January 2019 Global Defence & Security Industry - Military News

 
 
 
 

On Friday 11 January 2018, the U.S. Army activated the 589th Brigade Support Battalion in Grafenwöhr to support its new field artillery brigade permanently stationed in Europe. The maintenance battalion will support the 41st Field Artillery Brigade, which was activated at the base on 30 November 2018.

In a statement released on 20 December 2018, the U.S. Department of Defense said that Knights Armaments Co. was awarded a $16,5 million contract for M110 semi-automatic sniper rifles. Additional M110 rifles will replace M24 sniper rifles (military and police version of the Remington Model 700 rifle) used by snipers, spotters, designated marksman, or squad advanced marksmen in the United States Army.

Turkey currently meets 68 percent of its domestic demand for military products and plans to further boost the level of import substitution in the defense industry, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on 13 January during the foundation stone-laying ceremony for a new plant producing military vehicles in the Turkish province of Sakarya.

The Indian Army (IA) has acquired an additional batch of Russian-originated Konkurs-M (NATO reporting name: AT-5b Spandrel-B) anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) that will be produced under license by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a source from India`s defense industry told TASS.

Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, part of UralVagonZavod Group belonging to Rostec State Corporation, has developed a mine roller to be installed to the "Ironclads" models B10M2S and B12S armored tractors. Such vehicles are more maneuverable than mine-clearing tanks and have longer service life, which makes them optimal for humanitarian demining.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that the Ukrainian army will be able to act fully in accordance with NATO standards as early as in 2020. "In 2020, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be structured and will be able to act in full accordance with NATO standards, as is stipulated in the [Ukrainian] law on national security," Poroshenko said at a meeting with residents of the town of Zdolbuniv in Rivne region on January 10, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

The Pakistan Army Air Defence displayed its fire power capability at the Air Defence firing range near Karachi. Hallmark of the event was the first ever fire by recently inductedChinese-made long-range air defence weapon system LY-80 Lomads, also named HQ-16A in China. Induction of LY-80 has realized the concept of a comprehensive, layered and integrated air defence capability with enhanced lethality.

A prototype of the first eight-wheeled military armored vehicle, named "Derman", was developed in Turkey's Mersin province, Trend reports via Turkish media. The development of the prototype began in 2016, as reported by Rufiz Hafizoglu on Trend NA.

The French company Soframe has just won a € 31.9m contract for the production of 28 recovery vehicles for the logistics units of the Belgian Motorized Brigade. The Belgian Chief of Defense (CHOD), General Marc Compernol, had certified it: the acquisition of Combat and Protected Recovery Vehicles (CRV / PRV) would materialize in 2018, Nathan Gain reports on ForcesOperations.

A video released by the Algerian ministry of Defense showed a large military exercise in which Chinese 6x6 SM4 120mm self-propelled mortars appeared. The purchase of these vehicles was not advertised, hence the lack of details known about the number of vehicles bought and the date at which they entered in service, as well as the user units.

On January 8, a new unit of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, Communications and Information Systems Battalion, was inaugurated in Vilnius. The new Battalion has been formed on the basis of the Communications and Information Systems Company of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Headquarters Battalion, it will be responsible for the security of internal communication in the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The Battalion will be under the command of Major Vaidas Černikas.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) stationed in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has just been equipped with new self-propelled howitzers. On 8 January, Army Recognition echoed the ferrying of SH15 ones to the same destination, which leads to wonder whether the same SPH is now in service in two similar versions bearing two distinct designations - SH15 and PLC-181 - or if the same artillery system bears two different designations.

Inter Services Public Relations said “The A-100 Rocket has been indigenously developed by Pakistani scientists and engineers. With a range of over 100 kilometers, the rocket is a highly effective and potent for interdiction that can effectively disrupt enemy’s mobilization and assembly.”

The Ratnik advanced gear of the 3rd generation is to integrated with portable robotic systems and unmanned aerial vehicles to provide ground forces with more information on the battlefield. Complexes under development will be made up ultralight and durable materials. Besides, exoskeletons introduced into equipment sets will increase physical capabilities of the military.

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