03 Dec 21. Turkey’s New 76mm Naval Gun To Enter Service In 2022. On December 2, Turkey’s gun and ammunition manufacturer Makine Kimya Endüstri (MKE) celebrated the completion of live-fire tests of the indigenous 76 mm naval gun at the Konya Karapinar test field. The indigenous 76mm naval gun firing test was attended by Turkey’s Minister of Defense, Hulusi Akar, as well as the echelon of command of the Turkish Armed Forces. Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Akar emphasized the obstacles faced during weapon and system procurements.
“Domestic and national production is not an option for us; it is a must. Even now, some of our demands are being postponed, unanswered, and work is being hampered, whether openly or implicitly, in relation to the numerous materials we are attempting to procure from our friends and allies. As a result, we confront a major limitation.” Hulusi Akar, Turkey’s Defence Minister.
After completing harbor and sea trials, the indigenous 76mm naval gun will enter service with the Turkish Navy by February 2022, Akar added.
Akar also praised MKE’s improving performance, which was shifted to an incorporated company a few months ago, stating that the company is still associated with the Ministry of Defense, but the new structure is expected to leverage its performance on future projects.
Officials did not name which ship would be mounted with the prototype gun. However, MKE’s General Manager Yasin Akdere stated in an interview with Defence Turkey magazine in November 2021 that the gun will be installed on a naval ship outfitted with the indigenous combat management system (GENESIS/ADVENT) in collaboration with the Turkish Navy. Naval News understands that the prototype gun would be tested on an Ada-class (MILGEM) corvette or a Perry-class frigate. (Source: Google/ https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new)
02 Dec 21. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) recently delivered the 10,000th Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) propulsion system to Lockheed Martin’s Camden, Arkansas, final assembly facility. The propulsion system will be integrated into GMLRS missiles – a free flight rocket designed to engage targets from 13 to 70 kilometers. The precision of the system makes it especially effective against embedded targets.
“Our investment in digital technologies has helped us to more efficiently produce our GMLRS insensitive munitions propulsion systems while increasing weapon safety on the battlefield,” said Rebecca Torzone, vice president, missile products, Northrop Grumman.
To help meet the increased demand from the U.S. Army and other DoD services for higher quantities of GMLRS and related systems, Northrop Grumman designed and constructed a purpose-built manufacturing facility at the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) in Rocket Center using lean manufacturing and digital engineering techniques. The facility provides for the efficient design, development and production of this critical weapon system component.
Northrop Grumman’s insensitive munition (IM) compliant propulsion system consists of a modernized solid rocket motor incorporating IM-enhancing technologies and an ignition safety device to further improve the weapon system’s safety characteristics. The resulting IM propulsion system is used to power the U.S. Army’s GMLRS missile.
30 Nov 21. BAE Systems awarded £2.4bn munitions contract to equip UK Armed Forces. BAE Systems has been awarded a new 15-year contract for the supply of munitions to the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). The contract, worth £2.4bn, will sustain approximately 4,000 jobs across the UK.
This new agreement, which will supersede the current contract due to conclude at the end of 2022, will guarantee the delivery of munitions products and engineering support to the UK Armed Forces.
BAE Systems directly employs 1,260 people who are involved in either munitions manufacturing or test and evaluation at five sites across the UK; Glascoed in Monmouthshire, Radway Green in Cheshire, Washington in Tyne & Wear, Bishopton near Glasgow, and Ridsdale in Northumberland.
It is anticipated that the contract will also help sustain a further 1,500 jobs in the UK supply chain and support a further 1,300 jobs induced by consumer spending in economies local to sites.
The agreement enables BAE Systems to invest £70m on the refurbishment and upgrade of manufacturing lines, with 75% of this value being invested by 2026. The Company will also spend up to £350m with UK-based companies on raw materials and machine components.
Charles Woodburn, Chief Executive, BAE Systems, said: “This contract secures the future of a highly technical and critical industry which supports thousands of manufacturing jobs in several areas throughout the UK. By investing in new technology and skills to further develop our expertise, we can continue to deliver essential sovereign capability to the Armed Forces at competitive prices.”
Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said: “This vital multi-billion pound contract will provide our service men and women with fire power on the front line for years to come whilst investing in British industry, British jobs and British infrastructure. Defence underpins hundreds of thousands of jobs across all four corners of the nation, and ongoing investment is crucial as we work together to build back better and stronger from the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The contract, called the ‘Next Generation Munitions Solution’ (NGMS), is due to commence in January 2023 and will succeed the current ‘Munitions Acquisition, the Supply Solution’ (MASS) contract, which commenced in 2008. It represents the enduring partnership between BAE Systems and the UK Armed Forces, particularly the British Army. (Source: News Now/BAE Systems)
30 Nov 21. Egypt negotiating for K9 Thunder howitzers. The Egyptian military is considering acquiring 155 mm K9 Thunder tracked self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and support vehicles, South Korea’s Hanwha Defense announced during the EDEX show held in Cairo on 30 November.
