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15 Feb 24. Texelis announced yet another partner for its CELERIS 4×4 offer. Texelis has been recently selected to provide Indonesian vehicle designer and manufacturer PT SSE with complete kits for its CELERIS 4×4 mobility solution, as well as a complete development and support package to customize the mobility solution for PT SSE’s needs.
Texelis is very proud to collaborate with PT SSE, a renowned company on the Indonesian and worldwide markets. PT SSE, or PT Sentra Surya Ekajaya is a company specialized in designing, engineering and manufacturing of Special Mission Vehicles. PT SSE offers a complete range of vehicles, currently focused on the 4×4 range, as well as corresponding services.
The partnership between Texelis and PT SSE is also a major success for French-Indonesian relations.
Both countries have been close partners for Defense for years and are actively working to reinforce their ties. The program is a clear example of that policy, and has been fully supported by the French and Indonesian authorities, including the French Defense Mission at the French Embassy in Jakarta.
The GICAT (Groupement des Industries Françaises de Défense et de Sécurité terrestres et aéroterrestres – the French Land Defense and Security Industry Association) has also been a major support, both in France and in Indonesia.
That new partnership for CELERIS proves once again the value of Texelis’ offer for vehicle manufacturers looking for a high-performance, qualified, adaptable, turnkey solution for land mobility to develop or enhance their range of vehicles.
On top of the inherent quality of the kits and the level of support offered throughout the development and qualification phase, CELERIS offers a much faster process than any other solution.
Under this partnership agreement, Texelis will deliver the first kits to PT SSE in S1 2024. With Texelis’ full support, integration is to be completed on the first prototype before the end of year. Deliveries of the remaining series of kits will then take place in 2025.
Under the CELERIS program, an experienced OEM can thus produce a new prototype of an entirely new vehicle in less than a year. Qualification can then start with the full support of Texelis, which may set the full program target at 18 months from order.
That new contract for CELERIS is also an opportunity for Texelis and PT SSE to grow together as a supplier of mobility and a complete systems integrator, and learn from that experience to implement new partnership initiatives throughout the program. CELERIS will also benefit from the feedback and experience from its users in Indonesia, and evolve during its whole life cycle to constantly adapt to the users’ requirements and operational missions.
As an expert of mobility, Texelis firmly believes in partnerships as the right way to combine the right competence together and create new references in Defense.
Texelis has already scored customers for CELERIS on two different continents, with several dozen solutions ordered, and is looking forward to expanding its reach worldwide.
15 Feb 24. CAVS programme based on Patria 6×6 for Germany proceeds: Patria, DSL and FFG join forces. Patria, DSL (part of KNDS group) and FFG are pleased to announce that they are teaming up to offer the German design, production, and sustainment of variants of Patria’s 6×6 armoured personnel carrier, which could replace the German FUCHS-fleet.
Under the international Common Armoured Vehicles System (CAVS) programme Patria will be the prime contractor if Germany decides to procure Patria vehicles. Patria will lead the design and development of the system, while DSL in Freisen and FFG in their units in Flensburg (FFG) and Kirchen (JWT) will provide local engineering, production, and life-cycle support in Germany. Along with the now starting more detailed localization preparation, the team will engage also other German companies to the programme effort.
“We are pleased to start a unique partnership that will provide enormous added value for Germany. We offer to adapt for German needs a cost-effective, fully developed, off-the-shelf platform – the Patria 6×6 – that is already in production, fielded by NATO partner nations and will be produced locally in Germany to meet the high requirements and technical standards of the Bundeswehr,” comments Hugo Vanbockryck, Senior Vice President, Market Area Europe of Patria.
CAVS programme, originally established by Finland and Latvia, and later joined by Sweden and Germany, is a joint programme of several European governments to create a state-of-the-art 6×6 armoured vehicle system. Germany officially joined the CAVS programme in April 2023. The joint programme is open to countries sharing similar requirements.
The programme chose Patria 6×6 as the vehicle platform in 2019. Patria 6×6 is a modular, robust, and affordable vehicle platform for protected troop transport that offers high performance, modern protection, and unprecedented mobility.
Christoph Cords, CEO of DSL Defence Service Logistics GmbH, part of KNDS group, underlines the benefits of the industrial teaming: “The partnership between Patria, DSL and FFG combines the best of German and Finnish engineering and manufacturing expertise and has the potential to take the already very successful European CAVS programme to the next level. Multinational industry partnerships, such as the one we are announcing today, are the future.”
