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18 Apr 24. Baykar next-gen KEMANKEŞ 2 mini cruise missile development.
Baykar’s latest device aims to provide enhanced precision and autonomy in targeting objectives.
Turkiye’s defence sector received a boost as Baykar successfully conducts the inaugural firing test of the KEMANKEŞ 2 mini cruise missile.
With an operational range exceeding 200km and an AI-supported optical guidance system, the KEMANKEŞ 2 can neutralise high-priority enemy targets in adverse weather conditions. The integration of anti-jamming technology ensures uninterrupted operation.
The KEMANKEŞ 2 has an AI-supported autopilot system, which allows it to autonomously navigate and engage targets with accuracy. This level of autonomy enhances the missile’s effectiveness and minimises the risk to personnel.
Turkiye aims to bolster its domestic defence industry.
Despite economic challenges, Turkish defence exports surpassed $4bn in 2022, showcasing the importance of developing indigenous defence capabilities. Successes like the TB2 Bayraktar drone demonstrate the country’s emergence as a competitor in the UAV market.
Baykar’s commitment to self-reliance has positioned the company as a global player in the defence market. With a track record of exporting UAVs and now cruise missiles, Baykar has solidified its reputation as an indigenous defence technology development.
Within the last year, Romania awarded Baykar a $321m contract for TB2 combat drones. Meanwhile, Baykar secured a record-breaking deal with Saudi Arabia for the Akinci combat drone. Additionally, Baykar began constructing a factory near Kyiv, Ukraine, to manufacture TB2 or TB3 drone models.
Azerbaijan unveiled facilities for its Akinci drone programme. Finally, Baykar tested new munitions on the Akinci drone and agreed to provide TB2 platforms to the Maldives, further expanding its presence in the global UAV market.
The successful development and testing of the KEMANKEŞ 2 further show Baykar’s role within the global defence arena. The company accounts for a significant portion of Turkiye’s defence exports. With export agreements already in place with numerous countries, Baykar is poised to continue its ascent as a player in the international defence market.
(Source: airforce-technology.com)
19 Apr 24. NP Aerospace Progresses Raytheon Air Defence Integration on Wolfhound. NP Aerospace has announced it is one of the key partners on the UK MOD’s Laser Directed Energy Weapon Land Demonstrator programme working with Raytheon UK to progress integration of Raytheon’s High-Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) onto the Wolfhound vehicle.
Raytheon UK recently received its first HELWS unit from the US for testing in the UK. Since then, the vehicle engineering team at NP Aerospace’s Coventry facility have been leading the integration work, with mobility trials scheduled for later this year.
Wolfhound is one of the UK MOD’s protected mobility fleet managed by NP Aerospace. It was selected for integration due to its class leading capabilities and offroad performance potential via the new XC mobility architecture upgrade. The 15-kW laser Raytheon HELWS system is the latest product in the UK to look at potential defence against aerial threats such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). UK MOD who are leading the programme, last month announced the successful firing of a similar system.
David Petheram, Managing Director & Senior Vice President, NP Aerospace Vehicle Systems, Services and Spares, comments: “NP Aerospace is pleased to be supporting the development of the UK’s Short Range Air Defence capability. As engineering authority for the UK MOD protected mobility fleet, we have in depth knowledge of vehicle platforms and wide range of associated technologies. The Wolfhound is an extremely capable tactical supply vehicle which now offers an advanced defensive role by being able to easily carry the air defence system in new environments.”
NP Aerospace have been working closely with Raytheon UK to design and develop a wide range of integration hardware and interfaces to enable the HELWS to operate effectively from the Wolfhound platform.
Marcus Kears, Raytheon UK High Energy Laser Programme Manager, said: “Laser-directed energy weapons will play a huge role in the future of defence operations,” adding, “Our partnership with NP Aerospace is helping us to bring this transformative technology to the UK from the US, where our system has defeated more than 400 targets over 25,000 operational hours.”
“This is another important milestone in our collaboration with the MoD on the use of directed energy weapons in the UK. We will continue to work toward the live-fire system acceptance test later this year.”
18 Apr 24. BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc. (OSI) has selected Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA), the U.S. defense subsidiary of Hanwha Aerospace in South Korea, to modernize an existing production building at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant.
“BAE Systems is fully committed to modernizing the Radford Army Ammunition Plant and furthering its support of the U.S. Army’s requirements,” said John Swift, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc. “We are excited to collaborate with Hanwha Defense USA, as they will use their proven expertise to help us integrate advanced chemical processing capabilities into a manufacturing environment.”
Modernization of World War II-era facilities is important for national security. As BAE Systems continues to deliver vital capabilities to the warfighter, the focus on improving the safety of the process remains. BAE Systems’ legacy of modernizing while manufacturing, supported by HDUSA’s past experience in energetics facilities, will result in a state-of-the-art process to manufacture propellants.
“The upgrade is based on technology and experience that Hanwha has already completed in their Korean energetics facilities,” said John Kelly, president and CEO of HDUSA. “We look forward to implementing this upgrade at Radford and expanding our modernization collaboration with BAE Systems and the Army.”
