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16 Feb 24. Attempts by the British Army to launch its Mobile Fires Platform (MFP) to replace its ageing fleet of AS90 155mm self-propelled guns appears to have stalled at the first hurdle.
Last month the Ministry of Defence’s top procurement body, the Investment Approvals Committee, gave the project pitch to move to an assessment phase, to allow a formal competition to start got the red card. According to a senior Whitehall source, procurement officials were told to go away and re-submit their proposals. In MoD jargon, they got a “show again”, said the source.
The move is a blow to the Royal Artillery, which had great hopes that MPF would open the door to re-capitalising its core self-propelled artillery system, the AS90.
The British Army, basically, has little or no tube artillery beyond the venerable 105mm Light Gun. The recent House of Commons Defence Committee report, “Ready For War?” noted:
“The readiness of the AS-90 self-propelled artillery fleet, which has been reduced by the (necessary) donation of 30 vehicles to Ukraine. The announcement that the UK will purchase 14 Archer artillery systems is not a full recapitalisation.”
This hides the fact that the 30 AS-90s gifted to Ukraine pretty much represents the UK’s operationally useable heavy artillery stock apart from 4-5 (or differing mechanical reliability) in Estonia as part of the Enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup.
The path back to artillery capability? The Mobile Fires Platform (MFP) programme. With an £800m budget, and a requirement for either three 24-gun regiments (88+ after a training unit is brought into account), or two 32-gun regiments (plus training stock) is meant to produce a new, enduring tube artillery capability. Or, rather, “was” – the MFP business case went forward in late-January, and has been returned for further work.
What “went wrong”? Defence Eye hears two similar, linked, but different stories. The similar stories? The MFP bid/business case as presented was for an uncompleted procurement – the idea was that the Army has been around the tube artillery buoy so often, there is nothing – hopefully! – that is not known about every potential bidder, commercial terms included. So why do you need a competition? But this was the basis for rejection of the business case – no international competition.
The difference in tales: one told Defence Eye that the bid was a reluctant one for more BAE Systems Archer 155mm portee weapons to top up the 14 already bought; another said that the Army had put in for the Boxer 8×8-based RCH 155 (Remote Controlled Howitzer 155 mm) uncontested.
If Archer was the business case, it would seem that Andover had worked out that spending up to several hundred million Pounds on Archer, only to “throw them away” as little as 3-4-years time would not be a good optic, so buy more to create serious units.
But Defence Eye has repeatedly been told that the British Army has grown very keen on Boxer RCH – after all, you’re buying over 1,000 Boxer anyway, so why not base your artillery on the same chassis?
Whatever… The problem is that the next time that a business case can likely be re-presented is September – and if there is a November General Election, then the approvals process might well be in purdah by then. But if there is a May election (see elsewhere in this week’s Defence Eye drop), then what are the chances of a new government starting large procurement approvals as soon as September? As one involved with the MFP said to Defence Eye, “I cannot see any business case approvals, if there is a General Election in May, before H2 2025 – only the deterrent, AUKUS, and Tempest will get anything before that.”
Defence Eye approached the MoD for comment, they declined, but a senior defence sourced added some context, saying, “The Outline Business Case, seeking approval to commence an Assessment Phase, has been submitted to the Investment Approvals Committee, Defence Ministerial and HM Treasury for consideration and formal endorsement. The Mobile Fires Platform project team will be able to provide an update on next steps when a decision has been reached. It would be incorrect to say that the Outline Business Case has been rejected at this time.”
(Source: Defence Eye)
BATTLESPACE Comment: Sources told the Editor last week that the Army wanted to lease Archer. Whilst RCH 155 is a Boxer derivative it is not on the current OCCAR list for the UK. Our opinion is that the Army will take the existing Archer units off the Volvo 6×6 chassis as Sweden has done and put them on the RMMV MAN 8×8, which is already in service with the British Army, so it won’t be a new procurement but an upgrade? This leaves the possibility of a split wheels/tracks fleet with Hanwha’s K9. Certainly tracked artillery has been seen to be crucial in the wet, muddy Ukraine battlefield.
14 Feb 24. USMC underwater missile-delivery drone faces key test this month. The U.S. Marine Corps will put a new type of missile-delivery drone to the test in an operational scenario this month, following a year of developmental work, according to a senior service official.
Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, the deputy commandant of the Marine Corps for combat development and integration, told reporters the service had been working on two autonomous, low-profile vessels, which resemble drug runners’ semi-submersible boats seen in Central America. The boats are designed to carry two Naval Strike Missiles to Marine units ashore, stealthily delivering their payload without attracting any attention.
