09 Oct 22. Kongsberg, Thales pitch StrikeMaster vehicle-mounted NSM at ADF.
The Australian Army is thinking about fielding a new coastal defence battery under Project LAND 4100 Ph.2. The new battery would form part of Army’s new Fires Brigade which includes a Land Based Maritime Strike capability. Army is reported to be considering buying up to 30 systems to protect the Australian shoreline as well as deployed forces in the archipelago to Australia’s north.
One possibility to satisfy this requirement could be the Kongsberg-Thales Australia StrikeMaster, which was unveiled at Land Forces 2022.
The StrikeMaster consists of the Norwegian company’s Naval Strike Missile (NSM), an anti-ship weapon with a range of at least 250km, mounted on a ute version of Thales Australia’s armoured, high-mobility and proven Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle (PMV). Kongsberg would be prime contractor for this system which would see two missiles and their Launcher Missile Modules (LMM) mounted on the vehicle.
The NSM and its LMMs would be identical to those already ordered by the RAN to replace the ageing Harpoon anti-ship missiles aboard its Hobart and Anzac-class surface combatants under Project SEA 1300. The NSM’s passive, autonomous guidance system can automatically recognise potential targets, right down to the class of ship it is looking at and is expected to enter service from 2024.
A StrikeMaster is light enough to be carried on a C-17 transport aircraft or an RAN landing craft. Once in its operational area it would self-deploy to a remote site to dominate local sea areas.
The Army is reported to be looking at up to 30 deployable land based maritime strike systems. According to Kongsberg an NSM battery could consist of 3 or 4 troops, each with a command vehicle, four StrikeMaster NSM launch vehicles, a missile supply vehicle and a technical support vehicle.
According to the 2020 Force Structure Plan, Project LAND 4100 Ph.2 has a value of up to $500 million with a delivery date of around 2024.
The NSM has also been ordered by eight other nations including the US Marine Corps which uses the same missile and LMM on an unmanned version of its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) to create what it terms the Naval-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS). This is designed to protect its naval and land forces when undertaking amphibious operations.
The Bushmaster ute (which was launched some ten years ago) will be manufactured in Bendigo by Thales Australia while Kongsberg Defence Australia will manufacture the LMMs at Mawson Lakes, SA. There’s also a possibility Thales Australia will manufacture the rocket motor propellant and warhead for the NSM in Australia, as it did for Kongsberg’s Penguin air-launched anti-ship missile which was acquired to arm the ill-fated SH-2G(A) Super Seasprite helicopter.
The fire control system for the StrikeMasters would be very similar to that developed for the Army’s joint Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) system. This is based on the Kongsberg-Raytheon NASAMS surface-air missile system. However, because the 250km range of the NSM exceeds any land-based sensor by far, the StrikeMaster Fire Control System (FCS) will integrate target data from third party systems such as the P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft and other sources of targeting data. (Source: Rumour Control)
06 Oct 22. UVision announces the opening of its new production and training center in Virginia, USA. The opening of the facility signifies the company’s increased commitment to the US market. UVision Air Ltd. – a global leader in aerial loitering munition systems of all sizes, for a variety of missions – has announced that the opening of its new facility in Virginia for the production of HERO systems has been brought forward, due to the high volume of orders already received. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on October 6, at the new facility located at 600 Corporate Drive, Stafford VA, in the presence of Stafford County leadership, Industrial Partners, and various customers.
UVision USA Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of UVision Air Ltd., is playing an integral role in UVision’s ongoing global expansion of operations. Signifying the company’s increased commitment to the US market, this initiative will create jobs in Virginia, making an important contribution to the American labor market. The opening of the 25,000 square-foot facility located at the Quantico Corporate Center will enable UVision to increase its local production capability, further improve its high-level, rapid response to US customers, and increase supply to international customers – either directly or through government-to-government initiatives.
Tinesha Allen, Stafford County Griffis-Widewater District Supervisor said, “Welcome UVision USA to Stafford County. We congratulate UVision Air Ltd on the expansion and opening of their US Headquarters, and new product and training facility located in Stafford County. We are proud to have this small, specialized business serving our US military combat operations. UVision is an asset to our growing, diverse technical economy. Thank you for your investment in Stafford.”
“Following the signing of our latest contract with a Latin American country and the growing demand for roving armament systems around the world, we decided to bring forward the opening of our new production plant in Virginia, USA,” says Major General (Ret.) Avi Mizrachi, CEO of UVision. “The opening of the factory will enable local production of the company’s systems, strengthening UVision’s overall commitment to the US Armed Services and the US economy, and creating new jobs for local residents. In addition, UVision USA will increase and strengthen our collaborations with academic institutions and local businesses, further supporting the plant’s activities.”
06 Oct 22. Australian Defence Force Lethality Systems Selected. One of the Australian Defence Force’s LAND 159 Tranche 1 programs includes the acquisition of “Lethality Systems”. These reflect procurement of a number of individual systems to fill specific close combat roles within the modernized Force. On 30 September 2022 Major General Bottrell, Head of Land Systems announced the Queensland-based company NIOA has been selected to manage the procurement and support through selected vendors of new sniper rifles, pistols, shotguns, personal defence weapons, optics, fighting knives, and an assault breaching system. The multi-million-dollar contract will direct acquisitions by NIOA that will take place beginning in 2023.
Since 2020 NIOA’s weapons and munitions specialists working alongside the Commonwealth project team, evaluated 649 candidate products for the eleven mission roles before making its final recommendations. The new weapons systems now identified by the ADF to be acquired include:
- Double-Edged Fighting Knife by Australia’s ZU Bladeworx as the basis of the ADF’s new Hand-to-Hand Fighting System. The black, double-edged fighting knife has a 100mm blade, is machined from a solid billet of A2 steel and features a non-slip handle and retention ring.
- Sidearm Weapon – The SIG Sauer P320 XCarry Pro replacing the venerable Browning Mk3 pistol. It will be complemented with reflex sights, and a white light illuminator.
- Combat Shotgun System – The Benelli M3A1 capable of semi-automatic or pump-action mode, it is complemented with a red dot sight and white light illuminator.
- Personal Defense Weapon – The SIG Sauer MCX .300 Blackout calibre to provide dismounted combatants with a light, modular, and compact weapon system that can be rapidly optimised for specialised roles.
- Long Range Sniper Capability – The Accuracy International AX-SR – as a multi-calibre system capable of delivering in .338 Lapua Magnum, .300 Norma Magnum and 7.62mm NATO calibres.
