Start Archive: News & Articles

Archive: News & Articles


The 20th Life Cycle Management in NATO Conference and Exhibition

Mittler Report Verlag, in cooperation with the NATO Life Cycle Management Group (LCMG), hosted the 20th edition of the LCM in NATO conference and exhibition on 21 and 22 January 2025 in Brussels. Bringing together government and industry representatives, and marking 20 years of NATO LCM, the conference offered a unique setting to exchange about the […]

A robust lightweight for combat boots: EXTRAGUARD technology from GORE-TEX Professional Fabrics

New and innovative EXTRAGUARD upper technology is light-weight and remains lightweight – even in extremely wet conditions Days of deployment in the rain, cold, mud and snow with hardly any time to recover: Infantry and special units brave the toughest conditions on deployment. Only the best equipment meets the requirements: EXTRAGUARD upper technology enables a […]

Interview – Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Chief of the Naval Staff, Pakistan Navy

ESD recently secured the opportunity to interview Admiral Naveed Ashraf, the Pakistan Navy’s Chief of the Naval Staff, about his ambitions and expectations for the fleet’s development under his leadership. His answers paint a vision of a modernised PN working in partnership with friendly navies to achieve regional stability. The interview was conducted by Conrad […]



Tracked fire support vehicles: A return to ‘light tanks’?

Attaching armoured fire support vehicles to light infantry units can enhance survival and support offensive operations. While such vehicles have been offered in various configurations for many years, recently there appears to be increased interest in acquiring such vehicles. Several factors differentiate fire support vehicles (FSVs), whether wheeled or tracked, from other armoured fighting vehicles. […]

Replacing the British Army’s Warrior IFV fleet

The Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) and its variants first entered British Army service in 1987. Some 38 years later, it has reached its out-of-service date, but at this point there is no defined successor system. So, who are the key contenders? That there needs to be a successor to Warrior is obvious, but defining […]

CAVS – rolling along, gathering strength

Bolstering interoperability and collective defence amongst EU member states is at the heart of the ambitious Common Armoured Vehicle Systems (CAVS) programme, which is gaining momentum, not simply with the numbers of vehicles on order growing significantly, but also in the efficient manner in which the whole effort is being conducted and coordinated. 2024 was […]



Just in time is dead: How European manufacturers are gearing up for land warfare

For any industry, a supply chain must balance efficiency with cost. Holding stock can be expensive and inefficient, it requires an entity to maintain and retain warehousing and storage for components and to procure them in bulk. Ideally, a production line is operated at an optimal capacity without any redundancy. This reduces waste and ensures […]

Raining down from above

The relative simplicity and effectiveness of explosively-formed penetrators (EFPs) against various types of armoured targets, has led to their use and delivery from a variety of weapon systems for more than a century. In Ukraine, top-attack EFPs, including from artillery and air-dropped systems, have been increasingly effective on both sides in defeating the relatively thin […]

Vehicle-mounted anti-drone solutions

To ensure protection against current and emerging aerial threats, expeditionary and manoeuvre forces must be accompanied by vehicles mounting anti-drone capable weapons. Various approaches to the mobile counter-UAV (C-UAV) mission are undergoing testing or development. Small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and loitering munitions have become a major threat to military forces, as demonstrated in the […]



Heavy-duty transmissions for tactical and logistic vehicles

Transmissions play a decisive role in the performance profile of wheeled and tracked vehicles, especially when used off-road on construction sites, off-road and in the military. At its production facility in Szentgotthárd (Hungary), US transmission manufacturer Allison Transmission presented its transmission assembly and selected examples in practical tests. In motor vehicles, transmissions distribute engine power […]

Observe, orient, decide, act: advances in AFV situational awareness

As the range of battlefield threats proliferates to include systems such as mini-UAVs and loitering munitions, AFV situational awareness capabilities are rapidly expanding to match them. While the ‘iron triangle’ of armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) design – firepower, protection and mobility – still holds true, it is increasingly an AFV’s situational awareness systems that are […]

APS and ERA developments

Emerging threats observed in the ongoing Russo–Ukrainian conflict and a series of conflicts in the Middle East from 2022 to 2024 have sparked renewed interest in armoured vehicles and their protection. Contemporary solutions include various layers of protection designed to increase the survivability of armoured vehicles against multiple threats on the battlefield. Among other measures, […]



Nightmare scenario

With the re-election of US President Donald Trump, questions regarding the transatlantic relationship between the US and Europe have once again come to the forefront, including the extent to which the US needs Europe. A sober reading shows that the US has good reason to remain engaged in Europe; most notably, US security depends on […]

Finland and CBRN Defence

As Europe’s geopolitical landscape shifts, Finland stands out not just for bringing crucial conventional capabilities to the NATO alliance, but also as a key player in mitigating chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, with a comprehensive network of military, civil, and industrial capabilities in this sphere. NATO’s new member in the far north, Finland, […]

20 years of NATO Life Cycle Management: Looking back, moving forward, facing new challenges

Marking 20 years of NATO Life Cycle Management (LCM), the 20th edition of the NATO LCM Conference will be held on 21 and 22 January 2025 in Brussels. Gathering numerous government and industry representatives, and chaired by Thomas Espelund Pedersen (Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation) and J. Bo Leimand (LEIMAND Freelance Consultancy), the conference […]



European Security: The OSCE at 50

Almost three years since Russia invaded Ukraine, the rules-based order that once governed security on the European continent lies entirely in shreds. Yet, one European security organisation, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was created during the Cold War to deal with precisely the threats that the European continent is faced with […]

Securing the High North – Exercise ‘Apex Buccaneer’

ESD was recently invited on board a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker to observe part of the Norwegian-led trilateral exercise ‘Apex Buccaneer’. This article details what this exercise involved and examines why exercises like ‘Apex Buccaneer’ are essential in facilitating Arctic security. On 3 December 2024 Norway, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States […]

SITREP on Ukraine – end of 2024

In late 2024, the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine or at least suspending hostilities remained unclear; however, officials from both Ukraine and its partners in the West are increasingly discussing the possibility of such a scenario. The inauguration of US president-elect Trump on 20 January 2025 is considered the starting point for the […]



Charting a course for growth

While industry forecasts for shipbuilding, and the defence industry more generally, are predicting significant expansion over the next decade, differences of opinion remain on the strategies for achieving such growth and the factors that will influence them. At the Euronaval 2024 defence exhibition McKinsey & Company launched its industry report titled ‘McKinsey on the Maritime […]

Capability growth: naval missiles and gun systems boost surface warfare

Investment in naval surface-to-surface guided weapons (SSGWs) has fallen behind since the end of the Cold War but recent projects aim to modernise missile capabilities and adapt them for the emerging operational environment. Meanwhile naval gun systems are also proving to offer a useful all-round multi-mission fire support and air defence capability for warships, being […]

Pakistan’s road to defence-industrial self-reliance

Pakistan’s journey to defence-industrial self-reliance has been marked by geopolitical challenges and shifting alliances. This article traces the evolution of Pakistan’s indigenous defence industry, highlighting key milestones along its journey from reliance on foreign arms to developing indigenous nuclear and conventional weapon systems. Upon independence in August 1947, Pakistan faced a significant problem as it […]




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