“They’re very, very hard — if not downright impossible — to track,” Heckl told reporters after speaking on a panel at the WEST 2024 conference here hosted by the U.S. Naval Institute an AFCEA International. That is because the boats produce almost no wake while gliding through the water, he explained.
After working with a “mom and pop shop” to design and build the two craft, Heckl said the Marine Corps has demonstrated it can launch and recover them from the Navy’s Expeditionary Fast Transport vessels and the Marines’ Stern Landing Vessels.
This month, the Marines will demonstrate the full evolution of using these boats to resupply Marines ashore with the missiles they need to fire at ships from land.
Heckl said the boats will play a role in the Army-led Project Convergence Capstone 4 event in California, featuring in a “multi-domain mobility corridor” phase of the exercise designed to test equipment for resupply and logistics missions.
Service tests so far have been “very successful,” he added, describing the price tag as so low that the craft can be deemed expendable if lost. If the Marine Corps does decide to pursue buying these in larger numbers, however, Heckl said the service will have to find a bigger contractor for production. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
15 Feb 24. Questions – 155mm Ammunition – Update & Comment.
Update
There has been some positive news on European 155mm ammunition production. Rheinmetall has broken ground on a new ammunition plant at its main site in Unterluess. The total value of the investment is reported to be €300m. It is not clear if the plant will manufacture all of the components for a 155mm projectile or how Rheinmetall will ensure that the supply chain to support a capacity of 200,000 rounds per year will be in place.
As usual the media announcement raise more questions. Is the investment in Germany aligned with the rest of European production? What does it mean for production in other European nations? Will it only produce rounds that are compatible with the Panzer Howitzer (PZH) 2000? Rheinmetall does not have a track record in High Explosive Fill Assemble and Pack (FAP) – when will the plant to reach full capacity?
Of course this is good news. It would be good to see this as part of a European wide plan to increase capacity. Such a plan could be co-ordinated by the EU via the European Defence Agency or via NATO, or both. Perhaps that picture will emerge in the coming months.
Comment
A comment on the previous post – Questions – 155mm Ammunition – from a European procurement official, which was received prior to the Rheinmetall announcement:
Paul your questions and worries are spot-on! Especially on the issue of barrels, I know from experience it takes 14-16 months to produce a new barrel 120/155mm and nobody seems to care. I miss a ‘task force’ within EDA/NATO to come up with actual solutions and real actions. A lot of (political) talk and no (visible) action. (Source: Alterius Rei/Paul Hough)
15 Feb 24. NORINCO in China unveils turreted truck-mounted 155mm howitzer. China’s state-owned land systems manufacturer Norinco has revealed a new type of truck-mounted howitzer. The highly automated system, which is aimed at export markets, mates a 6×6 truck chassis with an unmanned turret containing a 155mm L/52 howitzer.
The weapon was shown alongside existing artillery products in a Norinco promotional video clip circulated to coincide with Lunar New Year celebrations around Feb. 10. The video was highlighting a Chinese artillery marketing event attended by foreign delegations.
The turret on the new artillery piece is identical to that used on the SH16 tracked self-propelled howitzer, a design that first appeared in Norinco’s catalog in 2022. There is no evidence the tracked SH16 exists in prototype form, but there are no such questions about the wheeled SH16 since the video showed it performing live firing.
The new platform sees the same 14-tonne SH16 unmanned turret mounted onto a 6×6 truck chassis. Norinco lists a combat weight of 32 tonnes, or 70,000 pounds. An earth spade at the rear provides stability when firing, and it is operated by just two crewmen in an armored cab.
Dennis Blasko — a former U.S. defense attache in Beijing and Hong Kong and a prominent expert on the PLA — told Defense News the gun appears to be the same as that on the PLC-181 truck-mounted howitzer in widespread PLA service.
Blasko said the PLC-181 is fielded in more than half the artillery brigades assigned to the PLA’s 13 group armies, and in Xinjiang and Tibet. The Military Balance 2023 report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates 600 PLC-181s are in service.
Blasko said this wheeled SH16 is aimed squarely at the export market. “In the past, I’ve seen Norinco show prototypes or models of a family of weapons and hope that foreign buyers would help finance further development of some of the variants,” he said. “That might be the case with this turreted variant.”
China recently completed development of an automated rotary magazine for artillery modular charges. It possesses at least seven magazine tubes, each of which can contain up to six propellant charges. This system, featured on a CCTV news clip, is presumably used on the SH16, but could be destined for the PLA’s next-generation 155mm artillery systems too.
