India's FICVs will be equipped with American aerospace company Lockheed Martin's Javelin ATGMs. Javelin is a medium-range, manportable, shoulder-fired, fire-and-forget, lock-on before launch ATGM system. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)    India's Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicles (FICVs) will be equipped with American aerospace company Lockheed Martin's Javelin anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), the company told   Janes   at the Aero India 2023 show, which is being held in Bangalore from 13 to 17 February.     Jagmohan Singh, Lock...

The US Army awarded AM General a contract to produce its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle that could be worth up to USD8.66 billion. (US Army)  Newcomer AM General beat out Oshkosh Defense to manufacture the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) for US armed forces in a deal that could be worth up to USD8.66 billion over 10 years, US Army programme officials said.  Following a competition between the incumbent and AM General, the army selected the latter for a contract for up to 20,000 vehicles and up to 10,000 JLTV-Trailers (JLTV-Ts) for joint and...

Germany is donating two MANTIS C-RAM systems to Slovakia for the protection of critical infrastructure. (Luftwaffe/Rheinmetall Defence)  Germany is donating two Modular, Automatic and Network capable Targeting and Interception System (MANTIS) counter-rocket, artillery, and mortar defence (C-RAM) systems to Slovakia, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and General Eberhard Zorn, Inspekteur der Bundeswehr (armed forces chief), announced in a 7 February order of the day. They said the donation would permanently strengthen Slovak air defences and th...

FN SCAR-H precision rifle fitted with Elity ballistic calculator. (FN Herstal)  FN Herstal announced in a press release on 7 February that it had supplied an unspecified number of Elity ballistic calculators to the French Army.  The company said that the decision to acquirethe Elity followed several months of testing and evaluation by the French Army's Battle-Lab Terre (BLT) land battle lab on the FN SCAR-H (heavy) 7.62 mm Fusil de Précision Semi-Automatique (Semi-Automatic Precision Rifle) in French service, as well as the PGM Hécate II reva...

A television screen, on 9 February 2023, showing news of North Korea's military parade, during which the regime carried out its largest-known display of ICBMs. (JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)  Pyongyang carried out the largest-known display of its long-range nuclear strike capabilities on 8 February when it celebrated the 75th founding anniversary of its army.  On display at the parade include about a dozen 11 axel transporter erector launcher (TEL) vehicles with what appears to be either the Hwaseong-16 or Hwaseong-17 two-stage intercont...

India's Defence Acquisition Council has approved the procurement of MGS, the example of which is pictured above, for the Indian Army. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  India's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has approved the procurement of the mounted gun system (MGS) for the Indian Army.  The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement that the procurement, approved through the provision of an ‘Acceptance of Necessity' (AoN) status under the ‘Buy (Indian)' category, includes 155 mm/52 calibre MGS.  The MoD...

India's state-run Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited unveiled the Dhanush 155 mm/52 calibre towed howitzer (pictured above) at Defexpo 2022, held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The company has proposed Dhanush for the Indian Army's requirement of 155 mm/52 calibre towed guns. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  India's state-run Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL) has proposed Dhanush 155 mm/52 calibre towed gun systems and mounted gun systems (MGSs) armed with Dhanush for the Indian Army, Rajeev Sharma, AWEIL's general manager, told J...

A still from a video released by the Kuwait Army shows Sheikh Talal Khaled al-Ahmad al-Sabah inspecting an H225M with a launcher for MBDA Exocet anti-ship missiles during a visit to the Ali al-Salem Air Base. (Kuwait Army)  At least two of the Kuwait Air Force's (KAF's) new Airbus H225M Caracal helicopters have been equipped for the anti-ship role, it was revealed on 5 February, when the emirate's acting defence minister visited the Ali al-Salem Air Base.  Media coverage showed Sheikh Talal Khaled al-Ahmad al-Sabah, who also serves as the de...

US Navy officials plan to use littoral combat ships for more operations as the Pentagon calls for more testing. (Michael Fabey)  US Navy (USN) officials say they are now gaining understanding of the operational flexibility of their littoral combat ship (LCS) fleet, even as the service plans to cut LCS anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions, decommission several of the ships, and address testing needs recently identified by the Pentagon Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E).  “My hope is to make the best of all the remaining LCSs,” Na...

The Indian Army seeks to extend the life of 300 mm rockets used with the BM-30 Smerch Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). In the image, the employees of Russian arms company Splav can be seen loading a 300 mm rocket in Smerch MLRS. (Splav)  The Indian Army has released a tender to support its programme for the life extension of 300 mm rockets used with the BM-30 Smerch Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS).  According to a request for information (RFI) by the Indian Army, the service seeks to identify private Indian vendors for participating...

