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30 Jul 25. A second ASTER B1 New Technology missile (ASTER B1NT), developed by eurosam, was successfully launched at DGA Essais de Missiles test range, in presence of representatives of the three participating states (France, Italy and UK) of the historical trilateral Air Defence FSAF-PAAMS cooperation managed by OCCAR. After the first successful firing in October 2024, this second firing validated the long range capability of the missile. The ASTER B1NT missile is indeed able to intercept target up to a very longer range (class 150 km) and higher altitude thanks to several improvements implemented in this new generation of the ASTER family. This new successful firing contributes to the qualification of the Long Range capability of the SAMP/T NG system, with the demonstration of the enhanced operational capacities of the new ASTER B1NT missile which will allow to intercept more difficult aerial and missiles targets in terms of range, manoeuvrability, furtivity or speed. This firing is a great achievement for the bilateral ASTER B1NT and SAMP/T NG programmes managed by OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation) for France and Italy. Thanks to the dedication and professionalism of eurosam, MBDA and Thales teams, OCCAR, and experts from the two Nations – in particular from DGA and Segredifesa / DNA – this success is an important step forward for the development of these new cutting-edge Air Defence assets. These assets will be delivered to the Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace (French Air and Space Force), the Esercito Italiano (Italian Army) and the Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force). The ASTER B1NT missile will also be integrated on other naval programmes managed by eurosam and OCCAR for the two Nations like the Mid-Life Update of Horizon Frigates.
31Jul 25. MBDA on track with its acceleration of ASTER missile production.
- MBDA has delivered – through the OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation) – the first batch of ASTER munitions from accelerated production measures that are part of the company’s ramp-up efforts.
- This delivery comes less than two and a half years after an initial contract with the OCCAR strengthening the air defence capabilities of France and Italy and a further contract to supplement stocks and accelerate production of ASTER missiles, including for the United Kingdom.
- The delivery is a first step towards the schedule acceleration underway. It results from the investments made by MBDA and its industrial partners to meet the needs of its customers and strengthen Europe’s resilience in the face of new threats.
On 23 July 2025, MBDA delivered the first batch of ASTER missiles less than two and a half years since the order was placed as part of a joint acquisition led by OCCAR with Eurosam, the Franco-Italian joint venture of MBDA and Thales. This acquisition, launched in December 2022, is a cooperation between France and Italy, and supplemented by a further order in February 2025, aiming to strengthen air defence systems of European countries with the production of nearly 1,000 ASTER missiles for the armed forces of Italy, the United Kingdom and France. The accelerated production of this first batch of missiles is a first step towards the schedule acceleration underway. It is the result of the investments and the actions taken by the MBDA Group, with its customers and partners, to meet the challenges of increasing production.The delivery confirms MBDA’s ability to meet its commitment to reducing the production lead-time of ASTER missiles in 2026 by more than half compared to 2022, and deliver five times more ASTER missiles than originally planned in 2025.
Eric Béranger, CEO of MBDA, said: “The delivery of the first ASTER missiles that benefited from significantly reduced production times is a success for all MBDA teams. I thank them for their ongoing efforts, as well as the industrial partners and State actors involved. It demonstrates our commitment to working alongside our customers to ensure the ramp-up of our industrial facilities and the strengthening of our defence industrial and technological base. This acceleration will provide Italian, French and British armed forces with essential air defence systems to protect European skies, as demonstrated by the use of ASTER in the Red Sea and Ukraine, and increase NATO’s defence capabilities.”
MBDA introduced measures to ramp-up production as early as 2024 to accelerate delivery of missiles already ordered. These measures were formalized in February 2025 through the order of additional ASTER missiles for France, Italy and the UK. The Group has underpinned its ramp-up efforts, through investment, in particular in its production facilities in Bourges and Selles-Saint-Denis in France and in Fusaro in Italy. It has significantly recruited, built up raw material and component stocks, and supported its entire value chain in Europe. Between 2023 and 2025, MBDA will have doubled the production of new missiles for the Group as a whole and will continue to invest €2.4 bn between 2025 and 2029 to ensure the ramp-up of production over the coming years.