BAE Systems OSI has been the operating contractor of the Radford Army Ammunition Plant since 2012, and in December 2023, received the contract to continue operating the Holston Army Ammunition Plant in Kingsport, Tennessee through 2035. (Source: News Now/ PR Newswire)
17 Apr 24. Next Gen US Squad Weapon and optic exceed paratrooper expectations. The first soldiers to field the Army’s newest rifle and automatic rifle began live-fire training with the weapons this week, including demonstrations on how the new round can penetrate barriers to strike targets.
Soldiers with the 1st Brigade, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division received a batch of XM7 rifles and XM250 automatic rifles and their XM157 fire controls in late March.
The XM7 is the Army’s replacement for the M4 while the XM250 will replace the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. Both new weapons are chambered in 6.8mm, a larger and more powerful round than the legacy 5.56mm round used in the M4 and M249.
The soldiers conducted classroom training last week and began firing the weapons in demonstrations on Monday, Col. Trevor Voelkel, 1st Brigade commander, told Army Times in a phone interview.
Voelkel said he was impressed with the demonstration that showed the 6.8mm round piercing concrete blocks to strike paper targets on steel backdrops behind the barriers.
“Seeing the effects on the targets we had makes up for any concerns I had initially about the increased weight,” the colonel said.
Unloaded, the XM7 weighs 8.4 pounds, which is 3 pounds heavier than the M4. The XM250 weighs roughly 13 pounds unloaded, which is 2.7 pounds lighter than the M249.
The 6.8mm round delivers energy on target that outperforms the 7.62mm round, with a flatter trajectory and a lethal range of at least 600m, more than twice that of 5.56mm rounds, Army officials said.
Staff Sgt. Garrett Steele, a weapons squad leader, and Sgt. Marcus Colston, bravo team leader, told Army Times that before they fired the weapon they were worried that the new round would add recoil, which might make it hard to get back on target.
“The recoil, honestly, was very negligible even with the larger round,” Colston said. “The weight of the weapon was pretty negligible.”
Steele agreed and said the XM7 was very accurate, both with iron sights and the new fire control. The weapons team leader said the group of soldiers with 1st Brigade that he trained with were able to zero their weapons and get tight groupings after shooting 10 rounds or fewer.
“There wasn’t anybody who had any issues getting groupings or zeroing quickly,” Steele said.
The XM157 has a host of features not available in the standard rifle optics such as the Close Combat Optic and Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight that have been used by soldiers for years.
The new fire control has a built-in infrared aiming laser, bullet drop compensator and ballistics calculator that can receive data for any weapons system in the Army’s inventory and add new data for future weapons.
The fire control will adjust the aiming point for the shooter based on distance and the ballistics of the round. It allows shooters to use eight times magnification to zoom in on a target, compared to the four times magnification on current standard optics.
Both sergeants said the optic was easy and quick to use. And the features were all applicable.
“There’s no fluff on the optic,” Colston said. “Everything that we can do with that, in my experience, the things we do as infantrymen, every single one of those features is going to be useful at a certain time.”
Voelkel echoed his soldiers’ comments on the fire control, comparing it to the current optics.
“It’s kind of like going from my Nokia flip phone to an iPhone,” he said.
The rangefinder and IR laser will allow soldiers to mark target reference points and laser targets for call for fire in the field with no additional equipment, the colonel said.
“I think that’s going to open up a whole new world of capabilities,” Voelkel said.
The brigade will receive 1,500 XM7s and 200 XM150s, all with their own optics, according to Program Executive Office-Soldier. The brigade is expected to be fully fielded with the new weapons by September.
The brigade is scheduled for their pre-deployment Joint Readiness Training Center rotation in March 2025, Voelkel said. The unit has a large-scale field training exercise scheduled for this fall with the entire 101st Airborne Division.
Those events will help the unit see the performance of a brigade fully equipped with the new small arms and optics in both live fires and simulated, force-on-force training, the colonel said.
During force-on-force exercises, soldiers armed with the weapons will have greater ranges and the ability to penetrate barriers when in a close fight. The laser shooting systems used for force-on-force can be adjusted to accommodate the 6.8mm ballistics so commanders can get a sample of its performance.
“It’s going to allow us to engage the enemy earlier than we would have,” Garrett said. “If we see an enemy far out, we can get better eyes on with the optic.”
In 2017, the 101st Airborne Division was also the first unit to field the replacement for the legacy M9 handgun with the Modular Handgun System, which includes the M17 and M18 handguns.
Following that fielding with the next generation weapons gives the division a chance to give the Army feedback on a weapon that many soldiers may carry for decades to come.
“I think there’s a lot of pride and a feeling of weighty responsibility,” Voelkel said.
The $4.7bn rifle and automatic rifle weapons contract with firearms manufacturer Sig Sauer and the $2.7bn contract with Sheltered Wings, a subsidiary of Vortex Optics, for the XM157, are the most significant changes to Army individual weapons since the M16 was fielded in the 1960s.
The XM7 is a piston-driven, modular, select-fire, magazine-fed, suppressed rifle.
The XM250 is a belt-fed, air-cooled, lightweight, gas-operated, select-fire, suppressed light machine gun that fires from the open-bolt position.