Luftwaffe Patriot air-defence systems deployed close to Zamość on the Polish-Ukrainian border have reached IOC. (Bundeswehr/Lars Koch)    Luftwaffe Patriot air-defence systems deployed to Poland have reached an initial operational capability (IOC), a German Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson told   Janes  on 4 February. Three Patriot firing units with around 350 military personnel had been deployed close to Zamość near the Polish-Ukrainian border, the spokesperson added.   The Luftwaffe announced the deployment to Pola...

Poland has ordered more Javelin anti-tank guided missiles, with which the WOT began training in 2021 (pictured). (Polish MND)  Poland has ordered 50 more Javelin Light Weight Command Launch Units and approximately 500 FGM-148F Javelin anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), the Polish Armaments Agency (AA) announced on its website on 31 January. Warsaw was exercising an option in a 2020 Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract with the United States for 60 Command Launch Units and 180 Javelin missiles worth USD54.5 million for the Polish Territorial...

The AK-203 assault rifle is chambered for 7.62×39 rounds and can use ammunition and magazines that exist within the Indian Army supply chain. The weight of the rifle is 3.8 kg, the length is 690 mm with a folded butt and 930 mm with an extended butt, and the rate of fire is 700 rds/min. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL) – a joint venture between Russia and India to manufacture AK-203 assault rifles for the Indian Armed Forces – has completed the production of the first batch of rifles in Korwa Ordnance Factory i...

The FK-3 air-defence system, an example pictured above in service with the Serbian Armed Forces, was unveiled by the Royal Thai Navy's Air and Coastal Defence Command. The FK-3 is the export variant of China's HQ-22 medium- to long-range semi-active radar homing/radio command guidance air-defence system. (Serbian MoD)  The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has unveiled its Chinese-made FK-3 air-defence system during a visit by Commander-in-Chief Admiral Choengchai Chomchoengphaet to the Air and Coastal Defense Command (ACDC) stationed in Chonburi provin...

The HSTDV, seen here from a test in September 2020, uses an Agni-1 short-range ballistic missile as the solid rocket booster to place the vehicle into the altitude needed to ensure the operation of the scramjet. (DRDO)  India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has conducted a flight test of the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV).    A DRDO official confirmed with   Janes  that the test was conducted from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the northeastern coast of Odisha. However, the DRDO...

A CAMM is ejected from a modified Mk 41 launcher during a test. (MBDA)  The Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) has selected MBDA, rather than Raytheon, to provide the primary surface-to-air missile (SAM) for its new frigates, the US Department of Defense (DoD) confirmed on 31 January.  It announced that MBDA's US subsidiary had been awarded a USD118.7 million non-competitive contract to deliver its Common Anti-Air Module Missile (CAMM) for Saudi Arabia's Multi-Mission Surface Combatants (MSSCs), which are being built by Fincantieri Marinette Mar...

The FMV and BAE Systems have signed a contract for 20 more Grkpbv 90 mortar systems for the Swedish Army. (BAE Systems)  The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and BAE Systems announced on 27 January that they had signed a contract modification for 20 more Granatkastarpansarbandvagn 90 (Grkpbv 90) self-propelled mortars for the Swedish Army. The FMV valued the contract at approximately SEK293.5 million (USD28 million) and expects deliveries to take place in 2025.  The contract was awarded to BAE Systems' Swedish joint venture Utvec...

The MK 141 launcher structure being removed from HMS   Somerset   in preparation for the installation of NSM.  (HMS Somerset/Royal Navy)  The Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset is in line to become the first UK Royal Navy (RN) ship to receive the Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace Naval Strike Missile (NSM).  Replacing the ageing Harpoon Block 1C surface-to-surface guided weapon, which will be retired from service in December this year, NSM is being procured as part of the RN's Maritime Offensive Surface Strike programme....

Several US Army conventional 155 mm artillery projectiles outfitted with Northrop Grumman's Precision Guidance Kit. (US Army/Northrop Grumman)  US defence company Northrop Grumman will begin integrating Military Code (M-Code) global positioning system (GPS) capability into the company's precision guidance systems for medium- and long-range artillery systems.  CAES, a Northern Virginia-based company specialising in advanced radio frequency (RF) technologies, will carry out the M-Code GPS integration work into Northrop Grumman's Precision Guid...

The German Army's heavy weapon carrier will be based on Austrialia's Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle, pictured with Australian Army soldiers during Exercise ‘Chong Ju' at the Puckapunyal training area, Victoria, on 16 May 2018. (Australian MoD)    The German Army's share of the EUR100 million (USD109 million) Zeitenwende special fund, approved after Russia invaded Ukraine, focuses on armoured vehicles,   Janes  learnt at Defence iQ's International Armoured Vehicles (IAV) 2023 conference held in London on 23–26 January....