AMNS) for integration onto the KAI KUH-1 Surion mine-countermeasures helicopter (MCH).  The total number of AMNS units to be delivered to KAI under the agreement, which was signed at the MADEX 2023 exhibition held in Busan, is unknown. However, KAI intends to fit the MCH with four Archerfish systems and an...

The DRDO and SFC have conducted the flight test of the nuclear-capable Agni Prime missile from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha, India. The above picture shows the first test launch of the missile in June 2021. (DRDO via Press Information Bureau)  India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Strategic Forces Command (SFC) have conducted the flight test of a new-generation ballistic missile known as Agni Prime on 7 June, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.  According to a press release by the MoD on 8 J...

Japan's MoD has signed contracts with MHI to research hypersonic weapons and signed a contract with KHI to research new anti-ship missiles, an example of which is seen here on display at the DSEI Japan 2023 show. (Janes/Jon Grevatt)  Japan's Ministry of Defense (MoD) has signed contracts with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) to research and develop anti-ship and hypersonic missiles, according to an MoD press release on 6 June.  The MoD signed three contracts with MHI, which include hypersonic weapons resea...

Poongsan's 127 mm naval guided munition has a range of about 100 km. (Janes/Mike Plunkett)  South Korean ammunition firm Poongsan has unveiled a 127 mm gun-launched, extended-range guided munition for naval applications at the MADEX 2023 exhibition in Busan.    Dong Won Lee, Poongsan's director of defence products exports, told   Janes  that the concept of 127 mm Gliding Guided Naval Munition (GGNM) is centred on the projectile being fired on a steep trajectory to a high altitude, estimated to be in the region of 20 km....

The first Polish-made Patriot launcher and resupply vehicle delivered by Huta Stalowa Wola was displayed at International Defence Industry Exhibition MSPO 2021. (Janes/Jakub Link-Lenczowski)    Delivery of the first battery of the Wisła medium-range air-defence (MRAD) system to the Polish Armed Forces has been completed, Polish Armaments Agency (AA) spokesperson Kacper Bakuła told   Janes  on 2 June.   The programme, which will provide upper-tier air defence, is divided into two phases. Under phase one the first of the two...

The Fattah ballistic missile was displayed with a second re-entry vehicle (RV) and the motor that powers the RV. (Islamic Republic News Agency)  Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) unveiled what it described as unique hypersonic ballistic missile that cannot be intercepted by existing missile defences on 6 June.  The IRGC claimed the Fattah missile that was unveiled during an event attended by President Ebrahim Raisi has a range of 1,400 km, is highly manoeuvrable, and can hit its target accurately at a speed of Mach 13–15.  “It wi...

A model of the South Korea-developed CIWS-II on display at MADEX 2023. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  The Republic of Korea Navy's (RoKN's) Ulsan-class Batch III frigates will be equipped with the indigenously developed ‘CIWS-II' close in weapon system (CIWS) but only from 2026.  This indicative timeline is almost two years later than originally planned as the RoKN has requested for slight design changes to be made to the CIWS-II, said an LIG Nex1 representative who spoke to Janes at the International Maritime Defense Industry Exhibition (MADEX) 20...

Northrop Grumman's Forward Area Air Defense system provides C2 for SHORAD missions and supports C-UAS operations. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Northrop Grumman has successfully modernised Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania's air-defence capabilities, ensuring interoperability with NATO and US forces.  According to a company announcement on 5 June, Northrop Grumman has successfully fielded its Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD C2) system and provided training to the Baltics' armed forces.  In December 2021 the US Army – in support of US...

The Indian Army seeks to arm in-service BMP-2 ICVs – pictured above taking part in an Indian Army exercise in November 2022 – with anti-tank guided missiles. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has outlined plans to procure anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and general-purpose machine guns (GPMG) for the Indian Army.  The projects, which indicate India's efforts to enhance firepower along its borders with China and Pakistan, were initiated through requests for information (RFIs) issued by the MoD in early June.  The ATG...

India's Varunastra torpedo has undergone ‘combat' test-firings, with the weapon fitted with a high-explosive warhead, for the first time. (Bharat Dynamics Limited)  The Indian Navy and the country's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) undertook the first ‘combat' test-firing of the Varunastra heavyweight torpedo on 5 June.  Janes understands that the torpedo was fired from a Kamorta (Project 28)-class anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette at an Under Water Target System (UWTS) laid by INS Jalashwa (ex-USS Trenton), a refurbis...