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21 Mar 24. MBDA Enforcer missile production proposed for funding by the European Commission. MBDA continues to ramp-up its production. The production ramp-up for ENFORCER missiles – ENFORCER Production Increase Campaign (EPIC) – has been proposed for funding within the European Commission’s ASAP programme.
The EPIC project aims to increase ENFORCER production significantly and thus will contribute to the further enlargement of the series production of ENFORCER missiles at MBDA in Schrobenhausen/Germany and at MBDA partner companies in Europe.
Eric Béranger, CEO of MBDA, declared: “The ASAP EPIC project is a great opportunity to ramp up the ENFORCER missile production, while making it more resilient and faster. Series production of the ENFORCER is now well under way and the first deliveries to the German Armed Forces will follow this year. Also an export contract has been concluded. We are increasing the production of ENFORCER missiles to meet customer demand for the years to come.”
MBDA, as the European market leader for missile systems, is investing heavily in its production capacities all over Europe. ASAP EPIC makes a decisive contribution here and contributes significantly to European resilience and the sovereignty of our customers, their armed forces and their allies.
The portable, shoulder-launched, lightweight, high-precision ENFORCER is a fire-and-forget missile system with an operational range up to 2,000m. Due to its low weight, day and night passive operation and enclosed space firing capability, ENFORCER provides a significant capability enhancement in mobile ground operations. With its unique features the ENFORCER provides precision effects capabilities against the threat from lightly armoured static and moving targets, targets behind cover, and against targets at long range also in urban environments. The modular design of the ENFORCER system enables a range of future development options, including a ‘family’ of Enforcer munitions for land, air and sea applications.
21 Mar 24. Advanced future military laser achieves UK first. A military laser which could boost the UK Armed Forces with greater accuracy while reducing the reliance on high-cost ammunition has reached its next milestone.
During a trial at the MOD’s Hebrides Range, the DragonFire laser directed energy weapon (LDEW) system achieved the UK’s first high-power firing of a laser weapon against aerial targets. The range of DragonFire is classified, but it is a line-of-sight weapon and can engage with any visible target.
- First high-power firing of a laser weapon against aerial targets
- Laser boasts pinpoint accuracy and low long-term costs
- Partnership with industry making positive progress for UK Armed Forces
DragonFire exploits UK technology to be able to deliver a high power laser over long ranges. The precision required is equivalent to hitting a £1 coin from a kilometre away.
Laser-directed energy weapons can engage targets at the speed of light, and use an intense beam of light to cut through the target, leading to structural failure or more impactful results if the warhead is targeted.
Firing it for 10 seconds is the cost equivalent of using a regular heater for just an hour. Therefore, it has the potential to be a long-term low-cost alternative to certain tasks missiles currently carry out. The cost of operating the laser is typically less than £10 per shot.
DragonFire is led by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), on behalf of the UK MOD, working with its industry partners MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ.
This milestone demonstrated the ability to engage aerial targets at relevant ranges and is a major step in bringing this technology into service. Both the Army and Royal Navy are considering using this technology as part of their future Air Defence capabilities.
Defence Secretary, Grant Shapp said:
This type of cutting-edge weaponry has the potential to revolutionise the battlespace by reducing the reliance on expensive ammunition, while also lowering the risk of collateral damage.
Investments with industry partners in advanced technologies like DragonFire are crucial in a highly contested world, helping us maintain the battle-winning edge and keep the nation safe.
The latest milestone builds on a series of highly successful trials, including the first static high-power laser firing of a sovereign UK capability and demonstration of the DragonFire system’s ability to track moving air and sea targets with very high accuracy at range.
Building on this research, the MOD recently announced its intention to fund a multi-m-pound programme to transition the technology from the research environment to the battlefield.
The latest trial was sponsored by the MOD’s Defence Science and Technology (DST) organisation and Strategic Programmes and enabled by many other agencies across government, ensuring all regulatory and safety approval requirements were satisfied.
Dstl’s Chief Executive, Dr Paul Hollinshead said:
These trials have seen us take a huge step forward in realising the potential opportunities and understanding the threats posed by directed energy weapons.
With our decades of knowledge, skills, and operational experience, Dstl’s expertise is critical to helping the armed forces prepare for the future.
The DragonFire weapon system is the result of a £100 m joint investment by the Ministry of Defence and industry. Together, the companies involved are supporting highly-skilled UK jobs in new cutting-edge technologies that are delivering a significant step-change in the UK’s capability in LDEW systems.
