Archive: News & Articles

The UK’s premier naval deployment of 2025 got underway on 22 April when the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales departed Portsmouth, followed a few hours later by the destroyer HMS Dauntless. HMS Prince of Wales is leading an eight-month mission of Carrier Strike Group 25 known as Operation ‘Highmast’, under which series of exercises and operations […]

The dangers posed by cyber conflict are significant and require preparation by the joint force to counter such them, a senior US Department of Defense (DoD) specialist has warned. Remotely addressing the US Space Force’s Space Systems Command Cyber Expo 2025 in El Segundo, California, on 22 April, John Garstka, Director for Cyber Warfare within the […]

RTX’s Raytheon business announced on 21 April 2025 that it is transitioning to production of the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) after completing a rigorous US Army flight test programme and achieving the US Department of Defense’s Major Capability Acquisition Milestone C designation. LTAMDS has completed eight successful flight tests of increasing […]

Israeli companies Sentrycs, a specialist in protocol manipulation-based counter-drone technology (often referred to as Cyber over RF), and Xtend, a leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered, human-guided autonomous platforms and operating systems, announced a strategic partnership on 23 April 2025 aimed at transforming drone security and remote operations for defence and security applications. The collaboration brings […]

BAE Systems reported on 21 April 2025 that it has developed innovative new approaches to the production of energetics and propellants that are expected to strengthen supply chain resilience for the UK and its allies. The developments follow more than GBP 150 million (EUR 175 million) of investment by the company in its UK munitions […]

The European Commission-funded Technologies for Existing and Future Main Battle Tanks (FMBTech) project has been officially launched, Thales, which is co-ordinating the effort, announced on 22 April 2025. The initiative, which brings together a consortium of 26 companies from 13 European Union (EU) member states plus Norway, “aims to revolutionise main battle tanks (MBTs) for […]

Dutch shipyard Damen and Dutch geo-data specialist Fugro have teamed up under contract to the Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) to provide the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) with a surveillance vessel and operating crew, Damen announced on 17 April 2025. The RNLN will deploy the surveillance vessel to conduct security operations within the Netherlands’ North […]

Israel’s Maris-Tech announced the launch of a new real-time threat detection and protection solution for armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) on 22 April 2025. Called Diamond Ultra, the system is a fully integrated hardware/software system designed to enhance situational awareness and protection from airborne threats for AFVs and critical defence applications. The full system combines a ruggedised […]

A British Army team has successfully tracked, targeted and defeated swarms of drones in the latest trial of a new UK-developed radio-frequency directed-energy weapon (RF DEW), the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 17 April 2025. The trial was recently completed at Air Defence Range Manorbier in West Wales and was the largest counter-drone swarm […]

The first Bulgarian Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 fighter arrived at the country’s Graf Ignatievo Air Base on 13 April 2025, signalling the beginning of F-16 operations in Bulgaria. Bulgaria has ordered a total of 16 F-16s, having signed an initial letter of acceptance (LOA) for eight F-16s in 2019 and then a […]

The next step has now been taken in the Franco-German Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) programme, the companies associated with the project jointly announced on 17 April 2025. Following approval by the German Federal Cartel Office, KNDS Deutschland, KNDS France, Rheinmetall Landsysteme and Thales legally incorporated the ‘MGCS Project Company GmbH’ on 10 April 2025 […]

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Morocco of FIM-92K Stinger Block I manportable surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 15 April 2025. The proposed sale, which worth an estimated USD 825 million (EUR 725 million), has been passed to the US […]

Hanwha Aerospace Romania, a subsidiary of Hanwha Aerospace, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pusan National University (PNU) and the University of Science and Technology Polytechnic Bucharest (UPB) to promote activities in education and research and development (R&D) among the three parties, the company announced on 17 April 2025. The trilateral partnership is […]

Traditional air defence systems, designed for larger and more expensive threats, struggle to provide a cost-effective countermeasure to widely used micro- and mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs). The need for affordable countermeasures is urgent, especially as adversaries both state and non-state are increasingly deploying UAVs in coordinated attacks. This article explores the role of low-cost kinetic […]

The FREMM frigate Spartaco Schergat was delivered to the Italian Navy at Fincantieri’s Muggiano (La Spezia) shipyard on 15 April 2025. The ship is the ninth of 10 FREMM vessels contracted to Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN), a joint venture owned by Fincantieri (51%) and Leonardo (49%), by the European Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) […]

Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), a member of the SK Group, has launched an assembly plant in Peru in collaboration with FAME, a key Peruvian defence industry company affiliated with the Peruvian Ministry of Defence, IWI announced on 16 April 2025. The strategic partnership will enhance Peru’s defence capabilities while also fostering local industrial growth, IWI […]

Defence electronics house ELT Group has launched a new rapidly deployable, artificial intelligence (AI)-based counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) system called the Kinetic Anti-drone Mobile Asset (KARMA), the company announced on 16 April 2025. Capable of detecting, recognising and identifying Class 1 and 2 UAVs through AI algorithms that increase the effectiveness of onboard sensors and […]

South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace has signed a term sheet (preliminary) agreement with Poland’s largest private defence company, WB Group, with a view to establishing a joint venture to manufacture guided rockets in Poland for the Homar-K multiple rocket launcher (MRL), Hanwha announced on 15 April 2025. Under the agreement Hanwha Aerospace will hold a 51% […]

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Philippines of TH-73A training helicopters and support, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 15 April 2025. The potential sale, which is estimated to be worth USD 120 million (EUR 105.6 million), has been passed to the US Congress […]

Increasingly, militaries are pursuing short-range air defence (SHORAD) solutions to prepare for an era of near-ubiquitous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and loitering munitions, as well as dealing with the continued proliferation of cruise missiles, and rapidly evolving battlefield dynamics. With concerns over the development of hypersonic weaponry and the introduction of more types of stealth […]

The German/Norwegian combined submarine programme to deliver the Type 212 Common Design (T212CD) diesel-electric submarine (SSK) for the German Navy and Royal Norwegian Navy (RNoN) remains on track to deliver a first boat into service in 2029, programme officials told the Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) conference in Oslo in March. Moreover, the increasing challenge presented […]