Archive: News & Articles

Israeli encapsulated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) specialist SpearUAV is moving the potential of its Viper 300 range of quadcopter loitering munitions (LMs) beyond individual soldier use to include a vehicle-mounted capability. At the DSEI 2023 defence exhibition, held in London from 12-15 September, SpearUAV presented its Multi-Canister Launcher (MCL) concept, which allows multiple Viper 300 […]

Elbit Systems unveiled its Crossbow next-generation 120 mm turreted mortar system at DSEI 2023, billing it as the only truly automated mortar turret on the market. The premise for this claim comes by way of a novel auto-loader mechanism that aligns the rounds to be loaded with the current position of the barrel, obviating the need […]

US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks unveiled a new Pentagon strategy on 28 August 2023 aimed directly at countering the rapid build-up of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Placing ingenuity and innovation at the forefront of US efforts to maintain a military technological edge, Hicks said the United States will “out-match adversaries by out-thinking, […]

It is with great pride I can share the news that European Security & Defence has received 15 nominations at the 2023 Defence Media Awards. This is an extremely impressive result, and I’m very grateful to all of our contributors and ESD staff who worked so hard to help make this happen – well done […]

The US State Department has approved a potential Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Japan of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range (JASSM-ERs), the US Defense Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA) announced on 28 August 2023. The proposed sale, which is estimated to be worth USD 104 M (EUR 96.9 M), has been delivered to Congress […]

Russia’s RS-28 Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) has entered operational service. A 1 September 2023 report from Russian news agency TASS quoted Yury Borisov, the head of Russia’s Roscosmos state space corporation, as saying that day that the Sarmat system “has assumed combat alert posture”. One of six new Russian strategic weapons heralded by […]

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops operating in the West Bank have uncovered a new security threat in the form of 3D-printed firearms, the IDF announced in a 17 August 2023 report on its website. IDF Combat Engineering troops patrolling in Judea and Samaria in July 2023 were directed by intelligence to a location where weapons […]

The US Army’s M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs) are receiving a Collins Aerospace-provided upgrade that will deliver a significant uplift to their onboard power and thus their survivability and reliability, the RTX business announced on 15 August 2023. Under a USD 24 M (EUR 22 M) contract Collins Aerospace is producing and delivering electric generators with […]

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) has signed a contract through the International Fund for Ukraine for the delivery of counter-uncrewed aerial vehicle (C-UAV) systems to be donated to Ukraine, the company announced on 14 August 2023. The contract, which is valued at GBP 56 M (EUR 65.3 M), covers the delivery of several CORTEX Typhon […]

South Korean and US forces will conduct Exercise ‘Ulchi Freedom Shield’ – an annual joint, combined, and interagency event – from 21 to 31 August 2023, the US Navy (USN) press office has reported. The exercise is designed to strengthen the combined US/South Korean defence posture on the Korean Peninsula based on scenarios that reflect […]

The UK armed forces have completed a six-month programme training Ukrainian marines, the UK Ministry of Defence announced on 11 August 2023. The training, announced by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the UK in February, saw British Commandos training nearly 1,000 Ukrainian marines in small boat amphibious operations […]

Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturer Baykar has signed a comprehensive deal with state-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) for the production of Bayraktar Akıncı high-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) in Saudi Arabia. The agreement was announced on X (formerly Twitter) on 6 August 2023 by Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar, who stated, “With […]

Video footage of President Volodymyr Zelensky visiting a Ukrainian airbase has confirmed that the Ukrainian Air Force is now actively using French-supplied SCALP-EG air-launched cruise missiles: French versions of the Storm Shadow missiles already provided to Ukraine by the United Kingdom. In the footage, posted on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence […]

The Ukrainian armed forces appear to have significantly damaged the Russian Ropucha-class landing ship Olenegorskiy Gornyak during an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) attack in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk on the night of 3-4 August 2023. The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed on the morning of 4 August that an attack carried out […]

As the Royal Air Force (RAF) Eurofighter Typhoons flying NATO’s Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission out of Ämari in Estonia ended their four-month deployment on 3 August 2023, the UK Ministry of Defence announced that the RAF fighters had intercepted 50 Russian aircraft and flown for a combined total of more than 500 hours. The […]

Rheinmetall has completed its acquisition of Madrid-based ammunition supplier Expal Systems, the German company announced on 1 August 2023, with the transfer of Expal’s business activities to Rheinmetall taking place that day. The purchase price for the takeover of Expal is about EUR 1.2 Bn, according to Rheinmetall, which noted that the company will now […]

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Odysight.ai announced on 31 July 2023 that they have developed a cutting-edge visual-based health monitoring system (HMS) for UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. The system is based on a multi-camera system that enables real-time monitoring of the aircraft’s health status, maximising safety and availability. The Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter is a dominant […]

DS-SAR, a Singaporean synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Earth observation satellite developed and produced by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), has been successfully launched into space on a PSLV-C56 (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket, IAI announced on 30 July 2023. The satellite was launched that day from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. It entered […]

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has contracted Schiebel to support operations with its Camcopter S-100 rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for emission monitoring and maritime surveillance purposes in northern France on behalf of the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs, Fishery and Aquaculture (DGAMPA), the company announced on 29 July. Stationed at the Regional Centre […]

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Romania of a number of Assault Amphibious Vehicles (AAVs) and related equipment, the US Defense Security Co-operation Agency announced on 27 July 2023. The proposed sale, which is estimated to be worth USD 120.5 M (EUR 109.5 M), has been forwarded to […]

The NATO-Ukraine Council met for the second time on 26 July 2023) to address the serious security situation in the Black Sea region following Russia’s unilateral termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July 2022. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg convened the meeting following a request for […]