Browsing: World

Rheinmetall Mission Master SP Unmanned Ground Vehicle: American Rheinmetall Vehicles, in collaboration with Rheinmetall Canada, has successfully conducted a live-fire capability demonstration for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) at Fort Clinton, Ohio. The demonstration showcased the unique capabilities of the Rheinmetall Mission Master SP autonomous, unmanned ground vehicle (A-UGV) paired with the Fieldranger Remotely Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS).

Saab’s defence factory in Jhajjar, Haryana: Saab, a Swedish aerospace and defense company, has been a trusted supplier for India’s defence and security forces for over four decades. In a significant move, Saab, after receiving approval for 100% foreign direct investment, has established a new company, Saab FFVO India Pvt Ltd. This company will fully own a new manufacturing facility and produce the Carl-Gustaf M4 weapon.

Saab-MBDA join hands for anti-tank, air defence weapons: Two leading major European powers France and Sweden have decided to strengthen their defence co-operation under a new strategic partnership signed on 30 January as part of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Sweden. According to a press statement issued by Swedish defence company Saab, Anti-tank and air defence have been identified as priority areas for co-operation.

India-US 2+2 meeting: Amid the ongoing global turbulence, India and the US are scheduled to hold the 2+2 meeting in New Delhi around November 9-10. The US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in the national capital, officials told media.

Australia orders Rafael’s Spike LR2 anti-tank guided missiles: Australia has finalized a finalised a substantial acquisition contract with Israel’s Rafael’s Australian subsidiary Rafael Australia for supply of the Rafael’s Spike LR2 anti-tank guided missiles to Australian Defence Forces (ADF) under the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) systems programme, Rafael Australia said on Tuesday.

Elbit Systems’ ReDrone Counter-UAS: Israel’s leading defence company Elbit Systems Limited Monday (August 21) said that it has won a contract worth approximately $55 million to supply multi-layered ReDrone Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) to the Netherlands. The contract will be performed over a period of four years. As part of the contract, Elbit Systems will supply several mobile, stationary and deployed configurations of the ReDrone integrated Counter-UAS solution along with a logistic support package and training.

Rheinmetall’s Lynx IFV plant in Hungary: German defence company Rheinmetall officially opened its new factory in Zalaegerszeg in Hungary on Friday (August 18).  The new plant marks a major milestone for Rheinmetall and underscores the Group’s commitment to the country. Rheinmetall said this cutting-edge facility will produce the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle, the world’s most advanced Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). 

Hanwha Defence selected for Australian Army’s Land 400 project: Israeli defence company Elbit Systems Wednesday (August 16) announced that its partner in the Australian Land 400 Phase 3 project, Hanwha Defense Australia has been downselected by the Australian Government, as the preferred tenderer for the project, with final Government approval to be sought at the conclusion of contract negotiations. Hanwha further reported that Elbit Systems is a key partner to Hanwa to deliver the Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) under the Australian Army’s Land 400 Phase 3 Project.

Rafael wins maintenance contract from Asian Navy: Israeli defence company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. is announcing that it has won a new contract with an Asian nation to provide comprehensive maintenance support services for operational systems employed by its navy, the company announced on Wednesday (August 9). The multi-year agreement is estimated at 100 million Shekels (30 million dollars) and will include maintenance services for the navy’s TYPHOON and MINI-TYPHOON remotely-controlled naval weapon stations, Naval SPIKE ER and NLOS missile systems, EO surveillance systems, as well as EW Integrated Decoy Systems (IDS).

The ISO Bill 2023 for Theatre Commands: The lower house of Indian Parliament, the Lok Sabha, Friday cleared the Inter-Services Organisation (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill, 2023 that seeks to empower the Commander-in-Chief and Officer-in Command of Inter-Services Organisations with all disciplinary and administrative powers with respect to personnel serving in or attached to such organisations, a Defence Ministry statement said. Once passed by the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India’s bicameral Parliament, the law will pave the way for providing rules and regulation for Indian military’s theaterization.