“This agreement establishes a powerful team ensuring a reliable and sustainable CAVS production in Germany,” points out Jörg Kamper, CEO of Jungenthal Wehrtechnik and Member of the Board, FFG Flensburger Fahrzeugbau GmbH.
“The main design of the Vehicle System comes from Patria; the lion’s share of the manufacturing is German. For FFG and JWT, this means that skilled jobs will be created in Germany, and German industry know-how, capacity and investments can be utilized and further developed in this programme as well as for the future In-Service Support. That is why we are very pleased to be part of this joint effort to provide Germany with the next generation 6×6 platform.”
09 Feb 24. UAE’s NIMR debuts JAIS MK2 armored vehicle, tech transfer to Saudi Arabia ‘on track.’ NIMR has teamed with Saudi Arabia’s SAMI to eventually locally produce the JAIS inside the Kingdom, NIMR CEO Abri du Plessis told Breaking Defense. Emirati armored vehicle maker NIMR debuted the second generation of its JAIS armored vehicle, dubbed JAIS Mark 2 or Mk2, at the World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia, where the company has agreed to help produce some of the vehicles with Saudi Arabia’s SAMI defense firm.
“With reference to our collaboration with NIMR, the program that we announced earlier is on track. It’s progressing exactly as planned,” Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) CEO Walid Abukhaled told Breaking Defense Thursday. “Actually, we have one of the NIMR vehicle here in our booth, demonstrating how we’re integrating our systems into that vehicle. So the project is progressing as planned.”
NIMR, which is owned by Emirati defense conglomerate EDGE Group, and SAMI originally teamed up back in 2021 with hopes of jointly producing the armored vehicle, but in 2022 the two decided that NIMR would license the production to SAMI to be produced locally, NIMR CEO Abri du Plessis told Breaking Defense.
“As we stand today, we have an active license agreement with them and this is what we’re pushing for,” du Plessis said. “So we are together with them still marketing the product. The next step would be when we get a contract for the vehicles that we started transfer of technology and transfer production, with the end goal of SAMI being completely independent to manufacture the vehicle, but of course, they will be at the transition period.”
Du Plessis described the current arrangement as NIMR first sending “fully built units back from home” in the UAE to SAMI, and then gradually providing SAMI material for the company to build more of the vehicles on their own until eventually they hit an “end goal” of “complete local production.”
He added that the intellectual property (IP) will be given over to SAMI for localization, but it will “also remain in the UAE.”
As for the JAIS Mark 2 (Mk2), Du Plessis said it already received its first contract from an international customer, but he declined to say who that was.
“The development [of the vehicle] that we started three years ago is now complete, and the vehicle is fully industrialized and in production as we speak. They’re coming off the production line in Abu Dhabi,” Du Plessis said.
Earlier this week Abukhaled, SAMI’s CEO, told Breaking Defense that his firm has a big focus on building factories in the Kingdom, making a 1 bn riyal investment in a land systems center of excellence for any vehicle.
Du Plessis said he expects SAMI to soon break ground on a vehicle production factory and said that JAIS “should be part of it.” He said expected it would like be between a year and a year-and-a-half before production started in the Kingdom.
Du Plessis said that JAIS Mk2, also, will be fully produced in KSA eventually, and suggested other projects could follow.
“We are actively looking at collaborating with SAMI on any other opportunities. And in fact, we are marketing AJBAN [armored internal security vehicles] also locally, and I think there’s a very good opportunity that they can also realize in the future, because it’s a vehicle for which there is a niche in the market here. So we are constantly in contact with SAMI to further explore opportunities,” he added. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
14 Feb 24. FNSS unveils Pars Alpha 8×8 New Generation AFV. Turkish vehicle manufacturer FNSS unveiled its Pars Alpha 8×8 new generation (NG) armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) at the World Defence Show (WDS) 2024 held in Riyadh from 4 to 8 February. The Pars Alpha on display had a Teber-II 30/40 remote-controlled turret (RCT) fitted with a 30 mm dual-feed automatic cannon. This can be replaced by a 40 mm cannon by changing the recoil spring and forward feeder. (Source: Janes)
13 Feb 24. MKU Limited, a global leader in advanced protection solutions, proudly announces a landmark collaboration with Vegvisir, a trailblazer in situational awareness systems for armoured vehicles. The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on January 8, 2024, signifies a pivotal moment in MKU’s dedication to advancing defence capabilities. The collaborative initiative took shape at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit during the recent visit of Tiit Riisalo, Estonia’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Information Technology. Minister Riisalo, accompanied by a dynamic team of business delegates, strategically engaged at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, focusing on enhancing trade relations and exploring innovative avenues for collaboration. Emphasizing the critical significance of robust cooperation and communication among democracies, Minister Riisalo highlighted India’s pivotal role in shaping Estonia’s strategic landscape.