In 2017 the MOD’s Chief Scientific Advisor’s Research Programme awarded a £30 m contract to the DragonFire consortium to demonstrate the potential of LDEWs.
Dr Nick Joad, DST said: “This is a really innovative application of science and engineering and is the fruit of sustained investment and effort. DragonFire uses cutting-edge science and technology and delivers much greater performance than other systems of a similar class. DragonFire provides a step-change in our ability to deal with high-performance and low-cost threats.”
UK defence is continuing to invest in these game-changing technologies and is advancing the plans which will ultimately bring them into service.
Shimon Fhima, Director Strategic Programmes for the MOD said: “The DragonFire trials at the Hebrides demonstrated that our world-leading technology can track and engage high-end effects at range. In a world of evolving threats we know that our focus must be on getting capability to the warfighter and we will look to accelerate this next phase of activity.”
LDEW research and technology is delivered in partnership and is a cost-effective way of meeting the needs of the MOD while maintaining UK industry’s technology and skills base.
UK defence is continuing to invest in these game-changing technologies and is advancing the plans which will ultimately bring them into service. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
20 Mar 24. QinetiQ reports first successful flights of new design Rattler Supersonic Target. QinetiQ, in partnership with the United States Department of Defense and White Sands Missile Range High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (HELSTF), announces the successful flights of the first two Rattler Supersonic Target MkIs.
As part of the High Energy Laser Measurement (HELM) Rattler program and a QinetiQ funded Research and Development project, the flights provided the first data for this design variant of the uncrewed target. It also presented opportunities for the HELSTF Tracking Illuminating Laser System to acquire, track and queue from a supersonic target at a short slant range, aiding the program’s Rattler variant development.
Graham Ollis, Managing Director, Threat Representation, QinetiQ, said, “This flight represents an important milestone in the Rattler transition to service project, and demonstrates our supersonic target capability in action for our U.S. customer, as part of the HELM Rattler program, to meet the requirement for evolving threats.”
Owen Price, Project Manager Target Systems, QinetiQ, said, “I am proud of the significant progress we’ve made with our development partners and customer in fielding this flight trial. We have been able to showcase QinetiQ’s technical and operational expertise and teamwork, launching the new Rattler ST MkI product and as part of developing the HELM Rattler test and evaluation target system for the war fighter, as requirements for more realistic, instrumented threat representation become ever more important.”
Emulating a variety of advanced missile threats, Rattler ST is a cost-effective supersonic target platform designed for threat replication, operational training and system evaluation. QinetiQ is customising the platform to support the U.S. Department of Defense’s HELM Rattler Program, integrating a third-party target board to measure high-energy laser characteristics in flight, at supersonic speeds. The $10 m (USD) program started in February 2022 and is due to conclude in mid-2024.
QinetiQ’s portfolio of targets are built in line with customers’ requirements to meet the current and evolving threats that they are needing to defend and train against, delivering realistic Threat Representation. (Source: PR Newswire)
20 Mar 24. On Feb. 27, 2024, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), in cooperation with the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), conducted a series of tests on GA-ASI’s Sonobuoy Dispensing System (SDS) using the MQ-9B SeaGuardian® Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) on the U.S. Navy’s W-291 test range in southern California.
GA-ASI’s SeaGuardian flew the full test flight event configured with the SDS pod and SeaVue multi-role radar from Raytheon, an RTX business. During the test, the SDS pod dropped eight AN/SSQ-53 and two AN/SSQ-62 sonobuoys. Upon dispensing, the sonobuoys were successfully monitored by the SeaGuardian’s onboard Sonobuoy Monitoring and Control System (SMCS).
“This was a very successful demonstration of our SDS capability,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “The demonstration helped us prove out the SDS, which is an important component for our Anti-Submarine Warfare capability.”
The SeaGuardian was flown under a NAVAIR Interim Flight Clearance. The SDS pod is fitted with an advanced pneumatic ejection system developed, designed, and manufactured by AEREA in Italy. AEREA also supplies the internal structure assembly.
