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20 Mar 25. Patria presents Finland’s first 8×8 155mm self-propelled howitzer named ARVE for modern artillery operations. As reported by Corporal Frisk on March 20, 2025, Patria introduced the ARVE, Finland’s first wheeled 155mm self-propelled howitzer, during its Arctic Event held in Rovaniemi, Finland, from March 17 to 19. This development is part of the company’s broader efforts to enhance Finland’s artillery capabilities. The ARVE prototype integrates the 155K98 155mm howitzer onto a SISU E13TP 8×8 truck chassis, aiming to improve mobility and survivability in operational environments. The event also featured another prototype and provided an overview of Patria’s defense systems, with a focus on sub-arctic operational conditions.
As previously reported by Army Recognition, the ARVE is based on the Finnish 155 K 98 towed howitzer, which has been in service since 1998. This artillery system features a 52-caliber barrel and can fire conventional high-explosive fragmentation shells up to 40 kilometers. It is equipped with a semi-automatic wedge breech mechanism and can achieve a firing rate of 6 to 10 rounds per minute, including a rapid burst capability of three rounds in 12 seconds. The 155K98 includes an auxiliary motor, similar to the British FH-70 howitzer, allowing for short-distance independent movement at speeds of up to 15 km/h. This capability has been relevant in recent conflicts, where artillery mobility is crucial for avoiding counterfire and drone detection. (Source: Google/armyrecognition.com)
18 Mar 14. Canada Lays Out Indirect Fires Modernization. The Canadian Government on 12 March 2025 released its request for information (Rfi) formally laying out its requirements of its Indirect Fires Modernization for the Canadian Army.
The need to update the forces artillery and indirect fire support capabilities has been recognized and actively discussed since at least 2020. Observations of the dominant role that these systems are exhibiting in the conflict in the Ukraine has raised awareness of not only the need to modernize but also the vulnerability of the forces current inventory which consists of towed guns. Canada’s active force artillery consists of the M777 155mm towed howitzer which was favoured over the heavier M198 which it replaced beginning in 2002. It has a standard gun crew of eight and can be externally sling transported by the CH-47 helicopter, towed by medium tactical trucks and air transported by C-130 and similar cargo aircraft. It has been widely field with artillery units of light infantry brigades. Its limitation as evident in its use by Ukraine forces is that its standard ammunition is out ranged by other cannon and its under two and one-have minute displacement time, although respectable, has been demonstrated to still be too long too often on the battlefield. This increased vulnerability is reflected in the priority being given to inherent mobility and capability for rapid, independent operation in the Canadian Forces requirements. The Canadian Army Land Warfare Centre had actually predicted the importance of “agility” in its 1991 Close Engagement study paper. It foresaw a complex, dynamic, volatile, and uncertain battlefield on which smaller groups would be operating far more dispersed fashion. It also viewed the next adversary would be a “near-peer” opponent equipped with aircraft, drones, sophisticated communications, cyber and artillery. This new environment would necessitate significant changes particularly in the role and deployment of indirect fires. The Canadian Indirect Fires Modernisation (IFM) programme is the number two priority within the Army’s modernization efforts. The requirement calls for the acquisition of both tube artillery and mortars with an emphasis on mobility. On the artillery side this will include eighty to ninety-eight 155mm 52 calibre self-propelled 155mm howitzers to replace the thirty-three in service M777 towed systems. In addition, the plan reflects the fielding of up to ninety-nine 120mm mortars mounted in some manner in the LAV 6.0 ACSV wheeled armoured vehicle and up to eight-five 81mm mortars mounted a light tactical vehicle. (Note an option with all mortars as 81mm has also been suggested). The plan also retains the towed C3 and/or LG105 105 mm howitzers currently in use in reserve units. The Rfi lays out the essential capabilities sought by the Army in each of these indirect fire systems. Not only is emphasis given to the engagement aspects of range, lethality, and survivability but also to the system’s ability to operate in close concert with the Canadian Army’s LAV based Mechanized Brigade Group. As a result, the requirement calls out self-propelled driving range of 450 km and a road-march speed of 80 kmph that would be essential to keeping up with and supporting this manoeuvre force.