About MBDA
MBDA is a unique multi-national European group, a world-leader in the field of complex weapon systems, playing a key role in keeping nations safe. Created in the spirit of international co-operation, MBDA and its 18,000+ employees work together to support the national sovereignty of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, and their allies worldwide. As an accelerator for innovation, MBDA is the only European group capable of designing and manufacturing complex weapons to meet the full range of current and future operational requirements of the three armed forces (land, sea and air). Airbus (37.5%), BAE Systems (37.5%) and Leonardo (25%) jointly own MBDA.
30 Jul 25. US Navy calls for fast attack surface drones that could carry missiles. The U.S. Navy unveiled its new Modular Attack Surface Craft program, which would likely see unmanned surface vessels carrying missiles long distances at sea. The program calls for the development of a rugged, flexible and high-capacity unmanned surface vessel, or USV, capable of hauling a variety of “containerized payloads,” per a July 28 solicitation. Such payloads would include the maximum equivalent of more than four 40-foot containers — cargo that would roughly equal the size of the Navy’s anti-ballistic missile system, the Mark 70 Mod 1 Payload Delivery System.
“MASC seeks to leverage cutting-edge technologies and modular design principles to create adaptable and resilient solutions that can effectively counter evolving threats,” according to the solicitation.
As shipbuilding efforts have staggered over the years, the Navy has increasingly turned to containerized missile systems to add to the weapons capacity of existing warships, USNI News reported. The new USVs are requested to be “non-exquisite,” and be easily built and repaired, according to Navy documents. The solicitation also asked that they be compatible with the needs of international allies. The new solicitation comes on the heels of numerous attempts by the Navy to field new technology to solve cost, shipbuilding and modernization issues over the last several months. Autonomous vessels have been put forward as a solution to a decades-long struggle within the Navy to obtain new ships. Unmanned vessels featured largely in the Navy’s fiscal 2026 budget, with $203 m requested for surface vessels, $715 m for air systems and $668 m for underwater systems. Robotic vessels were also recently integrated into a major Baltic Sea warfighting exercise. (Source: Defense News)
30 Jul 25. India conducts Pralay missile trials. India’s Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has conducted flight tests of its Pralay quasi-ballistic surface-to-surface missile (SSM) as a part of its user evaluation trials ahead of its planned deployment with the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said two Pralay flight trials were conducted on 28 and 29 July at DRDO’s Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha, on India’s east coast. According to the MoD, the trials were conducted to “validate the maximum and minimum range capability” of the Pralay missile. “The missiles precisely followed the intended trajectory and reached the target point with pin-point accuracy, meeting all the test objectives,” it said. The MoD added that Pralay’s performance in the trials was validated through flight data captured by tracking sensors deployed on a ship positioned near the designated impact point. The Pralay SSM has been developed by the DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat in Hyderabad. State-owned defence firms Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), based in Hyderabad, and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), headquartered in Bangalore, have also contributed to the weapon’s development and production. The MoD described Pralay as a solid-fuel propelled “quasi-ballistic missile” that can be quipped with different types of warheads to neutralise targets. The missile features “state-of-the-art guidance and navigation”, the MoD said but did not elaborate. The Indian government formally approved Project Pralay in March 2015 at a cost of INR3.32 bn (USD38 m). The MoD cleared the acquisition of 120 Pralay missiles for the Indian Armed Forces in January 2023. (Source: Janes)
29 Jul 25. Sahel militants turn civilian drones into deadly weapons. ISS Africa. Terror groups are increasingly using new tactics, notably armed suicide or kamikaze drones, according to a government statement released following several attacks on cities in western Mali on 1 July. The use of commercially available small civilian drones for strikes by terrorist and armed rebel groups is not limited to Mali, and has become prevalent throughout the Central Sahel. Separatist and terror groups in the region likely draw inspiration from the successful use of drones by regular armies in other conflict zones, such as Libya and the Middle East. The weaponisation of civilian drones represents a shift in asymmetric tactics as armed groups circumvent the conventional military superiority of the region’s armed forces. The result is increasingly severe human and structural damage, and fear among soldiers. In Burkina Faso, over a dozen kamikaze drone strikes have been reported since February. In May, the extremist group Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) deployed drones during violent assaults on the towns of Djibo and Diapaga in the north and east of the country. Niger is also affected. On 25 May, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara used kamikaze drones for the first time against an army position in Eknewan near the border with Mali, killing 64 soldiers. Weeks earlier, the Azawad Liberation Front, fighting for independence from the central government in Bamako, used suicide drones to attack a Malian Armed Forces command centre and Wagner headquarters in Léré, southwest of Timbuktu. Since 2022, drones have been used primarily to spy on military and security forces or create propaganda videos. However, over the past two years, their adaptation to enable the dropping of improvised explosive devices on military positions has soared. This shows how the tactics of armed groups adapt and evolve to meet the increase in military equipment and resources deployed by governments in the region. The trend poses heightened risks to defence and security forces, and could exacerbate a conflict that has persisted for over a decade. It also raises concerns about the safety and protection of civilians in combat zones, who bear the brunt of the violence and collateral damage. By using kamikaze drones, armed groups are emulating the tactics of Sahelian armies, which have started using military-grade Turkish Bayraktar Akinci and TB2 drones. This has delivered significant successes for the region’s armies, and yet the militants remain undefeated. In September 2023, the JNIM coalition used drones against positions held by the Dogon self-defence militia Dan Na Ambassagou, in Bandiagara in Mali’s Mopti region. JNIM also uses these drones in Burkina Faso as a tactical response to the trenches dug around towns to impede their access via motorcycles. Azawad rebels have been using homemade weapons since July 2024, notably during the battle of Tinzaouaten in Mali’s Kidal region, where they inflicted heavy losses on the Malian army and Wagner. In September and October 2024, small drones were reportedly used to drop explosive charges on Wagner troops stationed in Goundam and Léré, in the Timbuktu region.
On 5 May a kamikaze drone attack was attempted against the Malian army in Amachache, in the Kidal region, and near the Algerian border. The Azawad rebels and associated terror groups modify civilian drones by equipping them with improvised launching systems, allowing more effective strikes. These drones are readily available in West Africa – sold in local shops for various purposes including agriculture, event management and communication. Due to their small size, they are easily concealed and trafficked in a region with porous borders and limited cross-border cooperation by governments. Given that Sahel states lack the capacity to control and monitor their borders effectively, these groups acquire drones relatively cheaply for modification and deployment against designated targets. Drones enable them to conduct ranged attacks that, while lacking precision, inflict damage and provoke panic among troops. The strengthened capability of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger’s armies may help them stand up to insurgents, but also encourages militants to use armed drones to target camps, checkpoints and military convoys. The Sahelian countries lack adequate means to detect and neutralise the drones, which are small, swift and capable of flying low. This emerging threat warrants serious attention from Sahelian governments. As armed groups increasingly shift away from direct confrontations with military forces, favouring surprise attacks and harassment tactics, defence and security forces must overhaul their strategies. Even though they are costly, anti-drone systems are needed to protect critical infrastructure and civilians. Members of the Alliance of Sahel States (Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger) and Economic Community of West African States agreed on 22 May to cooperate in the fight against terrorism. They should consider measures to regulate the widespread sale and use of civilian commercial drones in the region. They could draw on the provisions of the Wassenaar Arrangement, which governs the export of dual-use goods and technologies, to establish appropriate regulatory frameworks for commercial drones. Beyond military responses, sustainable non-kinetic solutions are needed. These include weakening the armed groups by encouraging defections among their fighters, and tackling the many socio-economic challenges that increase the vulnerability of local populations. Written by Hassane Koné, Senior Researcher, ISS Regional Office for West Africa and the Sahel, and Fahiraman Rodrigue Koné, Project Manager, Sahel, ISS Regional Office for West Africa and the Sahel. (Source: https://www.defenceweb.co.za/)
25 Jul 25. The Army wants to replace the M240B medium machine gun. The Army is on the lookout for a replacement for its M240B machine gun, according to budget documents. The replacement program, dubbed the Future Medium Machine Gun, or FMMG, is aimed to replace the M240B — which has been in service since the late 70s — for dismounted troops. The service has budgeted $3.6 bn to replace the medium machine gun, which is chambered in 7.62 mm.
