March 2023 News Global Defence & Security Industry - Military |
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The American company AeroVironment on March 28, 2023, unveiled the newest version of its Switchblade® 300 rapidly deployable loitering missile system. The Switchblade 300 Block 20 builds on Block 10C’s battle-proven performance with new operational features and significant performance and capability improvements.
According to the news outlet El Pais, which cites Spanish government sources, Spain intends to send the first six Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks to Ukraine after Easter to help Kyiv counter Russia's invasion.
Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) is the practice of collecting, processing and analyzing publicly available information. The goal of gathering this type of intelligence is to add crucial context to other forms of intelligence, creating a comprehensive situational awareness report to inform decisions at any stage of operations.
In February 2023, the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (1st MDTF) long-range fires battalion, 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (5-3 LRFB), deployed the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) system over 3,100 miles from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington to Cape Canaveral, Florida during Thunderbolt Strike, a full rehearsal of expeditionary hypersonic launch capabilities.
In a tweet posted on March 30, Defense News Nigeria reports that the Nigerian army is acquiring Chinese-made Dongfeng armour-plated vehicles quickly and in greater numbers to counter the threat of IEDs. There are hundreds of CSK-131s already deployed, with hundreds more on order.
According to an updated list published by the German Ministry of Defense on March 30, 2023, Germany confirms the delivery to Ukraine of 18 Leopard 2A6 Main Battle Tanks, 40 Marder tracked armored IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles), 2 Bergepanzer 3 tracked armored recovery vehicles, two Wisent 1 mine-clearing tanks, and 3 Dachs tracked armored engineer vehicles.
As reported by Laurent Lagneau in Opex360, echoing a tweet from the DGA, less than a year after the delivery of the first four units to the Combined Arms Combat Readiness Support Center - 51st Infantry Regiment (Centre d’appui de préparation au combat interarmes), CAPCIA-51e RI) in Mourmelon, the VBMR-L Serval light multi-role armored vehicle, from the SCORPION program, has just been inducted in the 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (RPIMa, Régiment Parachutiste d’Infanterie de Marine), part of the 11th Paratrooper Brigade.
The German Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has awarded Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) a contract for the production of 10 new PzH 2000 self-propelled tank howitzers. The two parties signed the contractual agreement in Berlin today. Delivery of the systems is scheduled to begin in 2025. They will replace the German artillery`s self-propelled howitzers, which were recently handed over to Ukraine as part of military support operations. The agreement concluded on March 29 includes options for the production of a total of 18 additional PzH 2000s in 3 lots of 6 systems.
Polish Minister of Defense, Mariusz Błaszczak, approved the executive contract for the delivery of another 22 Bystra mobile air defense radars. ‘’We are building the anti-aircraft and anti-missile capabilities of the Polish Army, we are strengthening them with new layers’’, emphasized Błaszczak. ‘’You need to be aware that what is happening today on the Donbas front has a direct impact on the security of the Polish state’’.
In partnership with the U.S. Army, BAE Systems successfully fired a Sub-Caliber Artillery Long-Range Projectile with Enhanced Lethality, its concept for the U.S. Army’s XM1155 sub-caliber program, from a 155 mm XM907E2 58 caliber cannon and impacted a fixed target beyond ranges previously demonstrated by other precision-guided projectiles fired from the same type of cannon.
According to a video published on Social Network on March 29, 2023, the first Marder tracked armored IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles) donated by Germany have now entered into service with the Ukrainian army. With the Marder 1A3 tracked IFV the Ukrainian armed forces will have a modern combat vehicle offering several advantages when compared to the Soviet-made BMP-1 and BMP-2 IFVs currently used by the Ukrainian army to fight Russian troops.
The British Army will receive modern artillery systems to replace those supplied to Ukraine, as part of an agreement struck with Sweden. The first 14 Archer self-propelled howitzers will be owned by the British Army this month and be fully operational by next April, forming an interim replacement for the 32 AS90 artillery systems the UK gifted to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Day 1 at SOFINS 2023, or the Special Operations Forces Innovation Network Seminar, is a unique event held in Bordeaux, France that focuses on the technologies and innovations designed for special operations forces. The exhibition showcases advanced equipment, techniques, and services tailored to meet the specific needs of special forces units from different countries.
Galvion, a company specializing in innovative head protection systems and power and data management solutions, has won a major contract from the Department of National Defence (DND) of Canada for its flagship Batlskin Caiman ballistic helmet systems. The one-year framework contract will see the delivery of approximately 2,100 helmets and 4,200 helmet covers, in two patterns, along with spare parts. There is an option to extend to 5 years, with the delivery of up to 8,400 additional helmets and accessories.
Saab has signed framework agreements with NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) for the Carl-Gustaf M4 weapon system and the AT4 anti-armour weapon. The NSPA has also placed call-off orders with a total value of approximately SEK 350 million.
At SOFINS 2023, Special Forces seminar and exhibition, the French Company Centigon, a company specializing in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of armored vehicles for both military and security applications presents its FORTRESS 300 VR7, an armored vehicle based on a Toyota Land Cruiser chassis which has now successfully passed all the VR7 level ballistic and explosive protection tests.
On March 28, BAE Systems announced the Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO) has successfully tested its APKWS laser-guidance kits in a counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) mission. The testing against Class-2 UAS paves the way for the fielding of precision-guided rockets to partner nations around the globe.
The U.S. Department of Defense on March 28 announced that Raytheon Co., Andover, Massachusetts, was awarded a $1,225,368,567 firm-fixed-price contract for Patriot Missile System fire units. Fiscal 2023 Foreign Military Sales (Switzerland) funds in the amount of $1,225,368,567 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
LAt the opening of SOFINS 2023, the Special Forces exhibition taking place near Bordeaux (France), Survey Copter, an Airbus subsidiary since 2011 and a pioneer in the design, production and operational support of light tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), is presenting a new light tactical UAS: Capa-X.
Crosscall, the French manufacturer of ultra-durable and waterproof smartphones and tablets presents the CORE-Z5, its first 5G smartphone. Never before has Crosscall achieved such power: its Qualcomm Technologies Inc. processor and compatibility with the latest generation networks (5G, WiFi 6/6E) combine to provide optimal service quality in all circumstances.
At SOFINS 2023, a Special Forces seminar and exhibition that takes place in Bordeaux, France, the French Company Fly-R unveils a new generation of loitering ammunition called R2-120 Raijin based on a rhomboidal wing design.
At SOFINS 2023, the French company Technamm is presenting a new Fast Attack Light Multirole Vehicle for Special Forces called Fennec-2, which is an evolution of the Fennec previously developed by Technamm.
As a systems partner and integrator for enhanced situational awareness and network monitoring, German company Rohde & Schwarz presents its latest and innovative portfolios of cutting-edge electronic warfare (EW) solutions for spectrum dominance and mission success at the SOFINS Special Forces Seminar and Exhibition in Bordeaux, France.
At the SOFINS 2023 Special Forces seminar and exhibition, Safran Electronics & Defense is introducing its new resilient PNT (position, navigation, timing) system, dubbed NAVKITE, to meet operational requirements for the French Navy Commandos (part of Special Operations Command).
To continually improve the way SWAT, defense SOF squadrons, as well as Search and Rescue teams, conduct tactical inspections of hard-to-reach, dangerous or inaccessible areas, Sky-Hero unveils its additional tactical vector in the form of a self-contained handheld camera head, the Narfi Mk.I, which complements the unified tactical unmanned indoor recon system – including Loki Mk.II UAV and Sigyn Mk.I UGV.
