Archive: News & Articles

Efficient processing of high-performance fabrics for personal safety Personal protective equipment (PPE) must function flawlessly under extreme conditions. Whether in law enforcement, firefighting, military, or industrial safety applications, protective textiles such as Aramid, Kevlar® or Cordura® are required to deliver maximum resistance to heat, cuts and abrasion. However, these properties also make the materials difficult […]

Behind polite diplomatic language and official commitments to partnership, the SCAF fighter programme is unravelling. A German union has declared they won’t work with France’s Dassault, while Germany and Spain have been exploring alternative partners such as Sweden. France now appears increasingly ready to walk away. Welcome to Europe’s most dysfunctional defence collaboration programme. By […]

An evolving demand for turreted, self-propelled (SP) mortar systems, has seen interest bolstered further in recent years by the geopolitics of the moment and changing battlefield threats experienced in Ukraine, with systems developed and emerging from European and allied defence manufacturers garnering interest, even from the US Army. Raison d’être The vulnerability of traditional infantry […]

Chemical weapons remain a persistent threat, but advances in protective clothing are changing the calculus of CBRN warfare. This piece explores how new fabric technologies are making suits lighter, safer, and more effective. Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) hazards drive the development of defensive countermeasures such as protective masks or medical treatment. In the […]

Most of the world’s largest militaries rely on small fleets of specialised systems to breach defended minefields as quickly and as safely as possible. This article examines how these breaching systems are evolving in response to challenges to their survivability and concerns over their affordability and availability. Breaching an enemy minefield is a complex, time […]

It is generally accepted that there are three key criteria in tank design, the so-called ‘iron triangle’ of firepower, protection and mobility. In this article our interest is firepower, the current state of tank armament and its potential future evolutionary path. Central to this purpose is understanding how we got to the current state of […]

The IDF’s Carmel programme de facto shifted from development of a new armoured fighting vehicle to become a technology integration project around 2021. This piece examines some of the highlights to have emerged from the project thus far, and provides a glimpse of what to expect going forward. The Carmel programme was launched by the […]

Minefields are one of the most effective battlefield obstacles, used to achieve a variety of tactical aims for those laying them, impeding an enemy’s mobility and speed of manoeuvre, to name but two. Faced with such barriers, overcoming them is no easy challenge. With mobility and manoeuvre two of the most important capabilities contributing to […]

Ground-based air defence (GBAD) has emerged as one of the dominant procurement priorities of the decade, with military and political leaders across Europe increasingly uneasy at the scale and variety of aerial threats revealed by the war in Ukraine. This concern reflects a hard reality: many European states lack meaningful quantities of modern air defence […]

This article explores the challenges of ammunition interoperability within the land warfare domain, and was written with contributions from the chairs, experts, and staff of NATO NAAG and CASG communities. NATO is confronted with the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II. As a major escalation of the relatively smaller scale conflict […]

As we close the 2025 editorial year, it was a good time to speak with the CEO of Swedish sighting specialist Aimpoint, Per Lovatt, on the conclusion of his first year at Aimpoint’s helm. It is also the anniversary of the company’s 50th year in business, innovating what is substantiated as the first and best […]

High Frequency Over-The-Horizon radars are a niche capability, which are seeing increasing investment from several nations around the world. Like other NATO nations in the Arctic region, Canada is facing a renewed threat from a strategically assertive Russia. The two countries are separated by the Arctic Ocean and the US state of Alaska. Nonetheless, any […]

Modern composite armour has transformed protection for helicopters by slashing weight and minimising risks from ricochets compared to older heavy steel plates. The CH-47 Chinook’s upgraded kit proves that modern materials boost survivability without endangering performance. Commanders still face trade-offs though: more armour means reduced payload and impacts manoeuvrability, especially in hot, high-altitude zones. Ultimately, […]

NATO’s European members are set to receive much-needed muscle in kinetic anti-radar capabilities thanks to a new continental missile programme. European suppression of enemy air defence (SEAD) is back in business. The post-Cold War years, and global counter-insurgency operations witnessed in the 2000s and 2010s, made the SEAD mission set airpower’s unloved stepchild. What was […]

Small arms fire control systems (SA-FCSs) are fast becoming an area of great interest in the infantry weapons sector. Some users see SA-FCSs as an important part of next-generation small arms, while others are taking a more nuanced approach as to how they might employ SA-FCSs across their small arms inventory. The path towards SA-FCSs […]

Once a crucial frontline personal weapon, submachine guns (SMGs) have endured to this day, adapting to new roles across military, law enforcement, and specialist units. Today, a wide range of modern and legacy designs are continuing to fill the niche where firepower and compactness are still sought-after qualities. The SMG was once an important part […]

The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which remain the most vulnerable NATO members on the Alliance’s Eastern Flank, closely monitor international developments in their region. The latest series of incidents has forced NATO to increase its presence and commitment along its Eastern Flank. One moment of heightened concern came in mid-September with the […]

Urban warfare is a distinct and vital subset of combat operations. To enhance both lethality and survivability, combat units require equipment tailored to the special challenges of this environment. Urban terrain is generally presumed to favour the defender. Intact buildings and rubble provide concealment and every corner, doorway, container represents a potential ambush. Likewise, every […]

France is a unique country within the EU. It maintains an independent – albeit costly – nuclear force and must protect its territories scattered across the globe. Similarly, the country is committed to achieving European strategic independence within NATO. While part of Europe’s rearmament since 2014, France faces challenges balancing these priorities alongside growing debt […]

On 13 November 2025, Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) delivered a batch of TOS-1A Solntsepyok thermobaric multiple rocket launchers (MRLs). According to the manufacturer’s press release, the TOS-1A vehicles in this batch are fitted with a modification to provide protection against small drones. While no details were provided, it is known that the new drone protection kit is […]

Air-to-air refuelling (AAR) is vital for projecting air power persistently and at range. However, building sovereign tanker capabilities can be costly and slow. Contractor-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) AAR offers scalable, on-demand capacity and should be considered by European and NATO planners. In a COCO model, a private company provides an aircraft, its crews and support, akin […]

Military logistics and sustainment have always played a crucial role in operations at all levels–strategic, operational, and tactical. Following major geopolitical changes, as well as shifts in technology and doctrine, military logistics have evolved over the past decades, with one of the main directions being a shift toward robotics and autonomy. The experience of the […]