The Army plans to field the new weapons to close combat forces such as infantry, special operations, scouts, combat engineers, forward observers and combat medics by fiscal year 2033.
The legacy M4 and M249 will see continued use for decades to come for the rest of the Army. (Source: Army Times)
17 Apr 24. True Velocity sues Sig Sauer, alleging stolen trade secrets. True Velocity Ammunition and sister company Lone Star Future Weapons sued gunmaker Sig Sauer, alleging the company stole trade secrets.
The companies are competing against each other to produce the U.S. Army’s Next-Generation Squad Weapon worth an estimated $4.5 bn. Sig Sauer won that competition in April 2022. Those first weapons from Sig Sauer were delivered to soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, last month.
The complaint filed on April 9 in Vermont Superior Court lays out True Velocity’s claim that Sig Sauer “brazenly and wrongfully misappropriated Plaintiff’s trade secrets to obtain an unfair competitive advantage.”
Lone Star originally teamed with General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems in 2021 for the NGSW competition where GD-OTS transferred its technical data and marketing materials for the LMMG and NGSW to Lone Star. Lone Star then took over as the prime contractor in the NGSW competition and further design activities of the program.
GD-OTS, over nearly two decades, developed trade secrets through research and development in Vermont at two sites focused on armaments systems and vehicle survivability. This included the LMMG which “eliminates the gap between the lighter and heavier weapons systems” currently fielded by the U.S. military and allies, the complaint states.
At the heart of the LMMG is a proprietary “revolutionary mitigation system called Short Recoil Impulse Averaging (SRIA),” according to the complaint. “Historically, mitigating recoil forces of machine guns require either adding mass to a weapon systems or length to a receiver,” the document explains. “The SRIA technology advanced by GD-OTS and Plaintiff reduces recoil without increasing the weapon’s mass or receiver length.”
Following the development of the LMMG, by the end of 2010, GD-OTS began keeping technical data and marketing materials from the design in “highly confidential data repository stored on secure servers to which only the LMMG team had access,” the complaint states. Continued development, tests, failures, fixes, and analysis of the technology and designs were kept in this same secure repository, according to the court document.
GD-OTS employees signed agreements stating they would keep the company’s confidential and proprietary information “in strict confidence” and would not “disclose or use that information outside of employment with GD-OTS,” according to the court document.
True Velocity and Lone Star are claiming that Sig Sauer “misappropriated” SRIA and LMMG trade secrets by “aggressively recruiting GD-OTS employees who had spent years designing and developing these technologies and obtaining crucial and highly confidential design data,” according to the court document.
Sig Sauer recruited and hired three key engineers from GD-OTS with the first hire in the fall of 2013.
In January 2014, Sig hired a “key GD-OTS engineer,” David Steimke, who had worked at GD for 19 years and served as the senior principal design engineer at the company’s facility in Vermont. “During that time, Mr. Steimke was an engineer on nearly every belt-fed machine gun design at GD-OTS,” the complaint states. He was also the original designer on the LMMG project.
Steimke is now Sig Sauer’s chief engineer.
In December 2017, the Army announced an opportunity to replace its lighter belt-fed machine gun, the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. Then the Army released a prototype opportunity notice for a Next-Generation Squad Automatic Rifle in March 2018, which would later become the Army’s NGSW program.
Sig unveiled its .338 medium machine gun, the Sig SLMAG as a direct competitor to the GD-OTS LMMG in October 2018.
“Before the SIG SLMAG, no other company except for GD-OTS had produced a .338 [Norma Magnum] lightweight medium machine gun,” the complaint states.
GD-OTS employees first began to suspect Sig’s “wrongful use of its trade secret technology,” at a January 2019 International Special Operations Forces Range Day in Las Vegas. GD employees attended a demonstration of the SIG SLMAG and “noted that it appeared to utilize the substantially same SRIA technology developed at GD-OTS before the departure of Mr. Steimke,” the court document lays out.
GD-OTS’ lawyers sent a letter to Sig about the possible use of its proprietary information in the SLMAG in May 2019. Sig denied using GD-OTS’ secret information in any of its weapons, according to the complaint.
Steimke sent another letter stating he knew he was required to maintain confidentiality of proprietary information and claimed he did not work on machine gun-related products until after the Army came out with its plans for a next-generation weapon competition.
“According to Mr. Steimke’s representations, Sig was able to design and manufacture a competing .338 belt-fed machine gun in less than [18] months when it took GD-OTS more than a decade to develop and mature its impulse averaging and LMMG technology,” the court document states.
True Velocity and Lone Star believe, according to the complaint, that Sig has used the technology in four belt-fed machine guns it has designed.
The court document also claims that in addition to knowing Sig had hired former GD-OTS employees, True Velocity also discovered last year that Sig had “misappropriated confidential GD-OTS information, including proprietary design drawing files as well as critical proprietary data in the LMMG Technical Data and Marketing Materials.”
The lawsuit comes at a time when True Velocity and Sig Sauer are also competing for another U.S. military weapons contract – a .338 Medium Machine Gun for U.S. Special Operations Forces.
