Author Defence Star

India’s HAL delivers heaviest semi-cryogenic propellant tank to ISRO

HAL-ISRO semi-cryogenic propellant tank: India’s state owned aircraft manufacturer Thursday handed over the heaviest Semi-Cryogenic propellant tank (SC120- LOX) to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The semi cryo-liquid oxygen (LOX) tank – the first developmental welded hardware is a part of the SC120 stage intended for payload enhancement by replacing the L110 stage in existing Mk-III launch vehicle. 

Elbit bags $76 million HMD order for US Army’s Apache pilots

Elbit Systems America US Army HMD Order: Elbit Systems Wednesday announced that its US subsidiary, Elbit Systems of America, was awarded an indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract from the US Army to provide Integrated Helmet and Display Sight System for the AH-64 Apache helicopter fleet. The contract, with a maximum potential value of up to approximately $76 million, will be performed over a five-year period.

India minister hands over three locally developed defence tech to military

DRDO Dare to Dream Awards:India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh Monday handed over three indigenously developed defence solutions to the military, a video processing switching module that will help in development of the fifth generation fighter jets, a sonar performance modeling solution, and an indigenously developed bund blasting device to remove obstacles in the way of mechanized columns of Indian Army.

BNET Nano: Israel’s Rafael launches palm-sized software defined radio

Rafael BNET Nano Software Defined Radio: Israel’s leading defence technology firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Monday unveiled a new palm-sized software defined radio (SDR) known as BNET Nano Software Radio. The new radio shares the same technological advancements of the BNET family that include scalability, multi-channel reception, and spectrum superiority among other things, said the company.

Russia waives royalty for Kalashnikov rifle production in India

Kalashnikov Rifles India: Russia has waived royalty in favour of technology transfer for AK 203 assault rifle. The plan to manufacture famous Russian Kalashnikov series rifles has been under discussion for almost two years, with the contract stipulating 100% transfer of technology. Though the factory in Amethi was inaugurated in 2019 but production has not yet started due to differences over the issue of pricing and royalty to be paid to the Russian side.

India-Airbus sign contract for 56 C-295 aircraft

Indian Air Force C-295MW Aircraft:  India’s ministry of defence Friday signed a contract with Airbus Defence and Space, Spain for acquisition of 56 C-295MW transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force, said the government. The MoD has also signed an offset contract with Airbus Defence and Space through which Airbus will discharge its offset obligations through direct purchase of eligible products and services from Indian Offset Partners.

India places $1.02 billion order for 118 locally developed Arjun tanks

Indian Army Arjun Mk-1A Main Battle Tank: In a big boost to Indian Army’s firepower, the ministry of defence Thursday placed a formal order with the government owned Ordnance Factory for procurement of 118 Arjun Mk-1A battle tanks, which have superior firepower, all-terrain mobility and night-fighting capabilities, among other features. The order is worth over $1.02 billion dollar (INR 75 billion).

Elbit Systems bags $54 million US Army order to supply night vision devices

Elbit Systems US Army Night Vision Device: Elbit Systems of America, a US subsidiary of Israeli defence major Elbit Systems has been awarded a $54 million contract to supply Enhanced Night Vision Goggle, known as Binocular (ENVG-B) systems to the US Army. The contract also entails supply of spare parts, providing logistics support and test equipment to the Army, the company announced Thursday.

EDEX 2021: Egypt to host defence exhibition in November

Egypt Defence Exhibition EDEX 2021: Egypt will hold the second exhibition of the country’s defence and military industry exhibition Egypt Defence Expo (EDEX 2021) in November this year. The four-day event will be organized from November 29 to December 2 at Egypt International Exhibition Center. The second edition of EDEX was to be hosted in last year, however, the event was postponed due to the outbreak of Covid-19 global pandemic.

Airbus wins India order for supply of 56 C-295 transport aircraft

The country’s apex decision making body for defence procurement, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS),  Wednesday approved the procurement of 56 C-295MW transport aircraft from Airbus Defence and Space S.A., Spain. While 16 aircraft will be delivered in flyaway condition from Spain within four years of signing of the contract, remaining 40 aircraft will be manufactured in the country by a consortium led by India’s TATA Group within ten years of signing of the contract.

Indian Navy: Mahindra Defence wins $185 million contract to supply ASW suit

Mahindra Defence Anti-Submarine Warfare Suit: India’s automobile and defence giant Mahindra Group has been awarded a contract for supply of 14 integrated anti-submarine warfare defence suite (IADS) for Indian naval ships under the self-reliant India policy of the government. The $185 million (Rs 1,350 crore) contract will be executed by Mahindra group company – Mahindra Defence Systems Limited (MDS).