In this there are distinct parallels to the German Army Medium Brigade concept built around the Boxer 8 X 8 which has chosen the KNDS RCH-155 wheeled self-propelled howitzer for its artillery support. It is possibility noteworthy that the RCH-155 has been demonstrated using the LAV platform (Pictured). The howitzer requirement itself reflects the longer tube 52 calibre and performance which would be considered standard in today’s systems including digital controls, automation, autonomous position/location, and compatibility with advanced ammunitions. The Rfi also currently includes the ability for the howitzer to fire on the move. This could significantly reduce the number of candidate artillery solutions. The 120mm mortar requirement on the LAV is more general, however, it too could be provided with an “on-the-move” as well as a direct assault firing capability which is offered in the Patria NEMO. Such additional capabilities could of significant benefit in forward deployed systems.
The IFM efforts has included computerized battlefield simulations to analyse options. The Rfi requests responses by April which could result in a further refinement. Although IFM and its complementary Long Range Precision Fires are considered priority second only to Ground Based Air Defence, full funding for the programme has not yet reportedly been secured. This is clearly a concern especially with the Army standing up its Lativa Brigade commitment. An acquisition of an initial twenty self-propelled guns could be conducted to meet near-term operational needs. The LFM and the Rfi are steps in the right direction in addressing the Canadian Army’s needs on the current and future battlefield. How well these proceed to fruition is now the question. (Source: Armada)
14 Mar 14. 40mm RAPIDFire Gun System for Land and Sea. The 40mm calibre auto-cannon extensively fielded to effectively fill both ground and naval applications by almost seventy militaries for over eighty-years naval is now back in the Thales-KNDS RAPIDFire 40.
The system was first debuted in its at-sea role at EURO Naval 2023 and then as a ground configured application at EURO Satory 2025. The configurations employ essentially the same fully integrated turret station which does not require deck penetration, thus, simplifying its installation on a wide range of naval or ground platforms. The weapon is the innovative CTA International developed 40CTAS (40mm Cased Telescoping Ammunition System). The gun design minimizes the interior space claim while utilizing a link less carousel-type feeding system that adapts in shape and load capacity to various turret configurations. The weapon station is fully stabilized in both axis assuring on-target pointing accommodating either ship seas or vehicle movement while maintaining accuracy.
The gun employs APFSDS Armoured Piercing, three versions of high explosive general purpose (GPR-T) with settable fuse, and kinetic energy A3B Anti Aerial Air Burst ammunition as well as target practice. The AFSDS which has a range of 2500 plus meters can defeat 140mm of armour at 1500 meters making it effective against even the most protected infantry fighting vehicle. The GPR is provided in programable air burst, point detonating and bunder/structure busting versions.
Optimized for aerial targets, the A3B can be programmed for optimum detonation to achieve maximum lethality with directional fragmentation to address soft surface or moving aerial targets including aircraft, cruise missiles, and drones at up to 4000 meters.
Its precise laying and projectile lethality allow the RAPIDFire to successfully destroy a target with a programmed three round burst which allows it to efficiently address multiple threats in rapid succession.
The CTA’s Cased Telescoping Ammunition differentiates from conventional medium calibre weapons in that the projectile is located inside the cartridge case and is surrounded by the propellant powder. This provides ammunition that is shorter length and compact permitting optimized weapon kinematics, reducing space needed for ammunition storage and allowing simpler loading without need for flexible feed chutes.
In addition, the design eliminates the need to extract the spent cartridge cases which are instead” pushed-through” and ejected perpendicular to the axis of fire. Together these characteristics minimize turret interior space claims, simplify ammunition loading and feeding, and permit exceptional gun elevation of up to 75 degrees. The Naval RAPIDFire is being installed on the French Navy Patrouilleurs Hauturiers offshore patrol vessels. In the ground role it has been displayed on both a 6×6 and 8×8 tactical truck. In the latter version the gun system can be off-loaded and employed in a fixed site defence role. In both naval and ground versions the RAPIDFire 40 can fully engage targets independently using its integrated stabilized electro-optic suite or perform as an element of a larger combat network. With the CTA40 and its ammunition in production and fielded for both the offshore vessels and for use in both French and British combat vehicles introduction of the Land RapidFire 40 could occur on an accelerated schedule. (Source: Armada)
19 Mar 14. DOD’s Acquisition Community Already Working on Golden Dome, Big Team Effort Required. Earlier this month, President Donald J. Trump told Congress and Americans the U.S. would pursue a Golden Dome, similar to Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, designed to protect against inbound missile attacks. The Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment is working with partner agencies, including the Missile Defense Agency and the military services, to make that happen, said Steven J. Morani, currently performing the duties of undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment yesterday at the McAleese Defense Programs Conference in Washington.
“Consistent with protecting the homeland and per President Trump’s [executive order], we’re working with the industrial base and [through] supply chain challenges associated with standing up the Golden Dome,” Morani said.
