Baden-Württemberg   departs its home port of Wilhelmshaven bound for the Eastern Mediterranean on 20 October.  (Bundeswehr/Leon Rodewald)  The first of the German Navy's Baden-Württemberg (Type 125)-class frigates has departed on its maiden deployment.    First-of-class   Baden-Württemberg  (F 222) set sail from Wilhelmshaven, Germany, on 20 October bound for Limassol, Cyprus, where it will participate in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission off the Lebanese coast.     Announcing t...

The KaraOk anti-tank guided weapon (pictured above) is fitted with a tandem high-explosive anti-tank warhead designed to defeat explosive reactive armour. (Rocketsan Missiles Inc)  The Malaysian Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has selected Turkey's defence company Roketsan's KaraOK anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) for the Malaysian Army requirement of 18 medium-range anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) systems, Rahayu Bahaudin, general manager at Malaysia's Ketech Asia, told Janes on 26 October.  The contract has been signed, and Ketech Asia – which i...

Finnish Navy divers examine damage and objects around the Balticconnector gas pipeline in the Gulf of Finland. (Finnish Navy)  An undersea telecommunications cable between Sweden and Estonia has been damaged by means of external force or tampering, the Swedish government has confirmed.  The incident has been linked to the suspected sabotage of the Balticconnector undersea gas pipeline and telecommunications cable that connects Finland and Estonia in early October.  In a 23 October announcement the Swedish government said the damage, which was...

The Carl-Gustaf M4 (pictured above) is an 84 mm, shoulder-fired, one-manportable, breech-loaded, percussion-fired, recoilless rifle. (ECDI)  The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) has ordered 300 Carl-Gustaf 84 mm shoulder-fired recoilless rifles from Swedish defence company Saab, the company said in a press release on 19 October.  Without specifying the Carl-Gustaf variant to be acquired by the JGSDF or the cost of the order, Saab said the rifles will be delivered in 2025.  Janes assesses that the JGSDF order potentially includes the pr...

A Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 transport aircraft performs a tactical take-off from an unprepared runway. (Lockheed Martin Aeronautics)  The Department of National Defense (DND) in Manila has announced plans to procure three Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules medium-lift transport aircraft for the Philippine Air Force (PAF).  The DND said on 17 October that it has issued a ‘notice to proceed' with the procurement and awarded the project to Lockheed Martin. It said deliveries are scheduled for July 2026, October 2026, and January 2027 respe...

The Type 10 MBT has a typical combat weight of 44 tonnes, although it can be stripped down to 40 tonnes for improved transportability via road, rail, or sea. This feature enables the tank to be rapidly deployed across the Japanese home islands. (Japan Ground Self-Defense Force)  The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) will procure additional Type 10 main battle tanks (MBTs) and 155 mm/52 calibre Type 19 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) in fiscal year (FY) 2024, a spokesperson for the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) told Janes in mid-Octo...

The UK is deploying a naval task group comprising RFA   Lyme Bay   (pictured), RFA   Argus  , three Merlin HC Mk4 helicopters, and a company of Royal Marines as well as surveillance aircraft to the Eastern Mediterranean in the coming days to support Israel, reinforce regional stability, and prevent escalation.  (Michael Nitz/Naval Press Service)  The UK government has announced plans to deploy a Royal Navy (RN) task force and surveillance aircraft to the Eastern Mediterranean as part of efforts to st...

Aluminium printed by the US Marine Depot Maintenance Command's Production Plant in Barstow, California. (US Marine Corps)  The war in Ukraine is reshaping how the US Army is looking at logistics and readiness as the service examines more opportunities to boost those operations through advanced manufacturing technologies and other innovations, according to Army Chief of Staff General Randy George.  The service established a Contested Logistics Cross-Functional Team (CLCFT) earlier in 2023, Gen George noted on 10 October during the Association...

The UK is deploying a naval task group comprising RFA   Lyme Bay   (pictured), RFA   Argus  , three Merlin HC Mk4 helicopters, and a company of Royal Marines as well as surveillance aircraft to the Eastern Mediterranean in the coming days to support Israel, reinforce regional stability, and prevent escalation.  (Michael Nitz/Naval Press Service)  The UK government has announced plans to deploy a Royal Navy (RN) task force and surveillance aircraft to the Eastern Mediterranean as part of efforts to st...

Key pointsThe Israel Air Force announced at 0550 h local time, “During the night [of 12 October] the air force launched a wave of attacks with the aim of continuing to damage the commando force of the terrorist organization Hamas known as ‘Nukhba', by attacking [its] operational headquarters, which were used by operatives who infiltrated the Otaf settlements last Saturday [7 October]US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on 12 October to meet with President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Blinken is also sc...