Indian Army gets first hand grenades made by private company

Indian Army Multi-Mode Hand Grenades: The first batch of Multi-Mode Hand Grenades (MMHG), manufactured by a private defence company, Economic Explosives Limited (EEL), was handed over to the Indian Army on Tuesday. These multi-mode hand grenades, which can be used in both offensive and defensive roles, have been produced following a transfer of technology from Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

GE, HAL sign $716 million contract for India’s light combat jet engine

GE-HAL Engine Contract: India’s state owned aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Tuesday signed a $716 million (Rs 5,375 crores) contract for supply of 99 GE F404 engines for India’s light combat jet programme. In January this year, the government has approved procurement of 83 LCA Tejas combat jets at a cost of Rs 48,000 crores (over $6 billion at present exchange rate.)

Rheinmetall bags €250 million contract for Fuchs armoured vehicles

Rheinmetall Fuchs Armoured Vehicle: German defence giant Rheinmetall has won a follow-up order from an international customer to supply material kits for the Fuchs (Fox 2) wheeled armoured vehicle, the company announced on Wednesday. This new order, which also encompasses an initial supply of spare parts, is worth around €250 million. Delivery will take place during the 2021-2023 timeframe, with production to be carried out in the partner’s country.

India’s new aircraft carrier completes maiden sea trial

IAC-1 INS Vikrant Sea Trial: Indian Navy’s indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant has successfully completed its five day long maiden sea trial successfully and came back to the yard in Kochi in Southern Indian state of Kerala, the defence ministry said. The ship had sailed from the Cochin Shipyard Limited’s yard in Kochi on Wednesday (August 4) and returned to the CSL’s yard on Sunday (August 8).

Spanish shipbuilder Navantia shortlisted for Polish Navy’s frigate programme

According to Navantia, now it will participate in the Viability Phase in order to propose a design that further adjusts to the requirements of the Armaments Inspectorate of the Polish Ministry of Defence. The final decision on the contractor is expected in 2022. The offer made by Navantia is based on the design of the F-100, in service for the Spanish Navy, which has been the starting point for successful export contracts to Norway and Australia.

IAI-ESG join hands to offer all-domain real-time network

IAI-ESG MoU: Israeli Aerospace Industries and German based company ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH and have signed a cooperation agreement to provide the German Armed Forces a proven, agile and robust cross-platform Network Centric Warfare (NCW) solution to meet the challenges of the future, IAI said on Tuesday.
With ‘NEOS’ – Network Enabled Operations Support – ESG and IAI enable joint all-domain operations including airborne, naval and ground platforms.

Gen Richard Clarke of US Special Operations Command visits India

Clarke began the trip honoring India’s fallen service members by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial. The visit comes at a time when Antony Blinken, United States’ Secretary of State is on an official visit to the country. After the ceremony, Clarke met with Indian defense officials and discussed the ways in which India and the United States can continue working together to improve defense partnerships and grow interoperability.

US Army selects Rheinmetall, Hanwha, 3 others for digital design of fighting vehicle

US Army has selected five defence-manufacturing consortiums to submit digital designs for its Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OFMV) concept that will replace US Army’s nearly 3,800 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs).  While the five teams will submit their concepts over the next 15 months, prototype building and ground testing of the vehicle is expected to start sometime in 2026.  

DRDO’s new Akash-NG missile testfired twice in 3 days

Akash-NG Missile: India’s apex defence research and development organisation DRDO Friday tested new generation surface to air missile Akash-NG from from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha, the MoD said. The test, which is the second test of the missile in a span of three days, was carried out against a high-speed unmanned aerial target, which was successfully intercepted by the missile.

MoD issues RFP for building six submarines for Indian Navy

Indian Navy Project P-75(I): In a major boost for local defence industry, India’s ministry of defence Tuesday issued the request for proposal (RFP) to two Indian naval yards for construction of six AIP fitted conventional attack submarines in the country under Project P-75(I). In turn, these two shipbuilders – state owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders and private sector Indian defence company Laresen & Toubro – will choose one strategic partner from the five submarines builders shortlisted by the government.

Indian Navy gets first two MH-60R helicopters from US Navy

Indian Navy MH-60R Romeo Helicopters: Indian Navy Friday accepted the first two MH-60R Romeo Multi Role Helicopters from US Navy in a ceremony held at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego. During US President Donald Trump’s India visit in February 2020, India-US signed a deal to acquire 24 submarine hunter MH-60R helicopters produced by Sikorsky, a unit of world’s largest defence contractor Lockheed Martin.   

Israel’s IAI selects RTI Connext for OPAL Application

IAI-RTI agreement for OPAL Framework: Real-Time Innovations (RTI), the largest software framework company for autonomous systems, today announced Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a world-leading aerospace and defense company, has selected RTI Connext DDS for real-time connectivity as part of its Operational Avionics Layer (OPAL) Application Framework. IAI’s OPAL serves as the infrastructure for networking connectivity, data sharing, and operative actions for air, land and naval forces.

Leonardo, CNSAS join hands to build better rescue helicopters

Leonardo-CNSAS Rescue Helicopter: Italian helicopter manufacturer Leoardo has joined hands with Italian National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps for join development of new capabilities, the company said on Friday. The helicopter is the indispensable rescue medical vehicle for mountain operations and hard environments. The Italian National Alpine and Speleological Rescue Corps and Leonardo will work together on the development of even more effective technologies, solutions, and training, said the Italian helicopter manufacturers.

