Brazilian shipbuilder Itaguaí Construções Navais (ICN) launched the third unit of the Riachuelo-class diesel-electric attack submarine (SSK), S Tonelero (S42), on 27 March.  The launch of the S Tonelero (S42) SSK by ICN (a joint venture between Novonor and Naval Group) took place at the Itaguaí Naval Complex.  The submarine is scheduled to be commissioned for Brazilian Submarine Force Command in May 2025, after the vessel completes successful sea trials, the Brazilian Navy told Janes.  S Tonelero is the third of four Riachuelo-class S-BR subm...

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Starlink payload launches from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 17 December 2022. (US Space Force)  The US Department of Defense (DoD), for the first time, has issued guidance on how the Pentagon will continue to and possibly accelerate integration of commercial, space-based technologies into the department's national security space architecture.  The 2024 Commercial Space Integration Strategy, released on 2 March, establishes the “foundational principles, priorities, and approaches” that the DoD will leverage a...

Exail's R7 remotely operated vehicle has been procured for the Belgian Navy. (Exail)  Exail has been contracted to supply six R7 remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for the Belgian Navy, the company announced on 2 April.  The ROVs will be used for the inspection and disposal of underwater explosive ordnance, as well as safeguarding harbours, coastal areas, ships, and key infrastructures.  Launched in October 2021, Exail's R7 ROV is a small, compact manportable system designed for operation from small craft such as rigid-hulled inflatable boats...

The GM400α radar from Thales is replacing the MPR (pictured) in Nieuw Milligen while the new Herwijnen radar station is fitted with the long-range SMART-L Multi-Mission/Fixed system. (Netherlands Ministry of Defence )  The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) has retired its 52-year-old Medium Power Radar (MPR) based in Nieuw Milligen, the Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 2 April.  The MPR in Nieuw Milligen has been in service since 1971, supporting the RNLAF Nieuw Milligen air operations control station (AOCS) with air surve...

LMUK's Skykeeper Command is designed for main HQs in semi-static locations or in an ISO-container configuration. (Lockheed Martin UK)  Lockheed Martin UK (LMUK) has finished upgrading the British Army's Land Environment Air Picture Provision (LEAPP) capability and is developing future iterations of its SkyKeeper command-and-control (C2) software,   Janes   learnt at a media briefing on 26 March.   LEAPP is a truck-mounted system integrated with the Saab Giraffe Agile Multi-Beam (G-AMB) 3D surveillance radar that provides early air-de...

Aircraft carrier   Enterprise  is running 18–26 months behind schedule.  (Janes/Michael Fabey)  Major US Navy (USN) shipbuilding programmes are running one to three years behind schedule due in a large part to the lack of a sufficient workforce and supply-chain disruptions, according to a 45-day shipbuilding review of these programmes and USN officials who spoke about the review's findings on 2 April during a roundtable media discussion.  While some of these issues are “lingering” Covid impacts, Nickolas Guertin,...

Indian defence exports increased by 150% between 2020–21 and 2023–24, according to statistics issued by the MoD. (Indian MoD/Janes)  Indian defence exports reached INR210.83 billion (USD2.5 billion) in fiscal year (FY) 2023–24, an annual increase of 32%, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.  The MoD said in a statement on 1 April that private sector firms contributed to 60% of exports in 2023–24, with state-owned defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) accounting for the remainder.  It added, “The figures indicate that defence ex...

The US Navy and Missile Defense Agency hit a target using the SM-6 Dual II with Software Upgrade. (Missile Defense Agency)  The US Navy (USN) and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) intercepted an advanced medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) test target using the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Dual II with Software Upgrade (SWUP), the MDA confirmed on 28 March.    Guided-missile destroyer USS   Jack H Lucas  (DDG 125), the first Flight III Aegis destroyer equipped with the new SPY-6 radar, participated in the test as part of its Initial...

South Korea seeks to acquire the KAI KF-21 (pictured) to replace its ageing Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) F-4 Phantom and Northrop F-5 Tiger fleet. (KAI)  A South Korean announcement of an estimated KRW7.92 trillion (USD5.85 billion) production plan for the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae covers 40 aircraft, weapons, and associated costs, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said.    A DAPA spokesperson told   Janes   on 2 April that the estimated budget “is for the planning” of the KF-21 production...

