The US Navy is seeking more money for Tomahawk missiles and systems. (Raytheon)  The fiscal year (FY) 2025 US Navy (USN) budget request includes USD6.6 billion for weapons procurement, according to budget documents released on 11 March.  This request is a slight decrease from the USD6.9 billion requested in FY 2024, budget documents show.  The USN is seeking to buy 2,656 weapons in FY 2025, compared with the 2,773 weapons the service sought to buy in FY 2024.  “The [FY 2025] focus is to continue to build up critical munitions inventories whil...

A B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 419th Flight Test Squadron takes off from Edwards Air Force Base, California, in 2020. The aircraft conducted a captive-carry flight test of the AGM-183A ARRW, a programme that is zeroed out in the FY 2025 budget. (US Air Force/Matt Williams)  The US Air Force (USAF) requested just shy of USD517 million to continue development of Raytheon's Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) hypersonic air-breathing missile in its fiscal year (FY) 2025 presidential budget request, but zeroed out the procurement of t...

TCG   Istanbul   seen transiting the Bosphorus Strait enroute to the test site on 2 March.  (Cem Devrim Yaylali)  The Turkish Navy performed its first Hisar-D missile launch from the Midlas vertical launch system (VLS) installed onboard the TCG Istanbul in the second week of March.  The event marked the first launch from the indigenous VLS on the high seas. The frigate was observed sailing northbound through the Bosphorus Strait to the test site on 2 March.  Haluk Görgün, the president of the Defence Industry Agen...

A QELF Boxer is seen fitted with a passive radio frequency sensor that enables it to identify the locations of UAVs so they can be engaged with its RCT30 turret. (Janes/Jeremy Binnie)  The Qatar Emiri Land Forces (QELF) stand at the DIMDEX 2024 show held in Doha from 4 to 6 March included a Boxer 8×8 armoured vehicle that has been modified to enable it to shoot down small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).    A Qatari general told  Janes  that his service is in the process of receiving 10 of the specially modified Boxers.   T...

The US Army's Precision Strike Missile is meant to strike targets as far as 400 km away. (US Army)  The multimode seeker that makes the US Army's Precision Strike Missile Increment 2 (PrSM Inc 2) unique and more advanced than Inc 1 is holding the capability back from its scheduled procurement in fiscal year (FY) 2025, according to budget documents.  While Inc 1 is designed for land targets, it is the Land-Based Anti-Ship Missile multimode seeker that enables Inc 2 to perform maritime targeting for the army. The service is requesting funding f...

Poland has been approved for USD3.68 billion of air-launched missile sales to equip its front-line fighter force, including the F-16 (pictured here). (Polish Ministry of National Defence)  The US government has cleared the sale of air-launched missiles to Poland for a combined USD3.68 billion. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the US Department of State approvals in three separate notifications on 12 March.  These notifications covered 821 Lockheed Martin AGM-158B-2 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extende...

The Pentagon's FY2025 budget request for Aegis ballistic missile defence would decrease spending compared to FY2024. (US Army)  The Department of Defense is requesting about USD1.3 billion for sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) in its proposed fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget, compared to about USD1.7 billion requested for FY 2025, according to budget documents released on 11 March.  The FY 2025 request includes 12 interceptors for USD491.4 million, compared to 39 interceptors for USD807.6 million requested in FY 2024.  The FY 2025 r...

The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) are each procuring 25 units of Big Bang Boom Solutions' long-range Vajra Sentinel C-UAS (pictured). (Big Bang Boom Solutions)  Chennai-based Big Bang Boom Solutions (BBBS) has secured two contracts worth more than INR2 billion (USD24 million) to provide its counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) to the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF).  Janes understands that the Indian Army and the IAF will each receive 25 units of BBBS' long-range Vajra Sentinel C-UAS by mid-2025.  In an interview t...

The Agni V – pictured above taking part in India's Republic Day parade in 2013 – is a nuclear-capable missile that can carry either a single warhead or multiple warheads over ranges up to 5,500 km. (Indian Ministry of Defence)  India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) test-fired the Agni V intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) equipped with multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicle (MIRV) technology for the first time on 11 March.  According to a press release by the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD...

Improving the GMD system has been a top priority for MDA. However, the effort suffered a major setback after a new kill vehicle programme was terminated. That programme was replaced by the NGI. (MDA)  The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is requesting approximately USD2.526 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2025 to improve its strategic missile defence system, known as the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), including funding to develop a new Next Generation Interceptor (NGI).  The agency's budget documents were released on 11 March but, breaking...

