23 June 22. Mobile howitzers take center stage at Eurosatory as artillery battles intensify in Ukraine.
The producers of 155mm mobile howitzers are seeing an uptick in interest from European countries in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the most recent biennial Eurosatory defense expo taking on an artillery-centric approach.
The show, held last week in Paris, featured companies from all over the world displaying 155mm howitzers that are either in operation or in their concept phase.
In recent years, Eurosatory has emphasized robotics, artificial intelligence and other burgeoning high-tech capabilities, but this year the focus was on heavy artillery, armor, firepower and unmanned aircraft capable of targeting and providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance — capabilities the Ukrainian military needs right now.
Orders and pitches
Several governments and industry members signed 155mm howitzer deals during the show. BAE Systems, for example, sold more Archer 155mm mobile howitzer systems to its first customer of the product, Sweden.
The country had committed to buying more Archers through the signing a letter of intent at Eurosatory, which took place in front of an Archer system on display at the manufacturer’s outdoor display. The letter marks the first step to establish an additional artillery battalion in line with Sweden’s current defense strategy, which runs through 2025.
The British defense company recently finished delivering the first 48 Archer vehicles to the Swedish Army. The system has been fielded for five years.
Meanwhile, the Archer was selected as one of two contenders in a competition for a new mobile howitzer in Switzerland last week. The other contender was not made public. The country is looking to replace its aging howitzer, which is based on the M109 platform.
BAE Systems’ vice president of platforms and services, Mark Signorelli, told Defense News at the show that since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the company has seen an increase in inquiries of the Archer system.
French company Nexter is also seeing increased interest in its fielded Caesar 155mm mobile howitzer. The system comes in eight-wheel drive and a six-wheel drive versions. France, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Thailand currently owner and operator the weapon. Belgium, Denmark and Morocco are also signed on to buy the system. The Czech Republic plans to buy Caesar installed on the locally made Tatra 815-7T3RC1 eight-wheel drive vehicle.
Along with the American-made M777 howitzers and British FH70 howitzers, Ukraine is also expected to receive the Caesar from France.
At Eurosatory, Nexter signed on another country — Lithuania. The country’s defense minister announced he was visiting Paris to sign a letter of intent with his French counterpart to buy the system.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, “the trend that we notice is that some prospects had initially wanted a certain number of guns, and now they are asking for — in most cases, not every case — in most cases they have increased the number,” Olivier Fort, the director of Nexter’s systems and programs business unit, told Defense News at the expo.
The fight in Ukraine is magnifying the need for howitzers to be highly mobile, Fort said, as Russian forces are able to determine the location of artillery systems once Ukrainians fire them.
Reports show Ukrainians are camouflaging the older, less-mobile systems currently in stock. But a highly mobile howitzer, for instance, would be able to relocate before Russians could detect its position. Caesar and other systems like it can fire and move out of the area in just a few minutes.
Artillery is also an attractive capability, Fort noted, as they’re less expensive to replace than tanks.
Fort said that several European governments are authorizing additional funds for buying more defense equipment, including artillery systems.
Directly across from Nexter’s Caesar stood a demonstrator vehicle developed by German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann for future indirect fire. Nexter and KMW embarked on a joint venture called KNDS in 2015.
KMW displayed a 155mm mobile howitzer demonstrator using a Boxer chassis at Eurosatory in 2022. (Jen Judson/Staff)
The company claims the vehicle — a Boxer chassis with a 52-caliber gun tube that uses 155mm rounds — can fire on the move and engage moving targets. The vehicle also comes with an automated gun loading system. The gun can fire eight rounds per minute with a two-person crew.
Another German company, Rheinmetall, displayed a truck-based 155mm howitzer demonstrator using the same chassis it plans to submit for the U.S. Army’s Common Tactical Truck competition. The service plans to kick it off after a request for proposals is released by month’s end.
