Archive: News & Articles

UK underwater operations specialist JFD is looking to extend its market recognition among the special operations forces (SOF) community, especially with its range of tactical diving vehicles (TDVs), with attendance at the SOF Week event in downtown Tampa, Florida, from 6-10 May 2024. JFD will be taking both its Carrier Seal and Shadow Seal TDVs […]

Reports of apparent Israeli airstrikes on the Iran cities of Isfahan and Tabriz during the night of 18/19 April 2024, in response to the Iranian attack on Israel on the night of 13 April, have left a confused picture of what actually happened and what its effects were. Video footage of explosions over Isfahan posted […]

The latest of eight Challenger 3 main battle tank (MBT) prototypes rolled off the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) factory production line in Telford on 18 April 2024 as the site was visited by UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps. The first prototype has already been conducting trials since February 2024, while all eight prototypes will […]

The Rafael Advanced Defense Systems C-Dome naval air and missile defence system has made its first combat interceptions. Rafael initially reported on 10 April 2024 that the system had been used the previous night “to intercept a suspicious hostile target which posed a significant threat to Israeli assets and strategic sites in southern Israel”. Then, […]

The US Army’s Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile system has made its first overseas deployment, the service announced on 15 April 2024. The army’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (1MDTF) deployed the MRC system to Northern Luzon in the Philippines on 11 April as part of Exercise ‘Salaknib 24’. The 1MDTF’s MRC is a versatile ground launch […]

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 Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) organisation of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded Airbus a GBP 122 million (EUR 142.6 million) contract for six Airbus H145 helicopters to provide aviation support for UK troops in Brunei and Cyprus, DE&S announced on 18 April 2024. The contract, which fulfils a requirement that was formerly […]

On 15 April 2024 US the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) selected Lockheed Martin to deliver the United States’ new homeland missile defence capability in the form of the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI), Lockheed Martin announced on the same day. As the MDA’s NGI prime contractor, Lockheed Martin will provide “the most modern, reliable, and technically […]

The Dutch Command Materiel and IT (COMMIT) agency has signed a contract with Thales for the delivery of seven Ground Master 200 Multi-Mission/Compact (GM200 MM/C) medium-range radars, with two additional systems as an option, Thales announced on 15 April 2024. The contract follows on from a previous order for nine GM200 MM/C radars placed in […]

The Honduran Ministry of Defence (MoD) has purchased two additional H145 helicopters, manufacturer Airbus announced on 10 April 2024. The H145s will be operated by the Honduran Air Force to perform passenger and cargo transport, search-and-rescue, firefighting, medical evacuation and other essential missions in the region. This new purchase follows an initial order signed in […]

The US Army has awarded L3Harris Technologies a USD 256 million (EUR 240 million) contract for continued production of the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle – Binocular (ENVG-B), the company announced on 15 April 2024. The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract represents the first full-scale production order under the ENVG-B’s programme of record. “The L3Harris ENVG-B systems enhance […]

The death toll among Russian military personnel serving in Ukraine has passed 50,000, according to a joint investigation by BBC Russian, independent Russian media group Mediazona and associated volunteers, published on 17 April 2024. The figures, which counted Russian military deaths in Ukraine since the Ukrainian invasion began in February 2022, were derived by investigators […]

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Iraq of C-172 and AC/RC-208 aircraft contractor logistics support and training and related equipment, the US Defense Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA) announced on 15 April 2024. The proposed sale, worth an estimated USD 140 million (EUR 131 million), has been passed to […]

UK anti-submarine warfare (ASW) specialist SEA is demonstrate a software application to enhance the UK Royal Navy’s sonar systems as part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) Spearhead defence innovation programme, the company announced on 16 April 2024. The system, which is likely to be trialled later in 2024, automatically determines the optimum deployment […]

Israeli satellite communications (satcoms) specialist Orbit Communication Systems unveiled on 17 April 2024 what it describes as “groundbreaking” adaptive noise reduction (ANR) technology to facilitate clear cockpit communications. Called Microphone ANR, the technology uses artificial intelligence (AI) to negate the challenges of severe environmental noise encountered during flight, such as helicopter rotor and engine noises, […]

Babcock Canada and Roshel, an Ontario-headquartered manufacturer of special-purpose armoured vehicles, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaboratively explore opportunities to support the Canadian Armed Forces. Babcock has been active in the Canadian defence and security markets for over 16 years, while Roshel designs and manufactures a range of armoured vehicles for military […]

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, […]

The fighter fleet of the Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina – FAA) is finally being reconstituted with the acquisition of 24 former Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) Lockheed Martin F-16s. The purchase agreement for the aircraft was signed in Copenhagen on 16 April 2024 by Argentine Defence Minister Luis Petri, who was accompanied for the […]

Two former Royal Navy Sandown-class minehunters transferred to the Ukrainian Navy have arrived in Portsmouth after a two-day voyage from Scotland, the Royal Navy announced on 11 April 2024. The two minehunters, formerly HMS Shoreham and HMS Grimsby but now renamed Cherkasy and Chernihiv respectively, were commissioned into the Ukrainian Navy on 2 July 2023. […]