Finnish Navy's mine-countermeasures vessel   Purunpää  is pictured near the location of the damaged Balticconnector gas pipeline in the Gulf of Finland.  (Finnish Defence Forces)  Finland's Central Criminal Police (CKP) has launched a preliminary investigation into “possible intentional damage” to the Balticconnector undersea gas pipeline and telecommunications cable that connects Finland and Estonia.  Finnish authorities confirmed on 10 October that a sudden drop in pressure in the pipeline that occurred during...

Israel-Gaza conflict: Timeline. (Janes)Operation ‘Swords of Iron'  On 8 October 2023, at 0459 h local time, the Prime Minister of Israel's X (formerly Twitter) account posted, “The Security Cabinet convened this evening and made a series of operational decisions, the goal of which is to achieve the destruction of the military and governing capabilities of Hamas and [the Palestinian] Islamic Jihad in a way that will preclude their ability and willingness to threaten and attack the citizens of Israel for many years.” It further stated th...

Denmark has joined the EU's PESCO military mobility project. (EDA)  Denmark has joined the European Union's (EU's) Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) military mobility project, the Danish Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on its website on 2 October. The project aims to create a better framework for transporting military personnel and equipment, for example, by easing customs regulations and creating transport corridors.  Denmark joins 24 EU member states, plus Canada, Norway, and the US, in the Dutch-led PESCO project, which aims to...

Denmark has joined the EU's PESCO military mobility project. (EDA)  Denmark has joined the European Union's (EU's) Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) military mobility project, the Danish Ministry of Defence announced on its website on 2 October. The project aims to create a better framework for transporting military personnel and equipment, for example, by easing customs regulations and creating transport corridors.  Denmark joins 24 EU member states, plus Canada, Norway, and the US, in the Dutch-led PESCO project, which aims to co-ord...

The LOpRib is intended to lift fully armed combat teams in riverine regions bordering with neighbouring countries to combat smuggling and other illicit activities. (Victor Barreira)  The Brazilian Army has placed an order to the country's state-owned shipyard Arsenal de Marinha do Rio de Janeiro (AMRJ) to build four LOpRib (Lancha de Operações Ribeirinhas) multimission riverine fast armoured attack crafts to provide further mobility and firepower to combat groups deployed in remote regions of Brazil, the army's Manufacturing Directorate confi...

An unarmed Trident II (D5LE) missile launches from the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS   Wyoming   during a Demonstration and Shakedown Operation 31 in September 2021. A similar test was conducted on 27 September 2023 from the submarine USS   Louisiana  .  (US Navy)    The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS   Louisiana  (SSBN 743) launched an unarmed life-extended Trident II (D5LE) missile on 27 September on the Western Test Range off the coast of San Diego, Califor...

The Royal Navy's former Sandown-class minehunter, ex-HMS   Blyth,  is pictured during its decommissioning ceremony on 4 August 2021. The vessel was transferred to the Romanian Navy in September 2023.  (Crown Copyright)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has sold two second-hand Royal Navy (RN) Sandown-class minehunters to the Romanian Navy to support maritime security operations in the Black Sea region.    In a 28 September announcement, the MoD confirmed the sale of ex-HMS   Blyth  , which was deco...

An artist's impression of the new military Maintenance Support Facility that the New Zealand government is developing at the Burnham Military Camp. (NZDF)  The New Zealand government has started development of a new facility to maintain and sustain military equipment. The proposed Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) is being constructed at the Burnham Military Camp near Christchurch on the South Island.  Marking the start of the MSF construction project, Defence Minister Andrew Little said, “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World...

MP Materials is building a rare earths separation facility in Mountain Pass, California. (MP Materials)  The US Department of Defense (DoD) is pushing for increased domestic production of lithium and nickel, agreeing to funnel a total of USD110.6 million to support the reopening of US-based mining operations for the critical materials.  The USD90 million lithium production initiative is being spearheaded by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Industrial Base Policy, and funding for the effort was pulled from the Biden administration's I...

A production model of Shadow Seal was displayed in public for the first time at the DSEI 2023 exhibition in London. (Storm Shadow)  The first production-standard Shadow Seal semi-submersible tactical diving vehicle (TDV) under development by UK-based JFD is set to start its final in-water testing and validation phase on the Clyde, near the company's facilities in Inchinnan, Glasgow.  Speaking to Janes at the DSEI 2023 exhibition in London on 13 September, Alistair Wilson, JFD sales and marketing director, said the final trials phase was expec...