Slovak self-propelled artillery battalions are equipped with the Zuzana self-propelled howitzer armed with a 155 mm gun. (Kerametal)  Janes learnt details of the plans for the Slovak Armed Forces' artillery on the last day of Defence iQ's Future Artillery 2023 conference held in Munich from 30 May to 1 June.  The branch will see its 5th Artillery Regiment become a brigade again in 2035, as it was before April 2005, with its battalions to be assigned to manoeuvre brigades.  The regiment consists of the 21st Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion w...

The PULS MRL is entering service with the IDF as the Lahav. (Elbit Systems)    The Precise and Universal Launching System (PULS) multiple rocket launcher (MRL) is entering service with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF),   Janes  learnt at the Defence iQ's Future Artillery conference held in Munich from 30 May to 1 June.   Janes  understands that the IDF is test-firing PULS, which is known in Israeli service as the Lahav.   PULS can launch unguided and precision-guided rockets with a range of 12–300 km, according t...

Italy has 68 PzH 2000s in service. (Italian Army)  The Italian Army's plans for its artillery corps were presented on the second day of Defence iQ's Future Artillery conference held in Munich from 30 May to 1 June.  The branch has nine tube and two deep fires artillery regiments and plans to stand up two more regiments.  Italy is working on multidomain operations, with a focus on deep fires. This includes participation in NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps' concept development, experimentation, and innovation project for a multinational field...

Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell formally handing over the first batch of EU-funded military assistance to Moldova on 31 May. (European Commission)  The Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova has received its first batch of European Union (EU)-funded military equipment as part of the European Peace Facility (EPF), the EU announced on 31 May.  Over a 36-month period, Moldova will receive EUR40 million (USD42.87 million) worth of non-lethal military equipment in the areas pertaining to air surveillance, mobility and tran...

Australia has reduced its procurement of infantry fighting vehicles from 450 units to 129. Two platforms are competing for the tender – Rheinmetall's Lynx KF41 and, pictured above, Hanwha's Redback. (Hanwha Defense Australia)  Australia has announced the establishment of an external advisory panel (EAP) to oversee the implementation of the Defence Strategic Review (DSR) recommendations, which include a reorganisation of the Australian Army.  The EAP will provide an independent assessment of the DSR's progress biannually to the government, the...

KMW displayed a PULS MRL armed with a Kongsberg NSM at its site in Munich on the first day of Defence iQ's Future Artillery conference held in Munich from 29 May to 1 June. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)  Krauss-Maffei Wegmann-Nexter Defense Systems (KNDS) is proposing that the Precise and Universal Launching System (PULS) multiple rocket launcher (MRL) be armed with Kongsberg's Naval Strike Missile (NSM). An Elbit Systems-Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) EuroPULS MRL mounted on an Iveco Trakker 8×8 chassis was displayed at KMW's site in Munich on the...

South Korea has announced plans to upgrade the RoKA's K9A1 self-propelled howitzers. (Hanwha Defense)  South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has announced plans to upgrade K9A1 Thunder 155 mm/52 calibre self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and 120 mm self-propelled mortars (SPMs) in service with the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA).  A DAPA spokesperson told Janes on 31 May that a visit by the agency earlier that month to the RoKA's Capital Mechanized Infantry Division in Gapyeong had identified about 15 upgrade requirements...

The Indian Army is upgrading its 9K111-1M Konkurs-M ATGW systems – pictured above in operation with the Russian Army – with thermal imagers for use in low-light or night operations. (KBP Instrument Design Bureau)    The Indian Army has upgraded its 9K111‐1M Konkurs‐M anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) systems with Bangalore-based Tonbo Imaging's cooled, longwave Infrared (LWIR) thermal imagers known as Sarisa, a source at Tonbo told   Janes.  According to Tonbo, Sarisa is a thermal imaging camera used for detection, recognition, and id...

Lockheed Martin's AN/TPS-77 ground-based radar is a deployable version of the AN/TPS-117 radar that can be set up within 30 minutes. (Lockheed Martin)  The Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition Logistics Organisation (Forsvarsministeriets Materiel: FMI) has contracted Lockheed Martin to extend the life of the Royal Danish Air Force's two AN/TPS-77 long-range transportable radars.  According to the FMI on 31 May, the two radars will receive a mid-life upgrade (MLU) that was planned as part of the Danish Defence Agreement 2018–2023. The MLU is...

Seen fitted to an Apache helicopter, the Hellfire missile will arm both the AW149 and AH-64E platforms being acquired by Poland. (Janes/Kelvin Wong)  Poland has finalised a deal with the United States to acquire Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire II air-to-surface missiles to equip its future Leonardo AW149 and Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters.  The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, made the disclosure, saying the contract for an undisclosed number of missiles had been signed on 30 May.  Błaszcz...