The HX3 10-wheel drive chassis supports a 155mm gun with a 360-degree capability. The vehicle, according to an information card by the system at the show, is highly mobile, particularly when it comes to off-road performance.
Rheinmetall showed off a 155mm cannon on top of the same chassis it plans to submit for the U.S. Army’s Common Tactical Truck competition, during Eurosatory 2022. (Jen Judson/Staff)
Tucked against a wall in a more remote area of the large exhibition space sat a new product: a 155mm mobile howitzer developed by Czechoslovak Group subsidiary Excalibur Army. Dubbed Morana, the weapon features a chassis from Czech company Tatra, enabling the vehicle to cross terrain typically only suitable for tracked vehicles, according to information displayed alongside the platform.
The system has a 52-caliber gun tube with a range of 41.5 kilometers (25.8 miles). The crew can carry 45 rounds, and the vehicle comes equipped with fully automated gun loading, allowing crews to fire six rounds in one minute. The vehicle can travel 90 kph (56 mph) and fits three crew.
South Korean company Hanwha displayed a small model of its K9 Thunder, a 155mm self-propelled howitzer whose European customers include Finland, Norway and Estonia.
Poland last month donated 18 Krab howitzer systems — which are K9s built in the country — to Ukraine and then signed on to increase K9 production. Earlier this month, Poland agreed to sell Ukraine an additional 54 units.
A team led by Hanwha is also competing in a British program to replace the country’s AS90 with a mobile fires platform in late 2023. That team, dubbed Team Thunder, includes Leonardo UK, Pearson Engineering, Horstman Defense Systems, Soucy Defense and Lockheed Martin UK.
Several of the systems on display at Eurosatory underwent evaluation by the U.S. Army last year at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, including the Caesar and Archer. Elbit Systems of America, a subsidiary of Israeli company Elbit Systems, was chosen to bring its Autonomous Truck Mounted Ordnance System Iron Sabre to the evaluation. Florida-based business Global Military Products brought in its Serbian partner Yugoimport’s NORA B-52 155mm wheeled howitzer for the shoot-off as well.
But following the evaluation, the Army did not choose a system.
The service is studying how its fires formations are going to look, but it hasn’t yet made a determination on that force structure, or where and what capabilities will lie within that. Several participants noted the shoot-off will supply data to help the Army figure out a path forward.
When pressed, high-ranking Army officials, including the chief of staff, have said there is a need for artillery systems but that the service is prioritizing the development of other capabilities, most importantly its Extended Range Cannon Artillery system.
“I think we need to make artillery great again, and we will,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said at an Association of the U.S. Army breakfast near Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in March. When you look at large-scale combat operations, “you need to be able to mass artillery.”
Speed and range “becomes so critical,” he added. “So within the force, we’re growing artillery, we are growing air and missile defense.”
The Army has prioritized long-range fires, including hypersonic weapons, the Precision Strike Missile, and the extended range cannon artillery system. But McConville noted that “we only have so much resources.” (Source: Defense News)
23 June 22. Aerobotix and ASA collaborate to support hypersonic missile development. The partnership will allow Australian defence contractors to access automation expertise of both companies. Aerobotix has announced a robotic automation international partnership with Automated Solutions Australia (ASA) for the development, testing and manufacturing of hypersonic missiles. The collaboration between the two companies comes after the signing of AUKUS security pact last year, between the governments of Australia, the UK and the US.
This pact features provision for the allied nations to work together on counter-hypersonic and hypersonic capabilities.
The latest collaboration will allow the Australian defence sector and contractors to access the automation expertise of both companies.
Aerobotix business development manager Josh Tuttle said: “We’ll work with the US State Department for approval of any technology transfer for ASA. We’ll also help ASA in other ways.
“For example, we can save them years of costly development work by sharing how to robotically spray FIREX™ RX-2390 Thermal Protection System coatings for missile manufacturing.”
According to Aerobotix, the two companies have similar capabilities in the robotic coating automation industry and will now work as a team to pursue projects that require a sovereign presence.