- Sniper Surveillance Capability – Safran JIM Compact multispectral surveillance device and Steiner laser range-finding binoculars to provide sniper team surveillance
- Anti-Material Sniper Capability – Barrett Firearms M107A1 rifle a lighter, modernised and suppressed derivative of the in-service weapon, provided with precision optics, night vision, and ranger-finding devices.
Gen Bottrell stated “The collaboration between Defence and industry means we will acquire the best available weapon systems for our troops.” (Source: AMR)
04 Oct 22. Hanwha offers K-MLRS to Australia. Even prior a number of militaries had been considering the acquisition and fielding of MLRS with the United States M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) from Lockheed-Martin often the weapon system being considered.
The Australian Army has included HIMARS in its future force modernization requesting to buy twenty (20) HIMARS plus various rockets and support from the US Government. The request was approved in May 2022 although a contract has not been finalized.
Now, however, the Republic of Korea’s Hanwha Defense has not only offered its K-MLRS system as an alternative but will include technology transfer and local production of the system and its missile munitions.
The K-MLRS M239 Cheonmoo (Chunmoo) completed development by Hanwha in 2013 and is in service with the ROK Army. It uses a heavy 8 X 8 tactical truck chassis with an armoured crew cab. It fires a range of projectiles including Korean developed130mm and 230 mm with either impact of delay detonation. The 130mm versions have a range of 23 and 36 km with am 80 km model in development. The 239 mm can reach of 80 km (though some reports suggest 160 km) and includes a GPS/precision warhead. The 227mm is compatible with the US GMLR used with its HIMARS. Projectiles are housed in two pods with the twenty 130mm rockets and six 227/239mm in each pod.
A Cheonmoo has a three-man crew and using a digital fire control system with on-board position/navigation and can rapidly move, halt, fire and move again. The M239 is accompanied by a ammunition resupply/reload K239T vehicle using the same chassis carrying two reload sets. The ROK includes a command vehicle with each battery. The system can be transported in a C130 aircraft.
Poland is confirmed to also have interest in the M239 K-MLRS and is in parallel discussions with the US and Hanwha. The latter reportedly is extending the same joint manufacturing to Poland as it has extended to Australia. (Source: AMR)
06 Oct 22. £34m boost to frigate weapon systems sustains 150 UK jobs.
Weapon systems on board the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates will be upgraded in a £34m contract awarded by the UK Ministry of Defence.
During the next five years, Royal Navy ships will undergo a series of technical upgrades to their Magazine Torpedo Launch Systems and threat countermeasure capabilities, the latter of which will help ensure the ships continue to counter the threat of hostile anti-ship missiles.
The contract was award to Systems Engineering & Assessment (SEA) in Devon.
Sustaining 150 UK jobs across Barnstaple, Beckington and Bristol in the south west of England, the upgrades will ensure that critical systems on Type 23 frigates continue to operate reliably, and that upgrades can be seamlessly adopted and installed until their out of service dates.
The Type-23 frigate carries out a wide variety of operations, including securing the UK’s vital maritime trade routes East of the Suez Canal and safeguarding British interests in the South Atlantic. This week the Royal Navy deployed HMS Somerset to play a leading role in protecting critical energy infrastructure, working with Norway and our allies in the North and Norwegian Seas.
Minister for Defence Procurement, Alec Shelbrooke, said: “These crucial upgrades will help to ensure our Royal Navy ships remain equipped with the latest counter-threat capability.Supporting 150 jobs at sites across the UK, this contract is another example of how we are investing in the future, sustaining UK jobs and securing cutting-edge defence capabilities.”
Type 23 frigates will have electronic upgrades to Seagnat, a system which safeguards the vessel against incoming missiles by firing a variety of decoys to defeat incoming missiles.
Some ships will also undergo a further technical upgrade to their Magazine Torpedo Launch Systems – a close range, quick reaction Anti-Submarine weapon system which launches torpedoes from tubes mounted in the vessel’s magazine.
The contract was placed by the Maritime Equipment and Warfare (MEWT) team at Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the procurement arm of the UK Ministry of Defence.
DE&S’ Director Ships Support Rear Admiral Jim Higham: “I’m incredibly proud of our team which has worked so hard to place this contract, ensuring Type 23 has the battle-winning capability it needs to perform their critical role in the Royal Navy fleet now and into the future.
In addition to Type 23 updates, the contract will also upgrade Seagnat systems during the next five years on Type 45 destroyers and Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) tankers, which provide fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world.
The contract also secures five further years of support for the systems on board the vessels with improved provision for spares.”
The equipment supported under this contract (Magazine Torpedo Launch Systems, Seagnat and Air Weapons Handling) are used on various ships in the Royal Navy such as Type 23 frigates, Type 45 destroyers, Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC), Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels and Albion-class Landing Platform Docks.
Richard Flitton, Managing Director at Systems Engineering & Assessment said: This major contract, SEA’s largest to date, demonstrates the systems knowledge and maritime domain expertise within our UK-based team and builds on our long-standing partnership with the Royal Navy.” (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
07 Oct 22. EDIDP LynkEUs project – success of European BLOS firings with AKERON MP Missiles system in Cyprus. MBDA and its partners of the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) LynkEUs project gathered in Cyprus on the 28th and 29th of September to deliver static and dynamic presentations, and firing demonstrations. The two AKERON MP firings were a success and a major step in the definition of an initial operational concept for a European beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) capability.
It is the first time firings have been carried out using a full configuration of the BLOS functional chain with the battlefield missile system AKERON MP. Two missiles were fired from an IMPACT turret integrated onto a SHERPA vehicle, engaging a target designated by a micro unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) via a cyber-secure link. It is also the first time that a BLOS firing has been performed from a vehicle.
On the 28th of September, on a National Guard Base in Cyprus, static and dynamic demonstrations presented and validated the capabilities developed by the different partners in the framework of the project. Among the static demonstrations were presentations on technologies such as sensors, navigation, 3D modelling, UAV landing and cyber protection. The LynkEUs consortium also performed dynamic demonstrations with different UAVs, including a micro-UAV fitted with new generation of European IR sensors and demonstrations with different unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) equipped with observation-designation functions on gimbal sensors or with medium turret. Partners also presented a concept of a BLOS capability integration (AKERON MP and NX70 micro UAV) on a gun turret integrated on an armoured modular vehicle.