In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan wanted to build such an air defense system, but technology wasn’t available at the time to bring that project to fruition. Morani said the challenge would be formidable and require a lot of teamwork.
“This is like the monster systems engineering problem. This is the monster integration problem,” he said. “This is going to be layers of architecture working together at all group level elevations … to protect the United States … so we’re going to need all the services and agencies that do this kind of work to step up.”
Morani said the acquisitions and sustainment community is focused on meeting the president’s request for the Golden Dome while realigning also to meet Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s priorities. Among those priorities are reviving the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military by matching threats to capabilities and re-establishing deterrence to defend the homeland.
“[We’re] wasting no time in moving out and taking this new direction by the president and the secretary,” he said.
The office, Morani added, is also determining how to shift people, resources and priorities toward providing better support directly to the warfighter.
“[We’re] looking at ways to streamline and remove some red tape,” he said. Part of that includes looking at the department’s real estate portfolio and reducing or eliminating what is not needed.
He said the A&S community is playing a key role in developing the department’s FY2026 budget proposal, one that aligns with the president and secretary’s priorities.
“There is a rigorous analytic process underway taking a relook at [the budget],” Morani said. “This is standard practice for any new administration that takes office.”
Hegseth has said the department is examining the budget to refocus funding away from non-lethal programs and into programs that support the president’s priorities for national defense; A&S is part of that process.
“We’re relooking at some of the things we did in the past before we are going to put more money against them, and perhaps [what] we’re going to stop doing,” Morani said, adding it will be the secretary who makes any final decisions about how funding requests are prioritized.
Over the past eight weeks, A&S has focused on strengthening the defense industrial base and growing the department’s ability to provide logistics and sustainment capability to the joint force.
Sustainment, Morani said, enhances deterrence.
“If a potential adversary knows that your logistics capabilities are robust … and if you are in it for the long haul, they’ll be less likely to engage in hostilities because they know that they’ll not just be outgunned and outmaneuvered, but they’re going to be out supplied,” he said. (Source: U.S. DoD)
19 Mar 14. Gentex Corporation, a global leader in personal protection and situational awareness solutions for defense forces, aircrew, emergency responders, and industrial personnel, announce sPURSUIT as the new name of its next generation fixed wing helmet system. This naming reflects Gentex’s commitment to innovation and delivering advanced helmet solutions that meet the evolving needs of modern aircrew. As the world-leading provider of advanced headborne protection, Gentex understands that helmets are more than just equipment—they are essential to mission success and directly impact aircrew comfort, focus, and long-term health. For decades, the Gentex HGU-55/P and HGU-68/P have provided reliable protection for aircrew operating in demanding environments, but as mission requirements have grown so has the burden on aircrew who were forced to adapt to the added weight from the incorporation of night vision goggles (NVGs) and helmet mounted displays (HMDs). As a result, aircrew have endured increased neck strain and discomfort and have often required multiple helmets to meet an expanding set of mission requirements. Now Gentex delivers the next generation of advanced headborne protection: the PURSUIT helmet reduces weight, enhances comfort, and eliminates compromises, ensuring aircrew are equipped for today’s missions and ready for the future.
Mission-Ready and Future-Proof
The PURSUIT helmet isn’t just built for today—it’s engineered for the future. Fully compliant with US Navy and US Air Force performance standards, the PURSUIT helmet is designed with future warfighting requirements in mind. Gentex’s Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) in our helmet system design allows for the seamless integration of current and future HMDs, as well as advanced communications systems and optical and respiratory protection, to provide adaptability, aircrew safety, and warfighting capability for decades to come.
Designed for Endurance, Comfort, and Performance
The PURSUIT helmet’s advanced, lightweight carbon shell reduces neck and spine strain, significantly lowering the risk of short and long-term injuries from prolonged missions and high-G maneuvers. The enhanced ventilation system prevents heat buildup, and fire-resistant, moisture-wicking, high-performance comfort pads increase aircrew comfort and mission readiness during long-duration flights. The PURSUIT helmet’s optimized balance and center of gravity, as well as its enhanced nape design, provide aircrew with a secure, stable fit that keeps the helmet in place during dynamic maneuvering in all HMD/NVG configurations. With four helmet sizes, the PURSUIT helmet delivers an optimal, out-of-the-box fit for more than 99% of aircrew, ensuring exceptional comfort and performance.