The partnership established between MKU and VEGVISIR reached a significant milestone with the official signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This strategic partnership is set to empower over 10,000 armored vehicles, including Main Battle Tanks (MBT), Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV), and Armored Personnel Carriers (APC), with state-of-the-art technologies meticulously tailored to meet the unique requirements of the Indian Armed Forces. The collaboration also underscores MKU’s prominent role as a leading force in shaping the future landscape of defense technology in India.
Mr. Neeraj Gupta, Managing Director of MKU Limited, emphasized, “At MKU, we champion the spirit of the Indian-Estonian partnership, dedicated to empowering heroes. Our duty is to strengthen global collaborations and provide indigenous solutions that empower our defence forces. This collaboration with Vegvisir is a testament to our relentless pursuit of self-reliance, contributing to the strength and resilience of our heroes. We are proud to be part of a transformative journey aligning with our nation’s vision for a self-sufficient and secure future.”
Ms. Prachi Gupta, CEO of Netro Optronics at MKU, added, “Netro Optronics is honoured to contribute globally, aligning with the principles of Atmanirbharta and ‘Make in India.’ We are committed to empowering our heroes with cutting-edge, indigenous solutions. Our collaboration with Vegvisir signifies a significant stride towards self-reliance and strengthening our defence capabilities. As we work towards a secure and self-sufficient future, we take pride in being part of a transformative journey that aligns with our nation’s aspirations.”
ABOUT MKU:
MKU Ltd. is a global defence and homeland security company on a mission to empower heroes. They are one of the leading solution providers for advanced optronics and ballistic protection solutions for soldiers and platforms for military, paramilitary, homeland security, police and special forces. With a customer base in over 100 countries, MKU strives to empower heroes, who stand in the line of duty, through their smart solutions that deliver confidence. Their operations are based in India and Germany. They have protected over 3 m soldiers and 3000+ platforms, across 230 forces, to date. Their Kavro protection solutions offer enhanced protection for soldiers and platforms, using smart technologies, design and features. These include combat helmets, body armour, ballistic shields as well as ballistic solutions for naval, air and land platforms and vehicles. Their Netro night vision and thermal devices provide excellent detection, identification & recognition capability to soldiers at night to enhance their night fighting capabilities.
12 Feb 24. Australian troops helped design the Block II Boxer vehicle. Three soldiers were involved in testing Australia’s forthcoming Block II combat reconnaissance vehicles in Germany late last year.
The Australian Defence Force revealed that ahead of the delivery of more Boxer reconnaissance vehicles, three soldiers from the 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (LHR) contributed to the platform’s design late in 2023.
Between 2019 and 2021, the Army inducted 25 Boxer vehicles as part of its Block I order to provide an interim cavalry. The delivery of the remaining 186 Block II vehicles will begin this year, leveraging the experience of operators of the Block I vehicles.
Trials were held in Unterluss, Germany and included firing the MK30-2 cannon and MAG58 machine gun in extreme weather conditions, as well as testing the new programmable munitions capability.
Tests included firing the MK30-2 cannon and MAG58 machine gun in extreme weather conditions, as well as testing the new programmable munitions capability.
Crew commander Lance Corporal Ben Crawford and driver Trooper Liam Skinner fired 30-millimetre training and programmable rounds from the cannon in the Block II turret.
The visit included a brief on the Block II vehicle design, operation of the combat intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system and new weapon control systems.
=Boxer development
The Boxer MIV is an 8×8 multi-purpose armoured vehicle managed by the European armaments agency, the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR). The vehicle can operate in both high-intensity conflicts as well as in relief and humanitarian operations.