The two successful AKERON MP firings, carried out by MBDA and its partners with the support of the Cypriot Ministry of Defence, were performed on 29th September in two distinct operational configurations. One was with the UAV pilot installed in the SHERPA missile launch vehicle representing a full standalone capability. The second was with the UAV pilot installed in another vehicle one kilometre from the missile launch vehicle, typical of a collaborative engagement.
Eric Béranger, CEO of MBDA, said: “The success of these demonstrations and firings is the first concrete step in the implementation of a European autonomous BLOS land combat capability, which is critical in the geostrategic context at the borders of Europe. They also demonstrate the essential contribution of AKERON MP to this capability. The LynkEUs project attests of the ability of MBDA to implement complex projects and bring together skills and expertise from across Europe.”
LynkEUs is a project selected by the European Commission on July 2020 as part of the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) 2019. The project aims to define, then test, a preliminary concept of operations for a European BLOS capability and demonstrate the proof of principle through a full scale firing campaign, as well as identifying axes of evolution and improvement of the whole BLOS functional chain.
This project is the first technological contribution to the objectives of the capability project EU BLOS, endorsed on 19 November 2018 within the framework of the permanent structures cooperation (PESCO), which aims to develop a family of man-on-the-loop BLOS missile systems with back image. This project has received funding from the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) under grant agreement No EDIDP-NGPSC-2019-014-LynkEUs.
The LynkEUs project is coordinated by MBDA and involves the following partners: Aditess, FN Herstal, John Cockerill Defense, Novadem, SAFRAN, THALES, The Cyprus Institute, The Royal Military Academy, Signal Generics, XENICS, The Cyprus MoD, The Belgian MoD and The French MoD under the auspices of the European Commission
The subcontractors are: DELAIR, Milrem Robotics and CARMENTA
The selection of the MBDA led MARSEUS (Modular Architecture Solutions for EU States) project, proposed for funding in July 2022 by the European Commission, as outcome of the European Defence Fund calls for proposals 2021, is a second step of an overall industrial and technological roadmap aiming to develop and mature, under a full European design authority, the various components of a BLOS capability and their interconnection. MARSEUS aims to enhance the BLOS capability initiated by the LynkEUs project and. It will also study architecture components and functions related to a BLOS Extended Range and a BLOS Extended Capacity capabilities, as well as considering new functionalities related to collaborative combat and training aspects.
This press release reflects only the author’s view. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
06 Oct 22. Leonardo DRS Teams with SpearUAV Ltd for Nano-scale Aerial Munitions. Leonardo DRS, Inc. (DRS) announced today its Land Systems business unit in St. Louis, Missouri has entered into an agreement with SpearUAV Ltd. (Spear) of Israel to develop a version of Spear’s VIPER nano-scale aerial munition for the US market. Under terms of the agreement, DRS and Spear are adapting the VIPER aerial munition to meet the emerging requirements of multiple US military customers. Spear developed VIPER rapidly in response to lessons learned during recent major conflicts. The vertical launch, quad-rotor VIPER provides a warfighter at the tactical edge an affordable, simple-to-use, and effective organic aerial munition against a variety of targets including those in defilade.
Small aerial munitions like VIPER are revolutionizing small unit tactics by putting precision lethality literally in the hands of the individual warfighter. VIPER provides organic, responsive, precision fires at the squad level, allowing operators to destroy immediate threats like enemy snipers and RPG teams without relying on higher-level assets. The delivery accuracy possible with VIPER also minimizes collateral damage in complex urban terrain.
This partnership leverages Leonardo DRS’ extensive platform integration and payload development experience with SpearUAV’s technological synergies for the US Defense market.
“We continue to prioritize investments to meet critical unit capability gaps and user-identified requirements. We then design, build and test integrated solutions that are mature, affordable, and rapidly available to meet accelerated customer demands,” said Aaron Hankins, Senior VP / General Manager of DRS Land Systems. “We recognized Spear as a leading-edge AI and unmanned technology company, and we are very excited about this new partnership. VIPER expands our current sUAS efforts and brings a much-needed lethal munition capability to warfighters now.”
SpearUAV CEO Gadi Kuperman added, “We want to provide the user the ability to treat VIPER the same way they would any other piece of combat equipment or munition, such as a bullet or a grenade. It’s a battlefield tool; it’s ready and meant to be used at any time and without hesitation. And that could be for an infantry soldier or for land or naval platform crews.”
06 Oct 22. DoD Announces New Contract to Increase Hypersonic Flight Testing Tempo. The Department of Defense announced today the award of a new contract to augment the Department’s capacity to conduct regular hypersonic flight tests more regularly. Dynetics and a team of over 20 industry partners have been awarded a Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) through the National Security Technology Accelerator. This agreement for a new Hypersonics Test Bed will increase domestic capacity for hypersonic flight testing and leverage multiple commercially-available launch vehicles for ride-along hypersonic payloads.
“In order to meet our objectives in hypersonics, we need to be able to launch flight tests much more regularly,” said Mike White, Principal Director for Hypersonics. “That’s how we accelerate learning throughout our portfolio of development and demonstration programs.”
Data collected from tests will enable technology improvements and capability validation as part of the development, fielding, and use of hypersonic weapon systems across the DoD. This hypersonic flight test bed will offer the Department a national hypersonic testing capability that can be leveraged by a broad range of U.S. military hypersonics programs, DoD research programs, industry partners, and academia stakeholders. This program will be managed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Test Resources Management Center (TRMC) and executed by NSWC Crane.
“This program expands an important part of the Department’s hypersonic test efforts,” said George Rumford, Director of TRMC. “In order for us to build the science and technology pipeline needed to develop next generation, leap-ahead capabilities, we must have an affordable test bed that can accommodate continuous flight testing.”
“With this OTA, new and innovative technologies for hypersonics will be able to be matured in flight to validate performance, prior to being incorporated into existing weapon systems,” Rumford added.
Delivering hypersonic weapons is a priority for the Department of Defense. Capable of flying at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5), hypersonic weapons are highly maneuverable and can operate at varying altitudes. The DoD is working in collaboration with industry, government, national laboratories, academia, and allies and partners to field hypersonic warfighting capability in the early-to mid-2020s. (Source: US DoD)
06 Oct 22. Nammo to Develop 120mm Ammunition for K2 Main Battle Tank. Nammo has secured an agreement to develop new and modern 120mm ammunition for Hyundai Rotem Companies’ K2 main battle tank. The first test shots have already been fired.
