Sponsored by TEK Military Seating Limited
http://www.tekmilitaryseating.co.uk/
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
08 Aug 24. Hanwha Aerospace teams up with Cendana Auto for Malaysian K200 upgrade. South Korean defence prime Hanwha Aerospace has signed an agreement with Malaysian automotive repair and special vehicle manufacturer Cendana Auto to upgrade the ageing K200 tracked infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) that have been in Malaysian Army service for over 30 years, the company announced on 2 August.
Hanwha Aerospace stated that under the terms of the agreement, both companies will select a prototype vehicle for initial upgrades and test and evaluation. The intention is to subsequently roll out the selected upgrade package to the army’s K200 fleet.
The Malaysian Army is the only export customer of the vehicle with around 111 K200 vehicles delivered by South Korea from the 1990s, and subsequently acquired another batch of upgraded K200A1 IFVs that featured an improved powerpack as well as armour and nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) enhancements.
“This initiative represents a significant step for Hanwha Aerospace to bolster its reputation as a trusted and reliable defence suppliers in the global market by conducting all levels of activities from arms development and manufacturing to the supply of components, and even maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services,” the company said.
The signing of the teaming agreement was witnessed by Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) Secretary General Datuk Seri Isham Bin Ishak.
The latest development comes after South Korea expressed interest in collaborating with Malaysia to upgrade its K200 IFV fleet at the Defence Services Asia exhibition in Kuala Lumpur in May. At that time Defense Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA) Minister Seok Jong-gun noted South Korea’s desire to enter into a defence logistics cooperation with Malaysia.
Seoul is clearly hoping to ride on its recent major success in Malaysia, which has agreed in early 2023 to acquire 18 Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) 18 FA-50 Block 20 aircraft for the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) worth over US$800m. (Source: AMR)
07 Aug 24. Ajax –Early Chess Move. A new twist to the ongoing saga of the British Army Ajax family of reconnaissance vehicles emerged in a Parliamentary Written Answer about the programme finances.
“James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans to authorise further funds for ancillary purchases of equipment and enablers for the Ajax programme, beyond the existing firm contract amount.
““[Defence Procurement and Industry Minister]Maria Eagle: Ministers are closely looking at the inherited plans for the Ajax programme.”
- Why ask a question about Ajax financing when you were the Defence Procurement Minister six weeks earlier, so likely still have up-to-date knowledge?
- Why ask whether there might need to be extra funds for “ancillary equipment and enablers” if you were in a position to know this six weeks earlier?
Defence Eye takes this to mean that James Cartlidge knows that there will have to be extra purchases which are outside the existing Ajax budget. And note that he calls it “firm”, not “fixed”.
And what might these “enablers” be? New variants? Or new sub-systems to make Ajax work, but which are not covered by the existing contract?
And note the laconic answer with the loaded phrase, “inherited plans” – this suggests that the Defence Procurement Minister is saying that the plans for extra funding are ones she has seen – but is working out what to do with them. (Source: Defence Eye)
06 Aug 24. British Army’s new armour storage site welcomes first vehicle. A Trojan armoured engineer vehicle became the first platform to utilise the new climate controlled storage and maintenance site at MoD Ashchurch. Anew land maintenance and storage facility at MoD Ashchurch has welcomed its first vehicle – a British Army Trojan armoured engineer vehicle – as part of the Vehicle Storage and Support Programme (VSSP) to deliver improved long-term storage capabilities to the UK military.
in August 2024, with two more buildings to be completed this year at the site, with a further six structures in various stages of construction.
In a social media post on 5 August 2024, the British Army stated that the Trojan was at the head of the line of the first vehicles to enter the new storage facility, where up to 600 vehicles can be maintained in a climate-controlled environment.
The same day, engineering firm Skanska announced that it marked the second anniversary of the VSSP programme and was working to deliver the additional buildings through the ongoing construction phase, outlined above.
VSSP: delivering a new storage capability
The storage or maintenance of military vehicles in climate-controlled conditions provides considerable benefits in ensuring a platform’s return to operations, or else preserving the condition before it is sold, donated (as seen in generous quantities to Ukraine) or sent for disposal.
A significant milestone was reached in June 2023 with the erection of the first steel frame of the climate-controlled facility, which measured 165m x 99m, and, in a bizarre metric of measurement oft-used by the UK government, was listed as being the height of two London double decker buses.
Taking the actual height of a London bus, the new British Army storage facility is approximately 8.8m in height.
According to the UK government the VSSP at the Ministry of Defence site in Ashchurch will “enhance the Army’s operational readiness and future capability” through delivery of “modern sustainable storage and maintenance solutions” for its vehicle and equipment fleet.
The two-phase VSSP will provide vehicles with Controlled Humidity Environment (CHE) storage, reducing maintenance costs and unnecessary deterioration caused by extreme drops or rises in temperature. The facility will also include dedicated inspection and maintenance spaces, as well as office space.
The project will enable storage for up to 6,000 vehicles, and has an expected completion date of 2026. (Source: army-technology.com)
06 Aug 24. First locally produced Patria 6×6 armoured personnel carrier handed over to the Latvian National Armed Forces.
On Monday, 5 August 2024, Defence Partnership Latvia, a Patria majority-owned joint venture, handed over the first Latvian-made Patria 6×6 armoured personnel carrier to the Latvian National Armed Forces in a ceremony at the military base “Ādaži”.