The PURSUIT Advantage
Lightweight, adaptable, and mission-ready, the PURSUIT helmet delivers unmatched comfort and performance in a single, modular system that provides aircrew the ability to adapt to various mission requirements without sacrificing protection or performance and eliminates the need for multiple helmets, which means reduced cost, less gear to manage, and increased aircrew readiness and combat effectiveness.
For more than 75 years, Gentex has set the standard in aircrew protection, delivering combat-proven innovation to those who serve. The PURSUIT™ next generation fixed wing helmet isn’t just a helmet—it’s a tactical advantage. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
19 Mar 25. How many SA80 rifles does the UK military have? MOD reveals stock numbers. The Ministry of Defence has disclosed the total number of SA80 rifles currently in use across the Armed Forces.
Introduced in 1987, the SA80, which stands for “Small Arms for the 1980s” is the designated family of individual weapon systems for all military personnel.
The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information request by BFBS Forces News, provide a rare insight into the UK’s weapon inventory – just weeks before the Government’s Strategic Defence Review is set to report.
As of 21 January 2025, the Armed Forces held a total of 166,120 SA80 variant rifles, distributed across the Royal Navy (including the Royal Marines), the British Army and Royal Air Force.
Variants of the SA80 include the L85 A2 and A3, the now lesser-used L86 Light Support Weapon (LSW) and the L22 Carbine.
Given that the total strength of the UK military, including regular and reserve forces, is approximately 180,000 personnel, the figures suggest there may not be enough rifles for every service member should all be required to fight simultaneously.
However, in December 2024 Veterans Minister Al Carns replied to a written question in the House of Commons that more than 13,000 regular serving personnel were undeployable, meaning they would not be able to serve on operations overseas in any event.
The Armed Forces use an array of small arms weaponry, including the new L403A1 – better known as the KS-1 – which has been trailed by Ranger battalions in the British Army.
On Wednesday, Defence Minister Maria Eagle announced that the MOD had taken delivery of 1,620 of these new rifles, which, alongside the Ranger units, are intended for use by special forces and the Royal Marines.
The latest versions of the L85 are capable of mounting an array of sighting systems, the optic here being designed for shooting down moving targets such as drones (Picture: MOD)
Our research also revealed that the MOD has disposed of nearly all Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), which were replaced by the SA80 in the 1980s. This weapon was also known as the L1A1.
According to the MOD, only one SLR remains, which is currently “held in quarantine.”
While the MOD confirmed the total number of SA80 rifles, it declined to disclose their exact distribution across the three services.
Within its response to our FOI, the MOD said it had conducted a “public interest test” to determine whether to reveal the number of SA80s specifically held by the British Army.
Ultimately, it decided that “on balance, information pertaining to the breakdown of total stocks should be withheld” to protect operational security.
Therefore, while the total number of SA80 rifles appears lower than the total personnel count, it remains unknown whether the British Army holds more or fewer than the approximately 70,000 troops that make up its strength.
Our research also found that while SA80 rifles are used across all three services, the British Army is officially responsible for managing those assigned to the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
The Strategic Defence Review was announced by the Labour Government in July 2024 and is being led by former Nato secretary general Lord Robertson. It is due to report in the coming months. (Source: forces.net)
17 Mar 25. US Army readies second Typhon battery for Pacific deployment. The U.S. Army’s 3rd Multidomain Task Force unit is standing up its long-range fires battalion over the next year, including readying its Typhon battery for deployment in the Pacific theater — marking the Army’s second such missile system to enter the region, according to the unit’s commander. The Army has two certified and fielded Typhon batteries, also known as Midrange Capability missiles, stationed out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, Col. Michael Rose, the 3rd MDTF commander, told reporters in a media roundtable Friday. The 3rd Multidomain Task Force, or MDTF, headquartered in Hawaii, will officially receive its Typhon battery at JBLM this year, according to Rose. The Lockheed Martin-built system, consisting of a vertical launch system that uses the Navy’s Raytheon-built Standard Missile-6 and Tomahawk missiles, can strike targets in the 500- to 2,000-kilometer range. The complete system has a battery operations center, four launchers, prime movers and modified trailers. Defense News first reported the Army’s plan to pursue the midrange missile in September 2020. The Army fielded the capability in less than three years. The Army deployed its first Typhon missile launcher to the Philippines in 2024 as part of the joint exercise Salaknib, where the 1st MDTF transported it 8,000 miles via a C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft. The system has remained on the island of Luzon.
“We’re constantly looking for opportunities to exercise capability like that forward in theater,” Rose said. “We learn enormous lessons by bringing capability into the theater.”
