Sponsored by
https://ieeinc.com/
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
EUROPE
19 Aug 25. Japan’s defence minister discusses military cooperation, drones on Turkey visit. Japan’s defence minister discussed defence industry cooperation and possible purchases of Turkish-made drones during a visit to Ankara on Tuesday, as Tokyo expands the role of unmanned systems in its armed forces. Gen Nakatani is the first Japanese defence minister to make an official trip to Turkey, a NATO member country that is keen to expand economic and other ties beyond Europe and the Middle East. Turkey and Japan are both U.S. allies. Ahead of the visit, a diplomatic source in Ankara said the two countries’ defence ministers would “discuss ways to expand cooperation on defence equipment and technology and exchange views on regional developments”. They also aim to increase contacts between the Turkish Armed Forces and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces at unit level, the source said. (Source: Reuters)
16 Aug 25. Switzerland reviews Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jet procurement as U.S. demands higher payment. Switzerland’s government has instructed its defence ministry to examine options for the planned acquisition of Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets after the United States refused to drop demands for additional funding. One option now under consideration is to reduce the number of aircraft purchased. Officials from the Switzerland’s Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) have been in talks with Washington for months, claiming Bern had secured a fixed price of 6.035 bn Swiss francs ($6.25 bn) for 36 F-35As in September 2022. The U.S. denies this was a fixed deal and has requested more money, citing a “sharp rise in raw material and energy prices” that Swiss officials say could increase costs by up to 1.3bn Swiss francs ($1.6bn). The government confirmed that discussions during the summer made clear “that the USA is not prepared to deviate from its position.” The issue was also raised by DDPS Minister Martin Pfister in a conversation with U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, but without result. Although Switzerland remains committed to the F-35A, the DDPS has been instructed to “intensify work on various options,” with recommendations due by November. A working group led by Maj. Gen. Christian Oppliger, the future air force commander, will “critically validate the assumptions made at the time and reassess the equipment objectives pertaining to air defence, taking into account the security and financial policy situation.” Speaking after the announcement, Pfister suggested possible solutions, including reducing the number of aircraft or seeking partial compensation through offset deals with Lockheed Martin. “We must find ways to deal with the additional costs,” he said. The DDPS also published legal opinions from Swiss firm Homburger and US-based Arnold & Porter, both arguing that the F-35 sale contract is fixed in price. Homburger stated that the US government would procure and resell the aircraft to Switzerland at the same fixed price, while Arnold & Porter noted that the contract “contain special provisions that state the aircraft will be provided for the stated firm fixed price.” The price dispute is not linked to the 39% tariffs imposed on Switzerland, though critics are expected to use both issues to renew calls to cancel the deal. Several left-wing lawmakers have already suggested abandoning the F-35 programme altogether. Government ministers warn that cancellation would leave Switzerland unable to safeguard its airspace after 2032, when its Boeing F/A-18 fighters retire. The older Northrop F-5 Tiger fleet is already scheduled for withdrawal by 2027. The F-35 was selected after outperforming the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in evaluation trials, particularly in effectiveness, support, cooperation and cost. However, the decision has been divisive, with a 2020 referendum approving the purchase of new fighters by just 50.1%. A later campaign to block the F-35 deal failed to secure enough signatures. (Source: Google/DIE)
USA
20 Aug 25. Cuashub.com said today that US Marines seek contractor support for C-UAS training. The Marine Corps is seeking contracted support to provide specialized counter-UAS training for Force Reconnaissance units, according to a SAM.gov solicitation released Monday. These elite Marines, often deployed beyond the forward line of troops, are frequently tasked with engaging active enemy UAS platforms. The solicitation outlines a two-part training program scheduled for September. From Sept. 12–15, up to 12 Marines will undergo a five-day instruction period focused on tactics, techniques and procedures for detecting, mitigating and countering UAS threats. This five-day training will be followed by a Sept. 15–19 field exercise involving 18 Marines and sailors. The exercise will include realistic role players, a mobile command center and simulated combat conditions at a secure, contractor-owned training site. To support the effort, the Marine Corps requires access to at least 2,000 acres of varied terrain and 1,000 feet of controlled airspace. Contractors must provide all training resources, including qualified instructors with recent counter-UAS experience and role players capable of simulating operational scenarios. Each participant who completes the course will receive a certificate. According to the notice, the program is designed to replicate the operational environments Force Recon Marines are most likely to face in combat. Responses to the solicitation are due Aug. 21. The training program reflects an ongoing attempt to prepare U.S. Marines with the capacity to defeat unmanned aerial threats. The latest solicitation follows efforts to equip amphibious vehicles with counter-UAS capabilities highlighted by Colonel Tim Hough, Marine Corps’ Program Manager Advanced Amphibious Assault, back in May. https://cuashub.com/en/content/us-marines-seek-contractor-support-for-c-uas-training/ (Source: https://cuashub.com/)
18 Aug 25. Army moving out with cheaper Robotic Combat Vehicle competition, but with a new name. In a new request for information for Unmanned Ground Commercial Robotic Vehicles, the service said it is eyeing platforms that carry a price tag below $650,000. After a second scrapped attempt at fielding Robotic Combat Vehicles (RCV), the US Army is taking another crack but with plans to cap the per unit cost at $650,000, according to a new notice to industry.
“The Army seeks UGCRV [Unmanned Ground Commercial Robotic Vehicles] prototypes to meet emerging requirements in the form of desired characteristics in support of future operations on the battlefield,” a recent request for information obtained by Breaking Defense said.