By signing a contract with Patria in 2021, the Latvian Ministry of Defence ordered more than 200 Patria 6×6 armoured vehicles for delivery by 2029. This cooperation agreement strengthens the combat capabilities of the Latvian National Armed Forces (NAF) as well as contributes to the development of Latvian defence technological and industrial base.
The event was attended by the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Latvia Andris Sprūds, Chairman of the Board of Defence Partnership Latvia and Patria Latvia Uģis Romanovs and Acting Commander of the Home Guard Colonel Gunārs Vizulis.
“Over the past four years since Latvia’s involvement in the multinational Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) programme, we have reached the most significant milestone of the project – the delivery of the first armoured personnel carrier full-cycle produced in Latvia to the National Armed Forces (NAF). With the opening of the Valmiera plant in May, we are focusing on the Latvian armoured personnel carrier order, but we are also actively working to implement other NAF capability development projects in our factory, thereby strengthening both NAF combat capabilities and the Latvian industry and economy as a whole,” stated Uģis Romanovs, Chairman of the Board of Defence Partnership Latvia and Patria Latvia.
At the end of May, an armoured personnel carrier production facility was opened in Valmiera, where it is planned to produce approximately thirty Patria 6×6 armoured personnel carriers annually. The Patria armoured vehicle factory in Valmiera is the first and currently the only one in the Baltics.
Patria 6×6 vehicle was chosen as the platform for the CAVS programme, participated already by Finland, Latvia, Sweden, and Germany. The CAVS-related Patria 6×6 deliveries are ongoing besides to Latvia, also to Finland and Sweden, and vehicles are in operational use. Patria has already received orders for nearly 700 Patria 6×6 vehicles and about 200 have already been delivered. The programme is open to European countries with similar equipment requirements, subject to participating nations’ approval.
01 Aug 24. Malaysia is issuing tenders to acquire over 300 vehicles of 11 different types as part of efforts to recapitalise and restructure its ground forces. Malaysia issued a number of tender invitations for the supply of various transport and support vehicles for the Malaysian Army and Malaysian Armed Forces Headquarters in late July as it seeks to recapitalise its fleet along with addressing new requirements.
The vehicles required are 83 Weapons Carrier (Heavy Machine Gun), 80 Weapons Carrier (Automatic Grenade Launcher), 18 Mortar (81mm) Transporters, 82 one-tonne General Service (GS) Cargo trucks, 30 seven-tonne GS Cargo trucks, 21 Forward Repair Vehicles, 14 ten-tonne GS Cargo trucks, six Medium Recovery Vehicles and seven 8×8 Amphibious All Terrain Support Vehicles. (Source: Shephard)
04 Aug 24. Ajax vehicle to reach initial capability end of next year. In other news, the British Army’s Ajax armoured vehicle programme is progressing towards achieving Initial Operating Capability (IOC) by December 2025, according to a recent response from the Ministry of Defence.
In response to a question from Luke Akehurst, Labour MP for North Durham, Minister of State Maria Eagle confirmed the programme’s timeline.
Eagle stated, “The Armoured Cavalry Programme (Ajax) is due to achieve Initial Operating Capability by December 2025 as planned.”
This comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the programme’s financial and operational milestones.
Efforts to expedite the delivery of the troubled Ajax armoured vehicles have been outlined previously. In response to a Written Parliamentary Question earlier in the year, James Cartlidge, the then Minister of State for Defence under the previous Conservative government, detailed the steps taken to improve the delivery rate.
Cartlidge explained, “As a result of revised contractual terms with MOD, General Dynamics UK have introduced a number of measures designed to improve the delivery rate. These measures include extending the current shift patterns, optimising the build line, and increasing collaborative practices.”
The Ajax programme has faced significant challenges and delays, with the Ministry of Defence disclosing earlier this year that it had already spent £4.096bn on the project as of May 2024. The programme aims to deliver a total of 446 vehicles between 2024 and 2028, with yearly deliveries varying from 93 in 2024 to 125 in 2027.
Additionally, 143 vehicles are set to be retrofitted and delivered by 2029.
The vehicles are intended to enhance the British Army’s protection, mobility, and situational awareness. However, despite substantial investment and effort, the programme’s progress towards meeting key operational capabilities has been slow. Initial delivery numbers have paused just short of IOC delivery targets for several months.
According to the British Army website:
“The Ajax family has been designed to be at the heart of the British Army’s future armoured fleet, offering enhanced lethality, survivability, reliability, mobility and all-weather intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities through its advanced sensor suite.
Ajax is currently in the Demonstration and Manufacture phases of its lifecycle. The Army has been conducting training on early Ajax vehicles in both operational Units and Training establishments, with Reliability Growth Trials progressing well. Operationally deployable platforms will be delivered to the Field Army throughout 2024, with the Household Cavalry Regiment being the first Army unit to convert to Ajax.”
(Source: UKDJ)
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
TEK Military Seating Limited
TEK Military Seating Limited is a UK based designer and manufacturer of ProTEK military vehicle seating which offer the highest standards of safety and protection. The ProTEK brand is well respected across the globe for its robust construction, innovative design, built in modularity and cost effectiveness. Our superior products are supported by our experienced team who endeavor to offer unrivalled service to our customers from enquiry, through design and acceptance, to through life support.
From its inception ProTEK seats have been designed around a family of innovative seat frames onto which tested and certified modules can be fitted to create a bespoke solution for the user. These include Blast protection to Stanag 4569 standards, vibration reduction, head and body protection, seat risers and turntables, fore & aft adjustment, and seat back rake along with viable seat dimensions without the need for additional tooling costs.
Contact: Paul Fleming
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————