Discussing the trajectory of PLA artillery, Blasko said, “Over the past 15 years, as PLA modernization has hit its stride, artillery has been a major component for organization, equipment and doctrinal development.
“Though there are still some legacy types of artillery in the inventory, the bulk of the force is new, produced since the 2000s,” he added. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
15 Dec 23. Progress seen in EDA project ALOCAS on developing low observable materials for next generation platforms. ALOCAS – The project Advanced Low Observable Coatings And Structures, initiated by the European Defence Agency’s (EDA) Capability and Technology Group “Materials & Structures”, is a joint material research project between Saab (lead) and FOI of Sweden and AkzoNobel and NLR of the Netherlands. The project shows successful research performed in developing innovative low observable materials with the potential to reduce the radar signature of next generation platforms.
Low observable (LO) technology is a fundamental part of future aeronautical and naval weapon systems. In general, LO technology is intended to reduce the detectability of military platforms against a variety of threat sensors. This project focused on material development in the radar microwave- and infrared wavelengths with the goal of enabling the access to, and the survival within, hostile air and sea-space for combat, intelligence and reconnaissance assets to perform the designated missions.
The final meeting which recently took place at Saab Aeronautics in Linköping, Sweden, shows promising progress in the low observable materials regarding design and optimisation methods, absorber concepts, additive manufacturing of honeycomb structure, scattering cancellation meta-surfaces, LO multifunctional coatings, non-destructive testing and maintainability of LO additively manufactured materials. (Source: EDA)
13 Feb 24. Decision time: US Army nears deadline for long-range precision munition acquisition plan. Despite last week’s aviation upheaval, the Army Requirements Oversight Council (AROC) is slated to meet before the end of March to debate the path ahead for a formal program of record.
A key decision on the Army’s future helicopter-launched, long-range precision munition will be made in the coming weeks, the service tells Breaking Defense.
Army leaders have been looking for longer-range weapons to fire off its Apache fleet for several years, and are currently acquiring an interim solution — the Spike Non-Line-Of-Sight missile system (NLOS) produced by Israel’s Rafael and Lockheed Martin. But the service is also conducting a follow-on acquisition program, and hosted a “shoot-off” in 2022 for three vendors — which the Army hasn’t identified — to show off their weapons and help determine future weapon requirements.
Despite last week’s massive aviation shakeup that included the demise of one potential manned helo for such weapons, the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA), a Program Executive Office Aviation spokesperson confirmed to Breaking Defense that Army leaders are still poised to weigh in on that future follow-on program.
By the end of March, the Army Requirements Oversight Council (AROC) is slated to meet on the formal program of record and hash out “acquisition decisions,” they said, while noting that a “variety” of Army aviation platform could be considered options.
If service officials decide to greenlight a program, things could kick off this fiscal year if Congress passes the fiscal 2024 spending bill, which includes some funding for the effort, with procurement planned for FY27. That budget request has been stalled on Capitol Hill for the past four months.
“The [long-range precision munition] LRPM will provide Army aviation with improved and longer range weapons, sub-systems, and munitions that can rapidly respond in a combat environment improving the survivability of the warfighters and weapon systems in an anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) denied environment,” the service wrote in budget documents. “The ability to interoperate and coordinate with other weapon systems and munitions at long ranges and adapt to changing threats is a core concept of the Army Aviation Weapons Sub-Systems and Munitions (AAWSSM) program.”
As the program office and industry wait to see what Army leaders decide to do with a formal program, it’s full steam ahead for the interim solution, the Spike NLOS, with plans to meet the first unit equipped milestone by the end of August.
Back in December, Lockheed announced that over five days, it “successfully” fired eight Spike NLOS rounds from AH-64E Apache V6 at Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona.
“The successful live fire event clears the Spike NLOS Long Range Precision Munitions directed requirement (LRPM DR) system for airworthiness release for the US Apache platform, which paves the way for starting to equip the system onto the US Army’s current Apache V6 platforms,” the company wrote.
Now that live fire airworthiness qualification and developmental testing is nearly complete, the service anticipates receiving Spike equipment over the next few months in order to meet the August first unit equipped fielding date, the Army spokesperson said. Then by the end of December, 18 aircraft should be able to launch Spike NLOS.
“Missile manufacturing is ongoing with missile deliveries to begin in July 2024 and complete in 2025,” they added. “Final missile delivery will constitute achievement of the full operational capability under the Spike NLOS directed requirement as the Army’s interim solution for a Long-Range Precision Munition.”