“The FMMG is a belt-fed, crew-served, direct-fire weapon system that will enable the rifle platoon to organically suppress and destroy enemy personnel targets and maintain operational tempo,” the Army wrote in its budget documents. “The FMMG will provide increased lethality and capability to the warfighter compared to present machine gun technologies fielded to operational units.”
The $3.6bn figure encompasses research, development, acquisition and contract award costs. The weapon is prioritized for soldiers in the close combat force such as infantry, scouts, special operations forces and combat engineers. Documents do not list a caliber for the new weapon. The War Zone first reported on the Army’s request for funding for the FMMG. The Army recently began fielding the 6.8mm Next Generation Squad Weapon rifle and automatic rifle to replace the M4 carbine and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, both chambered in 5.56mm. The 6.8mm has been compared to perform as well or better in accuracy and lethality as the 7.62mm, officials said. Special Operations Forces, the Marines and recently the Army have been evaluating machine guns chambered in .338 Norma Magnum. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Military Times)
25 Jul 25. Lockheed vows quick action on German Typhon missile launcher request. Lockheed Martin has vowed to make haste in building Typhon strike missile launchers for Germany if Berlin and Washington can finalize a sales agreement. The promise of speedy delivery is the centerpiece of the manufacturer’s pitch to Germany. Lockheed’s “hot production” line in Moorestown, New Jersey, could pump out launchers in time for Berlin’s envisioned fielding time a year from now, Edward Dobeck, program director of launching systems, told Defense News in an interview. That is, if the two governments succeed in moving quickly through the foreign military sales process that governs such transactions, Dobeck added. In Germany, the proposed purchase will also have to pass parliamentary consideration after the summer break, which could turn controversial given the weapon’s intended purpose. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced July 16 Germany’s interest in the system as a means to bolster the country’s deterrence posture vis-à-vis Russia. He said Typhon would serve only as a counterstrike capability, threatening punishment if Moscow were to attack first. The Typhon, a containerized, land-based version of the Mk-41 vertical launch system installed on many Western warships, can fire missiles up to 2,000 kilometers, including Tomahawks and SM-6. The U.S. Army commissioned the weapon’s naval-to-land repurposing, and Biden administration officials had planned to field the launcher, named Mid-Range Capability in the ground service’s lingo, to combatant commands across the globe, including Europe. In the Army’s nomenclature, one MRC battery includes four Typhon launchers with four cells each, for a total of 16 missiles to be loaded at once; a command-and-control shelter; a reloader; and a support vehicle. When the U.S. Army embarked on the MRC program in 2020, it was intended to fill an urgent capability gap to hit moving targets at land and at sea, which was left open in the wake of the service’s failed cross-domain upgrade to the Army Tactical Missile System. That effort experienced a variety of technical problems and delays.
The Army fielded the new capability in three years.