Rose said the Army anticipates the Typhon supporting Operation Pathways, a series of year-round exercises designed to strengthen cooperation with regional allies and deter China.
China criticized the first deployment of the Typhon in 2024, warning it could destabilize the region. Officials have yet to fire the missile system in the Philippines.
When asked if his unit might conduct a live-fire exercise with the Typhon system, Rose said, “We’re always looking for opportunities to do live-fire with the system. It gives us enormous benefit to be able to do that, so we’re looking for the opportunity to do that at any time in our campaigning activities to include the next 12 months.”
Meanwhile, the Army is working to field another three batteries to the remaining multidomain task force units between fiscal 2026 and 2028, the service’s Program Executive Office Missiles & Space, told Defense News. The Army plans to next field a battery to the 2nd MDTF based in Europe in fiscal 2026. The service is also working to build out its MDTF structure by fiscal 2028. Established at JBLM around 2018, the Army’s first MDTF was experimental, but the service has since made it operational and will ultimately build four more. Multidomain task force units have since participated in U.S. Indo-Pacific Command exercises that have helped inform the Army’s Multidomain Operations warfighting concept, which has now evolved into doctrine. The Army’s fourth MDTF, stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, will focus on the Pacific theater and is anticipated to be established in full by fiscal 2027. The 5th MDTF will be stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where it will concentrate on regions as determined. It will be operational by fiscal 2028. (Source: Defense News)
18 Mar 25. Indian Army deploys Vehicle Mounted Infantry Mortar System near LAC. The Indian Army has deployed an unknown number of Mahindra Defence Systems Limited’s (MDSL’s) 4×4 Vehicle Mounted Infantry Mortar Systems (VMIMSs) near the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Indian Army’s Trishakti Corps announced the deployment on its official social media account on 14 March. According to the service, the VMIMS is deployed in the northeastern state of Sikkim, which shares a border with China, Bhutan, and Nepal. The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) published a request for proposals (RFP) in January 2023, seeking to fast-track the acquisition of 50 automated infantry mortar systems mounted on 4×4 high-mobility light vehicles for the Indian Army. MDSL’s VMIMS was selected by the MoD to fulfil this requirement. Janes reported in 2024 that the deliveries of the VMIMS commenced in 2023 and were scheduled to conclude by the end of 2024. The VMIMS comprises Milanion NTGS’ Alakran-L automated, deployable mortar system fitted with an 81 mm barrel mounted onto the rear of a 4×4 Armored Light Specialist Vehicle (ALSV) built by MDSL. Milanion NTGS told Janes in 2024 that the VMIMS requires a crew of two to operate. It can accommodate 72 81 mm mortar bombs, with 36 mortar bombs stowed in compartments located on each side of the vehicle behind its armoured cab. The 81 mm mortar has a range of 7.2 km and a maximum rate of fire of 20 rds/min. (Source: Janes)
18 Mar 25. Russian Anti-Aircraft Drone has Alleged Speed of 280 km/h. Russian propaganda media, citing Mikhail Filippov, head of the Russian project Archangel, report that the project’s specialists, who train unmanned aerial vehicle crews, have modified one of the kamikaze drones, increasing its speed several times.
“We made a hybrid with a vertical takeoff, and then it switches to ‘wing mode’ and flies like a rocket,”
says Filippov. According to him, the minimum range of this drone is 50 km, while it can reach speeds of up to 280 km/h. Filippov emphasizes that this is much faster than standard kamikaze drones, which typically fly at speeds of 70-120 km/h.
However, in the comments on their Telegram channel, members of the Archangel group admit to inaccuracies. They claim that the drone will cover a range of 50 km at an economical speed of 120-140 km/h, with a reduced range at maximum speed.
The developers claim that the drone’s high speed significantly reduces its vulnerability to small arms fire, asserting that it is “physically impossible to shoot it down.”
It is noted that this kamikaze drone can be used against light armored vehicles and communication towers with equipment. At the same time, it is stated that this kamikaze drone will function as an anti-aircraft drone against Ukrainian long-range drones, with the Russians relying on speed. It is worth noting that this russian drone is quite similar to the Ukrainian anti-aircraft drones used against Shahed drones. In particular, russians opted for a “rocket-like” solution for their drone. Earlier Defense Express reported that Ukrainian specialists had managed to accelerate an FPV drone to a speed of 325 km/h. (Source: UAS VISION/Defense Express)
14 Mar 25. The UK has announced the first delivery of an autonomous mine countermeasures system as part of a €430m ($468m) Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation-led (OCCAR) Anglo-French naval cooperation program.