However, the development for Spike NLOS in this interim period doesn’t appear to be factored into the final decision on a formal program of record. The spokesperson said that “due to the competitive nature of the follow-on program,” interim program information “is not being considered at this time.” (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
14 Feb 24. IperionX expands US titanium production. IperionX’s HAMR titanium furnace has passed factory acceptance tests for the US Department of Defense to produce low-cost titanium for its military platforms.
Aspiring to serve as the US Government’s prime for advanced materials, IperionX announced that it will deliver its furnace used to produce low-cost titanium to a production facility in Virginia in the coming months.
At 45% the weight of low carbon steel, titanium is a lightweight but not super strong element. It is typically blended with other metals to make it stronger.
The installation and commissioning of the company’s ‘HAMR titanium furnace’ is expected during the second quarter of 2024, before producing the first titanium metal in mid-year 2024.
Its large-scale, industrial titanium furnace leverages patented company technologies – such as HAMR1 and HSPT2 – to produce sustainable, high-quality and high-strength titanium metal products at commercial scale.
This advanced manufacturing unit will use angular and spherical titanium
powders to manufacture a wide range of low-cost and high-performance titanium products using powder metallurgy, HSPT forging and additive manufacturing/3D printing.
This capacity expansion came about due to investment from the US Department of Defense (DoD), which allocated $12.7m funds to the company in October 2023. So far, IperionX has received $2.4m as part of the DoD’s DPA Title III grant to fund Phase I ramp-up of the Virginia titanium production facility.
It is hoped that these funds will enable the supplier to increase its titanium powder production to 125 metric tonnes (t) annually. The supplier aims to produce 10,000t of titanium metal powder per year within five years.
Is titanium making a comeback in the defence industry?
Thomas Whitehead, a Defence Analyst at the leading intelligence consultancy GlobalData, pointed out that titanium is an advanced material that is frequently incorporated into a range of military systems.
From as early as 1966, the US Air Force introduced the fastest air-breathing crewed aircraft to have ever existed: the SR-71 Blackbird. Developed by Lockheed Martin, it was the first aircraft to be composed predominantly of titanium, which enabled its target cruising altitude, range, and speed.
Since then, titanium alloys have provided a unique combination of strength, lightness and thermal resilience that is unmatched by materials such as steel or aluminum.
Although titanium alloys haven’t seen use as extensive as in the SR-71, development has focused on optimising alloy compositions for specific applications.
Titanium has also been increasingly popular in the naval sector, with interest originally being driven by its popularity in commercial ships. This is primarily because salt water has almost no effect on the material.
The property is a considerable advantage when compared to the majority of other metals, as it avoids corrosion, lowering the need for regular maintenance because of the negative effects of saltwater.
The lack of corrosion from sea water has meant that titanium has become increasingly popular in the exterior of many submarines and other naval vessels, with the material being used in the likes of exhaust stack liners, submarine ball valves, fire pumps and heat exchangers, as well as the majority of a submarine’s piping and cooling systems.
Likewise, titanium alloys are high strength and low density, making them an ideal material for ballistic protection.
The Affordable Titanium to Useable Defence Equipment (ATiTUDE) programme is a £3.5m ($4.39m) Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) funded project, led by Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL).
(Source: naval-technology.com)
13 Feb 24. India takes next step toward new 155mm towed howitzers.
The Indian Army has launched a tender for 155mm towed howitzers, with suppliers able to register to compete for a contract by March 8.
The move follows an acceptance of necessity, approved by the Defence Acquisition Council on Nov. 30, for the towed gun systems.
The Defence Ministry last year stated the weapon would “become a mainstay of artillery forces of the Indian Army.”
According to the tender document, the Army plans to buy 52-caliber, 155mm artillery weapons under the Buy Indian-IDDM acquisition category. That process requires the participation of an Indian vendor that indigenously designed, developed and manufactured its product with at least half of its content, in terms of cost, domestically sourced.
The towed gun systems are to be no heavier than 15 tons, and they must be able to fire existing 155mm rounds to a distance of 40-plus kilometers (25-plus miles). Its minimum service life must be 20 years, including a minimum barrel life of 1,500 equivalent full charges.
The Army’s quest to field several thousand new artillery systems under its 1999 Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan has taken a long time to gain momentum. But retired Lt. Gen. J.P Singh, a former deputy chief of the Army Staff for planning and systems, and an adviser for the government’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, told Defense News the modernization program is “picking up speed.”
Local media reports estimate the Army could buy approximately 1,200 towed gun systems, but that an initial order would likely involve 400 howitzers worth about 65bn rupee (U.S. $783m).