MQ-9B SeaGuardian is a medium-altitude, long-endurance RPA system. Its multi-domain capabilities allow it to flex from mission to mission. SeaGuardian has been used by the U.S. in several recent demonstrations, including Northern Edge, Integrated Battle Problem and Group Sail. The aircraft is currently being operated by the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
20 Mar 24. Netherlands’ VOSS soldier system has ‘limitations.’ The Netherlands Armed Forces’ Improved Operational Soldier Systems (Verbeterd Operationeel Soldaat Systeem: VOSS) being delivered by Elbit Systems and Thales has ‘limitations’, Janes has learnt. Primarily, the limitations are with electronic devices such as the radios, because the requirements have changed since they were drafted in 2008, Colonel Art van Beekhuizen, the Defence Materiel Organisation project manager for the Soldier Modernisation Programme at the Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) conveyed to Janes on 20 March. The VOSS system, otherwise called the Smart Vest, comprises the Load Carriage and Protection (LCP) equipment, backpack, and E-Lynx PNR-1000 radio. For officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs), the system also includes the Raptor end-user device (EUD). (Source: Janes)
19 Mar 24. USAF says it conducted successful hypersonic weapon test. The U.S. Air Force said on Tuesday it had conducted a successful test of an air-launched hypersonic weapon in the Pacific Ocean.
The test was conducted on Sunday after a B-52 bomber left the island of Guam carrying an Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), the Air Force said in a statement.
Though the U.S. Air Force called the test a success, it did not disclose the speed the weapon flew. In past tests the ARRW has flown at least five times the speed of sound.
The United States is not alone in developing hypersonic weapons, whose speed and maneuverability make them difficult to track and intercept.
Russia has fired hypersonic missiles at targets in Ukraine and China has tested hypersonic weapons, U.S. military officials have said. China’s foreign ministry denied in October that it had conducted a weapons test.
(Source: Reuters)
19 Mar 24. Germany to order new JASSM-ER cruise missiles from US, says Bild. The German government has started the ordering process for 75 new JASSM-ER cruise missiles from the United States, German daily Bild reported on Tuesday.
Without citing its sources, Bild said the purchase could replace existing Taurus missiles in the long term and comes after the German government in 2022 expressed an interest to the US government in purchasing F-35 jets and missiles associated with it.
The purchase price for the entire package is more than 8bn euros ($8.67bn), according to Bild.
Several air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles were ordered along with the F-35s, but the process for the JASSM missiles was delayed, reported Bild.
An official purchase contract is now expected this autumn, it said.
A German defence ministry spokesperson said that the procurement of an extensive mix of weapons, including an air-to-ground component, is planned as part of acquiring the F-35A.
“The relevant contracts have not yet been concluded in full, and it is not possible to anticipate any open decisions,” said the spokesperson.
($1 = 0.9223 euros) (Source: Reuters)
18 Mar 24. Kongsberg Investing in Increased Missile Production Capacity.
- Financial support from the Norwegian authorities and EU’s ASAP program contributes to Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KONGSBERG) investing in more than NOK 640 m to increase their missile production capacity.
The security policy situation in Europe has increased the need to ensure the availability and supply of ammunition and missiles. Last year, the European commission launched the ASAP program (Act in Support of Ammunition Production) to support the industry’s capability to increase the production capacity for ammunition and missiles.
During the last years, KONGSBERG has implemented several measures to increase the production capacity, such as the investment of a new missile factory in the city of Kongsberg, opening this summer. Now the capacity increases further – with the support from EU and Norway.
KONGSBERG’s investment includes equipment and machines to increase the capacity in the new missile factory, as well as a new facility to increase the production capacity for sensor components. In addition, there will be investments in the supply chain in order to ensure future supplies
KONGSBERG plans to invest a total of NOK 640m, of which the Norwegian authorities contributes with NOK 200m and EU contributes with EUR 10m.
“The support from the Norwegian and European authorities contributes to our ability to implement concrete measures to further strengthen KONGSBERG’s missile production capacity, reduce lead times and enhance the supply chain,” says Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is currently used by 14 nations, of which 11 are from NATO or the EU. These new investments will strengthen the already close collaboration on the NSM production across the European borders, by further developing an even more resilient missile ecosystem, to ensure supply and preparedness. (Source: ASD Network)
18 Mar 24. Norway Commits to Investment Aimed at Reducing NASAMS Delivery Times.
- The Norwegian government has today announced plans to order critical parts for the production of NASAMS air defence systems, aimed at improving the delivery times for launcher units upon the signing of new contracts.
The government has proposed an allocation of approximately NOK 941 m to Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KONGSBERG), as part of a new investment proposition for the Norwegian Armed Forces, which is being submitted to the Norwegian Parliament for political consideration.
“We must enhance Norway’s air defence capabilities to more effectively protect both civilian and military objectives from air attacks. The present security climate necessitates the expedited procurement of advanced air defence systems. The conflict in Ukraine has underscored the vital importance of air defence in wartime,” stated Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in a government press release.
“KONGSBERG has already committed nearly three bn NOK to increase our own production capabilities in air defence and missile systems. We welcome the Government’s initiative to introduce new investment plans,” stated Geir Håøy, CEO of KONGSBERG.