The court document notes that both companies have delivered prototype weapons to the U.S. military for evaluation “and a potential production contract to be awarded in the near future,” and “based on information and belief, Sig’s submission incorporates a substantial degree of plaintiff’s impulse averaging and LMMG trade secrets.”
The complaint states True Velocity and Lone Star are seeking a court order to stop Sig Sauer from using its trade secrets and are asking for monetary damages.
“Our intellectual property exists not only to protect the best interests of our stakeholders, but also to form the foundation for a licensing model that would enable us to [share] our technology with honest partners around the world,” Pat Hogan, a True Velocity spokesperson, told Defense News. “Illegal taking and misappropriation of that intellectual property serves as a detriment to that mission and we will not stand by idly as it happens.”
A Sig Sauer spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment by press time. (Source: Defense News)
16 Apr 24. Ukraine’s air defense pleas spotlight Patriot bottleneck. Ukraine’s requests for more long-range air defense systems to repel Russian attacks highlight a weak spot in the production capabilities of Kyiv’s allies, according to analysts. As Russian forces have ramped up attacks on Ukrainian energy and civilian infrastructure in recent weeks, calls for defense systems have grown increasingly desperate, leading Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to tell Western leaders, in a late-March interview with Politico: “Give us the damn Patriots.”
He was referring to the suite of sensors, launchers and interceptors, made by Raytheon-RTX of the United States, that has formed the backbone of U.S. and allied air-defense architectures for decades.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy doubled down on the request shortly thereafter, articulating a concrete need. “I can say that to cover Ukraine completely in the future, it is preferable to have 25 Patriot systems, with 6-8 batteries each,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying by the Ukrainian online new website Kyiv Independent.
The figure caught some defense experts by surprise.
“This is a huge number – the United States only has 15 Patriot battalions. There is no way that Ukraine will have 25,” Mark F. Cancian, senior adviser at the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Defense News.
In a recent interview with Defense News, Tom Laliberty, Raytheon’s president of land and air defense systems said that the company is currently able to produce 12 Patriot fire units per year.
That pace means it would take years to cover Ukrainian demands alone, and that’s not counting the manufacturer’s commitments to make systems for the rest of the global Patriot customer base.
Still, there may be some slack in diverting new production hardware or, in the case of Germany, cobbling together an additional system from parts in the maintenance cycle.
Berlin announced on April 13 that the government would donate one fire unit in addition to two previously delivered.
Other Patriot users, like the Netherlands, believe they have already reached the bottom of the barrel, saying that giving away any more would leave them exposed and break troops’ training cycles on the equipment.
According to analyst Cancian, Patriot systems ordered by Switzerland could be in play for Ukraine.
The U.S. State Department approved the sale of five fire units and related equipment to the Alpine nations for an estimated cost of $2.2 bn. According to Laliberty, Raytheon is in the process of producing the equipment.
“There are mechanisms by which the U.S. can give some contracts priority over others – thus, it would be possible for Ukraine to get in line in front of Switzerland and in the current circumstances there is a high likelihood of that happening,” Cancian said.
Still, approvals would be needed from all sides, he added.
For the Swiss, the question of giving priority to Ukraine is academic, according to a spokesman for Armasuisse, the country’s defense-acquisition agency.
“There have been no such requests, and we do not comment on hypothetical questions,” the spokesman said in response to a Defense News query. “Armasuisse has concluded an agreement with the U.S. government on the acquisition of Patriot systems. The delivery is planned from 2027 onwards.” (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
16 Apr 24. US Army deploys midrange missile for first time in Philippines. The Mid-Range Capability missile has landed in Luzon, Philippines, as part of the Salaknib exercise taking place there, marking the first deployment of the new capability deemed vital for the U.S. Army’s strategy in the region. The 1st Multi-Domain Task Force brought the MRC weapon to the country on April 11, traveling more than 8,000 miles from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state for over 15 hours via a C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft, according to an April 15 statement from U.S. Army Pacific.
“This landmark deployment marks a significant milestone for the new capability while enhancing interoperability, readiness and defense capabilities in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” the statement read.
“This creates several new collaboration opportunities for our bilateral training and readiness,” Brig. Gen. Bernard Harrington, who leads the multidomain unit, said in the statement.
During an April 16 hearing before the House Armed Services Committee, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George commented on the deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.
“We’ve seen just how effective and hard to target land-based, long-range precision fires are, and we are continuing to add those, and right now we have the medium-range capability that is actually out and exercising with our partners,” he said.
Defense News first reported the Army’s plan to pursue the midrange missile in September 2020.
The Army gave the job of finalizing and moving forward with a weapon to the Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, and it also set a goal to field the chosen missile in less than three years — by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, which meant it could not start from scratch.
The office received the mission in July 2020 following a strategic fires study conducted by the Army’s force development arm earlier this year. The development team had found a gap in the service’s ability to reach enemy targets in the 500- to 2,000-kilometer (311- to 1,243-mile) range.
The midrange missile fits in the Army’s fires portfolio between its Precision Strike Munition, designed to hit targets 499 kilometers away, and its ground-launched hypersonic missiles.
The service chose Lockheed Martin in November 2020 to build the midrange missile prototype, landing a nearly $340 m contract to take elements from naval missiles to forge the new weapon.