Aerobotix has experience in the field of using robotics to scan, sand, measure and paint hypersonic missiles and has worked on various missile programmes.
Furthermore, ASA has worked with FANUC for installing more than 100 FANUC painting robots in Australia.
With the latest collaboration, ASA will now have the expertise and technical capability to handle automation challenges in precision coating applications.
ASA general manager Nathan Jones said: “Aerobotix has already deployed several production robotic systems for hypersonic.
“They’re even making critical test parts for programmes that haven’t had time to build production facilities.
“Their willingness to support our company, and Australia, is going to significantly reduce costs, schedule delays and programme risk.”
(Source: airforce-technology.com)
22 June 22. Egypt outlines K9 howitzer production plan. Egypt’s production of the South Korean K9 self-propelled howitzer is expected to begin in 2023, and will eventually involve 67% of components being produced locally, Mohamed Ahmed Morsi, the country’s minister of state for military production told the Al-Ahram newspaper in an interview published on 18 June.
He said the process of equipping the factory and training workers is under way as part of the first phase of an agreement that will last five years.
Egypt hopes to export K9s to Arab and African countries, as well as meet the needs of its own military. “We have already started bilateral negotiations with a number of Arab and African countries that want to get the K9 because the cannon is the latest in the world,” Morsi said.
Egypt and South Korea signed a USD1.65 bn contract during the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX) held in Abu Dhabi in February 2021 covering the production of unspecified numbers of the K9A1 EGY version of the howitzer and K10 ammunition vehicle. (Source: Janes)
21 June 22. China tests anti-ballistic missile interceptor.
The mid-course test is defensive in nature and not a move against any country, says the Ministry of National Defence.
China’s Ministry of National Defence has announced that it successfully tested an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) interceptor as part of its efforts to strengthen its defence capabilities.
This is the sixth land-based, anti-ballistic missile test publicly announced by China, reported state-run tabloid Global Times.
The mid-course missile test held within the country’s borders was for defensive purposes and not a move against any country, reported Reuters, citing a statement from the Ministry of National Defence.
The ministry did not disclose further specifications about the missile system.
Anti-ballistic missiles are equipped with projectiles to protect a country from missile attacks, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Nuclear Policy Program senior fellow Tong Zhao was quoted by CNN as saying : “China is planning to build a multi-layered missile defence system which consists of several components.”
China has so far developed HQ9 and HQ19 defence systems to counter short and medium-range missiles, Zhao added.
The test of the ground-based, mid-course anti-missile interception technology was carried out on Sunday night.
The ministry added: “The test reached its expected goals.”
The known ABM tests were carried out by the country in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2021.
While five tests were conducted in mid-course phase, it is not known in which interception phase the test was conducted in 2014.
According to media reports, all the tests were carried out successfully.
The latest test by China follows a recent series of missile tests by North Korea, including short-range ballistic missiles and a possible ICBM. In 2020, the US estimated that China has a stockpile of 200 nuclear warheads, which could reach at least 400 by 2030. (Source: army-technology.com)
22 June 22. France requests Switchblade loitering munition to fill ‘urgent’ capability gap. The French Army has started the process of quickly procuring American-made loitering munitions as part of a longer-term effort to field remotely operated weapon systems, according to officials.
The service is looking to add AeroVironment’s Switchblade to its inventory within the next six months, Col. Arnaud Goujon, the Army’s chief of plans, told reporters at the Eurosatory defense expo, which was held last week outside Paris.
In a Tuesday email to Defense News, the French Armed Forces Ministry confirmed the country is in the process of launching a Foreign Military Sales request “for the acquisition of Switchblade remote-operated ammunition.”
“This launch aims to set up a first urgent capacity for the benefit of the French forces,” the ministry wrote.
The Pentagon in April announced plans to supply the Switchblade munition to Ukraine as part of military aid provided to the European country since Russian invaded it in late February.