“This is a major milestone for Nammo. The agreement with Hyundai Rotem Company (HRC) enables us to integrate and further develop our modern ammunition portfolio for the K2 main battle tank (MBT). This means more powerful ammunition for NATO countries using the K2, including Norway”, says Audun Dotseth, Vice President Large Caliber Systems at Nammo.
The agreement between the two companies has an initial value of $5m for the R&D part, and likely more than $100m if Nammo ends up producing and delivering 120mm ammunition to K2 users. Poland recently signed a contract to procure close to two hundred K2 tanks, in a deal where HRC will deliver a total of 1000 K2 MBTs with successive contracts. Norway is currently in the final stage of choosing a new MBT for its Army – the K2 is one of two candidates.
Initially, Nammo will start the work on integrating its current 120mm ammunition to ensure a high safety standard as well as perfect compatibility with the K2 MBT. In the mid- to long term, Nammo together with HRC also expects to finalize the development of a programmable fuze. This will enable the K2 MBT to use rounds with different scenario dependent modes, with airburst as one such option.
“The agreement between the two companies will further prepare the K2 MBT for the European market,” says Euiseong Lee, Vice President of HRC. “The K2 today is fully interoperable with NATO ammunition standards and the cooperation with Nammo will further strengthen the security of supply both for Norway and other K2 users in Europe,” he says.
The first successful test shots with the new airburst ammunition were fired at Rena firing range during last Winter’s test and trials in Norway. To facilitate further development and testing procedures, an identical gun with the one used by the K2 MBT, delivered by Hyundai Wia, will be permanently set up by HRC at Nammo’s Raufoss test center. (Source: ASD Network)
06 Oct 22. MBDA Akeron LP missile to arm Eurodrone. The MBDA Akeron LP missile has been selected to equip the Eurodrone medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The French Direction générale de l’armement (DGA) procurement agency made the announcement on 6 October, saying that the Missile Haut de Trame (MHT), as the Akeron LP was previously known in France, will complement the GBU-49 precision-guided bombs as the Eurodrone’s weapons package. As noted by the DGA in its announcement, the selection of the Akeron for the Eurodrone comes weeks after the air-to-surface missile was chosen to equip the Airbus Tiger Mk III attack helicopter in June. Described by MBDA as “a unique family of fifth-generation tactical combat missiles”, the Akeron series comprises MBDA’s previously named Missile Moyenne Portée (MMP) anti-tank missile now renamed Akeron MP, as well as the MHT (which itself was known by the moniker Missile Longue Portée [MLP]) long-range missile now renamed Akeron LP. (Source: Janes)
05 Oct 22. Tactical High-speed Offensive Ramjet for Extended Range (THOR-ER) Team Completes Ramjet Vehicle Test. The THOR-ER program team, a collaborative effort between the United States and Norway to develop a solid fuel ramjet (SFRJ) vehicle, achieved an important milestone on August 17, at Andøya in northern Norway. The test vehicle successfully fired several times, showing the viability of ramjet propulsion technology and demonstrating significant increases in effective range.
“The United States needs to be working closely with our allies to ensure our joint force has the most cutting edge capabilities on the battlefield,” said Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. “I commend the THOR-ER team on their outstanding work weathering the pandemic environment, continuing the development of this significant propulsion technology, and promoting continued science and technology collaboration with our partners in Norway,”
The recent tests satisfied the THOR-ER Phase 1 objectives of demonstrating jointly-developed propulsion technologies in flight, including new high energy fuels, advanced air injection, and throttling methodologies which will be essential for mission flexible SFRJ systems of the future.
“The SFRJ flight vehicle was accelerated to above Mach 2 with the help of a solid rocket booster, and transitioned to ramjet mode. The flight phase was a resounding success with stable flight, robust ramjet operation, and a high thrust-to-drag ratio,” said Executive Vice President of Aerospace Propulsion at the Nordic Ammunition Company (Nammo), Stein Erik Nodeland. “The flights performed in accordance with pre-flight calculations, demonstrating a high-speed long-range trajectory. All in all, this is a real milestone. While not the first ramjet vehicle, it is the first modern ramjet, with a potential for a great improvement in range, time to target, and agility.”
The first flight, conducted on August 17, demonstrated an unguided vehicle with robust SFRJ operation across a wide range of altitudes and speeds. The second test, which focused on a high thrust flight profile, took place the following day. Both flights were considered successful, having demonstrating high supersonic speeds prior to ramjet burnout and splashdown. Program officials will continue to evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test.
“Not only do the recent test firings at Andøya Space Flight Center mark a key milestone in terms of proving the THOR-ER propulsion technology, they also demonstrate the power of bilateral cooperation,” said Morten Tiller, Norwegian Armaments Director. “Through concerted efforts, key stakeholders in the United States and Norway have made significant progress that promises to increase both speed and range of air defense and missile systems. I am hopeful that the collaborative approach we have brought to the R&D, prototyping and test phases will continue into the industrialization stage of the technology.”
“We believe that the SFRJ is going to be a game-changer for the U.S. Navy and our Allied partners, and we are excited to see the successful THOR-ER flight tests,” said Stephen Farmer, Director for Advanced Concepts, Prototyping & Experimentation at Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD). “We are also humbled in having this partnership with the Norwegian Ministry of Defense and Norwegian industry partner Nammo. We know that our combined team will continue to build on this success, and we are excited for what the future will bring.”
The THOR-ER program builds upon collaborative research efforts involving the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the Joint Hypersonics Transition Office, NAWCWD, the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, and Nammo.
“I want to congratulate the THOR-ER team on these wonderful tests. From a Nammo viewpoint, it underscores the importance of investing in competence and technological development. THOR-ER and ramjet technology can help our NATO partners with some of their most key priorities: range and precision.” said Nammo CEO Morten Brandtzæg. “I think this would not have been possible without the bilateral cooperation. In time, this might be the most important project Nammo has been involved in–ever–both industrially and in terms of military importance.
About the THOR-ER project and team
In April 2020, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Norwegian Ministry of Defense jointly announced their partnership to develop advanced technologies applicable to long range high-speed and hypersonic weapons.
About USD(R&E)
The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E) is the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Defense. The USD(R&E) champions research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation to maintain the United States military’s technological advantage. Learn more at www.cto.mil, follow us on Twitter @DoDCTO, or visit us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ousdre. (Source: US DoD)
05 Oct 22. Hanwha, Safran join forces for LAND 8116. The companies have teamed up to support the delivery of next-generation artillery systems to the Australian Army.