The MRC weapon consists of a vertical launch system and uses the Navy’s Raytheon-built Standard Missile-6 and Tomahawk missiles. The full MRC system has a battery operations center, four launchers, prime movers and modified trailers, the statement noted.
A variant of the Tomahawk missile was used in a land-based cruise missile capability test in 2019. The SM-6 is a long-range, anti-air missile that has a surface mode.
Salaknib is an exercise with the U.S. and Philippine armed forces meant to build readiness and improve operational capabilities as part of “the longstanding and strong U.S.-Philippine Alliance,” the statement read, adding that it also enhances “bilateral U.S. land power capacity and capabilities for joint operations.” (Source: Defense News)
15 Apr 24. Kratos Completes Development of the Zeus SRM Family with the Successful Zeus 2 Static Test Fire. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS), a technology company in the defense, national security and global markets, announced today that its Space & Missile Defense Systems (SMDS) Business Unit, a part of Kratos’ Defense & Rocket Support Services (DRSS) Division, successfully completed the static test firing of the Zeus 2 solid rocket motor (SRM) with Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies [NYSE: LHX] company, at their Camden, Arkansas facility. This Zeus 2 milestone combined with the successful Zeus 1 static test firing last year, completes the development phase of Kratos’ new affordable commercial SRM family. Zeus 1 and Zeus 2 are high-performance 32.5-inch diameter solid rocket motors envisioned and internally funded by Kratos. The Zeus motors, designed with commonality, versatility, and affordability in mind, coupled with the Kratos ongoing development of the Erinyes and Dark Fury Hypersonic Flyers demonstrates Kratos’ commitment to investing in crucial defense industrial base technology. Kratos’ technology investments are delivering leading-edge systems and expanding our extensive portfolio of Hypersonic Flyers and SRMs available for our customers. Kratos has now initiated orders for a combined total of nine Zeus 1 and Zeus 2 SRMs in preparation for upcoming customer flights. The Kratos developed Zeus family of SRMs is in direct response to the urgent need for affordable commercial launch vehicle stages for hypersonic test, ballistic missile target, sounding rocket and other customer missions.
Dave Carter, President of the KDRSS Division, said, “I am very excited to introduce Kratos’ family of Zeus SRMs and commend our SMDS group and teammate, L3HARRIS/Aerojet, for successfully completing this crucial motor development program. Zeus motors enable us to bring to market affordable rocket systems to support critical MACH-TB Hypersonic testing, NASA Sounding Rocket Program experiments, and Navy/MDA target program requirements.”
Eric DeMarco, President and CEO of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., said, “Kratos’ successful completion of this internally funded Zeus family of motors will enable rapid and affordable hypersonic testing and be ‘first to market’ with a highly relevant system to support DoD, NASA and commercial customers. At Kratos, we are committed to rapid development, delivery of relevant systems and introduction of affordable technology to support warfighter requirements for the United States and our Allies’ National Security.” (Source: ASD Network)
16 Apr 24. Lockheed wins US missile defense contract worth $17bn. Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), has won a $17bn contract to develop the next generation of interceptors to defend the United States against an intercontinental ballistic missile attack, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said on Monday.
The interceptor program is aimed at defeating current ballistic missile threats and future technological advances from countries such as North Korea and Iran.
The win represents a shot in the arm for Lockheed after the United States said it wanted to reduce F-35 orders, and the Army in February abandoned development of a Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, a next-generation helicopter for which Lockheed had submitted a design.
The multi-year missile contract covers the development of the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) to modernize the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program. The network of radars, interceptors and other equipment is designed to protect the United States from intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Lockheed is “committed to delivering reliable interceptors,” said Sarah Hiza, general manager of Strategic and Missile Defense.
The first interceptor is expected to be operational in 2028.
The NGI is currently in the technology development phase and will transition to product development in May, according to written testimony, last week from the head of the Missile Defense Agency, Lieutenant General Heath Collins. The United States plans to buy 20 interceptors and deploy them at Fort Greely, Alaska.
Collins had said the agency would select either Lockheed or Northrop Grumman (NOC.N), for the program. The companies were awarded separate contracts in 2021 to develop designs.
In 2019, the Pentagon scrapped work on a Boeing Co (BA.N), contract for a “kill vehicle,” the tip of an interceptor that detaches in space and destroys the incoming warhead, due to technical design problems after spending $1.2bn on the project.
The United States then decided to restart the contract process to gather bids for the whole interceptor. Boeing was knocked out of the competition in 2021. (Source: Reuters)
15 Apr 24. Avient Corporation, a premier provider of specialized and sustainable materials solutions and services, announced it will showcase its high-performance engineered fiber solutions and advanced protective materials portfolio next week at Techtextil, the leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwoven fabrics.
These highlighted solutions include composite fabrics and textiles that offer high strength-to-weight ratios, stiffness, resistance to corrosion and impact, dimensional stability, and more. These can be used across a broad range of industries and applications, from protective clothing and workwear to synthetic ropes to wires and cables, helping reduce weight and material consumption while enhancing performance.
