General Robotics launches Shark, a lightweight RCWS suited for small vessels. (General Robotics )  Israel-based General Robotics has launched a naval version of its Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS).  Known as Shark, the RCWS is designed for small manned and unmanned naval vessels, the company said on 18 October.  Specifically designed for naval forces, coastguards, naval special warfare (NSW), and raiding crafts, it can integrate all machine guns up to .50 calibre, the company added.  Shark is based on the company's Pitbull RCWS, desig...

An image of what appears to be part of the nosecone of an unmanned combat aerial vehicle was released by Ukroboronprom hours after the latest Russian use of Iranian loitering munitions on Kyiv, on 17 October. (Ukroboronprom)  The Ukrainian government has developed a long-range strike capability that it is close to employing in response to Russian attacks using Iranian-sourced loitering munitions, the state-owned defence holding company Ukroboronprom announced.  An image of what appeared to be part of the nosecone of an unmanned combat aerial...

Revolver Guns in action during the QEADF's Exercise ‘Shield 6 (Skynex)'. (Qatari Ministry of Defence)  The Qatar Emiri Air Defence Forces (QEADF) now has the Rheinmetall Skynex short-range air-defence system, the Qatari Ministry of Defence (MoD) revealed on 13 October when it released a video showing components associated with the system during an exercise.  These included eight 35 mm Revolver Gun Mk3s and a single X-TAR3D target acquisition and tracking radar.  While these components can be used as part of Skyguard or Skyshield systems, the...

The Ukraine Defense Contact Group on 12 October agreed to accelerate the delivery of air-defence assets to Ukraine for an integrated air-defence system. (NATO)  Allies agreed on 12 October to transfer various air-defence assets to Ukraine and help Kyiv knit them together into an integrated layered defence capability against Russian missiles and aircraft. While senior allied military officials said the assets would be transferred as quickly as possible, they declined to say how long it would take to achieve that capability.  “These systems wil...

According to the RFP, the proposed AD gun will replace the ‘in-service' army guns. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has outlined a plan to procure air-defence (AD) guns for the Indian Army.  A request for proposal (RFP) issued by the MoD on 8 October said that the plan features the acquisition of 220 towed AD guns and about 142,000 rounds of ammunition.  According to the RFP, the proposed AD gun will replace the ‘in-service' army guns and will be deployed in all types of terrains.  The RFP added that the AD gun shou...

Germany has delivered the IRIS-T SLM GBAD system to Ukraine. (Diehl)  Germany has delivered the InfraRed Imaging System Tail Surface Launched Medium Range (IRIS-T SLM) ground-based air defence (GBAD) system to Ukraine, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov tweeted on 11 October. The announcement came three days after German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht announced on 8 October that the first of four IRIS-T SLMs would be ready to defend Ukraine. A Diehl official told Janes on 11 October that the system would be operational no later...

SEA will undertake an electronics refresh for both the MTLS (pictured during a Sting Ray firing test) and the NATO Sea Gnat/Outfit DLH decoy launch system. (Royal Navy/Crown Copyright)  UK systems and engineering group Systems Engineering & Assessment Ltd (SEA), part of the Cohort Group, has secured a GBP34 million (USD37.5 million) contract with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) covering the technical refresh and through-life support of torpedo-launch equipment and decoy launchers fitted to Royal Navy (RN) warships.  The five-year contract,...

The ARGE NNbS SHORAD and VSHORAD solution for the Bundeswehr includes mounting the IRIS-T air-defence system on Boxer (left) and Eagle (right) vehicles. (Diehl Defence/Hensoldt Sensors/Rheinmetall)  Rheinmetall Electronics, Diehl Defence, and Hensoldt Sensors presented the Nah- und Nächstbereichsschutz (NNbS) Arbeitsgemeinschaft (ARGE) short- and very short-range air defence (SHORAD and VSHORAD) working group's solution for the Bundeswehr during a briefing for German-speaking defence journalists in Bonn on 5 October.  Rheinmetall Electronics'...

A senior Indian Army official told   Janes   that the Indian Army has transformed all the mountain corps and divisions into integrated battle groups.  (Indian Ministry of Defence)  The Indian Army has rolled out the integrated battle group (IBG) concept along the northeastern border with China in North Sikkim.  On October 9 the Trishakti Corps (33 Corps) of the Indian Army along with the troops of the Striking Lion Division (27th Mountain Division), and Century Brigade conducted an integrated tactical exercise at...

Smart Shooter is supplying its lightest weapon-mounted fire-control system, the SMASH 2000L (also known as SMASH 3000), to the US Army for C-sUAS defence. (Smart Shooter)  Smart Shooter's US subsidiary was awarded a contract, via Atlantic Diving Supply (ADS), to provide its SMASH 2000L weapon-mounted fire-control system to the US Army for counter-small unmanned aerial system (C-sUAS) defence.  “SMASH 2000L is also under evaluation by the US Marine Corps Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO), with recent live-fire tests conducted in early August,” t...