At Eurosatory, Goujon noted the Army is discussing how best to use such weapons. “Six months from now, we’re going to have a really good discussion” on the path forward, he said.
The service is looking for a capability “that is different” than a mortar or an artillery shell, he said. “If it is the same price of a mortar round that goes about 3 kilometers away and flies for 15 minutes, then it’s interesting.”
But if it’s 10 times more expensive than a mortar and has the same range, Goujon said he is less interested.
However, if the weapon can fly 30 or 50 kilometers (19 or 31 miles) away and has an endurance of two to four hours, “suddenly, I can task it on a recovering mission … then it’s a different animal,” Goujon said.
The use of loitering munitions by both Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in 2020 provided many “lessons learned” for how to use such weapons at the operational level, he added.
Neither Goujon nor the ministry commented on how many units the Army plans to acquire, and they would not provide a value of the foreign military sale. French news outlets reported this month that the ministry’s procurement office was looking to acquire 82 remotely operated weapon systems.
The U.S. State Department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency declined to comment on any potential or pending arms transfers prior to congressional notification.
AeroVironment declined to comment on the potential sale, but a company official said there has been “considerable interest” in the weapon from various militaries since the Defense Department announced plans to send it to Ukraine. The Switchblade 600 is on its way to Ukraine “right now,” Charles Dean, vice president of global business development for unmanned systems, told Defense News at Eurosatory.
He noted that AeroVironment’s loitering munitions have been “out of public view for many years,” despite being used for more than a decade by the U.S. Army. “But with the crisis in Ukraine and the donation by the U.S. government of our loitering munitions to support the Ukrainians, many more people are aware of these systems.”
AeroVironment has provided the rucksack-portable, tube-launched Switchblade 300 loitering munition to the U.S. Army for more than 10 years, and the company introduced the larger 600 variant in 2020. The company also provides a nonlethal variant of the 300 system, dubbed Blackwing.
The French ministry noted in its email that the government is gearing up for “a long-lasting remotely operated ammunition operation,” to launch as early as 2023 via two recently announced projects, Colibri and Larinae (or Hummingbird and Seagull in English, respectively).
Officials at Eurosatory told Defense News that the goal of those projects is to identify a low-cost solution that can target and neutralize an armored vehicle between 5 and 50 kilometers away, with a target demonstration date in 2024. (Source: Defense News)
21 June 22. USAF uses digital tools to expedite fielding of area attack weapons. A team of weapon experts in the US Air Force (USAF) have used digital tools to reduce delays in the fielding of the next-generation area attack weapons (NGAAW).
The new plan was developed by the Munitions Sustainment Division, Hill Air Force Base (AFB) to expedite the test results, as well as the performance, surveillance and qualification of ageing and next-generation weapon systems.
This plan was tested for the BLU-134 NGAAW production effort.
The BLU-134 production is directly related to insensitive munitions (IM) energetic material’s availability, which limited its rate of production and could have delayed the deliveries until 2025.
To deliver the weapon sooner, the available option was to qualify BLU-134 with another but abundant energetic fill called Tritonal. It also uses a different production process than IM energetics.
The team pursued the plan at the Arena test site, Eglin AFB.
However, the programme was out-prioritised by other weapon systems at the site, resulting in a 15-month delay.
Later, the Hill AFB team decided to build a new Arena test site at its Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) and equipped the facility with new optical and digital capabilities.
They were supported by Sandia National Labs, Explosive Ordinance Test Lab (EOTL) and other key stakeholders.
Subsequently, the team carried out two tests- first with an IM-filled BLU-134 NGAAW followed by a Tritonal-filled warhead test. The tests helped in determining the effectiveness of the Tritonal energetics fill in the BLU-134 to address supply chain and manufacturing limitations.
BLU-134 NGAAW programme manager Joshua Joslyn said: “Everything worked as planned, and we were able to recover 12 months of the 15-month schedule delay. Here is a perfect example of collective teamwork at its best across multiple organisations.”