Safran Electronics & Defense Australasia (SEDA) has been selected to support Hanwha Defense Australia’s (HDA) delivery of AS9 Huntsman self-propelled howitzer and AS10 armoured ammunition resupply vehicles to the Australian Army under the $900 m–$1.3 bn LAND 8116 contract.
As part of a $5 m subcontract, France-based Safran has been tasked with supplying 32 MINEO Direct Fire Support Systems (DFSS).
“Hanwha has worked with Safran in many markets internationally and now we can add Australia to the list, further growing the strong relationship between the two companies,” Richard Cho, managing director of HDA, said.
“The system will be used on the AS9 self-propelled howitzer (SPH) platform with acquisition through the Australian arms of our businesses.
“The MINEO DFSS forms an integral part of the weapon system on the Huntsman vehicles, along with KDAu’s ODIN fire control system and the R400 RWS from EOS.”
Patrice Provost, chief executive officer of SEDA, welcomed the opportunity to support the delivery of next-generation capability to the Australian Army. (Source: Defence Connect)
05 Oct 22. US Air Force to start new experiments with Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone. Lt. Gen. Clint Hinote told Breaking Defense that the service is “getting ready to take delivery” of a drone prototype, now confirmed as Boeing’s Ghost Bat.
The US Air Force is set to begin flight experiments with Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat, a combat drone developed for the Australian air force that may help its American counterpart learn how to operate unmanned aircraft alongside fighter jets.
Lt. Gen. Clint Hinote, who leads Air Force Futures, told Breaking Defense in a September 20 interview that the service is “getting ready to take delivery” of a drone prototype through the Pentagon’s research and engineering office, also known as OSD (R&E).
“It might look a lot like an Australian thing,” he joked, referring to the Ghost Bat, which first flew in 2021 at Royal Australian Air Force Base Woomera.
Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cdr. Tim Gorman confirmed that the research and engineering office is involved in development and experimentation efforts involving Ghost Bat, saying that “OSD (R&E) continually works with the services to validate technologies that are key to advancing and fielding next generation capabilities.”
He declined to give further details except to confirm that Ghost Bat is not being funded through the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER), an OSD (R&E) -led effort wherein the services propose experiments and compete for funding.
Boeing deferred comment on the matter to the Air Force.
In recent weeks Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has hinted that the Ghost Bat could be a useful tool for the US Air Force as it seeks to understand how semi-autonomous combat drones — what the service calls Collaborative Combat Aircraft — could interface with the service’s fifth and sixth-generation fighters. Both CCA and a manned sixth-generation fighter are planned to be part of the service’s Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems, and Kendall has said a CCA competition could begin as early as fiscal 2024.
During an August trip to Australia, Kendall said he had spoken with his Australian counterparts about using the MQ-28 as a “risk reduction mechanism.” Weeks later, at the Defense News Conference, Kendall again called out Ghost Bat as a potential testbed that could help prove how to integrate combat drones in the daily operations of a fighter wing, such as mission planning, battle management and sustainment.
“You’d be integrating these [drones] with existing aircraft in a way which sort of prove out some of the tactics, techniques and procedures, as well as things like maintenance concepts …and organizational structures,” he said then.
‘The First One Sucks’
Defining the NGAD family of systems — including the exact mix of drones a human pilot of a sixth-generation fighter aircraft will need to take into battle — is one of Kendall’s top seven “operational imperatives” that will shape the Air Force’s FY24 budget.
During the interview with Breaking Defense, Hinote reiterated that the Air Force has not made a final decision on which drones it will ultimately procure as part of the CCA program, noting that Air Force Research Laboratory, Navy and OSD (R&E) all have ongoing efforts for testing new drones.
“We’re trying to learn off these prototypes to get some of that data that we need,” he said. “That will help us understand what the real buy looks like. And I think the real buy is actually … [a] family [of drones], and that family could be multiple vendors, multiple architectures.”
Hinote cautioned that the first MQ-28 Ghost Bat may not be mature enough to send into battle just yet.
“The first one sucks. Just always keep that in mind. Article one of anything we buy is not what we really want,” he said. However, CCAs are so novel that the Air Force can benefit from learning how to use the system while the technology continues to evolve.
“I don’t know yet how fast you can take one off the runway, put gas in it, put weapons on it if that’s what you want to do, put a new cartridge or new software update,” Hinote said. Even basic sustainment practices could vary between piloted fighters and CCAs: “Do you have to check the oil? Every time we fly a jet right now … we get about that much oil out of it and we go, ‘Okay, are there any particles in it?’ … I don’t think you’re going to do that [with a drone].”
Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst with AeroDynamic Advisory, said the big question that will shape the requirements of the CCA program is: How good is artificial intelligence, actually?
“If your AI doesn’t meet expectations, then you’re looking at larger Loyal Wingman planes, with a two-to-one ratio or a one-to-one ratio [to manned fighters]. If AI evolves quicker, then you’re looking at smaller systems that swarm,” he said. In other words, the more trusted and advanced an AI system is, the more drones a single human pilot will be able to manage.
However, other technical and operational questions abound, Aboulafia said. How will CCAs be deployed during conflict, and how far can they stray from manned fighters? Will the drones have to stay within visual ranges of manned fighters in order to continue to pass data back and forth using stealthy datalinks? Will CCA operate within visual ranges of adversary aircraft?
And even if AI is advanced enough that a fighter pilot can manage a large swarm of small drones, if the drones are so small that they can’t carry the weapons or sensors currently available, does it even matter?
“It’s completely unwritten at this point,” said Aboulafia, who added that the Air Force needs a “brutally honest” AI technology roadmap to help shape the CCA program.
The Air Force’s seemingly sudden interest in evaluating the MQ-28 is a good news story for Boeing, as the Ghost Bat was originally a part of AFRL’s Skyborg program. It was eventually forced to withdraw due to schedule conflicts, as the Ghost Bat prototypes were engaged in demonstrations with the Royal Australian Air Force and could not be transferred to the US in time, Brig. Gen. Dale White, the Air Force’s program executive for fighters and advanced aircraft, said in August.