In a statement today, the British MoD said that the Thales-made Maritime Mine Counter Measure (MMCM) systems are a “new capability” for the Royal Navy and comprise a 12-meter long Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) dubbed ARIADNE, alongside off-board payloads and a Remote Command Centre (RCC).
“With this advanced technology, mines can be rapidly detected in a more cost-effective and safer manner than previously, greatly increasing operational tempo and eliminating the need for sailors to enter mine danger areas,” noted London.
It also outlined that the USV can be deployed from shore or a mothership to detect seabed mines in collaboration with the Thales-made Towed Synthetic Aperture Multiviews (TSAM) sonar system.
“Developments in sensor technology, data analytics, and machine learning have all significantly contributed to this innovation, allowing vessels to operate either fully autonomously or remote controlled by operators in a portable operations centre,” added the MoD. “Fitted with AI automatic target recognition, these vessels will filter and refine vast amounts of data allowing professional operators to speed up the process of classifying and neutralising mines.”
The UK alone has spent £184m on the MMCM program, with the Royal Navy set to receive four systems overall by the end of the year. The MoD also revealed that French MMCM deliveries have also taken place.
Deliveries are part of OCCAR’s MMCM Production Contract (Stage II) which follows on from an earlier Prototyping Phase (Stage 1), according to the organization. Alongside lead contractors Thales UK and Thales France, key subcontractors include Sweden’s Saab, France’s Exail Prototyping and US firm L3Harris.
Thales UK will train Royal Navy personnel on the ARIADNE boat for a “period” before the service undertakes an operational evaluation of equipment and start to “utilise MMCM to fulfil operational duties,” added the UK MoD.
According to the UK’s procurement arm, Defence Equipment and Support, the Royal Navy is committed to a further three autonomous mine hunting systems — Wilton, Sweep and Seacat — as it looks to transition away from “conventional ship-based” methods.
“The Royal Navy plans to gradually phase out conventional crewed mine hunting vessels as additional autonomous systems are delivered over the next five years or so,” said the UK MoD.
Other navies are making similar strides to the UK, with the US Navy recently rolling out a series of contract awards to advance the mine countermeasures mission package, set to deploy on its Littoral Combat Ships. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
17 Mar 25. RAF reveals attack and EW UAV projects. The Royal Air Force (RAF) revealed two unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) test types intended to demonstrate lessons learned from fighting in Ukraine at its Air and Space Combat Power event held at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire in March 2025. The first UAV, with a name not yet publicly revealed, has a body made nearly exclusively from polystyrene. Taken from concept to build in under a year, it can be made from a mould in three minutes, with 3D-printed fuel tanks and a battery or petrol motor. The cost is about GBP15,000 (USD19,400) per unit. It is capable of flying from the UK to Italy with a 25 kg payload.
Squadron Leader Graeme Royston, SO2 autonomous collaborative platforms (ACP) and air mobility, air capability futures, HQ Air Command, RAF, told Janes that as well as making it light, its polystyrene construction gives engineers freedom in a constant cycle of test and experimentation.
“We can literally cut new holes in this [and] put new sensors, cameras, and payloads in. It’s a prime testbed. In theory, you could take the mould to the front line and not have to carry hundreds of these to the front line. Deploy the mould and just start making them. Take a load of engines, take a load of sensors and wiring, and create them there.” (Source: Janes)
17 Mar 25. Europe’s very own missile for piercing air defenses is years away. Europe may have to wait for its own capability to suppress long-range enemy air defenses until at least 2033, with the expected arrival of a new high-speed maneuverable missile from MBDA, according to military experts at the Paris Defence and Strategy Forum last week. The French Air Force currently lacks a real capability for suppression of enemy air defenses, or SEAD, and that capability should be restored from 2033 with an upgrade of the Rafale jet together with the RJ10 missile being developed by MBDA, according to Col. Guillaume Kubala, a fighter pilot and aerospace expert at the French Armed Forces Ministry’s directorate for international relations and strategy. He was speaking at a March 13 round table on deep strike and air superiority here.
The RJ10 is part of the French-British Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon long-range strike project and will perform the mission of suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses, according to Pierre-Marie Belleau, who oversees the deep strike portfolio at MBDA. Current capabilities are “a little limited compared to existing air defenses,” he said.
The goal is for the missile to arrive at the same time as the future F5 standard for the Rafale, Belleau said during the round table, without providing an exact date.