Sea Breaker Missile: Rafael unveils new long-range precision missile system

Rafael said Sea Breaker missile provides surgical, pinpoint precision strikes from stand-off ranges of up to 300 kilometers. It features an advanced IIR (Imaging Infra-Red) seeker, ideal for engagement of maritime and land targets, stationary or moving, in advanced Anti Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) arenas, and in littoral or brown water, including archipelago, as well as for engagements in which previous generation RF-seeker-based missiles are not effective.

SpaceX Falcon 9 launches General Atomics LINCS system in space

GA-EMS Lincs System: US defence and high technology company General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) Wednesday said that its Laser Interconnect and Networking Communications System (LINCS) satellites were successfully launched on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter-2 mission from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The satellites were launched in partnership with the Space Development Agency (SDA).

India calls for open, inclusive Indo-Pacific at ASEAN defence leaders meet

ASEAN Defence Ministers Meet: India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh Wednesday called for an open and inclusive order in Indo-Pacific that is based upon the respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, saying that sea lanes of communication in the region are critical for peace and prosperity of the region. Singh told the leaders that Code of Conduction negotiations, that are currently under discussion at the multi-nation forum, will not prejudice the legitimate rights of those nations that are not party to the discussions. 

Indian Navy inducts 3 long-range maritime reconnaissance helicopters

HAL ALH MK-III Helicopter:  Indian Navy Monday inducted three advanced light helicopters in the Eastern Naval Command that is responsible for safety and security of the country’s eastern sea-shores, including Bay of Bengal. The three HAL ALH MK-III helicopters are built by state owned aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and capable of long range reconnaissance, surveillance, search and rescue operations.

Rafael sets up Israel’s first cyber security alliance to foil hacking threat

Israel Cyber Technologies Consortium: Israeli defence giant Rafael and has partnered with other leading Israeli companies to set up the country’s first cyber security consortium, Israeli Operational Technologies Cyber Consortium, to provide defense solutions against cyber warfare activities by state, non-state actors to protect critical assets such as Transportation, Oil and Gas, Manufacturing, Water and Sewage, energy infrastructure, other such assets, said the company.  

General Atomics to test MQ-9 Reaper with space optical link

MQ-9 Reaper Space Optical Link: US defence and nuclear giant General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) Wednesday said that it has been awarded a contract by the Space Development Agency to demonstrate space-to-air optical communication using GA-EMS’ Laser Interconnect and Networking Communication System (LINCS) and a MQ-9 Reaper drone manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI).

Australian Army gets first lot of Rheinmetall Boxer combat vehicle

Boxer Combat Vehicle: German defence technology giant Rheinmetall has completed the the delivery of first 25 Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicles (CRV) to the Australian Army under the $5.2 billion LAND 400 Phase 2 Mounted Combat Reconnaissance Capability project, said the company. Under the deal, Rheinmetall will deliver a total of 211 Boxer 8×8 Vehicles in different versions, 131 will be the CRV variant.

Rheinmetall wins €295 million order to supply Kodiak armoured vehicles

Rheinmetall Kodiak Armoured Vehicle: Düsseldorf-based German defence giant Rheinmetall has been awarded a €295 million contract by the German military to supply Kodiak armoured engineering vehicles. On 14 April 2021, the Budget Committee of the German Parliament approved the project, the company said in a statement. The Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and…

Israel’s Elbit Systems wins $1.65 billion Greece flight training contract

Under the contract, Elbit Systems will supply new M-346 training aircraft and will maintain the entire training fleet, comprised of dozens of M-346 and T-6 training aircraft for a period of approximately 20 years. Elbit Systems will also provide its latest advanced Embedded Virtual Avionics (EVA) onboard the training aircraft, deliver networked flight simulators and an array of Ground-Based Training Stations (GBTS).

India Army Chief General MM Naravane arrives in Bangladesh on 5-day visit

General Naravane Bangladesh Visit: Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane Thursday reached Dhaka on a five-day official visit to neighbouring country Bangladesh. General Naravane’s visit to the country comes on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country late last month to participate in the golden jubilee celebrations of the country’s independence from Pakistan.

Rheinmetall wins contract to supply MELLS ATGM to German Army

The German Bundeswehr has placed the order for supply of MELLS antitank guided missile system with EuroSpike GmbH, a joint venture of Rheinmetall and its partners Diehl Defence and Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. The latest order is worth around €88 million. Rheinmetall will be supplying key components to EuroSpike, maker of the MELLS, a multirole-capable lightweight guided missile system.

India leader arrives in Dhaka on historic visit

PM Modi Bangladesh Visit: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, on Friday on a two-day state visit to the country during which the Indian leader will attend the golden jubilee celebrations of the country’s independence, the birth centenary of ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and hold talks with his counterpart Bangladesh…

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