Additional show highlights include:
- Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™ – With its unique combination of low weight and immense strength, Dyneema® is a critical component in ultra-light outdoor gear, protective apparel, and footwear that takes performance and comfort to new heights. Dyneema® fibers are widely used by designers for their precision-engineered properties to create the lightweight, durable, and high-performance articles that today’s consumers desire.
- Fiber-Line™ Engineered Fibers – These high-performance synthetic fibers are used in diverse products and industries. With expertise in fiber selection, processing capabilities, and a broad spectrum of end products, Fiber-Line offers uniquely customized solutions that enhance the inherent properties of synthetic fibers. The Fiber-Line portfolio includes custom-formulated composite yarns for high-performance consumer applications, water-blocking yarns, reinforced polymer fibers, strength members for ropes and cord structures, reinforcement yarns, industrial yarns, and wire harness yarns for applications in industrial, oil and gas, and fiber optic markets.
Avient is exhibiting in hall 9.1, booth A60, at Techtextil in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, from April 23 – 26, 2024.
About Avient
Avient Corporation provides specialized and sustainable materials solutions that transform customer challenges into opportunities, bringing new products to life for a better world. Examples include:
- Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™, enables unmatched levels of performance and protection for end-use applications, including ballistic personal protection, marine and sustainable infrastructure and outdoor sports
- Unique technologies that improve the recyclability of products and enable recycled content to be incorporated, thus advancing a more circular economy
- Light-weighting solutions that replace heavier traditional materials like metal, glass and wood, which can improve fuel efficiency in all modes of transportation and reduce carbon footprint
- Sustainable infrastructure solutions that increase energy efficiency, renewable energy, natural resource conservation and fiber optic / 5G network accessibility
Avient is certified ACC Responsible Care®, a founding member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and certified Great Place to Work®. For more information, visit www.avient.com.
15 Apr 24. Kromek shows the value of innovation and R&D to demonstrate new capabilities at international events and win further orders. Kromek, the designer and manufacturer of radiological and biological detectors, based in Sedgefield Co. Durham, premiered its “remote mode” for its ground-breaking D5 RIID at Security & Policing held in Farnborough, UK, in March 2024.
The D5 RIID is the most sensitive portable detector produced by Kromek. Its “remote mode” allows it to be carried by an uncrewed ground vehicle. Its long endurance and networked capability means that it can explore potentially contaminated sites and can loiter to scan continuously for radioactive material without putting a human operator in harm’s way. Following recent research and development (R&D) initiatives, the latest technical enhancements to the D5 RIID programme were shown to senior officials in the Ministry of Defence, Police forces and first responders at Security & Policing.
Meanwhile, at the CBRNe Summit Europe in Budapest, Hungary, Mari Tuomela, Kromek’s Head of Sales (EMEA & APAC), demonstrated the D5 RIID (and its additional probe for detecting Alpha and Beta isotopes – another product of innovative R&D) with live sources. The audience was astonished at the speed of isotope identification and also that the device detected the very weakest of sources.
Kromek’s Commercial Director Craig Duff reflects: “The evolution of the D5 RIID, with both the addition of external probes and the ability to mount the detector on an uncrewed ground vehicle for remote operation, demonstrates the benefits of continuous in-house research and development. Our products can be adapted at pace to meet the changing requirements in this complex international political and threat environment.”
Duff’s comments were reinforced by the announcement at the end of March of a further $2.1m order for detectors for the security screening market from a previous OEM customer, where joint R&D had resulted in the original contract, and by a presentation at the Waste Management Symposia 24 in Arizona, USA, on how Kromek’s CZT detectors have been adapted by researchers at the University of Bristol to be carried by drones for wide area scanning and detection.
Back in the European Union, Kromek D3S detectors were deployed in Belgium, on 9th April to secure the launch of the Festival of the New European Bauhaus 2024, at the Brussels Art and History Museum, attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and other dignitaries.
