Archive: News & Articles

The three main companies behind the trinational Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) announced on 13 December 2024 that they have reached an agreement to form an equally owned joint venture to take the programme forward to fruition. The UK’s BAE Systems, Italian company Leonardo and the Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co (JAIEC) will each hold […]

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has highlighted the critical need to ramp up defence spending and defence production amid an increasingly turbulent security climate. Speaking on 12 December 2024 at an event hosted by Carnegie Europe in Brussels, Rutte called on the NATO allies to “shift to a wartime mindset and turbo charge our defence […]

Saab has received an order from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to supply its Sea Giraffe 1X radar system to the Swedish Navy, the company announced on 13 December 2024. The order, which is valued at around SEK 340 million (EUR 29.5 million) with deliveries running from now until 2026, covers Sea Giraffe 1X […]

With its K9 Thunder 155 mm self-propelled howitzer (SPH), Hanwha Aerospace has already carved out a significant market in Europe, with Estonia, Finland, Norway, Poland and Romania having already selected the system. Now, the South Korean manufacturer has set its sights on Romania’s current infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) requirement, offering the K21 IFV that, as […]

Boeing-owned uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) manufacturer Insitu announced on 12 December 2024 that it has opened its new UAS Center of Excellence (COE) at Tawazun Industrial Park in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The state-of-the-art facility will localise UAS maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) work, training, and other essential services for the UAE […]

Raytheon UK’s High-Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) has completed a successful live-firing with the British Army directed against moving aerial targets, the company announced on 11 December 2024. The recent trial, which was conducted in October 2024 at the Radnor Range in Wales, is the latest stage of the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) Land […]

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with Spanish shipyard Navantia in Riad on 11 December 2024 for the supply of three additional Avante 2200 corvettes, identical to the five Avante corvettes already in service with the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF). Construction of the first new corvette will begin imminently, while […]

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Ukraine the sustain the operations of its Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 10 December 2024. The proposed FMS, which is worth an estimated USD 266.4 million (EUR 254 million), has been passed to the […]

US Army General Christopher Donahue was welcomed as the new head of US Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) during a change of command ceremony at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, on 10 December 2024. General Darryl Williams, the outgoing USAREUR-AF commander, relinquished command of the organisation to Gen Donahue in a ceremony officiated by US Army […]

Rotary-wing unmanned aerial system (UAS) provider Schiebel, in collaboration with MDA Space, has successfully demonstrated an IMSAR NSP synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mounted on one of its Camcopter S-100 unmanned aerial vehicles, Schiebel announced on 10 December 2024. The successful integration of the IMSAR NSP radar to the Camcopter S-100 was completed ahead of schedule, […]

The Slovak defence minister has indicated that the Embraer C-390 Millennium airlifter is the best option for Slovakia’s future military transport requirements, Embraer has reported. The news came on 10 December 2024, when Slovak Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák, on a visit to Brazil, signed a letter of intent with the Brazilian Ministry of Defence paving […]

Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky business has been selected by the US Marine Corps (USMS) to demonstrate the maturity and capability of its Matrix flight autonomy system, Lockheed Martin reported on 11 December 2024. Operationally relevant demonstration flights during 2025 using Sikorsky’s Optionally Piloted UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter will inform the USMC’s Aerial Logistics Connector programme. The demonstrations […]

The Eurofighter consortium has awarded BAE Systems a GBP 133 million (EUR 161.6 million) contract to further develop its Striker II helmet-mounted display (HMD), the company reported on 11 December 2024. Under the new contract the four-nation Eurofighter consortium – which combines companies from Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK – has tasked BAE Systems […]

The Czech Republic has ordered another 14 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks (MBTs) from Rheinmetall, the German company announced on 11 December 2024. A contract for the tanks has been signed by Dr Björn Bernhard, CEO of Rheinmetall Landsysteme, and Lubor Koudelka, director general of the Armaments and Acquisition Division of the Czech Ministry of […]

Military and civilian experts from across NATO met at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on 10 December 2024 to ramp up further co-operation in countering threats to critical undersea infrastructure. The specialists were joined by industry representatives, including telecommunications operators. Participants at the meeting reviewed mechanisms to boost situational awareness, to enhance information sharing […]

Dutch shipyard Damen Naval has signed a contract with classification society Lloyd’s Register in relation to the Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (PES) frigate design for the Colombian Navy, the company announced on 4 December 2024. Lloyd’s Register will execute the full plan approval for the execution phase of the programme, which will see Colombia produce […]

ACUA Ocean, a UK provider of platforms for sustainable maritime data collection, is beginning trials with its Pioneer-class unmanned surface vessel (USV) design, the company has told ESD. From December 2024 the first vessel, USV Pioneer, is conducting three months of harbour and site acceptance testing followed by sea trials out of ACUA Ocean’s facilities […]

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Netherlands of AIM-120D3 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs), the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 6 December 2024. The proposed sale, which is estimated to be worth up to USD 807 million (EUR 767 million), has been passed to […]

Teledyne FLIR announced on 4 December 2024 that Gremsy, a leading provider of advanced gimbals and payloads, has become the latest collaborator in the Thermal by FLIR programme: a co-operative product development and marketing effort supporting manufacturers that use Teledyne FLIR thermal cameras in their products. Gremsy integrates the Boson radiometric thermal camera module as […]

When the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initiated their offensive to substantially degrade the Iran-backed Shia militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon on 1 October 2024, they surely must not have realised that those operations, combined with the diversion of the Russian military’s focus toward the conflict in Ukraine, would precipitate the fall of the regime of […]

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded BAE Systems’ FAST Labs research and development organisation a USD 12 million (EUR 11.35 million) contract as part of the High Operational Temperature Sensors (HOTS) programme, the company announced on 9 December 2024. The HOTS programme will help develop microelectronic sensor technologies capable of high-bandwidth, […]