Last month, the bomb team executed a series of six tests for BLU-134’s qualification. The programme is currently in post-test activities, including data collection and analysis. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
22 June 22. Dstl is searching for generation-after-next wearable technology. Blood, sweat, tears…and saliva. Molecular measurements through biocompatible wearable technologies
- DASA has launched a new Themed Competition: Generation-after-next Wearable Technologies
- Funded by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl)
- Up to £750k funding available for innovative wearable technologies that focus on biocompatible materials that access information present within an individual’s bodily fluids
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is pleased to launch a new Themed Competition called Generation-after-next Wearable Technologies. Run on behalf of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), this competition seeks wearable biocompatible technologies and innovations that move beyond the measurement of physical parameters such as heart rate, and instead, towards the capability to measure data present in the individual’s body fluids, such as blood, sweat, tears, saliva and tissue fluids.
For this themed competition, Dstl seeks to:
- obtain credible evidence that generation-after-next wearable technologies have the potential to protect the health and wellbeing of future Defence and Security staff
- overcome critical technical challenges to enable exploitation of novel wearable technologies
- find novel technology developments to provide relevant measures that inform critical decision making in maintaining the health and wellbeing of Defence and Security staff
Key technologies this competition will focus on include devices / assay systems, semi-implantable and fully implantable devices, studies and sensor systems, and any technology that provides robust measures of biomarkers.
Key dates and funding
Up to £750,000 is available to fund multiple proposals for generation-after-next wearable technology.
The deadline to submit a proposal is midday 25 August 2022.
Do you have an innovation? Read the full competition document and submit a proposal.
Moving beyond the smartwatch and towards biocompatible materials and sensor technologies, the ability to analyse the molecules in clinical matrices is essential to understand the health of an individual.
Currently, analyses of molecular biomarkers in clinical matrices is restricted to laboratory analysis. However, novel platforms have emerged that are capable of continuous on-person measurement of important clinical biomarkers, such as glucose.
In addition, developments in biocompatible materials, biomarker identification and measurement methods have led to a new generation of wearable sensor technologies. The development of these platforms and technologies has fostered aspirations within the defence science community to understand how they can be adapted to monitor biomarkers of interest in the defence community to improve the health and wellbeing of Defence and Security staff.
Generation-after-next wearable technologies will measure biomarkers present in the individual’s body and be able to derive immediate and long-term data on how the physical and occupational stressors impact the individual in a Defence and Security setting.
This data has the potential to provide predictive and prognostic information to prompt intervention and minimise the risk of disease and non-battle injury.
Generation-after-next wearable technology: Challenge areas
Submitted proposals should choose to target one or more of the below challenge areas.
Challenge 1
Biocompatibility, future tolerability of platforms for human use and maintenance of performance of sensor capabilities over periods of hours and potentially days depending on the target biomarker and scenario of use. For example:
- demonstration of platforms capable of reliably accessing molecular biomarkers in a range of body fluids
Challenge 2
The ability to measure several types of analyte (small molecules to larger protein targets) in a continuous assay format. This challenge area will also examine adaptability and flexibility of assays to integration of new biomarker panels as they emerge from human science research studies. For example:
- demonstration of novel continuous measurement for molecular markers (e.g. enzymes, metabolites or small molecules)
Challenge 3
Assessment of the applicability of accessible bodily fluids to measurement of particular biomolecules, i.e. studies to show presence of key biomarkers, with relevance to associated pathology, in particular sample types and indicate exploitability of these platforms in defence and security applications. For example:
- studies that demonstrate that a particular accessible fluid (e.g. sweat, saliva, tear fluid, interstitial fluid) is a relevant matrix for a particular biomarker associated with a chosen stressor of interest.
Want to learn more about these challenge areas? Read the full competition document here.