Potential competitors
Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd., a subsidiary of private business Bharat Forge Ltd., could offer the 13-ton Bharat-52 as well as the 8-ton Mountain Artillery Gun-Extended Range weapon. The latter is considered an ultralight howitzer that can provide maneuverability in mountainous areas.
State-owned Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Ltd. could pitch its 14-ton Dhanush howitzer. The organization modified the 45-caliber system to meet 52-caliber specifications with a 42-kilometer range.
It’s also possible industrial conglomerate Tata could strip down the 18-ton Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System to create a lighter variant for the competition. Incidentally, Tata and Kalyani are each competing for a contract award to provide the military with 307 ATAGS weapons.
Foreign collaboration is permitted under the Buy Indian-IDDM category, which could open the door for partners Adani Defence and Aerospace and Israeli firm Elbit Systems to offer the Autonomous Towed Howitzer Ordnance System, or ATHOS.
Singh said there had been “a positive response from numerous companies” in recent competitions for light towed guns and truck-mounted howitzers. As for India’s ability to produce artillery at home, he said industry gained experience “during the successful design and development of the state-of-the-art ATAGS.”
“The manufacturing skills are very much prevalent in the public and private sectors. Metallurgy requirements for indigenous manufacturing are available, [though] software requirements for subsystems are not available indigenously,” he added.
India is also looking for vehicles to tow the artillery system, with local manufacturer Ashok Leyland likely to supply them. (Source: Defense News)
13 Feb 24. Otokar’s Tulpar modular AFV fitted with HITFACT MkII 120 mm turret. Turkish company Otokar displayed the Tulpar armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) fitted with Leonardo’s Highly Integrated Technology, Fire Against Combat Tank (HITFACT) MkII 120 mm smoothbore gun turret at the World Defense Show (WDS) 2024 held in Riyadh from 4 to 8 February. Otokar’s Tulpar is a family of medium-weight tracked AFVs designed to provide a user with a single common platform that can perform multiple roles. The HITFACT MkII turret is armed with an Oto Melara-developed 120 mm/45 calibre high-pressure autofrettaged low-recoil smoothbore gun that is fitted with a thermal sleeve, fume extractor, pepper pot muzzle brake, and muzzle reference system (MRS). The MRS allows the gunner to boresight the 120 mm smoothbore gun from within the turret to take into account changing ambient temperatures that can take place over a 24-hour period. (Source: Janes)
13 Feb 24. Naval Group modernises French frigates for anti-submarine combat. Upgrades to the La Fayette frigates, enhance their anti-submarine capabilities. Naval Group announces the successful completion of a modernisation programme for the La Fayette frigates, marking a step towards enhancing France’s naval combat readiness.
Naval Group, a global player in naval defence, has announced the conclusion of a modernisation initiative aimed at bolstering the combat capabilities of the La Fayette frigates. The project, commissioned by the French General Armament Directorate (DGA) in 2017, saw the refurbishment of the three frigates – Courbet, La Fayette, and Aconit – to equip them with anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
The French Navy has five of the La Fayette-class frigates in their fleet. All were acquired between 1992 and 1992 from Naval Group, as per GlobalData’s “France Defense Market 2023-2038” report.
The recent completion of the modernisation of the third and final frigate, the Aconit, marks the culmination of six months of work followed by dockside and sea trials. The upgraded vessels now have anti-submarine warfare capabilities, ensuring their readiness to carry out missions for the next five years.
Central to the modernisation effort was overhauling the frigates’ combat systems, with Naval Group replacing the original system with the SENIT system. Additionally, optronic surveillance capabilities were renewed, structural strength and stability were enhanced, and the Crotale anti-air defence system was replaced with two Sadral systems armed with the latest-generation Mistral, very short-range ground-to-air missiles. Incorporating a hull sonar has fortified the frigates’ anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
The successful sea trials following the modernisation attest to the ships’ manoeuvrability, acoustic discretion, and adherence to maximum speed targets. Furthermore, integrating the sonar and the new combat steering system has improved performance, reinforcing the frigates’ combat readiness.
Naval Group’s execution of this modernisation project shows the company’s commitment to supporting navies in France and worldwide throughout the life cycle of their fleets.
With 4.3% of the European naval vessels and surface combatants market, Naval Group is projected to be the second largest player in the region, according to GlobalData’s “The Global Naval Vessels and Surface Combatants Market 2023-2033” report.
The company is expected to garner business of $6bn over the forecast period owing to its contracts for the Belharra-class frigate procured by the Hellenic Navy and the Defense and Intervention Frigate (FDI), which the French Navy is procuring.