While it is manufactured by Rheinmetall in Hamburg, Germany the Australian workforce involved in the construction of the vehicles will be used to support sustainment, progressive development and upgrades to the Boxer. They will also be used to support potential export opportunities.
Some variants of the vehicle will be equipped with an anti-tank guided missile and a remote weapon station – Block I (Kongsberg) and Block II (Electro Optic Systems).
Production of the Boxer is also facilitated by OCCAR. Australia joined as an ‘observer state,’ where in formation and lessons learned by the participating nations will be shared with the commonwealth.
A co-operative relationship between all user nations will persist throughout the vehicle’s lifecycle via OCCAR since the customers will be able to share spares and components of the interoperable platform.
In fact, it was recently announced that the UK will need to concede “temporary concessions” for a mix of Boxer components during the next year or two. This will involve approaching fellow OCCAR participants in the Boxer programme – Germany, Lithuania and the Netherlands – for their spares parts that can be used for the UK Boxers as the nation waits for its own supply chain to deliver.
Block II is more soldier-centric
Trooper Skinner was impressed with the strong focus on crew safety:
“The implementation of an emergency escape hatch for the driver on the Block II design ensures improved survivability. Seeing lessons learned from Block I now being implemented into Block II provided me with confidence moving forward.”
Soldiers participated in a working group with Rheinmetall in Kassel to support future design options for Boxer with an active protection system.
They were also briefed on the ballistic and blast testing program in Germany and Australia.
“I found it incredibly beneficial to see the input that soldiers from 2/14 LHR have made to the design of Block II Boxer, particularly in the crew operation of the weapon systems, and be able to tell them how it has been implemented,” Crawford stated.
(Source: army-technology.com)
12 Feb 24. TAS, BAE move forward with artificial intelligence for Army UGVs. Australian Defence Cooperative Research Centre Trusted Autonomous Systems (TAS) and British defence company BAE Systems Australia have developed advanced artificial intelligence for uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs).
Both companies are moving towards next-generation autonomous capability for the Australian Army, after completing a four-year research and demonstration program.
The Trusted Autonomous Ground Vehicles in Electronic Warfare (TAGVIEW) system would allow multiple unmanned ground vehicles to operate simultaneously to carry out mission objectives while identifying and evading potential threats.
Modular in design and integrated with BAE Systems’ autonomous Vehicle Management System, TAGVIEW will be compatible with a range of different UGVs.
It can feature a range of technologies including optic cameras, light detection and ranging equipment, internal navigation and route planning systems.
During the demonstration phase, TAGVIEW was installed on several M113 optionally crewed combat vehicles and trialled in a series of planned relocation, logistical and sweep search missions.
“The army requires autonomous capabilities like this to protect our soldiers from harm, removing them from the most dangerous tasks, while still maintaining a human in the loop directing the system,” according to Lieutenant Colonel Rachael Ayoub from the Australian Army’s Robotic and Autonomous Systems Implementation and Coordination Office.
“The successful demonstration on the M113s shows that through enhancing or augmenting our existing capabilities, we can create trusted autonomy and extend functionality.”
Funded by the Commonwealth of Australia and led by TAS, Australia’s first Defence Cooperative Research Centre, the TAGVIEW program also involved the University of Melbourne, the University of Adelaide’s Australian Institute of Machine Learning, and the Commonwealth’s Defence Science and Technology Group.
“We continue to push the boundaries of science and technology to provide Australia and our allies with a capability advantage on a future battlefield, according to Andrew Gresham, BAE Systems Australia defence delivery managing director.
“TAGVIEW has been a unique collaboration, bringing together the strengths of Defence, industry, and academia to fast track the development of a transformative autonomous technology.”
Trusted Autonomous Systems’ chief technology officer, Dr Simon Ng, said TAS is developing the project, reviewing its technical progress and achievements, and working with BAE Systems on the design of trials and demonstrations.
“It’s been exciting to see what a diverse team from industry, researchers and DSTG can do and highlights the value of a collaborative approach in achieving innovation for Defence,” Dr Ng said.
University of Adelaide Australian Institute for Machine Learning Professor Ian Reid, said experts are excited to showcase advanced technologies integrated on a M113 platform for the first time.
“For a vehicle to operate with any degree of autonomy, it must be able to sense and understand its surroundings,” according to Professor Reid.
“Computer vision and machine learning are the core technologies that unlock this capability to understand the vehicle’s environment.”