While it revealed no further details of the possible deal, on the same day South Korea’s Yonhap news agency cited defence industry officials as saying it would include K10 ammunition resupply vehicles and technology transfer to enable local production of the artillery system.
South Korea has previously transferred technology to Turkey so it can produce its T-155 Fırtına variant of the K9.
If the deal is finalised, Egypt will be first Arab country to order the K9, which has already been exported to several European countries and India.
A photograph of a K9 purportedly taken in Egypt in mid-2017 prompted speculation that the howitzer was being trialled as part of a wider competition that included the French CAESAR wheeled SPH, which was also photographed in Egypt around that time.
The Egyptian Army’s main tracked self-propelled howitzers are currently the M109 series (including more than 170 M109A5s received in 2006–08) and the SPH-122. The latter is essentially the hull of an M109 with an Egyptian-made 122mm D-30 gun in a superstructure rather than a traversable turret. (Source: Janes)
29 Nov 21. Russian Navy test-fires hypersonic missile in the White Sea. Russia’s Navy has successfully test-fired a prospective hypersonic missile, the military said Monday.
The Defence Ministry said the frigate Admiral Gorshkov launched the Zircon cruise missile while in the White Sea, hitting a practice target 400 kilometers (215 nautical miles) away. The launch was the latest in a series of tests of Zircon, which is set to enter service next year.
President Vladimir Putin has said Zircon would be capable of flying at nine times the speed of sound and have a range of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). Putin has emphasized that its deployment will significantly boost the capability of Russia’s military.
Zircon is intended to arm Russian cruisers, frigates and submarines. It is one of several hypersonic missiles under development in Russia. The Kremlin has made modernizing the country’s arsenals a top priority amid tension with the West that followed Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. (Source: Defense News)
30 Nov 21. QinetiQ joins Australian guided weapons push. The global defence technology company is joining a local consortium proposing to lead the Commonwealth government’s sovereign guided weapons enterprise. QinetiQ has confirmed it will team up with the Australian Missile Cooperation (AMC), supporting the NIOA-led consortium’s bid to spearhead Defence’s $1bn sovereign Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordinance (GWEO) Enterprise.
The firm is expected to leverage its local workforce of over 600 employees to deliver bespoke design and prototype engineering, structural integrity, range and facility management, and sovereign test and evaluation capabilities.
“By drawing on QinetiQ’s global experience across aerospace, land and maritime domains, the AMC will be well positioned to advance the Commonwealth government’s ambition in realising this important enterprise for the nation,” Robert Nioa, CEO of NIOA and the Australian Missile Corporation, said.
Greg Barsby, managing director of QinetiQ Australia, welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the growth of the sovereign munitions industry.
“QinetiQ is delighted to support the AMC in establishing this vital defence capability,” Barsby said.
“We operate world-class, independent T&E capabilities around the world and are actively investing to develop similar capabilities here in Australia.”
The announcement comes just days after the AMC hosted a working group to discuss its plans for the GWEO Enterprise.
The forum, established in partnership with the Queensland Defence Science Alliance (QDSA), was led by Commodore Nigel Smith, Director General GWEO Enterprise for Joint Capabilities Group, and NIOA advisory board member Ellen Lord.
QinetiQ is among a host of companies to join the AMC team, including Quickstep, Moog Australia, Black Sky Aerospace and Thomas Global Systems.
AMC will be competing against the Sovereign Missile Alliance — a joint bid between Nova Group and EOS Systems — and Lockheed Martin Australia’s collaboration with Thales Australia.
Defence is currently in the process of defining key requirements for the enterprise. (Source: Defence Connect)
29 Nov 21. ADF-Gilmour partnership develops new material for rocket motor casings. The advanced high-temperature material can be produced using compression moulding. The partnership between the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Gold Coast rocket company Gilmour Space Technologies has developed an advanced high-temperature material. The space-destined material has been developed for use in Gilmour’s rocket motor casings. The material is soon to be tested in Gilmour’s rocket test facility in Queensland.
In May 2020, the Australian Department of Defence’s Defence Science and Technology (DT) signed an agreement with Gilmour to jointly research propulsion, materials and avionics technologies among other defence-related technologies to aid in the development of the three-stage hybrid rocket.
Defence researcher Paul Smith said that the material has a high thermal resistance and mechanical strength, adding that it can be used both as a structural component and an insulator.