15 Apr 24. Indian Army, DRDO conduct MPATGM weapon system trials. The weapon system is now poised for user evaluation trials, the final step towards its induction into the Indian Army. The Indian Army and the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) have carried out successful trials of the man portable anti-tank guided missile (MPATGM) weapon system. The warhead flight trials were conducted at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Rajasthan, India, on 13 April. The system has been indigenously designed and developed by the DRDO. As part of the latest effort, the MPATGM weapon system was put through multiple field evaluations in various flight configurations. The objective of the testing effort was to assess and validate the superiority of the MPATGM weapon system, which comprised the MPATGM, target acquisition system, launcher and fire control unit. According to the Indian Ministry of Defence (MOD), the Indian Army and DRDO conducted an ‘adequate’ number of missiles firing tests, all aimed at meeting the operational requirements as outlined in the General Staff Qualitative Requirements by the Indian Army’s Infantry division. The missile’s performance, particularly the warhead performance, was deemed “remarkable” during the trials, the MOD said. The MPATGM weapon system’s Tandem Warhead System also underwent penetration trials, showcasing its capability to defeat modern armoured main battle tanks (MBTs). The anti-tank guided missile system features both day and night as well as top attack capabilities, with the addition of a dual-mode seeker enhancing its tank warfare potential. Following the technology development and successful demonstration, the MPATGM weapon system is now poised for final user evaluation trials, marking a significant step towards its induction into the Indian Army. According to the MOD’s media release, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh claimed that these trials mark a crucial step towards reinforcing India’s self-reliance in the development of advanced technology-based defence systems. In 2022, the Indian Army and DRDO tested laser-guided, anti-tank guided missiles from the Arjun MBT. (Source: army-technology.com)
12 Apr 24. IDF Announces Rafael’s C-DOME 1st Combat Interception of Hostile Target at Sea. Overnight, the Israeli Navy successfully deployed RAFAEL’s C-DOME™ to intercept a suspicious hostile target which posed a significant threat to Israeli assets and strategic sites in southern Israel. C-DOME is the naval version of the Iron Dome® air and missile defense system and is integrated on the Israeli Navy’s Sa’ar 6 corvettes. This marks the system’s first combat interception, following a series of comprehensive tests over the last several years, serving as a major milestone in the C-DOME’s operational capabilities. C-DOME serves as a critical layer of defense in Israel’s multi-layered air defense array, relying on the IRON DOME system interceptor, which, to-date has achieved over 6,000 combat interceptions. C-DOME is capable of addressing existing and future threats that naval forces may encounter, including rockets, cruise missiles, sea-skimming missiles and drones. In 2023, RAFAEL unveiled the C-DOME’s mission modular configuration to provide unprotected vessels, as well as vessels that lack adequate air defense means, with advanced and complementary capabilities against multiple, simultaneous attacks from a wide range of threats – without the need for deck penetration, vessel hull retrofit, cable routing, or complex platform integration. Open architecture enables compatibility with the ship’s sensors and CMS. The integration of the C-Dome system reinforces the defensive capabilities of the Sa’ar 6 corvettes, enhancing their capacity to safeguard Israel’s assets and economic interests within the exclusive economic zone. RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems serving is the prime contractor and developer of the Iron Dome system and C-DOME systems, collaborating with subcontractors Israel Aerospace Industries’ Elta Systems, which has developed the system’s radar, and mPrest, a RAFAEL subsidiary and developer of the system’s command-and-control systems. The development of the systems is overseen by the Israel Missile Defense Organization, a division of the Directorate for Defense Research and Development (DDR&D). (Source: ASD Network)
12 Apr 24. Taiwan-Built UAV Makes 2nd Attempt to Pass Combat Readiness Tests. A redesigned version of the locally developed Teng Yun 2 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been undergoing combat readiness tests since last month after failing them last year.
A source familiar with the matter told CNA Monday that the combat and reconnaissance drone, also known as “Cloud Rider 2,” entered the final testing stage for the second time in mid-March.
The source, however, did not say when testing was expected to be completed.
Under the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) five-step development process, all weapon systems must make it through an initial conceptual design stage, an engineering development stage, initial weapon testing, and combat readiness testing before they can enter mass production.
The military said results from the Teng Yun 2’s unsuccessful first attempt to pass the final testing stage in March 2023 indicated that there was “still room for improvement” in the drone’s design.
At the time, the military said future combat readiness tests would only be done once changes were made to the drone’s software and hardware.
Developed by Taiwan military’s top research unit National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), Teng Yung 2, the latest generation of the Teng Yung drone family, is a large, long-endurance, satellite-guided, medium-altitude drone that can carry multiple payloads for surveillance or strike missions.
The NCSIST first exhibited a Teng Yung 2 prototype at the 2019 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition.
The drone passed initial weapon testing in March 2022 and later recorded a maximum airborne time of 20 hours.
Meanwhile, Air Force personnel have since January 2023 been undergoing NCSIST training to learn to operate the Ten Yung 2. (Source: UAS VISION/OCAC News)
12 Apr 24. MBDA to double the range of Aster 15 surface-to-air missiles with Aster 15 EC upgrade. The Aster missile family includes two models: the Aster 15, which is designed for short to medium-range, and the Aster 30, which is intended for longer-range engagements. Both models have identical missile bodies, but the Aster 30 employs a larger booster to increase its range and speed. The Aster 15 is more compact at 4.2 meters in length and lighter at 310 kg compared to the Aster 30, which weighs 450 kg and has a length of just under 5 m. Due to its larger size, the Aster 30 requires the longer tubes of the Sylver A50 or A70 vertical launching systems (VLS) for naval deployments, although it is also compatible with the American Mark 41 Vertical Launching System.
The Aster series was used effectively for the first time in naval combat in late 2023 when French Navy frigates, Languedoc and Alsace, engaged Houthi drones and missiles in the Red Sea, firing over 22 missiles. The Aster 30 missile has also been included in the SAMP/T ground-based air defense system, a system supplied to Ukraine to counter Russian missiles.
In response to advancements in comparable systems, such as the American ESSM and the Russian 9M37 Buk, which now achieve ranges of up to 50 km and beyond, MBDA has decided to upgrade the Aster 15, similar to previous enhancements seen in the Aster 30 through various block upgrades. Originally, the Aster 15 had a range of up to 30 km, modest compared to the Aster 30’s capability of over 120 km.
