Archive: News & Articles

Leonardo is to supply the Japanese Ministry of Defence (MoD) with long-range, precision-guided Vulcano 155 mm munitions, the company revealed at DSEI Japan 2023, held in Tokyo from 15 to 17 March 2023.   The Vulcano rounds will be used by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s (JGSDF’s) Type 99 155 mm self-propelled howitzers and Type 19 […]

At a specially convened conference on 19 March 2023 the defence ministers of 17 EU states plus Norway signed an agreement on the joint procurement of ammunition (Collaborative Procurement of Ammunition) to support Ukraine in its fight against invading Russian forces. Under the leadership of the European Defence Agency (EDA), the participating nations intend to […]

From 15 to 19 March 2023 units of the Chinese, Iranian and Russian navies conducted joint naval manoeuvres in the sea area between Muscat (Oman) and Chahbahar (Iran). Ten vessels took part in the exercise, which was dubbed ‘Maritime Safety Belt’, according to a statement by the Russian Ministry of Defence, which stated “From the […]

The Ajax family of armoured reconnaissance vehicles for the British Army, which have been plagued by a series of noise and vibration issues, will finally achieve initial operating capability (IOC) between July and December 2025, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 20 March 2023. This will be more than six years after the […]

Boeing has been awarded a USD 1.946 Bn (EUR 1.82 Bn) contract modification from the US Army covering the manufacture of 184 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters, the company announced on 17 March 2023. Under the award the US Army will receive 115 remanufactured Apaches, plus another 15 procured as options (also remanufactured), while the […]

Within the US Army’s latest USD 1.9 Bn (EUR 1.8 Bn) contract award to Boeing for 184 Apache AH-64E attack helicopters will be the first Apaches for Australia, which are to be delivered to the Australian Army from 2026, according to the company. Australia decided in 2021 to replace its Airbus Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters […]

Poland is securing sections of its borders with Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, especially crossing points, with tank barriers to counter any attack from Russian or Belarusian armoured columns. Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszcak posted photos on Twitter on 23 February 2023 showing sections of completed barriers in the area of the Suwalki […]

Reflecting a strategy adjustment outlined in the US Financial Year 2024 Defense Budget request submitted to Congress on 9 March 2023, a top US Department of Defense (DoD) procurement official has stressed the need to make fostering a resilient and robust defence-industrial base a priority. Speaking on 15 March at a McAleese-sponsored event in Washington, […]

Following talks at the DSEI Japan defence exhibition, held in Tokyo from 15 to 17 March 2023, the United Kingdom and Japan have signed an agreement to co-operate in space. A Terms of Reference document has been signed by the UK’s Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, and the Chief […]

Slovakia became the second NATO country to donate fighter aircraft to Ukraine on 17 March 2023, with the Slovakian government approving a plan to send the country’s fleet of MiG-29 ‘Fulcrums’ to support Ukraine’s operations against its Russian invaders. The move follows Poland’s announcement the previous day that it would send a dozen or so […]

The 32 British Army AS90 155 mm self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) being gifted to Ukraine will be replaced by Archer 155 mm 6×6 wheeled artillery systems built by BAE Systems Bofors, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 16 March 2023. The government-to-government sale is being negotiated by the UK MoD’s Defence Equipment & Support […]

The US Department of Defense (DoD) released the Biden Administration’s Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Defense Budget request on 13 March 2023, having submitted it to the US Congress on 9 March. The request totals USD 842 Bn (EUR 793.58 Bn): an increase of USD 26 Bn, or 3.18%, over 2023 levels and USD 100 Bn […]

Poland is poised to become the first nation to give Ukraine the fighter jets that Kyiv has long sought to take the fight to the country’s Russian invaders, according to a statement made by Polish President Andrzej Duda on 16 March 2023. Speaking at a joint news conference in Warsaw with the visiting Czech president, […]

Tensions have been raised in the Black Sea region following an incident on the morning of 14 March 2023 in which one of two Russian Su-27 fighters operating in the area brought down a US MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). According to a statement released later that day by the US Department of Defense […]

A pair of Eurofighter Typhoons, one from the Royal Air Force (RAF) and one from the Luftwaffe, carried out their first joint interception as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission on 14 March 2023. They were scrambled to intercept a Russian Il-78 ‘Midas’ air-to-air refuelling aircraft near Estonian airspace after it failed […]

The Norwegian Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated on 14 March 2023 that it will buy six MH-60R Seahawk helicopters from Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky to partially replace its cancelled order for 14 NH Industries NH90s. The MH-60Rs, which are expected to cost USD 1.1 Bn (EUR 1.02 Bn), are slated to be delivered between 2025 and […]

The submarine-building plans under the Aukus defence pact have now been revealed following the meeting of US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in San Diego on 13 March 2023. While the central tenet of the Aukus agreement was always for the United Kingdom and United States […]

In March 2023, ESD interviewed Clarion Defence and Security, the organisers of DSEI Japan. Answers to ESD’s questions were provided by James Samuel, Director of DSEI Japan. James started his career at Reed Exhibitions back in 2001 with senior leadership positions at UBM, Tarsus and GovNet. James is currently working at Clarion Events where he […]

The UK government has committed to a GBP 5 Bn (EUR 5.65 Bn) boost in defence spending amid a revamping of the country’s defence strategy “to meet the challenges of an increasingly volatile and complex world”, a government press release indicated on 13 March 2023. The ‘Integrated Review Refresh 2023: Responding to a More Contested […]

Defence and security were a key focus at the 36th UK-France Summit in Paris on 10 March 2023, with new initiatives to advance what the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) called “the already strong military relationship between the two nations”. UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace met France’s Minister for the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, as […]

Russia launched a major missile attack against Ukraine on 9 March 2023 on a scale rarely seen previously. Most notably the attack included the use of six Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles: almost certainly the highest number of Kinzhals Russia has used against Ukraine in any such barrage. “During the day of March 9 the […]