Naval Group continues to manage programmes and maintain more than 20 in-service support programmes. Naval Group reaffirms its position as a global player in naval defence through strategic partnerships.
(Source: naval-technology.com)
12 Feb 24. US Army fielding new helmet that protects against small arms fire. Paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne Division received the Army’s newest helmet today, the first combat helmet capable of withstanding small arms fire without added protection.
The Next Generation Integrated Head Protection System is a 3.27 pound helmet — in its large size — that may look identical to its predecessor, the Integrated Head Protection System, but offers another level of protection, officials told Army Times.
Starting today, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams at the division will receive the new helmet.
The previous version of the IHPS was 5% lighter than the more widely fielded Advanced Combat Helmet, which is still in use across the Army. The older IHPS, which Program Executive Office-Soldier began fielding in 2018 to replace both the Advanced Combat Helmet and the Enhanced Combat Helmet for close combat units, provided better blunt force protection at a lighter weight than the older models.
The Army fielded an estimated 119,000 IHPS models across the force between 2018 and 2022, said Lt. Col. Kenneth Elgort, program manager for soldier protective systems.
But its ballistic protection was still limited to pistol rounds and fragmentation. Soldiers could attach an applique, meanwhile, for small arms protection, but that accessory, which added 2.5 pounds to the system, proved too cumbersome and was rarely used, officials said.
Advances in polymers allowed designers to develop the next generation version of the helmet at the same weight but with greater protection, Alex De Groot, lead engineer for head protection at PEO Soldier, told Army Times.
Older helmets are made from materials called aramids, commonly known by the commercial name Kevlar, De Groot added. That hard, brittle material protects by disintegrating on impact. But polyethylene, the newer material being used, “acts like a catcher’s mitt,” De Groot said. The material deforms on impact, dissipating energy.
The service expects to field 190,000 next generation IHPS by 2028, Elgort said. The new helmet comes in small, medium, large and extra large sizes.
The next generation version is being built by Gentex Corporation and Avon Protection Ceradyne, officials said. Developers are still working on improving the new helmet even as it fields.
Soldier feedback during testing noted stiff front pads inside the helmet, Elgort said. In response, designers have come up with four new pad options that soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division will test and provide feedback on this spring. The office expects to begin fielding the best pad option in early 2025.
At the same time, PEO Soldier recently stood up a team to integrate a combination of communications and hearing protection system into the new helmet, Elgort said. That effort is expected to run through research, development, testing and engineering over the next two years.
The non-close combat force, which makes up the majority of the service, will continue to use the ACH, which is also being upgraded. Soldiers this year will test a 15% lighter version of the ACH. The first generation ACH weighed 3.31 pounds, while the version being tested weighs 2.81 pounds.
The Army’s current fielding plan for the next generation IHPS, according to the Program Executive Office-Soldier, is:
- February: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams, 82nd Airborne Division, followed by 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade, Fort Liberty, North Carolina.
- Third Quarter Fiscal 2024: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Brigade Combat Teams, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
- Late summer: 3rd Security Force Assistance Brigade, Fort Cavazos, Texas, followed by 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York.
- Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2024: 4th Security Force Assistance Brigade, Fort Carson, Colorado; 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
- Fiscal 2025: 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vicenza, Italy; 2nd Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; 1st Brigade, 11th Airborne Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. (Source: Army Times)
12 Feb 24. Shoring up national security preparedness: Rheinmetall to build new ammunition plant – German Chancellor and Prime Minister of Denmark take part in ground-breaking ceremony. Rheinmetall is taking an important strategic step to bolster Germany’s national security preparedness. The Düsseldorf-based tech enterprise is building a new factory at its Unterlüß site in the Lüneburg Heath in Lower Saxony, further enhancing the country’s self-reliance in ammunition production. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, and German defence minister Boris Pistorius joined Rheinmetall AG executive board chairman Armin Papperger for the official ground-breaking ceremony of “Werk Niedersachsen”, the Group’s new ammunition factory. Numerous other prominent personalities from the world of politics, administration, the armed forces and industry were present as well.
In future, Werk Niedersachsen will produce artillery ammunition, explosives and rocket artillery components. The factory will eventually manufacture some 200,000 artillery shells a year, along with up to 1,900 tonnes of RDX explosive and, optionally, other components for producing ammunition charges. In addition, production of rocket engines and possibly warheads could take place here, which will be necessary for the planned German rocket artillery project, for example.