“This missile must arrive concomitantly with Rafale’s F5 standard,” Belleau said, adding that’s a factor driving the development schedule. “We would like it to go faster, but we have to be realistic.”
France retired the AS.37 Martel radar-homing missile in the late 1990s, leaving the country without a dedicated anti-radar capability. Some European NATO partners including Germany rely on variants of the U.S.-made AGM-88 missile for anti-radar-based SEAD.
For Europe to rebuild offensive capabilities is “extremely important,” including weapons able to destroy enemy air-defense batteries, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Adm. Pierre Vandier said in a press briefing at the Paris forum last week.
“SEAD today clearly has to be the number one priority,” said Lt. Col. Adrien Gorremans, a French Air Force officer and military fellow at IFRI, the French Institute for International Relations. “I believe that’s also what our leaders are defending quite strongly.”
The RJ10 will be the new SEAD missile for integration on the Rafale F5 by 2035, and offensive electronic warfare will also be needed to saturate airspace and jam enemy detection, Air and Space Force Chief of Staff Gen. Jérôme Bellanger told Le Figaro in an interview in February.
France plans to upgrade its jets to the F5 standard in the 2030s, and said in October it had awarded the first contracts for the Rafale enhancements.
The F5 standard is set to integrate a stealthy combat drone as a so-called loyal wingman for the Rafale by 2033, while the upgraded jet will also carry the future ASN4G hypersonic nuclear missile MBDA is working on. The new standard will include the Thales-developed next-generation RBE2 XG radar including gallium nitride technology and artificial intelligence.
The F5 standard will allow for “a reactive and autonomous automated targeting loop,” providing the ability to target increasingly mobile surface-to-air systems, according to Kubala. Unmanned combat aerial vehicles and remote carriers operating “much deeper into the territory” could handle target acquisition, he said.
As part of the FC/AWS program, MBDA is working on two complementary missiles: the RJ10 that travels at high supersonic speeds while remaining maneuverable, and the TP15 stealthy subsonic missile. Italy is set to join France and the U.K. this year for the development and manufacturing phases of the project.
MBDA displayed mockups of both missiles at the Euronaval conference in November.
Until the arrival of the new missiles, the SCALP-EG will remain the only air-launched cruise missile in service with the French Air Force into the start of the next decade, Kubala said.
Integrated air-defense systems “have evolved completely” in recent years, with greater range and different means to detect and intercept, according to Kubala. That creates a need for more powerful and technologically advanced missiles. “If we’re relying on 20-year old technology, we have to ask ourselves how credible our SEAD and our capabilities are.”
Both Gorremans and Kubala pointed out that that fighter jets as well as cruise missiles can still avoid air defenses by flying close to the ground, allowing current systems to remain credible.
The biggest challenge for deep-strike missiles currently is survivability, and thus the ability to penetrate enemy defenses, Belleau said. Solutions include a high-speed, maneuvering vector sufficiently evasive in the terminal phase to defeat defenses; a stealthy missile with low radar and infrared visibility; or collaborative strike that combines different vectors to saturate air defenses.
If a deep-strike capability is unable to penetrate ground-based air defenses, it won’t be credible, Kubala said. He said the role of the RJ10 would be to neutralize long-range air defenses, opening the way for cruise missiles and other arms.
The high-speed, highly maneuverable missile represents an “extremely complicated” technical challenge, according to Belleau. Maintaining speed and maneuverability requires adjustable propulsion for the entire flight.
The RJ10 will have ramjet propulsion and operate at high supersonic speeds but below Mach 5, according to MBDA. The company already makes the ramjet-powered Meteor, considered by analysts to be one of the best beyond-visual-range, air-to-air missiles in operation.
Hypersonic missiles follow the same logic of being fast and maneuverable, even if they’re at the high end in terms of speed, Belleau said. He cited the “absolutely enormous” per-unit cost cited by the U.S. for the Dark Eagle hypersonic missile – a 2023 Congressional Budget Office report estimated procurement cost per missile at $41 m spread over a purchase of 300 missiles.
The cost of a cruise missile is in the range of €2 m to €3 m, according to Gorremans.
France is working with Germany, Italy and Poland, the U.K. and Sweden on the European Long-range Strike Approach project, or ELSA, which Kubala said aims to offer a “realistic” response to the deep-strike requirement in terms of cost, deadlines, performance and interoperability. MBDA is offering a ground-launched version of its naval cruise missile as a short-term option for the project.
The aim is to have a complete deep-strike chain, including targeting, penetration of defenses as well as ground-to-ground, air-to-ground and anti-ship assets, Kubala said.