According to Dobeck, Lockheed has delivered two batteries to the service and completed production of the third last month. The company is now beginning production for the fourth and final battery currently under contract. German officials consider the potential Typhon buy as a gap-filler for an eventual European program, dubbed ELSA, that would fulfill the continent’s mid- and long-range strike needs. As such, Berlin defense leaders have stressed that the utility for the Bundeswehr, the armed forces here, would be fleeting. The German government’s vision of buying, owning and operating Typhons independently comes as Pistorius has portrayed the acquisition as linked to a German-U.S. pact from a year ago aimed at temporarily stationing mid-range weapons in Germany by 2026 on a bilateral basis. That announcement on the sidelines of the 2024 NATO summit in Washington came at a time when U.S. plans to field mid-range strike capabilities — presumably Typhon — to key worldwide commands anyway were still alive and well. Since Donald Trump took office as president in January, those machinations are no longer set in stone. Results of a Pentagon global force posture review, which could upend capability deployment plans for Europe, are expected in the fall. Dobeck, the Lockheed executive, said the company has been in touch with Germany’s Diehl Defence and Rheinmetall about local partnering on Typhon. European missiles for purposes other than strike, including Diehl’s Iris-T and the Franco-Italian Aster anti-air missiles, could eventually be fired from the U.S. launcher, he said. (Source: Defense News)
26 Jul 25. First members of King’s Gurkha Artillery get hands-on with the L118 Light Gun. Army’s newest regiment gets hands-on with the Light Gun. Fifty years ago, the L118 Light Gun entered service in the British Army – but soon it will be fired by soldiers from the British Army’s newest regiment – the King’s Gurkha Artillery. The first members of the KGA have been drawn from across the various Gurkha units. They are infanteers, signallers, engineers and logisticians – so now they must be transformed into gunners. And that means learning everything from scratch. Sergeant Suryabahadur Gurung has been an infantryman for 19 years. He says he was always excited when he was attached to the Royal Artillery, but he never had the chance to work on the gun line.
Until now.
“In the first week it’s been quite hard and a bit overwhelming,” he told BFBS Forces News. “When you see the big guns, they have a lot of parts and it’s quite overwhelming. But it gets easier.”
The new gunners from the KGA have to take on board a lot of information to operate a weapon like the L118
“We’ve been teaching them almost everything that is relevant to the gun,” said Royal Artillery instructor Bombardier Joe Smith. “So positions on the guns, roles and responsibilities, ammunition natures, how to carry out a fire mission, and how to carry out a direct firing mission, which is slightly lower elevation. Also how to maintain it and then how to use it out in the field.”
The new members of the King’s Gurkha Artillery have been streamed to specific roles. While the strike operators were getting hands on with greasing the guns, across the parade square the new Fire Support Team members were also in training. Their job is to find the target in the first place – and call in the fire.
“One of the most important things is the VP,” explained Sergeant Sam Gasan from the Royal Horse Artillery. “VP means Voice Procedure and it’s simply because we in the artillery, every time we speak on the net to that gun line, every single thing that we say is an order – which means that your VP has to be really on the money. For these soldiers, English is their second language, so there’s another level of difficulty, and we in the artillery are really strict on the way we speak on the net. Anything misinterpreted could end up being the wrong message further down the line – which could be fatal.”
Before moving on to the Archer, the new gunners have to master the 105mm L118 – but they’ve been doing so with enthusiasm The instructors training the Gurkhas say it’s been really enjoyable.
“It’s been fantastic!” said Bombardier Smith. “They’re just sponges for information. They absorb everything you tell them, and they’re always really keen to jump in and get involved and get hands-on.”
In a couple of weeks’ time, the Gurkhas will have their first go at firing the gun for real on exercise in Brecon. In time, they’ll progress on to firing the Archer – the Royal Artillery’s newest gun. (Source: https://www.forces.net/)
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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.
Privately owned with ISO 9001:2015 certified facilities in Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the US, Montreal in Canada and Bristol in the UK, Galvion’s team of 400+ employees work proactively to solve the problems left unsolved by others.
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