Launch of the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation-4 (HIFiRE-4) hypersonic test vehicle at the Royal Australian Air Force Woomera Range Complex, South Australia. The new DoD science and technology strategy will look to accelerate partnerships such as the Australian-US HIFiRE hypersonics research collaboration programme over the next several years. (Commonwealth of Australia)  The US Department of Defense (DoD) is looking to accelerate co-operation with allies and partner countries in the area of science and technology (S&T...

As the lead effects integrator for the Tempest, MBDA is now “in active discussions” with one or more potential Japanese companies to team on GCAP. (BAE Systems)  MBDA is “in active discussions” with one or more potential Japanese companies to team on the new Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a senior official said on 10 May.  Speaking at the company's Stevenage facility, managing director MBDA UK and group engineering director Chris Allam said that work is ongoing to bring in a Japanese partner to work alongside MBDA UK and MBDA Italy on th...

Avibras has designed the ASTROS III AV-LMU missile and rocket launcher to offer significant artillery saturation firepower. (Avibras)  Avibras Indústria Aeroespacial is considering building a prototype of its newly designed Artillery Saturation Rocket System (ASTROS) III self-propelled missile- and rocket-launching system.    The development of the ASTROS III was fuelled by the lessons learned from the military conflict in Ukraine, where artillery saturation systems have been in demand and effective, João Brasil Carvalho Leite, the comp...

Japan's defence budget is forecast by  Janes   to grow strongly over the next few years.  (Janes Defence Budgets)  Japan's biggest defence companies – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) – have said they expect orders for military equipment to expand rapidly on the back of the country's growing defence budget.  The companies reported on 10 May strong increases in defence-related revenues and profits for fiscal year (FY) 2022. The two firms also said that Japan's new defence polic...

MBDA has qualified MAADS with the CAMM-ER missile. (MBDA)  MBDA has qualified the Medium Advanced Air Defence System (MAADS) with its Common Anti-Air Modular Missile-Extended Range (CAMM-ER) missile during a recent test firing, confirming the capabilities and performance of both the missile and the entire system in an integrated mode.  The company announced the successful test on 5 May and said it was the first time that the Detection Centre module - Sirius battle management command, control, communication, computer, and intelligence (BMC4i)...

A still from a video released by the Israel Defense Forces on 18 May 2016 showing an Iron Dome launcher mounted on the helipad of a Sa'ar 5 corvette firing a Tamir missile. Rafael has since released a modular variant of the C-Dome, which is the naval version of Iron Dome, that looks similar to this 2016 set-up. (Israel Defense Forces)  Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has unveiled a modular variant of its C-Dome fleet-area naval air-defence system that can be cross-deployed quickly across multiple vessels.  The concept was unveiled at the IMDE...

The JMSDF's second Mogami-class frigate, JS   Kumano  , seen here while it was at Changi Naval Base for IMDEX 2023.  (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has begun to deploy the OZZ-5 mine-countermeasures (MCM) unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) on its Mogami-class frigates.    This was confirmed by a representative from the second-of-class, JS   Kumano  , during a visit by   Janes  to the ship while it was at Changi Naval Base for the IMDEX 2023 naval exhi...

A High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Capability-configured Mk 54 lightweight torpedo is dropped from a US Navy P-8A Poseidon MPA during testing. The wing kit adaptor is visible atop the torpedo body. The Mk 54 torpedo is used by many countries in the APAC region. (NAVAIR)  The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is one of the most important maritime regions in the world, with several countries possessing extensive coastlines, strategic naval bases, and busy sea lanes. Increasing regional security challenges, including territorial disputes and...

A model of the Blue Spear missile on display in Singapore. The weapon will soon be deployed on the country's Formidable-class frigates. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) will replace the Harpoon surface-to-surface missile (SSM) on its Formidable-class frigates with the Blue Spear SSM.    The weapon will be incorporated as part of the Formidable class' mid-life upgrades (MLUs), said the RSN's Commander First Flotilla, Colonel Ng Kok Yeng Daniel, in a recent wider-ranging interview with   Janes  to di...

Trainers wearing the logo of Sparta Security Solutions and Israeli flag patches train special forces personnel in Equatorial Guinea. (Press Office of the Vice-President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea)  Israeli company Sparta Security Solutions is training special forces personnel in Equatorial Guinea. This was revealed when Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue – President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo's son and heir apparent – visited their training facility.  The vice-president's office released photographs and a video of the vi...