India’s first military drone testing centre in Tamil Nadu: India’s ministry of defence has the country’s first ever testing centre for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVs) under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS) will be established on five acres of land at Vallam Vadagal in Kancheepuram district in southern state of Tamil Nadu. The Rs 50 crore ($6 million) facility was granted approval by the Ministry of Defence after a bid was submitted by Keltron-led consortium in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO).

Rheinmetall acquires Expal Systems: German defence company Rheinmetall AG has completed its takeover of all shares in Expal Systems S.A.U. of Madrid. First announced last November, the acquisition follows final approval by the relevant authorities. The transfer of Expal S.A.U.’s business activities to Rheinmetall took place on 1 August 2023, the company said on Tuesday (August 1).  

Naviris bags contract for mid-life upgrade of Horizon class destroyers: OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation) has awarded Naviris and eurosam a contract for the Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) of the French and Italian Horizon frigates. The two co-contractors, Naviris and eurosam, will work in close relationship with their shareholders, Fincantieri and Naval Group for the frigate, MBDA Italia, MBDA France and Thales for the new generation of Principal Anti-Air Missile System & Long-Range Radar (PAAMS & LRR), Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri said in a statement on Monday (July 31).

Leonardo bags 18 research and development project under EDF: Leonardo, a leading global high-tech company in Aerospace Defence and Security, has been awarded 18 research and development projects (R&D), including ten capacitive development and eight research projects, under the European Defence Fund (EDF) WP22 (Work Program 2022). The EDF is the European Commission’s flagship for promoting defence cooperation through competitive and collaborative projects that cover the entire R&D cycle.

India gifts INS Kirpan warship to Vietnam Navy: In a significant move to enhance its strategic and military relations in China’s backyard, India Saturday handed over a fully operational warship of Indian Navy to its close military ally Vietnam. This is for the first time when India offered a fully operational missile corvette to Vietnam as Indian Navy first decommissioned INS Kirpan and handed it over to Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN).

Rheinmetall’s Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicle for Ukraine: German defence company Rheinmetall is supplying another 20 Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) to Ukrainian Army as per a direction from the German government, the company said on Saturday. The contract for these 20 Marder IFVs was awarded last month while the value of the order has been estimated in the lower-two-digit million-euro range. The Marders are due to be delivered this summer.

India DRDO Agni Prime Missile: The first pre-induction night launch of the missile with a strike range of 1,000 to 2,000 km was carried out on Wednesday by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the elite strategic forces command, officials said. The defence ministry said the test-firing met all the desired objectives and that it paved the way for induction of the system into the armed forces.

Rheinmetall said the current order was the last call-off from a framework contract signed in 2018 for the delivery of up to 137 SaZgM 70t mil trucks. Under the framework agreement, which had a 7-year lifetime, eighty tractor units have already been ordered and delivered to the Bundeswehr. Since 2018, Rheinmetall has supplied the Bundeswehr with over 4,000 military trucks. Together with the UTF and WLS, the SaZgM 70t tractor unit forms the logistic backbone of the Bundeswehr.

India-US GE Fighter Jet Engine Deal: Indian and US authorities are working to finalise a fighter jet manufacturing deal during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country. The deal involving US figher get manufacturer General Electric (GE) will be a government to government deal as GE is already supplying its F-404(IN) engines for India’s home grown light combat aircraft LCA Tejas manufactured by the state owned aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

EDGE Group High Lander Universal UTM Investment: The UAE based leading defence company, the EDGE Group Tuesday announced a strategic investment in High Lander. The Tel Aviv based High Lander is an air traffic management company which offers Universal UTM, a drone-agnostic unmanned traffic management solution. The Universal UTM provides automation, coordination, and safety much needed in increasingly crowded skies.

India-France Air Force Garuda Military Exercise: In order to improve synergy between the two air forces and enhanced understanding of each other’s processes, the Indian and French air forces are undertaking an 18-day military exercise in Jodhpur in western state of Rajasthan. This is the seventh edition of biannual war games that involves combat jets of Indian, Russian, French and British origin.