The JJV is ramping up production towards about 2,000 FGM-148F missiles per year. (Javelin Joint Venture)  The Lockheed Martin-Raytheon Javelin Joint Venture (JJV) is preparing to enter low-rate initial production (LRIP) for a new Light Weight Command Launch Unit (LWCLU) for the Javelin Weapon System and completed a test launch on 5 October towards the LWCLU's qualification programme, which could be complete by mid-2023.    The new LWCLU is approximately 30% smaller and lighter than the Block 1    CLU, and increases detection, r...

Seen being carried by an EMB-312 Tucano during trials, the Tordo is a domestically developed machine gun pod for the Argentine Air Force and an international market. (Argentine Air Force)  The Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina: FAA) has received the first batch of nine Tordo machine gun pods developed domestically by the General Directorate of Research and Development (Dirección General de Investigación y Desarrollo: DGID).  Fitted with Browning M1919 7.62 mm machine guns, the pods will be used for training across a range of FAA air...

A Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter seen carrying a maximum loadout of 20 Martlet missiles during recent trials of the new weapons wing. (Crown copyright)  The Royal Navy (RN) has completed trials of a new weapons-carriage wing for the Leonardo AW159 Lynx Wildcat HMA2 helicopter.  Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) announced the milestone on 12 October, saying that the naval variant of the Wildcat helicopter had successfully proven the concept of the weapons wing during recent sea trials.    “Successful Ship Helicopter Operating Limitations...

Cummins Advanced Combat Engine could become a common powerplant for the US Army combat vehicles from the Bradley to the Abrams. (Janes/Dan Wasserbly)  Cummins Advanced Combat Engine (ACE), an opposed-piston 1,000 hp engine,is to be demonstrated at Camp Grayling, Michigan, on 27 October, during a US Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC)-sponsored event, Dion Anglin, the company's defence market director, told Janes on 10 October at the annual Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2022 convention in Washington, DC.  ACE is a GVSC-fun...

Lockheed Martin's surface-to-surface missile solution for the US Army's Precision Strike Missile took its inaugural flight in December 2019, shown here. Further testing for the first and second increments is scheduled for 2023. (US Army)  Lockheed Martin‘s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is to undergo more flight tests in the second half of 2023 and is on schedule to provide early operational capability missiles that same year, Paula Hartley, the company's vice-president for tactical missiles, told reporters on 10 October.  PrSM Increment 1...

The Sling mobile mortar system of Elbit Systems. (Janes/Dan Wasserbly)  The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has purchased one of Elbit Systems of America's Sling mobile mortar systems and is testing the weapon, company officials told Janes on 10 October at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2022 annual symposium in Washington, DC.  The tube and the baseplate are the same as those of the M120 120 mm mortar system, but the weapon is mounted to the rear compartment of a Humvee – or a similar vehicle – and can be stowed there...

Soldiers practice firing an M120 120 mm mortar. (US DoD)    The US Army in September 2022 awarded Elbit Systems of America an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract to produce M121 120 mm Carrier Mounted Mortar Systems and M120A1 120 mm Ground Mounted Mortar Systems, a potentially wide-ranging contract that is focused on producing mortar barrels, company officials told   Janes  on 10 October.   Elbit Systems of America was the incumbent and the contract was competitively awarded following completion of th...

Shown here is the AbramsX technology demonstrator at the AUSA conference. (GDLS)  General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) is using the Association of the US Army (AUSA) 2022 conference to formally unveil its initial vision for a next-generation Abrams main battle tank (MBT) and Stryker vehicle, respectively, dubbed AbramsX and StrykerX.  Company officials provided Janes with a tech preview ahead of the annual conference in Washington, DC, that runs from 10 to 12 October. The company is displaying four full-up ‘technology demonstrators' on the s...

South Korea's Ministry of National Defense said that the US is incorporating a new equipment into the THAAD system located in Seongju, which lies about 200 km south of Seoul. (US Missile Defense Agency)  The United States is equipping South Korea's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system with performance improvement equipment, South Korea's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a press release on October 7.  According to the press release, the US is incorporating the new equipment into the THAAD system located in Seongju, whic...

The Stryker Leonidas technology demonstrator. Epirus and GDLS tested this high-power microwave capability against swarms of aerial drones. (GDLS)  Epirus and General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) are unveiling a Stryker combat vehicle outfitted with the Leonidas high-power microwave (HPM) system at this year's Association of the US Army (AUSA) conference.    Scott Taylor, GDLS's director of US business development, spoke with  Janes  about the Stryker Leonidas technology demonstrator on 29 September ahead of the annual confere...