Archive: News & Articles

Bittium has received a purchase order from the Finnish Defence Forces to continue porting the European ESSOR (European Secure SOftware-defined Radio) program’s OC1 (Operational Capability 1) wideband waveform to the Bittium Tough SDR radios. These radios will be delivered to the Finnish Defence Forces. With the current purchase order, the porting proceeds from design phase […]

The German Navy will receive 22 Geckos. These powerful and flexible boats will be used for rescue and transportation. They can be adapted according to the role. If, for example, more space is required for transporting materials, six of the eight seats can be removed or flexibly installed due to a rail system. Another twelve […]

German company Hensoldt is working with Danish company MyDefence on a drone defence system for a Southeast Asian customer. This system consists of a Hensoldt Spexer 360 radar and MyDefence’s Watchdog 200 networked direction finding radio frequency UAV detector (WD200) and command and control alarm system. Integrated into an anti-drone vehicle, it is designed to […]

U.S. exercise Defender-Europe 20 begins. First equipment – track and wheeled vehicles as well as other equipment from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division – from the continental U.S. will arrive in German port Bremerhaven on February 21. “Defender-Europe 20 demonstrates the U.S. military’s ability to rapidly deploy a large combat-credible force from the […]

Interview with Christophe Fontaine, Director Strategic Development for Europe, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. Christophe “Taraz” Fontaine is a retired French Air Force colonel of 30 years with experience in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR). He held squadron level and staff positions related to ISR, Targeting, Combat Search & Rescue (CSAR), NATO doctrine and air […]

Following the European Parliament elections on 26 May 2019, on 1 December 2019 the new European Commission (EC) took office for five years. The former President of the Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and the former President of the European Council Donald Tusk were thanked for their services and replaced by the German Ursula von der Leyen […]

A small group of submarine manufacturers took centre stage during the NIDV exhibition in Ahoy, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Rebranded into NIDV Exhibition Defence & Security (NEDS), the event held on 28 October 2019 attracted potential subcontractors including integrators, engineering companies and suppliers of components and naval mission systems. Among the companies present were RH Marine, […]

Tensions in the Gulf region are increasing, and with them the demand for products, systems and services in the field of simulation and training (S and T), which can help to increase operational readiness. US and European military services are particularly in demand here. The assassination on 3 January 2020 of Quasem Soleimani, General of […]

Control of the air remains a key function of air power for all current and future warfare. But what was once largely a fight between planes has now become a much more complex equation of ground and air-based sensors and self-protection. Nevertheless, it is still the case today that “the one who sees first wins” […]

A wide variety of ammunition choices is available for military small arms, a category which encompasses man-portable, non-crew served weapons such as pistols, assault rifles, submachine guns, sniper rifles, light machine guns, squad automatic weapons and shotguns. In recent decades, small arms munitions (with the exception of shotgun ammunition) have taken the form of copper-encased […]

Whether Russia in the Caucasus, Israel in Gaza and southern Lebanon, or the United States and its allies in Iraq, many sophisticated armies have experienced urban warfare over the past two decades. Urban assault has many unique challenges. Urban terrain generally favours the defender, who can prepare defences, utilise deception, install traps and explosive charges, […]

In low-intensity warfare and urban warfare, armies use snipers. This to neutralise specific threats without harming the uninvolved. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are using very advanced simulation tools to get ready for combat. The simulation tools used by the IDF and the other Israel security organisations have been developed by Israel`s defence industry. Most […]

With the rollout of the last of 1,587 logistic trucks for the Canadian Armed Forces, Mack Defense has delivered its share of the Medium Support Vehicle System (MSVS). In 2015, Mack Defense had been commissioned to supply more than 1,500 logistic 8×8 trucks in Standard Military Pattern (SMP) for around €500 million. The required variants […]

The modern sniper team is a highly skilled and extremely valuable asset that offers a force commander a set of unique capabilities. These capabilities include being a reconnaissance asset and an offensive asset capable of long-range engagement and neutralisation of hostile targets. In the current operational environment these reconnaissance and target engagement capabilities have to […]

There is an idealised image of policing, often called “community policing,” where the police are on the ground locally, working with the local community to resolve disputes and are present to deter low-level crimes and be in place to tackle more serious crime. Unfortunately, the current situation facing many law enforcement organisations is far from […]

Traditionally an infantry asset, mortar capabilities are evolving both technologically and tactically, delivering new possibilities for mounted and dismounted units and with ammunition and fire control solutions bolstering their operational performance. Mortars are on the up. New technologies, systems, mobility and tactical thinking mean that the good old mortar, perhaps a little on the back […]

Over the next decade the Czech Air Force is set to transform itself into a sleeker, more modern force. Since joining NATO 20 years ago, the relatively small air arm has been trying to catch up with some of the more established air forces’ capabilities. Regardless, it has become an established and enthusiastic member of […]

On 22 August 2019, Admiral Michael ‘Mike’ Gilday stepped into the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) of the US Navy at a challenging time. Amid growing threats around the globe – confront the forces of Beijing and Moscow and the ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan – he must lead a […]

In recent years, India has invested enormous resources in its military. At the same time, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make-in-India’ initiative, the Indian economy has succeeded in developing many indigenous cutting-edge technologies in the defence sector. With the annual Indian state budget to be discussed in Parliament in early 2020, ‘strategic watchers’ are hedging […]

At the moment, it does not look as if the new conservative-green cabinet of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz will improve the precarious financial and material situation of the Austrian Armed Forces. Therefore, the prospects for Klaudia Tanner as Austria’s first female Defence Minister are bleak. In the tabloid press, however, she gives a first impression as […]

The Polish MoD envisions expenditure on the level of €123Bn in the period of 2021-2035 for further development of the Polish Armed Forces and enhancement of the country’s security. The new Technical Modernisation Plan (TMP), which was presented in October 2019, outlined a number of major procurement programmes, which will affect every branch of the […]