It has been developed to withstand temperatures of 3,200°C.
Smith said: “Rocket engines generate significant heat and it’s critical for both rocket performance and avoiding catastrophic failure that the rocket motor casing is capable of withstanding the stresses caused by extreme temperatures and pressures.”
According to Smith, composite materials provide key benefits as rocket motor casings and their sub-components are mainly produced from metal.
Besides usage in rocket motor casing, the material can also be used in other high-temperature applications such as jet engines, heat shields, and furnaces.
Smith added: “Because of their greater strength-to-weight ratio, the use of composite parts can help to reduce weight.
“If we can replace some or all of the metallic components of the rocket motor casing with composite parts, we could significantly increase the range, speed or deliverable payload mass of the rocket.”
Australia’s Space Command is set to commence next year. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
26 Nov 21. Naval Group launches Mine Counter Measures Lab in Brussels. Coordinated by Naval Group Belgium, the Mine CounterMeasures Lab was launched on 25 November. Naval Group Belgium has launched the Mine CounterMeasures (MCM) research and development (R&D) centre of excellence (CoE). Located in Brussels, the lab is the third CoE built by the company overseas. The new CoE will work jointly with Belgian partners in a collaborative laboratory, dubbed ‘MCM Lab’. It is a collaboration between ECA Robotics, ECA Robotics Belgium, Naval Group, Naval Group Belgium, Anglo Belgian Corporation, Belgian Advanced Technology Systems, DotOcean, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), Space Applications Services, and the University of Ghent.
The MCM Lab is part of the industrial cooperation plan related to the Belgian and Dutch replacement of the mine countermeasures vessels programme (rMCM).
Awarded in 2019, the programme is being led by Belgium Naval & Robotics, a Naval Group and ECA Group consortium.
This consortium is responsible for the construction of 12 new vessels and a toolbox comprising nearly 100 drones for the Belgian and Royal Netherlands Navy.
Naval Group Belgium chief technological officer and MCM Lab director Christian Lainé said: “The MCM Lab is a collaborative structure where industries and academics share their ideas and develop solutions, made in Belgium, to answer the challenges of mine warfare of today and tomorrow.
“The ambition is that the label ‘MCM Lab’ becomes the international reference for technical solutions covering the different domains of Mine Warfare.” (Source: naval-technology.com)
29 Nov 21. Artem successfully tests RS-80 unguided air-fuelled warhead prototype. The test results have revealed new opportunities for the application of warhead technologies for both guided and unguided. A team of specialists from Ukraine’s Artem and the State Research Institute of Chemical Products have successfully tested the air-fuelled explosive warhead. The aircraft is an upgraded version of the S-8KOM unguided rocket. The RS-80 unguided missile is equipped with a platter charge and was put through the first stages of prototype testing.
Artem is a state-owned, joint-stock holding company of the Ukranian defence industry firm Ukroboronprom (UOP).
According to Ukroboronprom, the warhead is ‘fitted with a thermobaric mixture that has a negative oxygen balance’.
The company reported that the warhead has a blast zone with a 4m to 5m radius.
During combustion, the temperature of the missile can exceed 1,500°C.
Furthermore, a sharp pressure drop occurs during the warhead’s combustion.
The shock wave produced by the missile is effective against both indoor and outdoor targets.
In addition to the main thermobaric charge, the warhead also features a shock core. This allows the warhead to destroy lightly armoured vehicles (LAVs), walls and shelters, up to 40mm of homogeneous armour, and up to 200mm of reinforced concrete. It is also capable of penetrating up to 500mm of brick, Ukroboronprom said.
The test results proved that the warhead is suitable for both unguided weapons and guided missiles.
The RS-80 is designed to destroy hostile armoured, lightly armoured, and non-armoured combat equipment and enemy manpower.
The rocket is used with Su and MiG fighter aircrafts, as well as Мі and Ка helicopters.
In March 2018, Artem tested its 152mm artillery ammunition developed for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. (Source: army-technology.com)
30 Nov 21. USMC F-35B conducts first drop test of StormBreaker smart weapon. The test also evaluated communication link between the weapon and a secondary aircraft, F/A-18F Super Hornet. A US Marine Corps (USMC) F-35B Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft has carried out the first drop test of StormBreaker smart weapon. The drop test was conducted by Raytheon Missiles & Defense and the US Navy. During the test, an F-35B pilot used the network-enabled weapon as a guided munition.
StormBreaker system’s networking capabilities as well as communication link between the weapon and a secondary aircraft, F/A-18F Super Hornet, were evaluated during the test.
After the F-35B released the StormBreaker smart weapon, the Super Hornet monitored the fly-out of the weapon via a common network.