“To secure Germany’s strategic sovereignty in the large-calibre ammunition domain, we’re creating a national production facility that sets new standards and will primarily meet the needs of the German Bundeswehr”, declares Armin Papperger, going on to note that “with Werk Niedersachsen, we’re establishing another European centre for producing artillery ammunition and other effectors at our historic Unterlüß site. The move reflects our sense of responsibility and resolve to contribute materially to the ability of our country and our NATO partners to defend itself.”
This company-financed project represents investment volume in the €300 m range. Rheinmetall is therefore shouldering the entire cost of constructing the factory, with no government involvement. The factory will also mean around 500 new jobs in Unterlüß.
Rheinmetall’s new factory will make it possible to meet the Bundeswehr’s own needs through domestic production and – especially in a crisis – to assure unrestricted transfers to partner nations. Previous dependency on export permits issued by other countries will thus be eliminated, giving Germany full sovereignty in this national security-relevant domain. In the process, Rheinmetall will create a complete value-added chain for artillery ammunition in Unterlüß, enabling it to offer the ‘full shot’ from a single source, including the shell, fuse, explosive charge and propelling charge.
Werk Niedersachsen will operate largely autonomously, with all the work steps necessary for producing artillery shells carried out on location. In building this plant, Rheinmetall is pursuing a modular, scalable concept for assuring a secure supply of ammunition, one with the potential for additional growth.
The top priority for the new factory is the earliest possible start of production. Following a construction period of around twelve months – proceeding from the date of the contract – annual capacity will be 50,000 shells a year. Germany’s initial share of value added will come to 50 percent, gradually increasing in the second year of production to 80 percent and to 100 percent in the third. By this point, Germany will have a fully autarkic supply of artillery ammunition, with value added generated entirely at home.
In terms of volume, annual capacity will reach 100,000 shells in the second year of production, later rising to 200,000 a year.
Background:
Artillery is a vital capability of land warfare. The war in Ukraine shows how immense the need for ammunition is. The Bundeswehr’s depots are empty; replenishing its stocks will cost an estimated €40 bn. Enormous consumption of ammunition in Ukraine is exacerbating current shortages. The western world’s available production capacity is not structured to meet demand on this scale. Like other countries, Germany therefore plans to procure large amounts of ammunition over an extended period.
Rheinmetall is a leading defence contractor and one of the world’s largest producers of ammunition. In recent months, the Group has already been investing substantially in its production network. By 2025, Rheinmetall aims to produce up to 700,000 rounds of artillery ammunition at its plants in Germany, Spain, South Africa, Australia and Hungary, as well as 10,000 tonnes of powder.
About Unterlüß:
Unterlüß is one of Rheinmetall’s most important locations. This year it celebrates its 125th anniversary. Today the plant employs roughly 2,500 people, primarily engaged in the development, assembly and servicing of tracked vehicles as well as the production of main armament and ammunition for the armed forces of Germany and other nations. Unterlüß is also home to Rheinmetall’s high-energy laser effector activities. Moreover, the site hosts Europe’s largest private sector proving ground and firing range for acceptance testing of weapons and ammunition.
08 Feb 24. Serial production of missiles launched for Turkish Land Forces. Turkey’s Ministry of National Defence announced on its website on 3 February that it, the Defence Industry Agency (SSB), and Turkish missile house Roketsan signed contracts earlier the same day for the serial production of Tayfun, Sungur, Karaok, and Artillery Rocket Laser Guided-230 (TRLG-230) missiles for the Turkish Land Forces. In a speech at the signing ceremony, Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler said the systems “will meet the needs of our land forces and further increase the operational possibilities and capabilities of our army”.
He went on to say, “Many defence industry products, which were only a dream years ago, are now designed, produced, and developed with our own means. In addition, these local and national products can be exported to many brother and friendly countries and meet their needs. In this way, serious gains are provided to our country’s economy.” (Source: Janes)
12 Feb 24. Aerojet Rocketdyne Target Enables Successful US Missile Defense Test. Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies [NYSE:LHX] company, provided the Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) target used in the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) successful test aimed at strengthening U.S. missile defense technologies.
The test, designated as FTX-23, used two Aegis ships and the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex to perform target scene data collection of an MRBM with countermeasures. The test also included the firing of a Standard Missile-3 Block IIA (SM-3 Blk IIA) against the same medium range ballistic missile target, to verify additional functionality of the SM-3 Blk IIA.
“By providing a high-fidelity target our team helped ensure the MDA’s test program provided a realistic threat environment,” said Ross Niebergall, President, Aerojet Rocketdyne. “The MRBM target and C-17 cargo aircraft launch system enable streamlined operations in remote locations worldwide, essential to highly-effective, missile defense system testing.”
