Sponsored by TEK Military Seating Limited
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12 Sep 25. UK CAVS UOR. As DSEI drew to a close, rumours surfaced of a possible UK MoD UoR for 130 Patria CAVS vehicles for the GBAD and RapidRanger missile for the Stormer replacement. The announcement was noy made public during DSEI to escape the wrath of KNDS, Thales, Supacat and RBSL who had submitted their solutions under the originally proposed competition. Moog is a in strong position to be selected for the turret requirement with its RwiP solution. Babcock will build the vehicles in the UK with the required systems integration and new under armour package.
12 Sep 25. 36 C3 for Oman? Sources suggest that the UK government is close to an agreement with Oman for the supply of 36 Challenger 3 tanks to replace the existing Onan fleet of Challenger 1 tanks which have the rifled not smooth bore 120mm gun. The hulls will be drawn down from existing UK stocks.
10 Sep 25. Partnership to explore recycling parts of a Typhoon aircraft. Babcock has signed a contract with Uplift360, a company that specialises in the recycling of advanced materials. The partnership will explore how composite materials from a Typhoon aircraft can be broken down and repurposed, and how this process could be applied more widely across additional defence platforms. This initiative builds on our ongoing work to embed sustainability into its operations and collaborate with partners who share a commitment to innovation and environmental responsibility.
Chloe Barker, Managing Director for Babcock’s UK Aviation business, said: “By combining our operational experience with Uplift360’s specialist expertise, we’re working together to support our customers’ sustainability ambitions. This partnership is focused on delivering practical solutions that contribute to more efficient use of resources and strengthen the long-term resilience of UK defence supply chains.”
“This collaboration is a great example of how we can work side by side with small and medium enterprises to deliver meaningful change.”
Sam Staincliffe, Co-founder and CEO of Uplift360, said: “We are delighted to have signed this partnering agreement with Babcock, demonstrating the leading role that Uplift360 can play in the recycling of advanced materials from the defence industry. As we create more advanced materials, the waste challenge increases. Uplift360 offers a truly circular option to reuse them sustainably.”
The post Partnership to explore recycling parts of a Typhoon aircraft appeared first on Babcock International Group.
12 Sep 25. Milrem Robotics Launches the HAVOC RCV in Europe at DSEI 2025. Milrem Robotics, the leading robotics and autonomous ground system developer, officially launches its groundbreaking HAVOC 8×8 Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) in Europe at DSEI 2025. This milestone follows the vehicle’s acclaimed unveiling at IDEX 2025 in Abu Dhabi and signals the start of a new era in hybrid-electric robotic combat capability on the continent. The HAVOC RCV has been designed to deliver exceptional performance on the modern battlefield, combining hybrid electric propulsion with advanced autonomy for unmatched speed, agility, and stealth. Capable of reaching 110 km/h on roads and maintaining 50 km/h off-road, the HAVOC offers an operational range of up to 600 km. It weighs 15 tons without payload and is built to negotiate steep gradients, vertical steps, and fording streams, making it highly adaptable to various European terrains and climate conditions. Its pivot steering allows for tight manoeuvrability, while the unified autonomy system—compatible with Milrem’s entire product range—ensures efficient integration, streamlined logistics, and reduced lifecycle costs.
At DSEI 2025, the HAVOC RCV features the PROTECTOR Medium Calibre Turret from KONGSBERG and C-UAS missiles from Frankenburg Technologies. Equipped with a high-rate 30 mm cannon that provides accurate and reliable firepower across various operational scenarios, along with a cost-effective air defence system, the HAVOC greatly improves offensive capabilities and fulfils the requirements of both reconnaissance and strike missions.
“With the launch of the HAVOC RCV in Europe, we are delivering unmatched agility, stealth, and lethality,” said Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics. “The integration of Kongsberg’s MCT and Frankenburg’s missiles enhances its effectiveness across a range of mission profiles—from reconnaissance and force projection to precision strike.”
Patrick Shepherd, acting Chief Product Officer at Milrem Robotics, added: “HAVOC represents a new standard in unmanned ground combat systems. Its hybrid-electric propulsion, advanced autonomy, and expanded armament options reaffirm our commitment to delivering the most capable systems for modern European defence forces.”
The HAVOC benefits from Milrem’s combat-proven experience, including operational deployments of the THeMIS UGV in Ukraine. Lessons learned from these real-world engagements have shaped HAVOC’s development, leading to improved usability, resilient communications, and strong protection against electronic warfare threats. These battlefield-informed upgrades ensure that the HAVOC is not only technologically advanced but also operationally prepared for the complexities of European defence environments.