This time around, service officials are eyeing a ground robot with a price tag below $650,000 that can carry a payload of more than 2,200 pounds while traversing both on and off roads to keep up with soldiers inside Armored Brigade Combat Teams. That presolication, published Friday by the National Advanced Mobility Consortium to its members, comes after decades of failed attempts trying to field unmanned ground vehicles including the service’s recent decision to halt a second RCV competition. After conducting a revamped competition, Breaking Defense first reported that industry sources had been notified that Textron Systems’s Ripsaw 3 had won that RCV competition, and the service was preparing to ink a deal with the victors. But around that same time, Army leaders identified RCV as a program to cut as part of the 8 percent budget drill to realign funding toward higher priorities, one service official told Breaking Defense then.
“We need robotic combat vehicles, but we want a consortium of vendors to bring their robotics and the best software folk,” that Army source explained. “We don’t want to downselect just to one vendor and pay almost $3 m per copy.”
The release of the new robotic RFI paves a possible way forward with an Aug. 29 deadline for interested companies to respond, and provides some additional insights into a laundry list of potential requirements for a ground robot fleet. Soldiers should be able to control them via “basic teleoperation” (i.e., remote control) but it should also have autonomy software included for waypoint navigation, leader-follower and sentry mode. At the same time, “autonomy hardware selection shall not create any operational degradation to mission execution.” The unmanned vehicles should also be to travel at least 34 miles per hour on road and 25 mph off road for at least 140 miles, and have a 360-degree visual, thermal, and audio sensing capability. As for the minimum 2,200-pound payload capacity, the document notes the robots might be outfitted with counter-unmanned aerial vehicles capabilities, beyond line-of-sight kinetic effects, both attack and defensive electronic warfare, and more. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
REST OF THE WORLD
21 Aug 25. New Zealand to spend $1.6bn for US maritime helicopters, Airbus jets. New Zealand said on Thursday it would spend NZ$2.7bn ($1.6bn) to buy five MH-60R Seahawk helicopters and two Airbus (AIR.PA) A321XLR aircraft, the first major investment following a decision to replace the country’s aging defence fleet. NZ$2 bn will be used to buy the maritime helicopters, manufactured by Lockheed Martin’s (LMT.N) Sikorsky unit, and NZ$700m for the A321XLRs, Defence Minister Judith Collins and Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a joint statement. Both investments are part of the planned commitments outlined in April in the government’s Defence Capability Plan. (Source: Reuters)
18 Aug 25. Philippines proposes another large increase in defence spending. The Philippine government has proposed a 2026 defence budget of PHP299.3bn (USD5.2bn), the third successive year of double-digit growth amid growing tensions with China. The new budget – announced on 15 August – amounts to an approximate 16% year-on-year nominal increase, following growth of about 10% and 14% in the 2024 and 2025 defence expenditures. Philippine President Bongbong Marcos said in comments announcing the annual budget that the increase in spending is aimed at “ensuring the [Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)] remains equipped to defend the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
He said the planned investments include funding for “capacity-building initiatives, [the] modernisation of equipment, and facility enhancements to ensure mission-ready defence units across all domains”.
Budgetary documents issued by the Department of Budget and Management show that the Department of National Defense (DND) allocation for 2026 includes PHP167.2 bn for personnel expenses, PHP94 bn for maintenance and “other operating expenses”, and PHP33.9 bn for “capital outlays”.
These expenses increase year on year by 14%, 19%, and 20% respectively. Funding for AFP equipment modernisation is also available through the Philippines’ long-running Revised AFP Modernization Program (RAFPMP). In 2026 the RAFPMP receives PHP40bn, the same as in 2025. In 2024 and 2023 the RAFPMP was allocated PHP40bn and PHP27.5bn respectively. Reflecting growing requirements in Manila to secure offshore territory, the 2026 allocations for the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force (PAF) both rise sharply, by more than 80%. The navy’s budget climbs to PHP59.4 bn, while the PAF receives PHP59 bn. (Source: Janes)
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Since 1946, Industrial Electronic Engineers, IEE, has specialized in the design, test, support and fielding of display products for use in demanding military and aerospace applications throughout the world. IEE has developed an extensive product portfolio that today includes enhanced flat panel displays, smart displays and handheld devices.
From rapid prototyping of custom designs to full-scale production runs, IEE, produces displays with advanced features like low-latency video processing, high-bright and NVIS backlighting, and lightweight rugged enclosures. Their SWaP-C products employ the latest lightweight composite materials; low power, high performance integrated ARM processors; standard Ethernet and USB communication, in a low cost, highly producible design.
In-house California facilities include optical bonding, clean rooms for display assembly, a dark room for optical measurements and environmental chambers for pre-compliance and customer acceptance testing. On-site manufacturing includes PCB assembly and flow soldering. IEE has manufactured handheld, in-vehicle, airborne and naval LCD displays for all military branches as well as leading aerospace firms both domestically and internationally.
IEE is ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D certified.
IEE’s Advantage:
- Direct control of critical process steps that reduce cost, decrease production lead times and improves life-cycle management
- Unique advantage to serve to both smaller quantity, highly custom displays needs as well as high volume production outputs
- Expert in delivering the best value in form and fit replacement by modifying existing COTS products to meet legacy requirements
- Leading the next generation avionics efficiencies by leveraging open architectures and common software standards
- Field-proven, pre-engineered displays minimize lead-time and non-recurring engineering costs.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-