MRBM Type 1 and Type 2 targets are designed, manufactured and launched by Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Coleman site. In addition to the actual target vehicle, Aerojet Rocketdyne provides integrated logistics support, including inventory storage and maintenance, pre- and post-mission analysis, launch preparation, launch execution and engineering services.
The successful mission marks Aerojet Rocketdyne’s 38th launch in support of the U.S. missile defense program. (Source: ASD Network)
09 Feb 24. Type 31 frigates could get Mk 41 during future capability insertion periods. Manufacturer Babcock was adamant that it is important that nothing should “disrupt” the timeline of the Type 31 deliveries to the Royal Navy. The integration the Mk 41 vertical launch systems (VLS) into the UK’s upcoming Type 31 frigates could come in the form of capability insertion periods carried out after the vessel has been delivered to the Royal Navy, rather than during the build process.
The decision in May 2023 that the UK’s Type 31 frigates, originally envisaged as light patrol platforms, were to be fitted with the Lockheed Martin Mk 41 VLS system offered the prospect of a significant capability increase through a wider range of anti-ship and anti-air missiles.
At the time of the announcement by UK First Sea Lord Admiral Ben Key, construction was already well underway on the first-in-class HMS Venturer, with the overall design finalised.
Speaking with Naval Technology at the time, a Royal Navy spokesperson said that the service had initiated an assessment phase with the US Navy and industry to “explore options and costs associated” with fitting the Mk 41 into the Type 31 frigates.
However, during a media briefing with Babcock at the company’s Royal Navy Dockyard in HMNB Devonport on 8 February, 2024, officials told Naval Technology that it was imperative the vessels were delivered on time to the Royal Navy.
The integration of the Mk 41 VLS into the Type 31 frigates could be done during “capability insertion periods” after the vessels had been delivered, officials said, adding that it was key that any decision should not “disrupt the delivery”.
Potentially, earlier vessels could be completed as originally designed, with future ships in class incorporating the Mk 41 VLS during the construction phase. The earlier designed vessels would then have the Mk 41 fitted at a later date during a capability upgrade phase undertaken around halfway through the initial service life, usually around 10-12 years.
This could create a two-variant class of Type 31 frigate, with older models initially delivered on a ‘fitted for but not with’ the Mk 41. This is relatively common among naval warship programmes, with variants created to fulfill specific roles, such as anti-ship warfare, as required.
Timeline for the Type 31 frigates
According to the UK’s shipbuilding programme, five Type 31 Inspiration-class general-purpose frigates will be introduced into Royal Navy service from 2027, with Babcock apparently tasked to complete the handover of the fifth and final vessel the following year. Following each handover, the Royal Navy will begin a test and trials programme to ensure the vessel is ready for service, with HMS Venturer’s own due to be around four years long.
Delivering its H1 2023 results report in November last year, Babcock outlined the progress being made on the Type 31 frigate programme, stating at the time the first-in-class HMS Venturer was “progressing through construction” with the ship’s superstructure “taking shape”.
In addition, the main engines, gear boxes, and diesel generators had been installed with supporting systems being fitted around them. The next major milestone of HMS Venturer will be float-off, expected in the first half of 2024.
Manufacture of the second ship in class, HMS Active, has seen the first double bottom block completed in the build cradle, following the keel laying earlier in 2023.
Light frigate goes full (surface) spectrum
Originally designed as a light patrol frigate, the Type 31 was envisaged to feature minimal surface-to-surface attack options, primarily based around the single Mk110 57mm main gun from BAE Systems and two Mk4 40mm secondary weapon systems from Saab Bofors. Anti-air capability was to be provided by the SeaCeptor ‘mushroom farm’, amidships.
The deliberately light kinetic surface attack options, and reuse of existing equipment ported over from the outgoing Type 23 frigates, was determined as the best way to keep the costs down and ensure each of the five frigates was able to be delivered at a cost of £250m (around $315m) per hull.
However, in November 2022 it was announced that the UK would acquire 11 ship sets of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) from Kongsberg, offering a canister-launched anti-ship missile that would be equipped to the in-service Type 23 and Type 45 vessels. The NSM will effectively replace the outgoing and obsolete Harpoon Block 1C.
In reality, little in the way of equipment will come over from the Type 23 frigates, with the Type 31s having a different combat management system, main and secondary guns, radar, and, potentially, missile systems, depending on the outcome of the Mk 41 assessment phase.
(Source: naval-technology.com)
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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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