Webinars and online events
Competition Webinar: 6 July 2022
This webinar will provide more information on the challenge areas and how to submit a proposal. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions in the Q&A. If you would like to get involved, please register on the Eventbrite page
Register now
Related DASA Competition
If you’re interested in this technology area please also take a look at Engineering Biology for Defence and Security. Please note that you cannot submit the same proposal to both competitions. If you’re interested in applying but unsure which competition your innovation would be best suited to, contact your local innovation partner.
Submit a proposal
Do you have a solution or novel approach that may help our understanding of generation-after-next wearable technologies to protect the health and wellbeing of future defence staff? Submit an idea and help DASA and Dstl ensure wearable technology capabilities are informed by the latest research and developments.
Read the full competition document to learn more and submit a proposal: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/generation-after-next-wearable-technologies (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
21 June 22. ILA 2022: Germany weighs attack helo options. Germany continues to weigh its future attack helicopter requirements, with a decision expected on whether to proceed with the incumbent Airbus Tiger or to procure the Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian instead.
As one of the two original partner countries in the Tiger effort, Germany had been expected to join partner France and export customer Spain in the Mk III upgrade (also known as Standard 3) designed to take the European platform out into the 2050s.
However, the launch of the upgrade in March saw the country conspicuously absent, with the contract, signed by the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), noting only the possibility for Germany to join the programme at a later date, should it so wish. The official omission of Germany from the Tiger Mk III programme came weeks after Janes reported that Berlin had instead expressed interest in acquiring the Apache from the US. (Source: Janes)
20 June 22. Eurosatory 2022: Lockheed Martin outlines the road ahead for Javelin. Lockheed Martin representatives outlined the road map for the Javelin anti-armour weapon system at Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris.
Speaking to Janes, company representatives confirmed that missile production had completely switched over to the FGM-148F model, which was developed under the Spiral 2 missile improvement programme. Any new customers, or follow-on orders from existing customers, would now be receiving this missile model.
Produced by the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV), which consists of Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Missiles & Defense, the system entered service with the United States in 1996 and has received a number of updates since then, with further updates planned in the next few years.
The F-model is an evolution of the FGM-148E (Spiral 1), which was introduced in 2006 and saw its final improvement made in 2017 with the replacement of the missile’s analog control and actuation system (CAS) with a single digital card. The F-model brought a new multi-purpose warhead (MPWH) to increase lethality against lightly armoured targets and personnel. (Source: Janes)
17 June 22. Eurosatory 2022: Terramil develops AP mine for Estonian military. Estonian munitions specialist Terramil will shortly commence production of a new anti-personnel (AP) mine and is developing an anti-tank (AT) mine, Janes has learnt.
Speaking to Janes at Eurosatory 2022 in Paris, Kristo Kirs, a member of Terramil’s board, said that the company had developed its M-13 AP mine in response to a request from the Estonian military.
Work on the mine began about a year ago and production is scheduled to start in August, Kirs said, adding that the M-13 is the largest AP mine in the company’s product line. It features 12 kg of high explosives (HEs) and 1,200 steel pellets, and is lethal at a distance of 200 m in a 60° arc, according to the company.
It is fitted to a tripod and its mount enables the mine to be elevated. Kirs said that the M-13 is designed to operate with a man-in-the-loop. (Source: Janes)
16 June 22. Eurosatory 2022: Elbit Systems launches REST guidance kit for ‘dumb’ bombs. Elbit Systems has developed an applique tail and wing kit for unguided, air-launched munitions, which is intended to extend their range and enhance accuracy. Speaking to Janes at Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris, Nir Halamish, Elbit Systems senior vice-president for munition systems and ammunition, said that the Range Extension and Smart Tail (REST) kit can be fitted to Mk 82 and Mk 83 bombs, enabling them to strike targets out to a distance of 120 km and with a circular error probable (CEP) of 10 m when an aircraft is flying at an optimum profile of 36,000 ft and Mach 0.9. Development of REST commenced around two and a half years ago, and was spurred by the recognition that many countries have significant stocks of unguided munitions, which would be costly to replace with modern guided types, Halamish added. (Source: Janes)
21 June 22. In light of the growing security threats in Europe, DIEHL Defence and RAFAEL are strengthening their partnership by introducing for the first time the recently-unveiled SPICE 250 ER, alongside the gliding SPICE 250 as a system intended to be manufactured in Germany by DIEHL Defence.