German Field Hospitals for Ukraine Military: German defence compay, Rheinmetall will soon be supplying the Ukrainian armed forces with a turnkey modern field hospital. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence awarded the €9 million order to Rheinmetall subsidiary Zeppelin Mobile Systeme GmbH (ZMS) in September 2022. The package includes training on the system. Delivery is scheduled to take place in 2023.

Just two years after the placement of the order, Rheinmetall AG CEO Armin Papperger presented the key to Hungarian Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky. The handover took place during an oath-taking ceremony of new military service volunteers of the Hungarian Defence Forces at the Petöfi Sándor Barracks in Budapest. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also attended the ceremony. Lynx will become the backbone of Hungary’s mechanised infantry forces.

IAI’s Multi-Mission Mode Radar for Czech Republic: Israel’s state owned defence company – Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) – has supplied the Czech Republic with the first air defense Multi-Mission Radar (MMR), as part of a deal signed in December 2019 by the Ministries of Defense of both the Czech Republic and Israel, the company said on Tuesday.

Leonardo Cyber Security Academy Genoa: Italian defence company Leonardo Monday unveiled its Cyber & Security Academy, the new high-level training center established by the company to provide Defense, public administrations, critical infrastructures and businesses the skills and capabilities necessary to support the digital transition and face threats to national security.

Rheinmetall Oerlikon AESA AMMR Radar: German defence and high technology company Rheinmetall Monday unveiled the Oerlikon AMMR, the Group’s latest radar system. The Oerlikon AESA Multi-Mission Radar (AMMR) was developed entirely at Rheinmetall Italia in Rome, underscoring once again the subsidiary’s role as Rheinmetall’s radar centre of excellence. Rheinmetall says the new radar is now ready for series production.

German Leopard MBT Trophy APS: Last week, the government procurement office of Germany, in cooperation with Israel Ministry of Defense, and supported by Rafael and KMW completed a series of challenging live firing tests of the TROPHY on the LEOPARD 2 tank, which was integrated into the German services after a government-to-government agreement was reached in February.

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.

Defence Exhibition Athens (DEFEA-2021): Greek Minister of National Defence Nicos Panagiotopoulos Tuesday inaugurated the Defence Exhibition Athens (DEFEA) as scores of senior defence leaders, defence industry executives, diplomats attended the three-day prestigious defence exhibition in a Covid-free environment.

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. 

China-Japan Senkaku Island Face Off: Amid escalating tensions in the disputed East China Sea, Japan is considering to send its self-defence forces to deal with the surge in Chinese activity at the Senkaku Islands, according to a report in the Hong Kong based South China Morning Post (SCMP). China claims sovereignty over the islands, known as Diaoyu in the country.

The French side has fielded its own Rafale fighter combat jets, Airbus A-330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), A-400M Tactical Transport aircraft and nearly 175 air warriors of French Air Force. The Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft participating in the exercise include newly inducted Rafale which the force inducted last year, Mirage 2000 which is also of French origin, Russian origin Sukhoi-30MKI air superiority fighters.

US Defence Secretary Mark T Esper said that the partnership between India and the US would be most consequential partnership between the two countries in the Indo-Pacific region in this century. Mark Esper, along with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, would travel to New Delhi next week to participate in the India-US 2+2 ministerial between the two countries.

Rudram missile or new generation anti radiation missile (NGARM) is being developed by the DRDO for suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD). The Rudram missile can be launched from a range of altitudes with large standoff distance for destroying enemy surveillance radars, tracking and communication systems.

American nuclear energy equipment manufacturer General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) Monday said it has been awarded a contract from Dominion Energy to deliver Radiation Monitoring Systems for the Millstone Power Station, Unit 3 in Waterford CT. GA-EMS will manufacture and deliver a full complement of radiation monitoring systems throughout the Millstone plant.