12 Sep 25. Milrem Robotics, Overwatch Aerospace, MSI-Defence Systems, and Pearson Engineering Join Forces to Deliver UK-Specific THeMIS Combat UGV. Milrem Robotics, the world’s leading developer of robotic and autonomous systems, along with Overwatch Aerospace Ltd, MSI-Defence Systems Limited (MSI-DS), and Pearson Engineering Limited, has announced the launch of a UK-specific version of the THeMIS Combat Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) at DSEI 2025. This strategic relationship will see the four companies develop, test, demonstrate, and produce the combat-proven THeMIS platform in the United Kingdom, specifically designed to meet the needs of UK customers.
The UK version of the THeMIS Combat UGV will combine Milrem Robotics’ battlefield-proven THeMIS UGV platform with MSI-Defence Systems’ advanced TERRAHAWK Remote Weapon Station (RWS) and Overwatch Aerospace’s innovative APEX Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). Pearson Engineering will contribute its proven expertise in integrating mission-critical capabilities into armoured platforms, ensuring the vehicle is optimised for survivability, mobility, and adaptability to UK operational requirements.
Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics, said: “The THeMIS has proven its value in multiple theatres worldwide, and this UK-specific variant will take its capabilities even further. By working with trusted British partners, we deliver an advanced and mission-ready combat system and ensure that development, testing, and production happen here in the UK, creating local value and strengthening domestic defence capabilities.”
Drew Michael, CEO of Overwatch Aerospace Ltd, said: “Integrating our APEX UAS into the THeMIS Combat UGV introduces a completely new dimension to battlefield awareness and adaptability. By merging unmanned ground and aerial capabilities into a unified system, we enable forces to operate more effectively, with improved situational awareness and lower risk to personnel. This collaboration ensures our innovation directly aligns with UK defence priorities.”
Brigadier (ret) Haydn White, Senior Military Adviser at MSI-Defence Systems, stated: “The MSI-DS TERRAHAWK RWS is our fully stabilised remote weapon station, which offers exceptionally precise firepower and situational awareness in a package designed for rapid integration with a wide range of payloads and sensors. Collaborating with Milrem Robotics on this UK-focused UGV demonstrates how the best of British engineering, combined with proven international platforms, can deliver world-class capability to the British Army.”
Ian Bell, CEO of Pearson Engineering Limited, added: “Pearson Engineering will ensure that the THeMIS Combat UGV is adapted perfectly for UK operational environments and that it delivers reliable performance in the most challenging conditions. This partnership highlights our shared commitment to lead the industry into a new era of innovation and safety.”
The program will now move into a comprehensive development and trial phase, with the goal of delivering a deployable, scalable, and enduring robotic combat solution for the British Army. (Source: ASD Network)
12 Sep 25. Captec announced a major investment in its specialist surface treatment infrastructure, positioning the company among a select few in the UK with the capability to meet the most stringent levels of the latest 2025 BR 3939 Warpaint standards. This has become an essential requirement in sectors where the performance and durability of complex systems depend on advanced surface treatments that ensure compliance, longevity, and resistance to extreme environments.
This major facility upgrade represents a strategic leap in capability, developed in close collaboration with global surface treatment leader SurTec, has expanded Captec’s operation from a 6-tank to a 12-tank configuration. This aligns with SurTec’s latest best-in-class specifications for advanced chemical processing and enables Captec to offer next-generation treatments engineered specifically for mission-critical environments.
With this expansion, Captec now provides exceptional corrosion resistance, ultra-low surface resistance, and an optimal base for high-performance coatings, capabilities essential to meet the highest tier of BR 3939 standards.
As a result, Captec is now one of only a handful of UK providers qualified to deliver treatment processes that satisfy the elite compliance and reliability thresholds required in defence and aerospace programmes. This strengthens the company’s ability to support high-assurance platforms and subsystems where failure is not an option.
“Upgrading from six to twelve tanks and aligning with BR 3939 is a critical milestone for Captec’s Subsystems Engineering division,” said Phill Gower, Technical Lead at Captec. “It expands our capabilities and ensures our defence and aerospace partners benefit from treatments engineered to meet the highest requirements of the latest Warpaint standards.”
During the launch of the upgraded facility, Captec welcomed René Lecomte, Country Manager at SurTec Group. Reflecting on the partnership, he said:
“Captec has consistently shown a deep commitment to precision and quality, principles that mirror SurTec’s global philosophy. We are proud to support Captec in this strategic upgrade, marking them as one of the UK’s most capable providers of advanced metal surface treatment.”
