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UNITED KINGDOM AND NATO
16 Dec 25. UK MOD announces new USD190m spend on drones and C-UAS systems. UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) – launched earlier this year – will inject over UKP142m (USD 190m) rapid investment into drones and anti-drone weapons this year, its first year in operation. This includes around UKP30m investment this year into counter-drone technology to protect the UK homeland and allies, in the face of increasing Russian-linked drone incursions across Europe, said a UK Ministry of Defence press release. UKDI was launched by Defence Secretary John Healey MP in July this year to be the focal point for innovation within the Ministry of Defence, backed by a ringfenced annual budget of at least UKO400 m. It takes a new approach, using different ways of contracting, to enable UK companies to scale up innovative prototypes rapidly.
“While many of the companies involved remain anonymous, the drones investment this year includes 20 British SMEs, 11 British ‘Micro-SMEs’, and 2 British Academic institutions,” said the MoD. “The rapid investment delivers on the Strategic Defence Review which set out how the UK must take the lessons from the war in Ukraine – such as rapidly advancing drones and unmanned systems – to put the UK’s Armed Forces at the leading edge of innovation in NATO.”
Around UKP 20 m to support development of additional laser weapons to complement the UK’s ‘DragonFire’ system, according to defence secretary John Healey. “This follows the signing of a UKP300m contract to install the first DragonFire anti-drone systems onto Type 45 destroyers from 2027, five years earlier than previously planned, creating and sustaining almost 600 jobs across the country.” (Source: www.unmannedairspace.info)
USA
18 Dec 25. GAO: US should track partner feedback on their use of America’s legacy equipment. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended that the US Department of Defense (DoD), restyled the War Department, track information regarding the status and efficacy of its legacy excess defence articles (EDA) transferred to foreign nations. While the Department does conduct “end-use monitoring” of the systems sold or donated to foreign nations on a quarterly basis, ensuring the recipient complies with the conditions of the transfer agreement, the government does not systematically collect key information related to the continued performance of this equipment.
“Such information would allow DoD to make better-informed recommendations on future EDA transfers,” the GAO report contends.
This assertion is valid at a time of geopolitical confrontation with China and other adversaries. Spread thinly, with a large portion of the Navy situated aimlessly off the shores of Venezuela, a limited albeit declining presence in Europe and the Middle East, and a large-scale pivot to the Indo-Pacific, the US must ensure its allies can operate efficiently.
Military success in this context, the GAO said, is “based in part on foreign partner abilities to support [these legacy] items”.
To this end, the watchdog recommends that the Department, firstly, improve information recorded on EDA in its database and, secondly, develop and implement a process to manage each programme’s performance.
Case study: Abrams
However a platform’s effectiveness is not limited to its performance but includes logistics, sustainment and an alignment in doctrine. When these elements are neglected, even advanced American assets can disappoint the foreign end user in particular circumstances. Ukrainian troops have raised issues concerning protection when it comes to the M1 Abrams main battle tank (MBTs). Yet Ukraine’s military are fighting in a wildly different environment saturated with one-way attack drones. In Ukraine, these MBTs, designed for combined arms manoeuvre, lack sufficient artillery and air support to operate as effectively as the platform did in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the full potential of the tank was unrestricted. Since the US first donated the M1 Abrams to Ukraine in September 2023, America have had to invest even more in localising support services for the large and complicated albeit powerful platform. Last year, the US announced plans to build an “Abrams competence centre” to primarily support the the Polish and US forward presence units in Poznan but also sustain Ukrainian fleets and others in region interested in the platform (like Romania). (Source: army-technology.com)
REST OF THE WORLD
17 Dec 25. Pakistani F-16s receive US upgrade approval. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is set to upgrade and refurbish its Block 52 and Midlife Upgrade (MLU) F-16 fleet, following US approval for the supply of equipment worth up to US$686m. These upgrades will allow the PAF to address critical flight safety concerns related to its F-16 fleet, and to also extend the life of the upgraded aircraft through till 2040. The PAF is estimated to have an operational fleet of more than 70 F-16s, across different variants. According to a US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notification of the sale, the deal will include up to 92 Link 16 systems and six Mk-82 inert 500lb general-purpose bomb bodies. Link 16 incorporates high-capacity, jam-resistant, digital communication links that provide near real-time tactical information (including both data and voice) among air, ground and sea elements. The Mk-82 bomb bodies, meanwhile, will be used for integration testing. In its notification to Congress, the DSCA stated that, if a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain knowledge of the specific hardware and software elements, the information could be used to develop a system with similar or advanced capabilities, or develop countermeasures. However, the DSCA stated that a determination had been made that Pakistan can provide a comparable level of protection as the US government for the sensitive technology that is being released. Other items to be included in the upgrade are aircraft hardware and software modifications to support F-16 operational flight programme and mandated avionics updates; AN/APX-126 (or equivalent) advanced identification friend or foe; KY-58M and KIV-78 cryptographic appliques; AN/APQ-10C simple key loaders; and additional secure communications. A full mission simulator will also be delivered to Pakistan. The PAF’s F-16s were originally delivered in the early 1980s under the Peace Gate deal, which saw 40 aircraft acquired. Pakistan’s fleet today comprises approximately 40 F-16A/B Block 15 MLU aircraft and an estimated 36 F-16C/D Block 50/52 aircraft. The former were used in combat operations against India in 2019, while the latter are thought to have been deployed during recent cross-border strikes against India in May. (Source: AMR)
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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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