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UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO
07 Sep 25. The British Army Land Mobility Programme. The UK Ministry of Defence’s Land Mobility Programme (LMP) is a major strategic initiative to modernise and streamline the British Army’s fleet of land vehicles. The project looks to replace over a dozen legacy vehicle types with new, more capable platforms while drastically cutting the current 16 vehicle types to about five designs. More specifically, the LMP aims to deliver modern, digitally enabled, and adaptable utility and protected mobility vehicles for the British Army and Joint Force. The programme is structured around three main vehicle classes: Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV), Light Protected Mobility (LPM), and Medium Protected Mobility (MPM). The LMV seeks to replace the legacy Land Rover and Pinzgauer vehicles, which are due to be retired by 2030. The LPM aims to provide vehicles with a gross vehicle mass of up to 10,000 kg, whereas the MPM is designed to replace legacy platforms such as the Mastiff, Ridgeback, and Wolfhound, with an Initial Operational Capability slated for between 2029 and 2030. The aim is to acquire around 500 heavy, 2,000 medium, 2,500 light, and 3,000 utility vehicles to meet the British army’s needs. The initial invitations for the LMP programme began with a Prior Information Notice (PIN) issued in September 2024, which was followed by a Request for Information (RFI) in January 2025. The formal tendering process is currently expected to occur in late 2025 or 2026. The budget for the LMP is £2.2 billion over its first ten years. Hardly surprisingly, given the scope and budget of the project, a large number of defence industry players have noted their intention to compete for the various categories. Space precludes giving the full list of interested parties here, but they include such well-known multinational corporations as Supacat, General Dynamics UK, Babcock International, and KNDS, among others. Most of these have entered alliances to fulfil the requirements, such as the recently announced ‘Team Lion’ comprising BAE Systems, GM Defense, and NP Aerospace. Focusing on the potential candidates for the MPM requirement gives a taste of what might be on offer. The Turkish company Nurol Makina has established a manufacturing base in the UK to position itself for a bid, which might be based on its adaptable 4 x 4 series. Finnish company Patria is likely to offer a vehicle based on its 6 x 6 troop carrier model, while German conglomerate KNDS will be pushing its Dingo series as a real contender.
Let’s have a closer look at KNDS’ Dingo as it gives a good illustration of what the MPM version could look like. Initially introduced into service with the Bundeswehr in 1999, Dingo has seen operational service in Afghanistan, Maili, and Ukraine, with 1,200 vehicles in service with ten user nations including Austria, Czech Republic, Norway, Belgium, and of course Germany. The original Dingo 1 model has benefitted from continuous improvement and development, and the current Dingo 3 iteration is in contention for the UK LMP MFP solution. The Dingo 3 in its 6×6 configuration claims to be the best protected vehicle in the under 20 tonne class, able to resist small calibre rounds, artillery shrapnel, IED and mine blasts, and chemical, radiological, and nuclear contamination as one would expect. It also boasts first-class mobility, with the chassis provided by Mercedes-Benz in its famous, tried and tested, and upgraded Unimog configuration. This configuration features independent suspension on all wheel stations, run-flat tyres, and a central tyre inflation system adaptable for all terrain and ground conditions. The Unimog has been in production since 1949, and over 375,000 units have been manufactured so far. Using a commercial off-the-shelf chassis for Dingo clearly simplifies operations, training, and logistic support. Perhaps Dingo’s most exciting feature, though, is its adaptability. Of modular construction, the basis chassis can be configured for a wide variety of uses, including troop carrying, ambulance, and command post versions, among others. Although the exact British requirements are unclear, the platform will be able to cover most of the bases. KNDS has indicated that a British army order for Dingo would facilitate the establishment in the UK of a similar manufacturing solution already in place for the local production of Boxer. Such a facility would not only produce vehicles for the UK order but also for other export customers, and bring roughly 1,000 direct jobs, as well as another 28,000 in an estimated 100-plus supply chain associated manufacturers. Now, others competing for the orders will have their own strengths and weaknesses, and clearly, the KNDS product is only indicative of what might be achieved. But one has to ask what’s not to like about a mature, combat-proven, logistically-sustainable, and locally produced platform along the lines of Dingo?
