January 2023 News Global Defence & Security Industry - Military |
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Following the latest information published by the Swedish government regarding the new military aid package for Ukraine announced on January 19, 2023, Sweden will provide Ukraine the CV9040, one of the most modern and powerful tracked armored IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles) in the world.
According to information published by the "The EurAsian Times" website on January 16, 2022, Roderich Kizewetter, a former German army general staff officer and politician of the Christian Democratic Union party, proposes to take back the Gepard 35mm anti-aircraft armored vehicles sold to Qatar to send them to Ukraine.
According to several pictures published on Social Networks on January 21, 2023, we can confirm that Italy has sent an undisclosed number of PzH 2000 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine which are now used by the Ukrainian army 43rd Artillery Brigade.
First pictures of the Abrams M1A2 SEP V4 also called M1A2D Main Battle Tank (MBT) were released on the Facebook page of the U.S. Army Thunderhorse 2-12 Cavalry Regiment. According to our source, this is the first unit of the U.S. Army to receive the latest generation of M1A2 Abrams.
According to a statement published by the Polish Ministry of Defense on January 20, 2023, during the meeting in Ramstein, the Polish Ministry of Defense Mariusz Błaszczak announced that Poland will provide more T-72 tanks and BWP-1 IFV, a Polish version of the Soviet-made BMP-1 to equip one brigade of the Ukrainian army.
For several weeks, Ukraine has been asking the United States and its allies to provide Main Battle Tanks and more particularly Leopard 2 tanks produced by Germany. The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is under pressure from Ukraine and the United States to provide more military aid including the supply of Leopard 2 tanks.
The Israeli Defense Company IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) unveils the Point Blank or ROC-X, the first hand-launched electro-optical VTOL (Vertical Takeoff & Landing) missile able to engage both stationary and moving targets. It is the first hand-held loitering munition in the world.
According to several videos published on Social Networks on January 19, 2023, the Russian Government increases the protection of state buildings including the Ministry of Defense Offices with air defense missile systems Pantsir-S1 mounted on the roofs in case of Ukrainian drone attacks.
During his New Year wishes to the armed forces on Friday, January 20, pronounced from Mont-de-Marsan air base, French president Emmanuel Macron presented the future military programming law 2024-2030 which will allocate a budget of 413 billion euros for the armed forces. The high increase reflects the rising tensions not only with Russia but in several parts of the world, namely Africa and the Pacific. Today, the dangers are considerable, Emmanuel Macron underlined. “The threats are multiple and aggregate rather than follow one another”.
In the spring of 2022, the Americans requested the Cyprus Government to donate TOR-M1 and S-300 air defense missile systems, as well as T-80U main battle tanks, BMP-3 IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles) and Mi-35 attack helicopters. But Cyprus poses one condition, communicated by its foreign minister Ioannis Kasoulides to Jens Plöttner, foreign and security advisor to German chancellor Olav Scholz: the quick reception of Leopard 2s in exchange for the donation of its T-80Us. No reply from Scholz to date.
Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a radio interview on Thursday, January 19, that his country would send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine without securing Germany’s approval if Berlin does not agree to their re-export at Friday’s meeting of western Defense ministers at Ramstein airbase: “consent is of secondary importance” when it comes to German-made tanks because the key issue was to get military aid to Ukraine urgently. ”We will either obtain this consent quickly, or we will do it ourselves,” Morawiecki added, heaping further pressure on Berlin to allow German-made Leopard 2s to be sent to Ukraine in preparation for a spring offensive.
According to Annett Meiritz, Martin Murphy, Frank Specht and Gregor Waschinski in the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Western-allied states and industry increase the pressure on Berlin to supply main battle tanks to Ukraine which badly and urgently needs them to counter the expected forthcoming new vast attack from Russian forces. In addition to Leopard 1 and 2 MBTs, the British Challenger 1 is also up for debate (the United Kingdom already announced to offer 14 Challenger 2s).
According to information published by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation "DR" on 19 January 2023, during a press conference that was held on January 19, 2023, Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen announced that the 19 CAESAR 155mm 8x8 wheeled self-propelled howitzers ordered to the French Company Nexter systems will be donated to Ukraine.
On January 19, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced the authorization of a Presidential Drawdown of security assistance to meet Ukraine's critical security and defense needs. This authorization, which is valued at up to $2.5 billion, is the Biden Administration's 30th drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021. The new U.S. military aid package for Ukraine includes 59 additional Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) with 590 TOW anti-tank missiles and 295,000 rounds of 25mm ammunition and 90 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) with 20 mine rollers
For several weeks Ukraine has been asking the United States and several European countries to deliver Main Battle Tanks to face the Russian military power in terms of combat tanks. Poland is ready to deliver Leopard 2 in conjunction with other countries but Germany which is the producer of the tank has not yet given a positive answer about this proposal.
On January 19, 2023, the Estonian Ministry of Defense announced a new military aid package to Ukraine including a large number of heavy weapons such as FH-70 155mm and D-30 122mm towed howitzers that are worth €113 million.
According to the Swedish Prime Minister on January 19, "When the war is at stake, military support is absolutely crucial. The West's support has been of great importance to Ukraine's defense capabilities," Kristersson told reporters at a press conference. Anti-tank weapons and combat robots will also be included in Sweden's latest aid package, the prime minister added.
According to a tweet from Defence Intelligence posted on January 19, Russia is likely considering deploying a small number of its new T-14 Armata main battle tanks in Ukraine. In late December 2022, imagery showed T-14s in a training area in Southern Russia: the site has been associated with pre-deployment activity for the Ukraine operation.
The Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant (MMZ) of the Kalashnikov Group began to produce and deliver tracked vehicles for Buk-M3 and Tor-M2 air defense launchers according to 2023 and 2024 arms procurement orders, Kalashnikov said. “The plant has fully and timely fulfilled the 2022 arms procurement order and began to produce and ship tracked vehicles under 2023 and 2024 orders,” it said.
According to information published by several American media, the next U.S. military aid package for Ukraine includes 100 Stryker 8x8 armored vehicles and other military equipment. The Stryker is a family of armored vehicles that includes armored personnel carrier, reconnaissance, mobile gun system, mortar carrier, command post, fire support, engineer squad, and medical evacuation vehicles.
According to information published on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Twitter account on 18 January 2023, Canada will deliver 200 Senator 4x4 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) vehicles to Ukraine.
Sensor specialist Hensoldt is supplying two more of its TRML-4D high-performance radars to strengthen Ukraine's air defence. As part of an order worth a two-digit million euro sum, the two radars will be delivered in the next three months. At the turn of the year, Hensoldt had already contracted four TRML-4D radars as part of the IRIS-T SLM air defence system for Ukraine.
According to pictures published by the "Ukraine Weapons Tracker" Twitter account on January 17, 2023, the former Belgian army M109A4BE 155mm self-propelled tracked howitzers that were purchased by the United Kingdom from the Belgian company FTS (Flanders Technical Supply) are now deployed in Ukraine with Ukrainian 17th Tank Brigade.
In a tweet posted by FN Herstal UK on January 16, FN America unveils an additional variant of the unrivaled ultralight machine gun designed by the Belgian weapon manufacturer: the Evolys chambered in 6.5x43 mm Lightweight Intermediate Caliber Cartridge developed by the US Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) in partnership with the US irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD).
On January 18, 2023, several international media announced that the Netherlands plans to join the United States and Germany with the delivery to Ukraine of one Patriot air defense missile system from its military inventory.
