Archive: News & Articles

As the threat from manoeuvrable hypersonic missiles adds to the already vast array of ballistic and other missile threats, increasingly extensive and sophisticated space-based satellite constellations providing missile warning and tracking functionality are being deployed to bolster US missile defences for the protection of the US and its Allies. This article examines the threats demanding […]

The latest developments in Lithium-ion battery (LIB) systems in the underwater domain have resulted in significant advantages for submarine operations compared to standard lead-acid batteries and have increased the number of new submarine procurement programmes. The aim is to provide modern submarines with maximum tactical mobility, while at the same time reducing the indiscretion rate […]

Ukraine’s USV campaign in the Black Sea has demonstrated how uncrewed systems can have critical impact on naval warfare. Western navies and industry alike are taking this lesson onboard in uncrewed system operation and design. The use of stealth at sea by Ukraine, a country with lesser absolute and relative naval capability has enabled that […]

The US Navy has begun the search for replacements for its shipboard manned and unmanned vertical lift aircraft. The Future Vertical Lift (Maritime Strike) or FVL (MS) program seeks to develop and acquire a ‘family of systems’ (FoS) including both manned and unmanned aircraft to replace rotary lift aircraft currently deployed aboard US Navy (USN) […]

The shotgun might not have the ‘glamour’ of some other small arms, for instance it cannot successfully engage a target at 600 m. However in urban combat scenarios, the weapon truly comes into its own. At present many militaries are working towards the development and fielding of new generations of small arms that combine high […]

As militaries around the world test and deploy new autonomous vehicles, commercial enterprises are developing innovative solutions which could change the battlefield in both big and small ways. In late 2022, BAE Systems Australia supplied two fully autonomous vehicles (AVs) for a ‘battlefield simulation’ demonstration for the Australian Army. This is just one more milestone […]

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is already leading to changes in NATO’s defence concept and a reassessment of the principles of modern warfare. Ukraine’s unique experience of confronting a much larger enemy force in terms of manpower and hardware is being taken into account in this reassessment. NATO’s military strategy is changing and moving towards […]

Armed forces must reexamine their combat search and rescue (CSAR) capabilities in light of operational realities associated with the return to great power competition and peer-warfare. The acronym CSAR can stand for Combat Search and Rescue or Combat Search and Recovery. While CSAR is dedicated to finding and retrieving any military personnel who are cut […]

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and heightened tensions along NATO’s eastern flank, coupled with multi-domain operations in the Indo-Pacific Region, have placed considerable pressure on NATO members’ ageing fleets of manned Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft. This has triggered an accelerated procurement drive not only by NATO members, but also from different customers with […]

19 September 2023 marked the start another active military conflict, this time in Nagorno-Karabakh: between the local Armenian troops and Azerbaijan. Despite lasting only one day, the conflict led to 412 official causalities for both sides and according to the Armenian Government has led to ethnic cleansing – with practically the entire Armenian population of […]

Sniping was once a much less complicated undertaking than it is today. The reason lies in the expansion of the performance of sniper rifles and supporting optics to previously unachievable levels. In turn, this has seen the sniper’s mission evolve significantly and, in parallel, a growth in understanding of the operational advantages that a high-quality […]

We are well into the second year of the biggest war in Europe since the end of the Second World War. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought the issues of land mine warfare into the harsh light of day. In addition, unexploded ordnance (UXO), also referred to as ‘explosive remnants of war’ (ERW), has […]

A mix of old and new satellites make up the current GPS constellation, with GPS III satellite launches and orbital insertions taking place according to plan, though the journey to deliver the system’s other segments has been less smooth. This article looks at some of the latest efforts, associated activities undertaken and scrutiny to deliver […]

The US Army remains confident that it will become the first Western military service to operationally field a hypersonic weapon, potentially as early as autumn of 2023. Through a joint service memorandum, the US Navy and the US Army are collaborating on the development of a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV). This category of weapon is […]

Marking the return of high-intensity conflict, the war in Ukraine has exposed the long-overdue need to invest in land fires capabilities. In Europe, short-term needs can be identified in the assistance instruments designed for Ukraine, such as the ‘European Peace Facility’ financing the provision of 155 mm artillery rounds and, if requested, missiles. Short to […]

About 19 months have passed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. What was supposed to be a rapid campaign taking just a few days, has morphed into a grinding attritional battle, with both sides continuing to suffer significant personnel and materiel losses. In the midst of this dreadful conflict, it has become clear that artillery […]

Ongoing programmes to equip US Army Stryker vehicles with new weapon systems are intended to boost both lethality and survivability. The US Army’s Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCT) were conceived in 1999 as an interim level armoured unit to fill the void between heavy (mechanised) and light infantry formations. The Stryker family of vehicles (FOV), […]

Military demands for connectivity show no signs of abating and are only likely to increase in the coming years. Could V-band radio help absorb some the growing communications burden on the future battlefield? The V-band occupies part of the radio segment of the electromagnetic spectrum spanning from 40-75 GHz, corresponding to wavelengths of between 7.5 […]

The US Army is currently modernising its combat vehicle fleet in order to meet more challenging adversaries. This effort combines upgrading in-service systems and introducing completely new combat vehicles. The US Army is currently pursuing 35 high-priority acquisition programmes covering six capabilities categories. These include various vehicle classes as well as improved-range tube artillery. Overall, […]

Four contractors are competing for the right to build a new fleet of heavy trucks for the US Army. By leveraging state-of-the-art and next-generation commercial technology, the Pentagon hopes to acquire a modernised transport fleet tailored to the needs of multi-domain operations (MDO). Presently, the US Army operates four different classes of heavy tactical vehicle […]

NATO is the most successful military alliance in modern history, but it is being put to the test. Three recent conflicts—the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War (2020), the Israel–Hamas conflict (2021), and the ongoing Russia–Ukraine War (2022–) — provide valuable lessons concerning the methods of the next war. The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War has been called the first […]