SPICE 250 is the smallest of the SPICE Family, which includes the SPICE 250, SPICE 1000, and SPICE 2000. SPICE is a stand-off, air-to-surface weapon system that strikes targets with pinpoint accuracy and at high attack volumes, independent of GPS, by applying scene-matching algorithms. SPICE is combat-proven and in service with the IAF and with a number of international customers.
SPICE 250 ER preserves the same characteristics of the SPICE 250, incorporating a small turbojet engine to provide substantial range extension, enabling stand-off range for the modern dynamic battle field and new advanced SAM threats, while retaining the same mission-planning system, aircraft interfaces, and aircrew operation. This combines the advantages of both variants (gliding and propelled) while significantly decreasing the integration effort.
The SPICE 250 and the ER variant deliver a unique array of homing modes which maximize mission success rate while minimizing collateral damage. They also incorporate a net-enabled digital data link which allows a Human-in-the-Loop capability, abort-mission command, and BDI.
The combination of increased loadout of SPICE 250 variants, unique homing methods for various scenarios, and extended range enables a high volume and precise strike capability against multiple target types at reduced cost.
20 Jun 22. UK Mobile Fires RfP by end of 2022? Sources at Eurosatory suggested that the UK MoD will issue the RfP for the 116 Mobile Fires platforms by the end of 2022. The RfP is expected to include wheeled and tracked solutions. Contenders are likely to be Hanwha of the RoK for a tracked solutions with Boxer RCH 155, Nexter’s Caesar And BAE Systems Archer.
18 June 22. Hanwha, Kongsberg team up on infantry fighting vehicles and long-range precision fires. Hanwha’s defence subsidiaries signed a memorandum of understanding with KONGSBERG over the development of infantry fighting vehicles and long-range precision fire systems at Eurosatory 2022. The South Korean and the Norwegian defence company expand their partnership in developing and marketing advanced defence solutions
South Korea’s Hanwha Group and Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace announced on June 15 that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on June 14 during the Eurosatory 2022 exhibition in Paris, France.
The MoU was signed by Hanwha’s three defence business subsidiaries – Hanwha Defense Corp., Hanwha Defense Australia (HDA), and Hanwha Corporation – and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Norway’s major supplier of defence and aerospace-related systems and solutions.
The Norwegian Defence Material Agency has issued a Request For Information (RFI) for additional Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFVs) and a RFI for Long-Range Precision Fire Systems (LRPFS) will be issued later this year.
Hanwha Defense has proven track records of developing and delivering advanced IFVs such as the K21 in service with the Republic of Korean Army, and the Redback vying for the AUD$18-27 bn project of the LAND 400 Phase 3 for the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
Participating in the Risk Mitigation Activity operated by the ADF in 2021, the Redback successfully demonstrated its lethality, mobility and survivability, featuring its innovative technologies, including the Iron Fist hard-kill active protection system; the Iron Vision “seethrough” helmet-mounted display; and composite rubber tracks among others.
The Redback also showcased its all-terrain manoeuvrability during South Korean Army’stest trials from April to May, raising the possibility of the service’s operation of the Redback vehicles.
The MoU includes a means for collaborating on LRPFS between Hanwha Corporation, a leading precision-guided weapons developer in South Korea, and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
“This MoU confirms our ongoing work with Kongsberg on different programs, including Australia and internationally, bringing together best of breed technology solutions from all companies,” Richard Cho, HDA Managing Director said. (Source: Google/http://www.koreaittimes.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=113680)
17 June 22. US Army’s autonomous HIMARS moving forward, will be at Project Convergence. The Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher program involves a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) modified with software to be controlled remotely and driven autonomously.