Estonia has ordered long-range loitering munitions from IAI. (ECDI)  Estonia has ordered long-range loitering munitions from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) and the Israeli company announced in a joint press release on 2 May. The ECDI and IAI said it was one of the most expensive defence procurements Estonia has undertaken, “significantly increasing its indirect fire capabilities”. An ECDI spokesperson told Janes on 5 May that the contract is valued at over EUR100 million (USD110 million),...

The Giraffe 1X is a lightweight X-band 3D radar with an AESA digital beam-forming antenna. It is available in land and naval iterations. (Saab EDS)  The British Armed Forces will be equipped with new Saab Giraffe 1X radars.  According to a company announcement on 2 May, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has ordered 11 Saab Giraffe 1X radars for approximately SEK264 million (USD25.6 million).    Deliveries began at the end of 2022 and are scheduled to conclude in the summer of 2023 (June to September), an MoD spokesperson told   Janes...

Singapore has selected the Colt Infantry Automatic Rifle 6940, an example of which is pictured above, as the army's new section automatic weapon, replacing the Ultimax 100 Mk2 in service. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The Singapore Army has selected American firearms manufacturer Colt's Infantry Automatic Rifle 6940 (IAR6940) as the new section automatic weapon (SAW) to replace in-service ST Engineering's 5.56 mm Ultimax 100 Mk2 light machine gun (LMG).  “As part of continued force modernisation efforts, our army has conducted extensive trials and e...

The British Army Air Corps looks set to add the APKWS II laser-guided rocket to the armoury for its AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopter. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The United Kingdom is set to acquire the BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II laser-guided rocket, likely to equip the British Army Air Corps' (AAC's) Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopter.  The US State Department approved the sale of 768 APKWS II guidance kits on 28 April, as well as related equipment, support, and training for an estimated US...

The Polish Armament Agency and MBDA have signed a contract for 44 iLaunchers and hundreds of CAMMs for Poland's Pilica+ air-defence upgrade programme. (Polish Armament Agency)  The Polish Armament Agency (AA) and MBDA have announced that they have signed a contract for 44 iLaunchers and hundreds of Common Anti-Air Modular Missiles (CAMMs) for Poland's Pilica+ air-defence upgrade programme. MBDA said in a press release on 27 April that the GBP1.9 billion (USD2.37 billion) contract to modernise and manufacture iLaunchers and CAMMs for 22 Pilica...

An M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System fires a Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rocket in Grafenwӧhr, Germany, in 2019. The US Army announced a new contract for GMLRS and supporting equipment that is not to exceed USD4.79 billion. (US Army)  Lockheed Martin won a contract to build Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) for the US Army, the US Department of Defense (DoD) announced on 27 April.  The contract – worth up to USD4.79 billion – would task Lockheed with manufacturing two full-rate production lots of the GMLRS Unitary and Alt...

The Swedish Armed Forces fired an RBS 23 medium-range surface-to-air missile from Gotland on 24 April. (Swedish Armed Forces)  The Swedish Armed Forces announced on 25 April that they had fired an RBS 23 medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) at the Tofta firing range on Gotland the day before, strengthening the defence of the Baltic island and contributing to building up its anti-aircraft capabilities. The missile was fired by an RBS 23 towed launcher and shot down a target drone detected by a PS-90 radar, the Swedish designation for the...

South Korea approved the development of the L-SAM II and the M-SAM Block III. The M-SAM Block III will be an enhanced version of M-SAM's earlier versions. The picture above shows the live-fire drill M-SAM Block I. (RoKAF)  South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has announced the development of advanced missile interceptors.  The country's Defense Project Promotion Committee (DPPC) approved the funding to develop the long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM) II and the medium-range surface-to-air missile (M-SAM) Block...

The Australian government has allocated AUD4.1 billion to acquire additional HIMARSs, long-range missiles, and guided weapons. The picture shows the US Army firing HIMARS during Exercise ‘Eager Lion' in Jordan. (US Army/Sgt 1st Class Steven Queen)  The Australian government has allocated AUD4.1 billion (USD2.7 billion) to acquire long-range strike systems and manufacture longer-range munitions in Australia.  According to a press release by the Australian Department of Defence (DoD), the investment in long-range capabilities will see “the Aust...

The German parliament's budget committee has approved the purchase of additional ESSMs for the German Navy's Sachsen-class guided-missile frigates. (Michael Nitz)  The German federal parliament's budget committee has authorised the procurement of an initial tranche of RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missiles (ESSMs) for the German Navy's Type 124 Sachsen-class guided-missile frigates.  The procurement proposal is worth in excess of EUR25 million (USD27.53 million) and the scope of supply also covers launch containers, transport containers, and spa...