The Skyborg program aims to pair low-cost drones with a government-owned autonomy core for a series of flight tests. Demonstrations with General Atomics’ MQ-20 Avenger, and Kratos’ UTAP-22 Mako and XQ-58A Valkyrie are still ongoing. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
05 Oct 22. New LM Facility to Support Increased PAC-3 Production. Today Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) marked the opening of a new All-Up Round III (AUR III) facility at Camden Operations in Arkansas. The 85,000-square-foot expansion supports increased production capacity for the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE), the world’s most advanced air defense missile.
“Lockheed Martin’s Camden Operations is a world-class facility with an exceptional team dedicated to supporting mission success for our customers. We are honored to build on this legacy through the expansion and remain committed to delivering innovative products and solutions for our country and our allied nations,” said Scott Greene, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.
A ribbon cutting ceremony, attended by Department of Defense officials and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, celebrated the second expansion in Camden since a $142m investment announcement in June 2019. The award-winning Camden facility contributes components and performs final assembly for several key Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) and Precision Fires products.
“Lockheed Martin is a critical member of the defense industry in Arkansas,” Governor Hutchinson said. “Their dedication to Camden, our state and nation, and American allies makes Arkansas proud to be their partner. Congratulations to Lockheed Martin on their expansion, and I look forward to their continued success in the Natural State.”
Lockheed Martin has steadily increased production numbers of PAC-3 MSE since achieving a full rate production decision in 2018, currently producing more than 300 PAC-3 MSEs each year and expecting to increase to 500 PAC-3 MSEs. An evolution of the battle-proven PAC-3 CRI, the PAC-3 MSE boasts a dual-pulse solid rocket motor, providing increased performance in altitude and range to defend against incoming threats, including tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft. (Source: ASD Network)
05 Oct 22. Land Forces 2022: Australia considers HIMARS rocket production. Consideration is being given to the manufacture of missiles for the US High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in Australia, a Lockheed Martin exe utive has disclosed.
James Heading, Lockheed Martin Australia’s director of programmes in the strategic capabilities office for missiles and fire control, told media on 4 October that the consideration was centred on the production of the rockets themselves but not the launch vehicles.
The US Department of State approval for Australia’s potential acquisition of 20 M142 HIMARS systems was announced in May 2022 at an estimated cost of USD385 m.
“We are certainly trying to explore what Australia actually wants,” Heading said at the Land Forces 2022 exposition in Brisbane. “Part of that resilience in the supply chain obviously goes straight to energetics.”
He added, “The hardest things to ship in any conflict are the energetics. We want to look at the rocket motors and the warheads. We already have the teaming agreement with Lockheed Martin and Thales. (Source: Janes)
30 Sep 22. Thailand starts trials of D11A rocket launcher. Thailand’s Defense Technology Institute (DTI) has started trials of a locally produced version of Elbit Systems’ multicalibre Precise and Universal Launching System (PULS). The DTI said on 27 September 2022 that trials of the prototype platform – named the D11A Multi-Purpose Rocket and Missile Launcher – took place recently at the Royal Thai Army’s (RTA’s) artillery firing range in Lopburi, central Thailand.
The DTI, the Ministry of Defence’s research and development arm, said initial trials were focused on testing the D11A’s performance and stability, and its ability to meet the Thai armed forces’ “tactical requirements”.
It added that the results of the tests will inform continued research and development of the platform. Janes understands that this work has mainly been focused on the integration of Elbit Systems’ rocket launcher on a 6×6 10-tonne Tatra truck from the Czech Republic.
The D11A prototype was unveiled by the DTI at the Defense and Security 2022 exhibition held in Bangkok in August. (Source: Janes)
04 Oct 22. Stratolaunch Talon-A to Integrate with SkyRange Hypersonic Program. Stratolaunch, LLC is pleased to announce they have been added to the Test Resource Management Center’s (TRMC) Integration Innovation Inc. (i3) team to demonstrate the SkyRange airborne test assets capability by tracking the first Talon-A hypersonic flight.
Test Resource Management Center Director George Rumford (left), U.S. Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota (center), and Stratolaunch CEO and President Dr. Zachary Krevor (right) unveiled the Talon-A vehicle replica and explained its role in the SkyRange program at the UAS Summit and Expo 2022 event on Oct. 4, 2022.
The SkyRange program is developing, operating, and integrating advanced sensors and capabilities for a fleet of air-vehicle systems that will support hypersonic test and evaluation. The program’s test architecture includes both MQ-9 Reapers and RQ-4 Global Hawks allowing for a broad range of data capture on a variety of mission scenarios that will enable decision-making for high-speed system testing and fielding. This unique capability will increase national high-speed systems flight test capabilities and frequency, and ultimately enable leap-ahead technologies for our nation’s warfighter.
Stratolaunch’s hypersonic flight test service is centered around its Talon-A, a reusable autonomous hypersonic testbed vehicle which provides a flexible test architecture for hypersonic flights and experimentation. During the Talon-A’s maiden hypersonic flight, it will operate as a high-speed vehicle, which TRMC SkyRange assets will acquire, track, and otherwise support to validate developmental instrumentation payloads.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to provide the SkyRange program an operational application with our first Talon-A hypersonic flight,” said Dr. Zachary Krevor, President and Chief Executive Officer for Stratolaunch. “This mutually beneficial partnership will increase the pace and reduce cost of testing, which is critical to hypersonic system technology development.”
About Stratolaunch
Stratolaunch’s mission is to advance high-speed technology through innovative design, manufacturing, and operation of world-class aerospace vehicles. For the latest news and information, visit www.stratolaunch.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
About Integration Innovation Inc. (“i3”)
Headquartered in Huntsville AL, i3 is a 100% team member owned company, and is a national leader in providing innovative technical and engineering solutions to a broad customer base across the U.S. DoD. i3’s specialty areas include hypersonic wind tunnel development; UAS system integration and flight operations; missile and aviation engineering and logistic services; electronic warfare and electromagnetic effects analysis; C5ISR engineering services; cybersecurity; and virtual training, simulation & serious game development. For more information, please refer to www.i3-corps.com. (Source: PR Newswire)
04 Oct 22. Development of RASH-2H glide munition approaches completion. Abu Dhabi-based ADASI is in the “final stages of development and qualification” of its RASH-2H guided munition.
Speaking during a media briefing, Mohamed Al Nuaimi, senior programme manager, engineering and technology at ADASI, said that the RASH-2H will soon enter production.
Al Nuaimi said that the munition is a clean-sheet design, while the earlier RASH-1M and RASH-2M add a guidance kit to mortar bombs that also feature modified fuzes to enable their air-launched profile.