Above all else, the British MoD will want to avoid at all costs the slow-motion car crash that has been the introduction of the Ajax armoured cavalry vehicle, now slowly trickling into British army service some ten years late. Choosing a proven and capable platform with all the advantages of economies of scale seems to make sense to me, always providing that the MoD doesn’t fall into the old trap of attempting to gold-plate an already acceptable solution by ordering the myriad of changes to the initial requirement that have plagued recent procurements of Ajax and Boxer. We await the formal MoD invitation to tender (ITT) with bated breath! (Source: ukdefencejournal.org.uk/)
07 Sep 25. Fleet Solid Support ships ‘still on track’ say MOD. The Ministry of Defence has advised that the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme remains on course, with production of the first vessel due to start later this year, despite the collapse of Harland & Wolff and its subsequent takeover by Navantia UK. In a series of written parliamentary answers on 7 September, Defence Minister Luke Pollard told MPs that “successful delivery of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ship programme, which is currently in the design phase, remains a priority.” He said the acquisition of Harland & Wolff by Navantia UK following its administration “has provided greater certainty to the delivery of the FSS programme and protects the UK’s shipbuilding capability, and the supply chain that supports this, now and over the long-term.” The minister confirmed that design work is advancing and that “production of the first FSS ship is expected to begin later in 2025, with all three vessels bolstering the Royal Fleet Auxiliary over the coming decade.”
Pressed by Labour MP Jayne Kirkham on the delivery timeline, Pollard said the impact on approved cost and in-service dates was still being assessed but would be “mitigated as far as possible.” Any revised figures will require re-approval and will be shared through official channels when available.
Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty asked about recent progress on the programme. Pollard pointed to resumed investment in Belfast, where recapitalisation of the yard restarted in the spring following Navantia UK’s takeover. “This investment will further strengthen UK capability, modernising the shipbuilding facilities in Belfast and leading to increased productivity and capacity,” he said.
He also confirmed that Navantia UK has begun work on a new £8 m transport barge at its Methil yard in Fife. The vessel will allow FSS modules to be moved between sites, enabling distributed construction across multiple yards. Pollard reiterated that commercial sensitivities prevent further disclosure at this stage but insisted the programme remains a priority for both government and industry. (Source: News Now/https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/)
29 Aug 25. Tiberius Aerospace, a modern defence technology company built to empower the UK, US and their global allies and partners with next generation weapon systems and AI powered solutions, launches GRAIL. Tiberius GRAIL is a next-generation, AI-powered software platform designed to transform how weapon systems are manufactured, evaluated, deployed and sustained and is a foundational pillar of the Tiberius Defence-as-a-Service (DaaS) model.
GRAIL was born from the desire to rapidly quantify and analyse all available data across multiple defence related systems and domains to align how weapon systems are evaluated, designed, manufactured, deployed and sustained with best practice from Silicon Valley. The first output of this GRAIL analysis was SCEPTRE, launched in May 2025 at Future Artillery. Having been positively received by multiple key defence organisations, GRAIL is now being launched as a platform to empower NATO members, global allies and the defence industry with an agile defence ecosystem, independent weapon analysis and intelligent national resilience planning tool. User-centric, problem-orientated, data-driven and bringing full accountability and transparency to capability development, GRAIL fuses real-time insights from both the battlefield and technology sector, to deliver war-winning capabilities at affordable, relevant and scalable speed. While technology is evolving at lightning speed on the battlefield, an increasingly contested peace demands economic agility and industrial innovation at pace. GRAIL analyses, quantifies and qualifies solutions to these strategic challenges, delivering national capital efficiencies and enhanced domestic resilience.
GRAIL enables a decentralised, data-driven and collaborative defence ecosystem (GRAIL Alliance) where contractors, suppliers, manufacturers and allied governments work together to build faster, smarter and more adaptive defence capabilities while ensuring interoperability and maintaining sovereign controlled sourcing. At its core, GRAIL comprises two critical modules; Lethality and Agility. GRAIL Lethality calculates weapon system relative cost and efficiency against target sets in all environments, enabling allied members to objectively assess inventory, investment and system-of-system balance. GRAIL Agility establishes a component marketplace for thousands of suppliers to collaborate and compete in a secure, vetted and managed environment. GRAIL Agility ensures every vetted manufacturer is exposed to a global community of technology vendors who compete on price and performance in a continuous and transparent process of spiral development, delivering timely, data-validated, war-winning solutions at affordable cost. The benefits of GRAIL are available to all vetted contractors, OEMs, sub-system suppliers, academic labs and government organisations by joining the GRAIL Alliance. Unlocking the full potential of the dual-use industrial base, GRAIL Alliance members benefit from recurring, trusted exposure to MoDs across allied nations. The GRAIL Alliance is also being launched alongside GRAIL today. Already, the Alliance is on the cusp of onboarding 100 vetted organisations with more joining every day.
Tiberius will be participating in a DSEi panel discussion ‘Defence-as-a-Service (DaaS): Continuous innovation – decoupled manufacturing’ on Wednesday, 10th September 2025 at 1500 hrs at the Cyber & Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) keynote forum. Fusing UK and US defence innovation expertise with current operational experience, GRAIL and DaaS will be central themes.