SurTec’s world-leading metalwork treatment technologies are widely recognised for their reliability in the most challenging maritime and defence scenarios, environments where surface corrosion and lifecycle performance are critical.
12 Sep 25. BAE braces for biggest-ever order of CV90 combat vehicle in 2026. BAE Systems expects an order for hundreds of CV90 tracked combat vehicles from a group of up to six European nations in the second quarter of 2026, according to Peter Nygren, business development director for the company’s BAE Systems Hägglunds subsidiary in Sweden.
The order could be signed in June next year, and will be for hundreds more vehicles than recent big orders, Nygren told Defense News following a briefing at the DSEI UK show here on Thursday. BAE has delivered around 1,300 CV90s, with 600 more order, according to the executive.
Finland, Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, Estonia and the Netherlands in June agreed to explore joint procurement of the CV90, though whether all six will participate in the joint order depends on the level of standardization they’re willing to accept, according to Nygren.
BAE Systems Hägglunds expects a request for quotation from the nations in the joint procurement group “in a couple of weeks,” with the three Scandinavian countries and Lithuania aligned on the specifications, according to Nygren. He said the order, when it comes, will be the biggest for BAE Systems Hägglunds ever.
“We still don’t know exactly what nations will at the end be there,” Nygren said. “I know the numbers that they have initially and I know what they aspire to, but the number is big.”
While the cost of a CV90 depends on the variant, deals in recent years with Czechia, Denmark and Sweden have put the average price at somewhere between $9.5 m and $13 m per unit.
The latest MkIV iteration of the CV90 has a maximum gross vehicle rating of 38 metric tons, and various versions of the vehicle are in use or on order with ten European nations.
Sweden has donated CV90s to Ukraine, where troops have praised the survivability compared to Soviet-era fighting vehicles. BAE says the CV90 is armored against shaped-charge warheads.
The company is investing $300 m to ramp up CV90 manufacturing, of which nearly $200 m has been spent, with a goal of producing 250 vehicles a year in 2026 from around 50 in 2020. The company is now looking how to increase output further, possibly to 350 CV90s annually within a few years, Nygren said.
BAE Systems Hägglunds is working to diversify the supply chain for the CV90 rather than rely on a single supplier for some systems, Nygren said. The company is adding a third welding line at its production location in Sweden, which should be operational in the later part of 2026.
”The customers have been very clear, time to deliver is the priority,” the executive said in the briefing. “That’s why we also in this case build on existing configuration. The nations are harmonizing their requirements.”
Regarding potential new customers, “there are many knocking on the door, but I need to be honest, for us now to deliver is the number one priority before we take on anything else,” Nygren told Defense News. “We really want to make sure that we get our production up and running.”
Brazil “is on the radar” as a potential new client, according to Nygren, and should the country select the CV90, that would probably involve a technology transfer, with “much of the stuff” done locally.(Source: Defense News)
12 Sep 25. Exsel Group and ND Defense forge strategic transatlantic relationship with landmark Memorandum of Understanding to boost Defence Innovation and Manufacturing in UK and US.
Today, Exsel Group has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with US-based ND Défense.
This agreement, building on the existing support agreement established in 2020, solidifies the strategic plan to establish joint manufacturing facilities in both the UK and US. The creation of a Centre of Excellence and Innovation within Exsel’s Midlands manufacturing facility brings together the Group’s excellence in design, engineering, electronics, research and development, with ND Defense’s legacy and volume production capabilities, into one unified hub.
James Marment, CEO Exsel Group said: “At the heart of our partnership with ND Défense is our shared commitment to advancing vital technology in defence as well as deepening our nation’s industrial relationships with key allies.”
“Our expertise in modular vehicle architecture and scalable production brings added depth to our shared offering, and this MoU sets the foundation for joint projects tailored to the evolving demands of modern operations.”
Imtiaz Uddin, Chief Executive Officer of ND Défense, said: “Today marks an exciting milestone for our organisation as we sign an MoU to initiate vehicle production in the UK in partnership with Exsel Group.
“This collaboration combines our innovation and expertise to strengthen national defence alliances. Our core strength lies in developing cutting-edge products and services while fostering strategic partnerships that drive growth and security.”
The MoU was formally signed at DSEI at London’s ExCeL, in the presence of senior representatives from both organisations.
From Exsel Group, attendees included James Marment, CEO, Rick Garrod, Director Exsel Field Services, and Cliff Modlin, Director, Exsel USA. Representing ND Défense was Imtiaz Uddin, Chief Executive Officer.
For more information on the agreement between Exsel Group and ND Défense, visit www.exsel-group.com
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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
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