The first ELSA projects “should see the light of day” in coming months, Kubala said during the round table. He declined to provide details. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
14 Mar 14. UK military’s 100,000 SUSAT sights show scope of Upham replacement. The UK military has over 100,000 SUSAT and more 30,000 LDS weapon sights in its inventory, which are due for replacement. The UK military holds more than 140,000 weapon sights in its inventory, roughly comparable in number to the approximate 150,000 SA80A2/3 battle rifles in service throughout the country’s armed forces. Revealed in a parliamentary written answer on 12 March, the UK government stated that as of 5 March, there were 107,671 Sight Unit Small Arms, Trilux (SUSAT) sights and 34,258 Elcan Specter OS4X Lightweight Day Sights (LDS) held across the Ministry of Defence.
The L85 Advanced Combat Optical Gunsights (ACOG) were removed from combat service in 2015, with 18 currently held in stock, the written answer stated.
In January 2022 a Parliamentary written response revealed that the UK had a total inventory of 134,912 SA80A2 variants and 17,900 SA80A3 variants, held across defence.
A SA80A2 (L85A2) 5.56mm Rifle fitted with the SUSAT sight. The weapon can be fitted with SUSAT, ACOG, ELCAN SpecterOS 4x OR thermal VIPER 2 sights. Credit: UK MoD/Crown copyright
The UK is embarking on a series of programmes to replace the SA80 battle rifle under Projects Hunter and Grayburn. Project Grayburn is thought likely to go on contract in the Q4 2026 – Q1 2027 timeframe, for around 150,000 weapons, deliverable in batches.
In 2023, under Project Hunter, the L403A1 KS-1 was selected as the Alternative Individual Weapon (AIW) for the UK military’s Special Operations Brigade, and was recently trialed by UK Royal Marine Commandos in Norway.
Running somewhat parallel to this is Project Upham, intended to deliver a new weapon sight into UK service for the outgoing SA80 and the future Armalite-style rifle being acquired under Project Grayburn.
Solutions will include a need for infrared capability, a significant improvement over the current basic zoom optics.
UK military adopts batch of TALON weapon sights
In November 2024 the British Army was announced to be receiving new thermal scopes for SA80A3 and Hunter battle rifles via the TALON thermal imaging sights, with the deal for around 10,000 units.
Other industrial players are known to be looking at optics solutions for the British Army, such as Thales with its EXTRAIM system.
Any weapon sight acquired could also feature on the new 5.56mm “assault machine gun” due to be acquired under Project Shamer, to renew a squad-level capability lost when the L110 A2 Light Machine Gun (LMG), known as the Minimi in UK service, was axed in 2018. (Source: army-technology.com)
14 Mar 25. Tejas LCA AF MK1 Test-fires Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile. Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has successfully conducted test-launch of homegrown ASTRA, Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) from LCA AF MK1 prototype fighter aircraft. The test launch was carried out on March 12, 2025 off the coast of Chandipur, Odisha. The test-firing successfully demonstrated the direct hit of the missile on flying target. All the subsystems performed accurately meeting all mission parameters and objectives. ASTRA missile is designed and developed by DRDO capable of engaging the targets over 100km and equipped with advanced guidance and navigation capabilities allows missile to destroy targets with greater accuracy. The missile is already inducted into the Indian Air Force. The successful test-firing is a significant milestone towards the induction of LCA AF MK1A variant. The success is the result of hard work by the integrated team of Scientists, Engineers and Technicians from ADA, DRDO, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) along with support from CEMILAC, DG-AQA, IAF & Test range team. Further trials are planned towards the performance evaluation. Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has congratulated the teams of DRDO, IAF, ADA, HAL and all involved in the trial. Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat appreciated the efforts of Scientists, Engineers and Technicians from various organisations and industry. (Source: ASD Network)
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About Galvion:
Galvion designs, develops, and delivers mission critical head, face, and torso protective solutions as well as intelligent power and data management systems for the world’s most demanding military and tactical teams. Founded in 2002 as Revision Military, a foundational belief in calculated investment and capability expansion led to a strategic refocus, resulting in the divestiture of the protective eyewear business, along with the Revision name, in 2019. Rebranded as Galvion, the company’s products and technology continue to evolve beyond purely passive protection, focusing instead on active systems that enhance performance and survivability, with an eye to the ever-changing demands of the modern battlefield. Through advanced design, keen end-user insight and intelligent integration, Galvion engineers uniquely customized solutions that go beyond what was once thought possible.
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