Andy Baynes, Co-founder and CSO of Tiberius said, “Defence supremacy is not defined by the most lethal systems alone. It is secured by weapons that endure, adapt, and evolve for every warfighter, in every domain. GRAIL transforms this challenge into strength by uniting breakthrough design with broad, secure mobilized national supply chains. For the first time, every allied nation can wield Silicon Valley style speed, agility and continuous innovation in pursuit of peace through strength.”
EUROPE
05 Sep 25. Berlin considers purchase of Eurofighters, modernisation of Taurus cruise missile. The German government plans to seek parliamentary approval for around 80 defence projects by the end of the year, including the purchase of Eurofighter jets and the modernisation of the Taurus cruise missile, according to a document seen by Reuters. The document outlines 81 defence projects that surpass the threshold of 25m euros ($29m), beyond which purchases need approval by parliament’s budget committee. (Source: Reuters)
USA
05 Sep 25. GAO: millions of dollars in incentives wasted to remedy F-35 delays. Completion of the costly Block 4 modernisation of F-35 will not be ready until 2031. Ms of dollars in US government incentives are being wasted to rectify delivery delays for the F-35 multirole aircraft, according to an assessment from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a public spending watchdog. The Department of Defense (DoD) awarded the aircraft builder, Lockheed Martin, and F135 engine maker, Pratt & Whitney, bns to deliver the most sophisticated platform in the world. But in an effort to help both primes reduce delays, concerning upgrades through the Block 4 modernisation package, the government continues to provide incentives while the delays continue to worsen. For instance, the GAO found that in 2024, Lockheed delivered 110 aircraft; all of them were late by an average of 238 days, up from 61 days in 2023. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
REST OF THE WORLD
06 Sep 25. With Kuwait fighter jets stuck in limbo, Putrajaya explores backup plan for air force needs. Malaysia will consider other options to meet the country’s air defence needs following the delayed delivery of F/A-18 Legacy Hornet fighter jets from Kuwait, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin. He said the matter arose due to uncertainties regarding Kuwait’s receipt of new aircraft from the United States, which has in turn delayed the handover of the jets to Malaysia.
“I was informed that Kuwait’s delivery of new jets from the United States has been further delayed. Therefore, we cannot wait without certainty, because Kuwait can only hand over the F/A-18s to us after they receive their new aircraft.
“If they do not get them, then they cannot hand them over to us. So, this raises the issue of how long we can wait to fulfil our requirements,” he told reporters after attending the BHPetrol Zakat Wakalah Contribution Presentation Programme at Dewan Muafakat Taman Air Biru here today.
He said therefore, his ministry is currently studying other options so that Malaysia does not end up in a disadvantageous position, including evaluating aircraft available in the market.
“If we just wait, we will not be doing anything to consider other options. So this is why we think we need to have alternatives, so that we are not left in a situation that does not favour us,” he said.
On Aug 26, Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Chief General Datuk Seri Muhammad Norazlan Aris was reported as saying that the force is reviewing all aspects before making a final decision on the plan to purchase second-hand F/A-18 Hornet jets from Kuwait. He also denied claims that the agreement had been cancelled, stressing that all considerations are still under evaluation. Meanwhile, Mohamed Khaled, who is also the Member of Parliament for Kota Tinggi, said the purchase of 18 FA-50 fighter jets from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), scheduled for delivery in 2027, is expected to meet the RMAF’s operational needs.
“In addition, we will also assess the capability of the Sukhoi MKM fighter jets we currently own, to determine if they are sufficient for the nation’s defence requirements. A detailed study is needed because beginning in 2027, all Hawk 108 and Hawk 208 light combat aircraft will be phased out of service,” he said. — Bernama. (Source: News Now/https://www.malaymail.com/)
05 Sep 25. India eyes nuclear-powered carrier, home-built navy jets in 15-year defence plan.
- Summary
- India may build a third, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
- Roadmap includes first use of domestic fighter jets on carriers
- Emphasis on drones, widely used in recent conflict with Pakistan
NEW DELHI, Sept 5 (Reuters) – India could build its third aircraft carrier, to be nuclear-powered, as part of a 15-year defence modernisation plan announced on Friday that also includes the use of Indian-made fighter jets by the navy for the first time.
Bordered by strategic rivals China and Pakistan, both of whom India has clashed with in deadly fights in recent years, New Delhi is increasingly leaning on domestic defence companies to bolster capabilities and cut dependence on foreign suppliers such as Russia, France and the United States. (Source: Reuters)
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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.
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