NASAMS is currently used in 13 countries and is provided by KONGSBERG in collaboration with American Raytheon.
“We’ve seen an increase in delivery times. To address this, we aim to order critical parts now to speed up future procurements of NASAMS. Extended delivery periods are a widespread issue in the defence industry, and this initiative is expected to decrease production times,” stated Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram.
“This government initiative will allow us to expedite NASAMS deliveries once new contracts are finalized. It offers us the chance to secure critical components with lengthy delivery schedules sooner than was previously possible,” remarked Eirik Lie, CEO of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. (Source: ASD Network)
18 Mar 24. USAF awards $3.8bn upgrade of strategic missile and aircraft test site. Located in eight states, the AEDC is one of three wing-level organisations within US Air Force Test Center (AFTC), which is one of six centres within the Air Force Materiel Command.
The US Air Force (USAF) will upgrade the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC), headquartered at Arnold Air Force Base, and home of some of the US military’s most advanced missile and aircraft test sites, in a $3.8bn programme of work due to last for more than a decade.
According to the USAF the AEDC missile and aircraft test site operates more than 68 aerodynamic and propulsion wind tunnels, rocket and turbine engine test cells, environmental chambers, arc heaters, ballistic ranges, sled tracks, centrifuges, and other specialised units, intended to test and simulate speed, temperature, pressure and other parameters of development aircraft.
Facilities can simulate flight conditions from sea level to 300 miles – effectively the lower stages of low Earth orbit – and from subsonic velocities to Mach 20.
The AEDC is described by the USAF as “an important national resource”, having contributed to the development of “practically every one of the nation’s top priority aerospace programmes”, including the Atlas, Titan, Minuteman, and Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missiles, the Polaris, Poseidon and Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles, plus the Tomahawk cruise missile, among others.
The site has also contributed to the development of the crewed military aircraft, such as the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, the F-22A Raptor air dominance fighter, as well as the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.
In a 15 March contract notice, the US Department of Defense (DoD) stated that the 12-year contract will provide test operations, technology development, equipment and facility sustainment, capital improvements and support services for the AEDC, with an expected completion date of 30 September 2036.
The DoD stated that work will be performed at Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee; National Full Scale Aerodynamics Complex, Mountain View, California; White Oak, Maryland; White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
The contract was awarded to little-known Beyond New Horizons, based out of Huntsville, Alabama. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
18 Mar 24. Finland awarded €32.5m from EU ASAP fund for 155mm artillery ammunition. Finland is awarded $35.4m in funding from EU to ramp up production of 155mm artillery shells, complimenting $26.1m it invested in late 2023. Finland’s defence industry has received a €32.5m ($35.4m) grant through the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP) to ramp up production of key munitions, including 155mm artillery shells, announced 15 March 2024, complementing a €24m ($26.1m) investment Finland’s own Ministry of Defence allocated in December 2023.
ASAP funds of €500m from the EU budget are intended to be available to member nations to support a rapid increase in production of ammunition, a requirement put into the spotlight during the war in Ukraine, as nations reflected on their own stockpiles during the ongoing conflict.
“Long-term advocacy at the EU and direct contacts with Commissioners produced results. We got what we went for,” said Finland’s Minister of Defence, Antti Häkkänen.
“The funding decision is in line with the plan drawn up by the Ministry of Defence in December to increase domestic ammunition production. The decision will finance investments that are critical to military security of supply and enable long-term support for Ukraine.”
With the funds allotted to Finland, €22.5m will be granted to Nammo Papua Oy for the production of 155mm artillery grenade shells and €10m was granted to Nammo Vihtavuor.
Finland’s 2023 was a busy year for 155mm ammunition procurement. The funds granted in December of that year followed a purchase in February of €35m of 155mm ammunition through French-based Nexter Munitions, and a €103m purchase of the shells from Nammo Lapua in March.
The war in Ukraine has led to heightened consumption of 155mm artillery munitions, with both Russia and Ukraine seeking outside supplies of the shells to feed the high rate of artillery barrage sustained in the conflict. Nato and European Union allies have contributed significant volumes of support to Ukraine, while Russia has negotiated for a supply of ammunition from North Korea.
Many European nations became aware, as they donated stock to the defence of Ukraine, that their industrial production base for ammunition had dwindled to a level that could not sustain ambitious military aid targets and meet their own defence requirements, so legislated within the European Union to ramp up production.
The grant of funds to Finland, one of Nato’s newest members, is a product of the European animus to replenish stockpiles of basic ammunition. (Source: army-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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