According to company data, the RASH-2H is fitted with an 11.6 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead that is made up of 10,700 fragments and has a lethal radius of up to 60 m. Like the RASH-1M and RASH-2M, the newest member of the family utilises global positioning system (GPS) and inertial navigation system (INS) guidance. However, it can also undertake a cursor-on-target engagement via an optional electro-optic/infrared payload in the nose of the munition that uses an ultra-high frequency (UHF) datalink. Al Nuaimi said that a semi-active laser (SAL) seeker is on the product road map for the RASH-2H. (Source: Janes)
04 Oct 22. Babcock builds local Australian LAND 125 team. The company has teamed up with three local firms to strengthen its push to deliver a next-generation soldier system for Army.
Babcock Australasia has announced partnerships with Shoal Group, Buzzworks and Bond University’s Tactical Research Unit, as part of its bid to secure the commonwealth government’s LAND 125 Phase 4 Integrated Soldier System (ISS) contract.
The partnership is expected to be supported by the planned establishment of a Future Australian Soldier System Technology Centre (FASST-C).
According to Babcock, the organisations were selected due to their credentials in collaboration, domain knowledge, and experience supporting key Army projects.
Specifically:
- Shoal Group is expected to provide systems engineering and verification and validation services for the program, focused on providing sophisticated digital capability models to the FASST-C to ensure that operational needs are identified and met.
- Buzzworks is tipped to provide subject matter expertise and integration support in next-generation soldier combat systems and related technology.
- Bond University’s Tactical Research Unit has been tasked with providing specialist capability relating to human factors and biomechanical studies on current, in-development and future soldier system capability.
Speaking at the Land Forces Conference in Brisbane, Babcock’s head of customer solutions (defence and security) Craig Schwartz said these latest developments form part of a broader commitment to bolster collaboration between the government, Defence, and local industry.
“A key tenet of our approach includes engaging with adjacent programs to understand their needs and requirements — working collaboratively to manage integration risk and unlock opportunities,” he said. (Source: Defence Connect)
04 Oct 22. MBDA welcomes deepening Polish-UK missile co-operation. MBDA welcomes the signing, on 4th October, of a Polish-UK governmental agreement to co-operate on air defence missiles and outlining the scale of industrial co-operation for the NAREW ground based air defence (GBAD) programme.
The signing at the Zamość Military Base in Poland came alongside Poland declaring the receipt of the equipment for the first Firing Unit of the Mała NAREW GBAD system, using MBDA’s CAMM missile and iLaunchers.
Chris Allam, Managing Director of MBDA UK, said: “To deliver Mała NAREW to Poland in such an extremely short timeframe is a remarkable achievement, and we are very proud that this has been accomplished through our very close partnership with PGZ and thanks to strong support from the UK Government. Today’s governmental agreements launch the next step in Polish-UK missile co-operation, and underpins the PGZ-MBDA technology transfer proposal on Narew, while also supporting Pilica+, Miecznik, Ottokar-Brzoza, and other vital projects.”
MBDA is currently working with PGZ to create an enhanced sovereign missile capability in Poland backed by transfer of knowledge and technology from MBDA to Polish defence industry. This joint working is expected to provide decisive military capabilities to Poland, drive significant value for money and provide a boost to the Polish economy and generate high-skilled jobs.
The Mała NAREW system, with its integration of Polish SOŁA radar stations and C2 systems with CAMM missiles, provides an important stepping-stone to the main NAREW programme while also de-risking CAMM’s use with the Pilica+ upgrade project.
About MBDA:
MBDA is the only European group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air).
With a significant presence in five European countries and within the USA, in 2021 MBDA achieved revenue of 4.2bn euro with an order book of 17.8bn euro. In total, the group offers a range of 45 missile systems and countermeasures products already in operational service and more than 15 others currently in development. MBDA is jointly owned by Airbus (37.5%), BAE Systems (37.5%), and Leonardo (25%).
03 Oct 22. Hobson THEMIS Armour System At DVD 2022. On 29th June Hobson Industries launched their THEMIS Armour System for use on lightweight 4×4 vehicles and promised to unveil it at DVD 2022, reports Bob Morrison.
Hobson Industries Limited, formed in the mid-1980s by former Royal Navy Chief Weapons Engineering Officer and champion rifle marksman Peter Hobson, has a very long tradition in the lightweight armoured vehicle field but much of their work has necessarily been undertaken with minimal publicity. The latest THEMIS Armour System, a product name like their THETIS which derives from Barbara Hobson’s knowledge of Greek mythology and not to be confused with the Estonian THeMIS tracked unmanned vehicle, uses an appliqué composite armour married to a pressure formed fibreglass pod to give increased mine and bullet protection at reduced weight. For a little more detail read Hobson Industries Launches THEMIS Armour System … but don’t expect to learn any trade secrets about the armour.
Hobson’s have disclosed that vehicles similar to the black THEMIS Internal Security Vehicle demonstrator shown at DVD 2022 are “in UK Government service” but on client confidentiality and security grounds they are unable to reveal precisely who has procured them (though by process of elimination and knowing which specialist vehicle fleet has been overdue for urgent replacement we suspect we might know). The company also could not confirm or deny whether these THEMIS Armour System vehicles were built on Land Rover Defender chassis, but as any suitable light 4×4 utility vehicle with a traditional ladder chassis (such as say the G-Class or the new Grenadier or even the 70-series Land Cruiser) could be fitted with this type of protected pod we will just need to keep our eyes peeled. Incidentally, Hobson’s actually had one of the new Ineos Grenadiers on their stand at DVD, put Peter warned us not to jump to hasty conclusions.
The second THEMIS Armour System demonstrator on the DVD 2022 stand was a protected WMIK-style vehicle, which still allows the type of crew situational awareness this type of long range recce / patrol vehicle needs but offers more protection than found on current the Land Rover Defenders used by the British Army, and others, in that type of role. In addition to the composite armour protective pod, this vehicle was fitted with the new FNH UK (formerly MANROY) 12.7mm / .50cal machine gun soft mount which was on its first public outing. Peter stressed to us that this light gunship, which Barbara has christened DEIMOS after the Greek god of dread and terror, was purely a concept prototype and potential users had already recommended a design modification to the front bulkhead, based on personal operational experience, which Hobson’s are currently looking into incorporating before the vehicle’s next outing. Hobson’s told us if necessary it is perfectly feasible to refurbish and modify current in-service and/or recently cast vehicles to give increased protection levels without the need for investing in expensive new fleets. Food for thought?