The US Navy and Army are jointly developing hypersonic technologies through the navy's Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) offensive hypersonic strike capability and the army's Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW). (US Navy)  President Joe Biden's budget request for fiscal year 2025, unveiled on 11 March, includes about USD744 million in procurement for the US Army's delayed long range hypersonic weapon (LRHW) missile system, more than four times the amount requested for procurement in fiscal year 2024.  After failing two flight tests in fisca...

The Standard Missile-3 Block IIA missile, pictured, is jointly developed by the US and Japan. MDA suggested the GPI joint development with Japan will be pursued in a construct similar to that used for the SM-3 missile. (US Army)  The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has requested USD182 million in fiscal year (FY) 2025 “to continue development of Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) capability to address hypersonic missile threats and continue maturation of critical technology elements”.  This is down from USD209 million requested in fiscal year FY 2...

The M-LIDS weapon system can be mounted on vehicles and is designed to target and disable or destroy hostile drones or other UAVs. Soldiers have trained and tested the technology in US Central Command's area of responsibility. (US Army)  As the war in Ukraine highlights the need for deep magazines and counter unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) capabilities, the US Army's latest budget request includes more funding for counter small-unmanned aerial systems (C-sUAS) and precision munitions.  A “continued emphasis” on counter small unmanned aerial...

A THAAD interceptor is launched from the Reagan Test Site, Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, during Flight Test THAAD-23, August 30, 2019 (The Pentagon's FY 2025 budget request includes USD247 million for 12 THAAD interceptors.)    The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has requested USD639.9    million for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) programme in fiscal year (FY) 2025.   This funding would procure 12 THAAD interceptors for USD247 million, according to Pentagon budget documents publis...

The USAF intends to purchase 42 F-35s in FY2025, a lower number than FY 2024. An A-model aircraft is shown. (Lockheed Martin)  The US Air Force's (USAF's) fiscal year (FY) 2025 presidential budget request includes the acquisition of at least 90 aircraft and hundreds of missiles.  Aircraft lead the USAF procurement budget with 82 platforms listed in briefing materials, revealed on 11 March.  The procurement of Lockheed Martin F-35As leads with USD5.9 billion for 42 aircraft, down from the FY 2024 request of USD6.1 billion for 48 F-35s. The F-3...

Polish Treasury and Armaments Agency ordered over 6,000 Carl-Gustaf M4 recoilless rifles from Saab on 4 March 2024. (Saab)  The Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND), Armaments Agency (AA), and Saab announced an order for more than 6,000 Carl-Gustaf M4 recoilless rifles on their websites on 4 March.    Saab valued the agreement between it and the Polish State Treasury and AA at SEK12.9 billion (USD1.26 billion), although the AA gave a higher value of over PLN6 billion (USD1.53 billion). A Saab spokesperson told   Janes  on...

USS   Portland  has been outfitted with a Laser Weapon System Demonstrator.  (US Navy)  US Navy (USN) Secretary Carlos Del Toro highlighted milestones and development of surface ship combat systems equipment and directed energy weapons on 7 March during the 2024 McAleese Defense Programs Conference.  “We are pushing the bounds of tactics and capability with the future [landing transport dock] USS Richard M McCoolJr (LPD 29),” Del Toro said. “Earlier this year, she was fitted with the Enterprise Air Surveillance R...

The CEW-102E UAV countermeasure system replica is displayed at DIMDEX 2024. (Janes/Ajay Shankar Pandey)    China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is deploying a new counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) suite known as the CEW-102E from domestic company Poly Defence,  Janes  learnt at the DIMDEX 2024 show held in Doha from 4 to 6 March.     A spokesperson for the company was unable to provide details to  Janes  about when and how many units had been ordered.   The CEW-102E is an integrated detection, tr...

US B-52 Stratofortress crews look at an AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) during a hypersonic weapon familiarisation briefing at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on 27 February. The yellow bands on the missile indicate that it is a live round. (USAF/SSgt Pedro Tenorio)  The US Air Force (USAF) has deployed a hypersonic AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) on Guam for testing.  The presence of this hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) was disclosed in USAF-published photographs on 28 February. The missile's appearance on G...

The Gaza UAV displayed at the Iranian stand at DIMDEX 2024. (Janes/Ajay Shankar Pandey)  Iran promoted its Gaza unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for export for the first time at the DIMDEX 2024 show held in Doha from 4 to 6 March.  A model of the Gaza UAV was displayed at the Iranian stand and it was detailed in a brochure alongside the M129, which is the export name of the Shahed-129, the Iranian military's primary long-endurance UAV.  After the Gaza was unveiled in May 2021, it was reported to have a wingspan of 21 m and a maximum take-off wei...