Developed as part of a missile family initiated by France and Italy in the 1990s, the Aster 15 is capable of reaching speeds of Mach 3, and has gained recognition for its agility and ability to intercept swiftly moving and maneuverable targets, including those flying at low or steep dive trajectories. Its active radar seeker facilitates autonomous tracking of stealth targets, allowing for the simultaneous launch of multiple missiles to counter saturating attacks effectively.
In line with the evolutionary trajectory of its counterpart, the Aster 30, which has progressed into the Block 1 and Block 1 NT versions with mid-range ballistic missile defense capabilities, the Aster 15 is set to receive a significant update. This new iteration, referred to as the Aster 15 EC (Enhanced Capabilities), seeks to align with the refined threat response capabilities of the Aster 30 Block 1 NT. While maintaining the physical dimensions required for integration into existing vertical launch systems like the Sylver A43 launchers found on vessels such as the Charles de Gaulle and the first six multi-mission frigates, the upgrade aims to enhance the missile’s autodirector, guidance algorithms, flight profile, and onboard computational power. These enhancements are anticipated to double the missile’s range and decrease the minimum engagement distance, thereby strengthening both long-range offensive and close-range defensive capabilities.
The development of the Aster 15 EC missile will be a crucial component of the modernization initiative for the four Horizon-class air defense frigates resulting from the Franco-Italian collaboration. This modernization effort includes the upgrading of radar and combat systems to newer iterations that enhance target detection and engagement capabilities. These enhancements are slated to commence with the Italian frigates Andrea Doria and Caio Duilio in 2027, followed by the French Forbin and Chevalier Paul in 2029 and 2030, respectively, coinciding with the integration of the Aster 15 EC.
Additionally, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier is scheduled for its third major technical stop in 2027, during which it will replace its existing firing installations with a new reconfigurable firing installation (ITR) specifically designed for the Aster 15 EC. This update corresponds with the replacement of the carrier’s radar systems and the adoption of a centralized architecture for the combat direction system, thereby enhancing its overall self-defense capabilities. (Source: News Now/https://www.navyrecognition.com/)
12 Apr 24. Three firms will vie for Marines’ $249m loitering-munitions buy. The Organic Precision Fires-Light contract aims to get the weapons to infantry units by 2027. The Marine Corps has chosen three companies to compete for a potential eight-year, $249m contract to build new loitering munition systems for dismounted soldiers in infantry rifle squads.
AeroVironment, Anduril Industries, and Teledyne FLIR will compete for delivery orders to manufacture, test and deliver the non-developmental items that are designed to give Marines precision strike capability beyond their lines of sight.
The Organic Precision Fires-Light contract has an initial five-year base period and a three-year option period, according to a trio of award notices posted Wednesday.
Loitering munitions are aerial weapons that fly around an area until they find or are directed to a target, then crash into it. The idea is to speed up reaction times against hidden targets that appear for short periods of time, but by using smaller weapons that are harder to find.
The Corps wants to have loitering munitions in some squads as soon as federal fiscal year 2027. OPF-L is part of that service branch-wide effort to roll out the munitions that can be deployed from the individual soldier and from vehicles.
Marine officials want systems that are man-packable and consist of the loitering munition, related ground control station, training simulator and ancillary equipment needed to support the technology.
(Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense One)
15 Apr 24. Teledyne FLIR Defense Awarded $249m IDIQ Contract for USMC Organic Precision Fires-Light Program.
- New recoverable and reusable loitering munition drone platform will enable small units to directly engage enemy targets beyond line of sight
Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY), announced that it has been awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract worth up to $249 m by the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command for its Organic Precision Fires-Light (OPF-L) program. The initial delivery order is valued at $12 m.
As described in Marine Corps solicitation statements, Organic Precision Fires-Light is a new system designed to provide rifle squads and platoons with a man-packable “organic, loitering, precision strike capability to engage the enemy beyond the line of sight.”
Teledyne FLIR’s advanced small Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) loitering munition solution has proven highly successful in tests against both moving and stationary armor, vehicles, and dismounted targets. The ability to recover and reuse the new system will lighten the pack load for Marines while increasing their warfighting effectiveness.
“The flexibility, adaptability and breadth of our proposed OPF-L platform will boost small unit lethality across the large target set Marines must confront in today’s battlespace,” said Dr. JihFen Lei, executive vice president and general manager of Teledyne FLIR Defense. “We look forward to delivering on this highly advanced technology and working closely with the Marine Corps to augment its force projection – and protection – capabilities.”
Teledyne FLIR will deliver the first 127 loitering munition systems to the Marines for test and evaluation later this summer. The contract has a five-year performance period with a three-year option. (Source: ASD Network)
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Galvion designs, develops, and delivers mission critical head, face, and torso protective solutions as well as intelligent power and data management systems for the world’s most demanding military and tactical teams. Founded in 2002 as Revision Military, a foundational belief in calculated investment and capability expansion led to a strategic refocus, resulting in the divestiture of the protective eyewear business, along with the Revision name, in 2019. Rebranded as Galvion, the company’s products and technology continue to evolve beyond purely passive protection, focusing instead on active systems that enhance performance and survivability, with an eye to the ever-changing demands of the modern battlefield. Through advanced design, keen end-user insight and intelligent integration, Galvion engineers uniquely customized solutions that go beyond what was once thought possible.
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