SkyWiper Omni (pictured), developed by NT Service, is an omnidirectional jammer being procured by the Lithuanian MND, which has a 500 m domed range. (Janes/Olivia Savage)  Lithuania-based NT Service has been contracted to deliver counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs) to the Lithuanian military to meet an urgent requirement to combat ‘drones'.  The contract, valued at EUR8.03 million (USD8.72 million) and spanning 36 months, involves the provision of anti-drone dome systems and individual suppressors, according to a contract notice publis...

A convoy of Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicles perform command-and-control operations for the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center training rotation in Fort Greely, Alaska. (Janes/Meredith Roaten)    Life in the Arctic can shift from -40ºF with 20 to 30 mph winds one week to the snow melting away as temperatures climb closer to 40ºF every day the next week. This kind of chaos makes the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) 24-02 training rotation an excellent trial for new US Army equipment and operations in contest...

A 5.56 mm XT112 assault rifle prototype showcased at TADTE 2023. The rifle has a firing range of 600 m. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  The Republic of China Army (RoCA) has granted the permission to produce a new direct fire support variant of the Cloud Leopard 8×8 wheeled armoured combat vehicle (ACV) and a new 5.56 mm assault rifle called XT112, Taiwan's state-owned Central News Agency (CNA) reported in late March.  According to the CNA, the ACV – fitted with a 105 mm gun – passed initial combat readiness testing with the RoCA in October 2023, while...

A US Army soldier with the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, inspects a MAPS Gen 1 A-PNT component installed on a tactical vehicle. (US Army)  The US Army's combat capabilities development directorate is seeking industry input on an Assured Position, Navigation, and Timing (A-PNT) capability specifically designed for dismounted operations.  Officials from the research and technology integration directorate at the service's Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center are s...

An Australian Army AS9 Huntsman self-propelled howitzer test-fires a practice round at the Proof and Experimental Establishment in Port Wakefield. (Commonwealth of Australia)  South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace initiated the production of the first AS9 ‘Huntsman' self-propelled howitzer (SPH) and AS10 armoured ammunition resupply vehicle (AARV) for the Australian Army on 28 March at its Changwon facility, the company said in a social media post in late March.  Following initial production of two AS9s and one AS10 at the Changwon facility, all the...

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system (pictured above) is armed with an anti-ship warhead of weight varying between 200 and 300 kg. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The Indian Army test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and the Akash semi-mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) in two separate exercises that took place in late March.  The BrahMos test was carried out by the Rising Sun missile unit of the Indian Army's Eastern Command in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. According to a social media post by Eastern Command, the missile hit th...

Italian Navy Thaon di Revel-class PPA ITS   Francesco Morosini   seen at Langkawi during its 2023 Asia-Pacific tour.  (Janes/Mansasvi Sharma Shanker)  Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri announced on 28 March that it has signed a EUR1.18 billion (USD1.27) contract for two multirole offshore patrol ships (Pattugliatore Polivalente d'Altura: PPA) with the Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD).  However, Indonesia's ability to fund this commitment is presently unclear given the lack of an allocation for this programme in...

The first production Tejas Mk 1A takes off from the HAL airport in Bangalore on 28 March 2024. (HAL)    Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has test-flown its first production Tejas Mk 1A Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). However, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is unlikely to get the aircraft until mid-2024, an industry source told   Janes  .     According to HAL, the first production aircraft, serial no LA-5033, conducted an 18-minute successful sortie from the HAL airport in Bengaluru on 28 March. HAL intended to deliver at l...

In a recent demonstration to the ADF, Fleet Space Technologies applied the Beagle waveform technology to deliver push-to-talk capabilities using its Centauri 4 LEO satellite (pictured). (Fleet Space Technologies)  South Australia-based Fleet Space Technologies has used communications waveform technology Beagle to demonstrate satellite-enabled push-to-talk (PTT) capabilities to the Australian Defence Force (ADF).  Janes  understands Beagle is a design framework developed by Australian company Safety from Space to generate efficient radio...

New Australian legislation aims to support defence trade between partners working on the AUKUS submarine. A visual concept of the submarine is pictured above. (BAE Systems)  Australia's parliament passed legislation on 27 March that will support the country's AUKUS partnership with the United Kingdom and United States but toughen rules on the transfer of technologies to other foreign countries.  The Department of Defence (DoD) in Canberra said the new Defence Trade Controls Amendment Act 2024 (DTC Act) will enhance the protection of “Australi...

Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle taking off from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on 21 March. The rocket carried a US satellite, which includes an experimental communications payload developed by the NZDF. (Rocket Lab)  The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has launched an experimental communications payload into orbit with the help of a research satellite developed by the US Navy's (USN's) Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).  This communications payload, named ‘Korimako', will “allow defence scientists to conduct space communicati...