Canada is to donate to Ukraine older versions of its AIM-9 Sidewinder, as carried here by a Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornet. (Janes)  Canada is to donate Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles to Ukraine, the Canadian defence minister announced at the 12th Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting on 25 May.  Canadian Minister of National Defence Anita Anand announced the donation as part of a wider raft of support measures for the Ukrainian armed forces.  “Minister Anand … announced that Canada is donating 43 AIM-9 missiles to Ukraine f...

Lastunul  , one of three Zborul (Tarantul I)-class corvettes, approved to undergo modernisation.  (Romanian Navy)  The Romanian parliament has given the approval for the purchase of two new submarines and two second-hand minehunters for the Romanian Navy as well as modernisation of the service's corvettes, local media reported.  According to a report by Romania's national press agency Agerpres on 18 May, the Romanian parliament approved a request from the Ministry of National Defence for the procurement of two Scorpène-class conv...

With a weight launch of 280 kg, the Blue Shark can hit targets at depths of up to 450 m and at a range of 6.5 n mile. The torpedo can travel at a speed of 45 kt. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  South Korea is prepared to deliver a second batch of Cheong Sangeo (K745/Blue Shark) torpedoes to the Philippine Navy (PN). However, Janes understands that the Philippines has delayed the procurement.  The deal was first announced in August 2021. At the time, the Philippines Department of National Defense (DND) said that the deal was reported to cost around PHP...

Excalibur Army displayed its MR-2 Viktor light air-defence vehicle at IDET 2023. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)  The Excalibur Army MR-2 Viktor light air-defence vehicle displayed at the International Defence and Security Technology Fair (IDET) 2023 held in Brno, Czech Republic, from 24 to 26 May is being supplied to Ukraine.    An Excalibur Army representative told   Janes  on 24 May that two batches totalling 10 to 20 vehicles had been delivered during the fourth quarter of 2022 and that 130 to 140 were planned.     Some...

Raytheon is replacing the US Army's Patriot radar with the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor. Some of the prototypes are undergoing testing with the army. (Raytheon)  The US Army is testing two of its new air-defence sensors at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in New Mexico, the service recently announced.  The Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) has begun contractor verification testing (CVT), the army's Program Executive Office Missiles and Space (PEO MS) announced on 18 May. The army envisions the radar as a key tech...

Caracal has signed an agreement with Ketech Asia for the production of the CAR 816 assault rifles, pictured above, in Malaysia. The CAR 816 is chambered for the 5.56×45 mm cartridge. (Edge)  The United Arab Emirates small-arms manufacturer Edge Group's Caracal subsidiary has signed an agreement with Ketech Asia for the production and resale of the CAR 816 assault rifles in Malaysia.  The agreement was signed on 24 May at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023, held in Langkawi, Malaysia, from 23 to 27 May.  U...

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov posted a photo on 24 May, showing a Ukrainian Air Force Su-24MR ‘Fencer' aircraft carrying a Storm Shadow missile. (Ukraine Ministry of Defence)  Ukraine is using its Sukhoi Su-24 ‘Fencer' strike aircraft to carry the MBDA Storm Shadow cruise missiles recently received from the United Kingdom.  This delivery method was revealed by Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who on 24 May posted a photo of a Ukrainian Air Force Su-24 aircraft with a Storm Shadow on each of its inboard underwing pylo...

A Khorramshahr-4 is test-launched on an unspecified date. (Iranian Defence Ministry/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)  The Iranian military unveiled what was presented as a new, more accurate variant of the Khorramshahr, its most powerful ballistic missile, on 25 May.  Called the Khorramshahr-4 (Kheibar), the missile was displayed at an event attended by Defence Minister Amir Mohammad Reza Ashtiani and shown being launched from the missile testing facility in Semnan Province in a video and images.  The Iranian media reported that the n...

A model of Mazagon Dock's autonomous underwater vehicle swarm drones displayed at LIMA 2023. (Janes/Nishant Kumar)  Indian company Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) unveiled a model of its autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) swarm concept at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023 being held from 23 to 27 May in Malaysia.  The concept is to enhance Indian Navy mine-countermeasures (MCM) capabilities. Operating as a swarm, the AUVs will comprise three units. The first will act as the master AUV, with two...

One of four Reaper UAVs so far delivered to the Netherlands. These will be modified to carry weapons, while a further six Reapers to be delivered in 2026 will have that capability already. (Dutch MoD)  The Netherlands is to arm its General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc MQ-9A Reaper medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), having originally acquired them as unarmed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets only.  The Dutch Minister of Defence, Christophe van der Maat, made the announcement on 23 May...