According to Raytheon, the Super Hornet continued monitoring the weapon until successful impact.
Raytheon Missiles & Defense StormBreaker programme director Alison Howlett said: “The weapon’s operational flexibility increases the F-35’s capability and capacity, and it helps limit the time our warfighters spend in harm’s way.”
The StormBreaker smart weapon features a tri-mode seeker to view through fog, smoke, and rain. It can use its semi-active laser or Global Positioning System (GPS) guidance to hit targets.
The weapon system is engineered to engage a wide range of threats in any kind of operational environment.
Howlett added: “It’s inherent with this weapon and absolutely critical going into a more connected, Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2), battlespace environment.
“It allows us to find and address potential issues before real-life testing, which drives down schedule and cost.”
Raytheon, along with the US Navy and the US Air Force (USAF) has started the weapon integration activities on the F-35 and F/A-18E/F. (Source: naval-technology.com)
25 Nov 21. MBDA delivers 1000th MMP (Missile Moyenne Portée / Medium Range Missile) to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces. Following authorisation from the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), the French procurement agency, MBDA completed the delivery of a batch of MMP (Missile Moyenne Portée / Medium Range Missile) to the French Service Interarmées des Munitions (SIMu) on 16 November 2021, which included the 1000th MMP. According to the Loi de Programmation Militaire, the delivery of 1,950 missiles is planned by 2025.
In use by the French armed forces since 2017, MMP has also been ordered by Belgium and Sweden. MMP is the latest generation anti-tank missile in service to have been successfully engaged in combat on several occasions. With more than 100 tests and training firings under its belt, MMP is capable of dealing with all battlefield threats, in all types of environment: cold or hot extremes, urban, maritime and mountainous spaces. It can also be fired from confined spaces, an essential capability for combat in urban areas.
MMP offers both a ‘fire and forget’ capability, allowing the operator to move to another position immediately after firing the missile, and a ‘man-in-the-loop’ capability for engagements requiring a minimised risk of collateral damage. Using a dual-band visible / non-cooled infrared seeker, MMP can acquire both hot and cold targets and then track them completely autonomously. For engagements requiring continuous man-in-the-loop control, a fibre-optic link relays the seekers imaging back to the firing post. With both the firing post and the missile being equipped with capabilities including location, orientation and digital communication, MMP is able to engage Beyond-Line-Of-Sight (BLOS) targets equally as well as those in direct line of sight, and, if required, under the permanent control of its operator or commander.
MMP is equipped with an unprecedented tandem military charge, versatile and capable of handling a wide target set, including field fortifications, armoured vehicles, or even combat tanks equipped with the most modern reactive armour. In a dismounted version, MMP has a lightweight, easily man-portable, firing station. MMP can also be mounted onto various platforms such as light and armoured vehicles, and naval platforms. The modular architecture of the MMP weapon system enables its integration on different types of turrets such as IMPACT, or heavier ones such as the one equipped with the 40 CTA cannon. All of these technical characteristics make MMP the most versatile latest generation land combat missile on the market.
The development of an air-to-ground version was launched by the Ministry of the Armed Forces at the end of 2020 with MHT (Missile Haut de Trame / Top Frame Missile), a long range missile intended to equip the Tiger attack helicopters. It is also a candidate for arming the European MALE Eurodrone as well as for land vehicles. (Source: Joint Forces)
26 Nov 21. MoD receives final 40CT cannon. CTAI has delivered the final 40CT cannon meant for the Ajax and Warrior platforms, although, with the future of both platforms in question, their destination is uncertain.
CTA International (CTAI) has completed the handover of the final 40mm Cased Telescoped Armament System cannon to the UK MoD on 25 November.
This 515th 40 CT cannon was provided 7 months ahead of schedule.
CTAI delivered the first 40mm cannon to the MoD in 2016, they were intended to be equipped onto the Warrior and Ajax armoured vehicles.
However, now their destination is uncertain. As part of the 2021 UK Integrated Review, the MoD scrapped the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme.
While the existing Warrior platforms will remain in service until replaced by the Boxer, the plans to upgrade the platform have been scrapped.
Meanwhile, the Ajax programme has been plagued by issues, in particular, the excessive vibrations inside the vehicle have resulted in more than 300 soldiers being assessed for hearing loss.
The platform was expected to reach IOC in mid-2021, however, these issues mean the future of the platform is uncertain.
Moreover, only 245 Ajax platforms will have the cannon, leaving 270 spares from the 515 ordered.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, the cannon fires 40 mm cased telescoped ammunition. The ammunition is contained in a straight tube and can deliver a charge that is four times more powerful than the 30 mm rounds it replaces. (Source: News Now/Shephard)