Hobson THEMIS Armour System blast test [© Hobson Industries]
Barbara Hobson: “THEMIS is the Goddess of Justice and had the power to put a protective shell around the people she loved and this is exactly what Hobson’s THEMIS appliqué armour system achieves.” (Source: joint-forces.com)
03 Oct 22. NIOA to deliver first phase of Australia’s ‘Lethality System’ project. The Australian government has signed an agreement with Queensland-based firm NIOA for the supply of a range of weapons and equipment to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as part of its Lethality System project (Land 159). The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said on 30 September that under the deal, which is worth more than AUD500 m (USD320 m), NIOA will engage with subcontractors to supply new sniper rifles, pistols, munitions, shotguns, personal defence weapons, fighting knives, and an assault breaching system to the ADF. The contract – tranche one of the Land 159 programme – will run between 2023 and the mid-2020s, said the DoD. In the project, prime contractor NIOA will partner with local and international suppliers on the acquisition, integration, delivery, and support of the new systems. (Source: Janes)
03 Oct 22. US Marine Corps ‘successfully’ tests mobile Iron Dome launcher, awaiting fielding decision. The US Marine Corps (USMC) recently completed a trio of live-fire tests with its new cruise missile defence prototype that integrates Iron Dome components with other US air-defence assets. This final test of the Medium-Range Intercept Capability (MRIC) “demonstrated and proved” that the weapon system “exceeds” threshold requirements, according to Barbara Hamby, a spokesperson for the USMC Program Executive Officer (PEO) Land Systems.
Programme officials embarked on a series of three MRIC flight tests during the past year, and wrapped up the stint with the third test event on 7–9 September at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, Hamby told Janes in a 30 September email. (Source: Janes)
03 Oct 22. Queensland rocket company Black Sky Aerospace (BSA) has tested a prototype missile launch pod as it forges ahead with building a sovereign Australian guided weapons capability. After testing rockets earlier in the year to start the process of integrating a guidance system, BSA Chief Executive Officer Blake Nikolic said it was time to start on the rest of the missile system.
“If we are serious about having a homegrown Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) capability, we can’t sit around and wait forever while everyone sees the threat scenarios growing,” Nikolic said. “We were inspired by the fighting spirit and innovation of the Ukrainian people, and realised we had to take our expertise and start building Australian Industry Capability for guided weapons” he said.
The BSA team conceived the idea for a light, portable and versatile missile after seeing the need in Ukraine and recognising how such a system could be employed creatively for national defence.
“The first-generation guided weapons launch pod we tested helped us refine and prove our concepts and allowed us to take another step toward an integrated system,” Nikolic said. “We are proud to be working with other Queensland companies to produce the guidance system and we expect to have the system at Technical Readiness Level (TRL) 7 within months of receiving regulatory clearance to test fire the longer-range missiles.”
Black Sky Aerospace is Australia’s only sovereign manufacturer of solid rocket fuel, motors, launch vehicles, services and common tactical boosters. It manufactures solid rocket fuel, known as propellant, precursor chemicals and hardware for defence and space applications such as guided weapons, ancillary boosters, sounding rockets and off-earth rocket motors. (Source: Google/https://asiapacificdefencereporter.com/)
30 Sep 22. Truvelo is back with a bang. The company was exhibiting its full range of rifles at the Africa Aerospace and Defence 2022 exhibition in Pretoria, with more to come. It last exhibited at AAD in 2018, but two years later found itself in business rescue. South African based entrepreneur Heine van Niekerk then stepped in to buy the company in December 2020 on behalf of his own Africa Defence Group, renaming it Truvelo Specialised Manufacturing.
Truvelo, which began by making speed cameras almost 50 years ago, began forging its name as a designer and manufacturer of high precision and highly accurate rifle barrels as a passion project of its founding CEO Joe Gebert. This developed into the manufacturing of high accuracy custom rifles, initially for hunters and ultimately countermeasure sniper (CMS) rifles all the way through to 20mm anti-materiel rifles capable of firing SAPHEI (semi-armour piercing high explosive incendiary) rounds into vehicles and infrastructure targets.
It was this kind of typical South African innovation and excellence that Van Niekerk could not see lost, said Truvelo spokesperson Tandy Botha. “Heine had a vision of trying to save this proud heritage and indeed the last authentic South African small arms manufacturer.”
Through Van Niekerk’s intervention, Truvelo managed to honour its pre-existing contract to supply sniper rifles to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) through Armscor, for which Truvelo remains a preferred supplier. The final consignment of these rifles is about to be handed over.
Truvelo offers a range of large calibre weapons, including in 14.5×114 mm, 20×42 mm; 20×82 mm; and, 20×110 mm. The company also produces a complete range of assault rifles from a 9 mm machine pistol all the way past 5.56 mm to 7.62 mm, as well as 60 mm patrol mortars and the 81 mm support mortar.
Growing firearms range
Truvelo is currently working on its eponymous Truvelo 700 range, said engineer and project manager Chris Naude, inspired by the Remington 700 series, but greatly improved.
“We kept the Remington 700 footprint with its incredible variety of triggers and butts, but improved the extractor and the bolt, making the entire rifle stronger and resistant to pressure. It comes chambered in 6 mm, 6.5 mm or .308 fully machined and fitted, included picatinny rails, with no need for any customisation by the end user, they can just drop on optics onto the rail and go into the veld.
“The way we machine it, means it’s already blueprinted; everything is 100% accurate, true and square from the word go, which is the Truvelo DNA: precision accuracy.”
The first ten Truvelo 700 series have been pre-ordered. The company has also developed a bespoke ranger rifle, based on the Truvelo 700 receiver to very constrained specifications: weight less than 3.5 kg, overall length less than 1 metre, with a collapsible butt for ease of carry, yet adjustable for small or tall users. It is constructed on an aluminium chassis with a ten-round detachable magazine. It is chambered for .308 Winchester or 7.62×51 mm.
“It was designed specifically for game rangers,” Naude said. “There is no wood that can buckle under intense periods of exposure to wet weather; it can be carried for days without discomfort and it can fire and reload rapidly. It’s made to withstand the kind of hard use that you would expect for game rangers patrolling in the wild.
“We have covered a lot of ground since Heine acquired the company and there’s a lot more in the pipeline,” said Botha.