University of Melbourne Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Professor Chris Manzie, said the project is a great demonstration of how academia and industry can work together to develop capability and highlights the important role research can play in supporting national interests. (Source: Defence Connect)
12 Feb 24. Kia Motors presents hydrogen fuel-cell all-terrain vehicle. Kia Motors showcased its all-terrain vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel-cell technology at the World Defense Show (WDS) 2024 held in Riyadh from 4 to 8 February. Previously, the vehicle was shown at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2023 as the EV9 military concept car.
The vehicle is powered by the same hydrogen fuel-cell stack that powers Hyundai’s Nexo passenger cars. The Nexo’s fuel-cell system combines oxygen and hydrogen to create a flow of electrons that powers the electric drive motor and charges the 1.56 kW high-voltage battery. Kia engineers said the concept vehicle with a high crash stability frame is equipped with a ‘vehicle-to-load’ function that enables smooth power supply even in rugged and demanding battlefield environments. (Source: Janes)
12 Feb 24. Experimentation of the first digital twin demonstrator for a ground combat system.
- • The French MOD’s procurement and technology agency (DGA), with the support of its Defense Innovation Agency (AID), entrusts the KNDS-ARQUUS consortium with the experimentation of the first digital twin demonstrator for a ground combat system.
- • This digital twin demonstrator is the first to be applied to a ground combat vehicle.
- • The development of this demonstrator will lead to a full-scale deployment on 20 VBCI vehicles, and to the experimentation of predictive maintenance for an initial fleet of Army’s vehicles.
The first digital twin for ground combat systems
The defense technology project “Digitization of maintenance” (NumCo) aims to develop and experiment with a digital twin demonstrator of the VBCI infantry fighting vehicle. It will be the very first digital twin in the field of ground combat systems.
Thanks to advanced modeling and simulation capabilities, the technology developed by KNDS and ARQUUS will enable the industry, the DGA, and the Army to jointly implement a virtual twin of the VBCI vehicle to support engineering and maintenance activities.
The NumCo digital twin builds on the experience gained over several years by the KNDS-ARQUUS consortium, particularly within the framework of the European Commission’s FAMOUS defence industrial development programme. These innovative technological developments are at the heart of the digital architectures of future combat vehicles.
The future of maintenance
The NumCo digital twin demonstrator will be developed through an incremental and agile approach over two years and then improved over two years with the training data from 20 instrumented VBCI. The experimentation could be extended to an additional batch of 20 VBCI.
As part of this experimentation, several Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) sensors will be deployed on the physical vehicles to collect large amounts of data, analyze them, and transcribe them into digital models and virtual representations. The system will rely on multiple predictive algorithms that will determine the lifespan of a variety of mechanical parts based on vehicle usage, anticipate breakdown risks, and personalize maintenance operations for each vehicle, facilitating failures diagnosis.
Ultimately, the NumCo digital twin technology is expected to be the central element of KNDS’s and ARQUUS’s offers for the modernization of maintenance of the Army’s vehicle fleets.
09 Feb 24. Jackal 3: Fire support and recce vehicle gets host of upgrades in latest iteration.
By this summer the first batch of 70 new High Mobility Transporter (HMT) Jackal 3 vehicles will be produced for the British Army by Babcock International Group and Supacat.
Jackal 3 is the latest iteration of the HMT product line, incorporating modernised capabilities such as a new suspension for improved off-road performance.
Forces News has taken a look at what we can expect from this much-anticipated new variant, with a total of 240 vehicles expected to eventually be built for the Armed Forces.
Supacat CEO Nick Ames explained: “There’s an improved payload, there’s improved environmental protection for the for the soldiers, there’s improved electromagnetic compatibility.
“It’s less detectable. And there are also improvements in the rollover protection for the soldiers as well.”
The Jackal 3’s new suspension system can be reconfigured from 4×4 to 6×6 configuration for increased loads.
It will also operate better in the heat thanks to a reversed cooling system as instead of using outside air to cool the engine, hot air around it is blown out.
According to Mr Ames, one of the key enhancements is to provide a windscreen on the Jackal 3.
He said: “It sounds like a small thing, but actually if you’re in a particularly cold environment or if you’re doing long road transfers, the ability just to have a windscreen to keep the heat within the cab can make an enormous amount of difference.” (Source: forces.net)
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Contact: David Parkman
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