Archive: News & Articles

In 2023, the Army initiated a vast transformation plan toward ‘a war fighting Army.’ This transformation is the answer to the deep evolutions of the strategic context. The objective is to produce more power through better organisation, for increased responsiveness. Due to its operational contract, the Army must be capable of deploying a two-brigade division […]

If you declare war on something, industry will make goods to sell to the warriors. This has been the case since antiquity. The so-called ‘War on Drugs’ is no exception. A variety of techniques and technologies have come into use in the worldwide struggle against smuggling, manufacturing, and sale of dangerous drugs. The substances of […]

The enduring importance of medium helicopters to military forces has been highlighted by the initiation of three acquisition and development programmes in Europe – the UK’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH), NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) and the EU’s Next Generation Medium Helicopter (NGMH). This article examines the emerging requirements for new helicopters in this […]

Armed forces are currently evaluating mid- to long-term technology innovations with the goal of improving speed, reach and survivability of transport aircraft. Farther. Faster. Better than they used to be. While reminiscent of a 1970s television series, these words describe current military planners’ aspirations regarding the next generation of transport aircraft. On the one hand, […]

From recce to troop transport, medevac to close air support, spec ops, SAR and maritime roles, the versatility of helicopters makes them indispensable work horses on today’s battlefields. The war in Ukraine is a case in point, where the high-profile use of helicopters by both sides, of often aged, though formidable, Soviet-era airframes flying nap-of-the-earth […]

The war in Ukraine ensuing conflict has brought drone warfare into sharp focus. Though not new by any stretch of the imagination – unmanned systems have been used in conflict around the world since the turn of the century – the execution of drone warfare in Ukraine has given the issue new prominence, raised more […]

The proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is transforming conflicts, both ashore and afloat. Unmanned aerial vehicles are increasingly used for kinetic and non-kinetic attacks, along with their primary intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) mission. Attack UAVs – in function effectively cruise missiles – have been extensively used in the Red Sea, Syria and Iraq, […]

The introduction of very small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has provided small infantry units with a new and potent reconnaissance and combat tool. Armed forces and industry are working to enhance their performance by improving range, endurance and payload capacity.     In the past, infantry forces frequently had no choice but to advance with limited situational […]

Over the past six months, the War in Ukraine has been reshaped due to both sides widely using various types of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). In 2022, Ukraine had the upper hand in this regard, but in 2023, Russia caught up, employing a variety of reconnaissance drones and disposable loitering munitions (often referred to as […]

Tanks provide a vital form of fire support in Ukraine, which means that both sides rely extensively on high explosive (HE) and guided ammunition natures. If you watch enough videos and read enough reports, you will get a sense of the vast scale of Ukraine. It is more easily appreciated by driving; even the relatively […]

As sensor fusion and AI begin to enter the networked warfighting space, armed forces have been experimenting with and implementing some of the new possibilities these technologies can provide.  In 2020 a data centre at Joint Base Lewis McChord in the US began to receive data from a number of low earth orbit satellites and […]

The arrival of uncrewed systems into force structures and operations is providing navies with an opportunity to harness the capabilities these systems can add to those of crewed platforms. This new force package is combining to generate force multiplying operational effects. However, there are still challenges to be worked through, including in both conceptual and […]

As submarines become quieter and operations shift towards the littorals, high-end sonar systems are needed in order to better detect and identify targets in the water column, especially in a cluttered environment. This article examines the latest technologies being used to improve sonar performance and the new products on the market that meet emerging naval […]

Providing sustained presence on station at depth below the surface is a role that sits neatly with uncrewed underwater vehicles. For emerging operational requirements such as seabed warfare, autonomous underwater vehicles and remotely operated vehicles combine to generate surveillance and response for this task. Seabed warfare is a new element to the maritime underwater domain, […]

The adoption of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as the MQ-9 Reaper continues but this family of weapon platforms has now grown to include ‘hobbyist’ drones. Such systems create a demand for effective training both for users and those trying to counter them. In 1953, the British military strategist Basil Liddle-Hart said that “…the most […]

Despite the ever-increasing number of navies harbouring ‘blue water’ naval ambitions, the total of those with the means to field this capability underwater is limited. The nuclear-powered submarine’s combination of speed and endurance continues to provide an unrivalled capacity to undertake long-range, oceanic deployment. However, few nations have either the technological base or financial resources […]

In response to the growing market for body and platform protection, Nurol Teknoloji, a major Turkish manufacturer of ceramic protective elements, is expanding its capacities, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The most recent step was the acquisition of the German ceramics specialist Industriekeramik Hochrhein (IKH) and its integration into the production process. Long-range weapons mean that […]

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) finally issued an invitation to negotiate for its New Medium Helicopter requirement in February, but the history of the programme suggests that the fruits of this procurement initiative could still be years away. On 27 February 2024 the starting gun was fired on the next phase of the UK’s […]

Technological developments in the field of naval mine countermeasures (MCM) are revolutionising a traditionally dangerous, difficult and time-consuming process. Advances in areas such as networking, autonomy and wider aspects of artificial intelligence are speeding the detection, identification, classification and disposal of mines. Significantly, they also offer the prospect of ‘taking the ship out of the […]

The Portuguese Military Programming Law 2023–2034 – approved in July 2023 – seeks to provide a comprehensive boost to the modernisation of the country’s depleted armed forces by acquiring new equipment worth EUR 5.57 billion. This amount, the largest ever, foresees the acquisition of land, naval, air, cyber security, space capabilities, as well as emerging […]

Coastal zones face a broad array of airborne and seaborne threats. Since defence against airborne threats is not unique to coastal zones, this article will focus on the seaborne category. The seaborne category includes a range of threats including: reconnaissance and direct attack missions by manned and unmanned vessels; stealth missions to conduct underwater sabotage, […]