24 Mar 21. US provides 29 Humvees to bolster Albanian army capability. The United States has provided 29 new Humvees to bolster Albania’s military capabilities ahead of military exercises in southeastern Europe, the Balkan nation’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
U.S. Ambassador Yuri Kim said the vehicles were part of a “priority project for the United States – to assist in the transition of Albania’s 2nd infantry battalion from a light infantry battle group to a motorized infantry battle group”
Albania, which is a member of NATO, will use the Humvees while hosting parts of multinational exercises this summer that are being planned as the largest training drills ever held in southeast Europe and which “will certainly showcase Albania’s importance in the region,” Kim said.
The U.S. previously supplied Albania with three Black Hawk helicopters and other Humvees. The tiny country is replacing outdated weaponry with equipment in line with the Western military alliance’s standards.
Albania joined NATO in 2009, and it has regularly assigned small army units to international peacekeeping missions and NATO operations.
“Albanian armed forces will always be with you, always with the alliance for the defense and security of our joint values,” Defense Minister Niko Peleshi said Wednesday. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
25 Mar 21. Hanwha partners with K-TIG for armoured vehicle welding support. The firms are set to explore ways to incorporate K-TIG’s welding technology in the local construction of Hanwha’s armoured vehicles.
Hanwha Defense Australia and K-TIG Limited have signed a memorandum of understanding, which aims to examine how K-TIG’s welding processes can be applied to the construction of armoured vehicles in Australia and potentially overseas.
K-TIG’s welding process is designed to support at least seven millimetres of welding in a single run, reducing passes and preparation time by leveraging a high-energy density arc which results in modest heat transfer into the metal plates being joined.
This is expected to result in fewer distortions of the steel plates, while also reducing the chance of affecting the hardness of the armour.
“We are excited to work with K-TIG to establish how their advanced welding process can be utilised in the local manufacture of armoured vehicles,” Richard Cho, managing director of Hanwha Defense Australia, said.
“The potential for gains in quality and efficiency are significant. I am optimistic that we can utilise the K-TIG technology and help them further expand its applications to armoured vehicle production within the broader Hanwha group.”
Adrian Smith, managing director of K-TIG, added, “I am pleased that K-TIG is able to work closely with Hanwha to further commercialise our world-class Australian developed welding technology.
“We think we can help them supply the best possible product to the Australian Defence Force.
“K-TIG is also optimistic that Hanwha will adopt our technology for use in their programs in other parts of the world.” (Source: Defence Connect)