Archive: News & Articles

The combination of climate change and increased tensions with Russia is increasing NATO nations’ focus on security interests and military operations in the Arctic and other cold-weather zones. A significant number of NATO members already operate vehicles optimised for these zones. Several are currently upgrading or replacing their cold-weather fleets. Several categories of vehicle are […]

MIL-STD cables and connectors are ubiquitous on the battlefield in their use for the widest range of applications on land, at sea or in the air. They ensure all kinds of military equipment operates reliably at all times and in the harshest of environments. From the connectors and cables on radios and communications equipment, to […]

Despite the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine and the continuing reassurances coming from NATO that Georgia’s interests are being taken into consideration, Georgia’s NATO accession process has come to an impasse. Instead of reaching a national consensus and keeping society united, the population remains divided and polarised. The only progress that can be highlighted is […]

Representatives from six of the countries operating the Hanwha Defense K9 Thunder 155 mm/52-calibre self-propelled howitzer (SPH) gathered in Narvik, Norway, on 6 February 2023 to attend the second meeting of the K9 User Club. The meeting will be held until 9 February. The K9 User Club was initiated with a meeting in April 2022 […]

Years prior to the February 2022 invasion by Russian forces, the Armed Forces of Ukraine understood the value of using technology for maneuvering and fighting at night or during periods of limited visibility. Similar to U.S. Defense forces, they viewed night fighting solutions as “critical enabling technology”. While soldier system night fighting equipment were readily […]

California-based packaging and lighting specialist Pelican Products will use the IDEX exhibition, which will be held in Abu Dhabi from 20 to 24 February 2023, to present a new range of rack frame cases that have a frame depth of 30 inches. These will be available for 3U, 5U, 7U and 9U case sizes of […]

Norway is to buy 54 Leopard 2A7 main battle tanks (MBTs) from German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), the Norwegian government announced on 3 February 2023, adding that the deal will include an option to buy an additional 18 tanks of the same type. Delivery of the MBTs is to take place from 2026 to 2031, […]

The German government has approved an export licence for the delivery of Leopard 1 main battle tanks (MBTs) to Ukraine. First reported by the daily national newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, which said Berlin had approved the sale of 88 Leopard 1s to Ukraine by German company Rheinmetall, the news was confirmed by government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit […]

A 6×6 Lightweight Recovery Vehicle (LWRV) variant of its High Mobility Transporter (HMT) is being progressed by Supacat under the UK Ministry of Defence’s Protected Mobility Engineering & Technical Support (PMETS) contract, the company announced on 23 January. A total of four Supacat LWRVs are due to be released to the British Army later this […]

The gathering pace of experimentation with electric propulsion was a key takeaway at this year’s Defence IQ International Armoured Vehicles conference (IAV23), held at Twickenham in London from 23-26 January 2023, with a number of UK initiatives reported to be making progress. IAV attendees were told that the three platforms being trialled with various hybrid […]

Armoured Engineer Vehicles (AEVs), or Combat Engineer Vehicles (CEVs) as they are also referred to, play a key role not only on the battlefield, but also have a role to play in disaster relief as they are well equipped to rapidly clear roads and other obstacles using their specialised front end equipment (FEE). The traditional […]

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has completed the fourth and final test flight under the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) programme, the agency announced on 30 January. Launched from a US Air Force B-52 strategic bomber, this was the second HAWC flight to use a test vehicle produced by Lockheed Martin and […]

In the naval domain, both fixed and rotary wing types perform a wide range of missions. These range from fast-jets flying from aircraft carriers for air-to-air and air-to-surface sorties to helicopters being used for: anti-submarine warfare (ASW) anti-surface warfare (ASuW) Search and Rescue (SAR) Airborne Early Warning (AEW) General logistics One of the most prolific users […]

The battlefield has become increasingly complex, hybrid and power hungry, and armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) have followed suit. Their growing wealth of new sensors and advanced weapon systems are placing higher operational demands for reliable, readily-available electrical energy supplies on those vehicle platforms than ever. Available power must be delivered to the right system at […]

Superficially, armoured vehicles used to be a less complicated proposition, it was not that long ago that a tank would have had a voice-only radio, there would have been an intercom system for crew communication, the main gun would have been stabilised, with the sight being a relatively simplistic optic. Realistically a tank of this […]

Carl Benz ran his first gasoline-driven engine at the end of 1879. Development continued and by 1885 Benz had developed a two-seat gasoline powered automobile. Then in July 1886, the three-wheeled Benz Patent Motor Car, model no. 1 made its public debut and the automotive age had begun. Other powered mobility solutions followed, but at […]

It is hard not to be cynical when looking at British defence programmes, or to be more precise the management of those programmes. Over the years British defence procurement has been characterised by short term thinking and ineffective financial management. This has led to cost overruns and seemingly an inability to deliver the end-user a […]

Knowing what’s going on outside your armoured vehicle without having to open a hatch and risk losing your head, has become increasingly achievable in recent years, as new technological solutions and possibilities to deliver comprehensive situational awareness under armour have entered the battlespace. Closed down, armoured vehicles and tanks have never really had great situational […]

In a news release issued on 14 December 2022, the German Ministry of Defence stated that the Budget Committee of the Bundestag had released funding for a number of defence programmes. Amongst these was the System Sturmgewehr Bundeswehr, a programme to acquire a new assault rifle for the German Army to replace the existing G36. […]

On 8 December 2022, the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) selected Finnish company Patria’s AMV as the replacement for Self-Defence Force’s (JGSDF) Type 96 8×8 armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs). However, the path which had led to this point was not the most straightforward. The Type 96 successor programme was initially named the ‘Improved Wheeled Armoured […]

At first blush, Russian tank casualties in the ongoing war indicate a weakness in Russian vehicle protection. The truth, however, maybe more nuanced. The statistics are damning. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the country’s armed forces have lost 1,450 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs), according to the Oryx Blog, which stated that […]