The Army is making incremental progress on its developmental Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher, but is still working through the exact requirements for the AI-enabled long-range fires capability.
The Army doesn’t currently have a program of record for the launcher, a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) modified with software to be controlled remotely and driven autonomously. US Indo-Pacific Command has a particularly keen interest in the system, due to its mobility and range that could provide effective shots against enemy anti-access/area denial capabilities.
“We’re in the maturation process of Autonomous Multi-domain Launcher. That includes, well, how might we use it?,’” said Jeffrey Langhout, director of the the Aviation and Missile Center at the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC). “This is the part of the process where we are trying to figure out what the requirement really needs to be.”
Langhout said that the team is currently in the process of integrating the autonomous, driverless technology that CCDC’s Ground Vehicle Systems Center is building, as well as artificial intelligence algorithms created by the Army’s Artificial Intelligence Integration Center that will serve as the “brains” of the HIMARS launcher, he said. Additionally, the service is developing the code to control the launcher from different locations. It also wants one soldier to be able to control multiple launchers.
Langhout is “very comfortable” with the driverless technology and the launcher code, but said the challenge is connecting it all into one larger integrated system. “Merging all that stuff together — it’s the first time we’ve done it and we really haven’t done it to this level,” he said.
According to Langhout, AML will “demonstrate the next maturation level” at Project Convergence later this year.
Regardless of if or when the launcher becomes a program of record, Indo-Pacific Command leaders are showing interest, given the distributed nature of warfare in the Pacific. He said that the Army is still “not as mature” in terms of figuring out how it will be used and is using modeling and simulation to figure out operating concepts.
But the service has floated around some ideas. Last year, the service released a video showing C-130s landing on an island, unloading a manned HIMARS and unmanned AML, which drove as part of a manned-unmanned team. They both fired at enemy threats and returned to the C-130s, which quickly departed. The video showed the launcher firing Precision Strike Missiles, one of the Army’s new long-range fires capabilities.
“Those are concepts we see,” Langhout said. “Again, a concept that is by no means mature, or even for even decided upon, all part of what might work best in the INDOPACOM environment.”
Langhout said that AvMC received a request from the command to continue to develop the system, and eventually deliver it to a large test event in the Pacific “in a couple of years.”
The service successfully demonstrated the proof of concept for the launcher last June during a multi-round live fire demonstration for the Long-Range Fires Cross-Functional Team at Fort Still, Okla. The simulation featured simulations of the PrSM missiles’ longer and short-range capabilities across three islands scenarios, according to Defense News. Langhout said that the work last summer was “very, very basic” and that the platform is looking to increase its level of complexity moving forward.
“Last year, what we did was very, very elementary school stuff,” Langhout said. “Well, now we’re getting into middle school and high school level of complexity. And of course, we need to be at a PhD level by the time we actually would field it to a soldier.” (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
17 June 22. UK swaps radars for SHORAD in Saudi Arabia. The British Army has deployed self-propelled short-range air defence systems to Saudi Arabia but has withdrawn its Giraffe air surveillance radars from the kingdom, Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace said on 16 June.
“The UK deployed two Giraffe radars in February 2020 to help mitigate the continued aerial threats that the kingdom has faced,” he said in a statement. “It was necessary to repatriate these radars in December 2021, but the threat to Saudi Arabia has not abated…. The Ministry of Defence has conducted a phased follow-on deployment of air defence equipment to Saudi Arabia. The deployment comprises a small number of High Velocity Missile (Self Propelled) systems and associated personnel.”
The self-propelled version of the High Velocity Missile system consists of a Stormer light armoured vehicle fitted with a launcher for eight Starstreak or Martlet laser-beam riding missiles and an infrared target detection and tracking system. (Source: Janes)
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