EODH is proposing to upgrade Hellenic Army Leopard 1A5s. (EODH/Thanasis Grammatikos)    The Hellenic Army has received industry proposals for upgrading its Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks (MBTs). An EODH spokesperson confirmed to   Janes  that the company is among those that have presented upgrade proposals to the Greek Army Staff.   The spokesperson said EODH is working with KNDS' Krauss Maffei-Wegmann (KMW) and Spanish defence company Duma and offers a complete solution with a price and time schedule for building a prototy...

A convoy of Cold-Weather All-Terrain Vehicle perform command-and-control operations for the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center training rotation in Fort Greely, Alaska. (Janes/Meredith Roaten)  The US Army needs to buy more Cold-Weather All-Terrain Vehicles (CATVs) and is considering buying an armoured variant in addition to the general-purpose and cargo variants it has already decided to buy, Major General Brian Eifler, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division, told Janes on 21 February.  BAE Systems delivered five CATVs to...

Workers at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant prepare 155 mm artillery rounds to be filled as a part of the load, assemble, and pack operation. (US Army)  It has been more than a year since the US Army announced its ramp-up of 155 mm ammunition was under way. Now, the Pentagon has to find a way to more than double its production output by the end of the year as the war in Ukraine marches on.  The 155 mm artillery round is fired by several weapons that see heavy usage in Ukraine, and one estimate – cited by the European Union's (EU's) European Par...

Sweden and Denmark have agreed to co-finance the 50 Swedish CV90s donated to Ukraine and for the production of additional IFVs. (Hägglunds)  The Swedish government announced its largest military support package for Ukraine on its website on 20 February. The SEK7.1 billion (USD683 million) package includes a maritime package, ground equipment, and financial support for bilateral projects and funds.  The latter includes financial support for Ukraine to buy more CV90 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).  The ground equipment Sweden is donating com...

An Arjun Mk 1A main battle tank. (Indian MoD/Janes)  The deliveries of Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO's) Arjun Mk 1A main battle tanks (MBTs) to the Indian Army will experience a delay because of an engine shortage, a DRDO official told Janes on 20 February.  The Indian Army ordered 118 Arjun Mk 1A MBTs worth INR75.23 billion (USD907 million) in September 2021, with deliveries of the initial batch scheduled for 2024 and the final batch in 2027.  However, because of a delay in the delivery of engines from German company...

A display of the Terrex s5, which was unveiled at the Singapore Airshow 2024. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  Singapore defence prime ST Engineering has launched the latest iteration in its Terrex 8×8 line of infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).  Known as the Terrex s5, the variant was launched on 18 February, ahead of the Singapore Airshow 2024 exhibition taking place from 20 to 25 February at the Changi Exhibition Centre.  “Equipped with advanced vetronics and a hybrid electric drive option, it is a production-ready, 8×8 armoured fighting vehicle”, u...

A display of the Ultimax 100 Mk 9, the latest variant of ST Engineering's Ultimax 100 light machine gun, at Singapore Airshow 2024. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  Singapore state-affiliated defence company ST Engineering has unveiled the latest variant of its Ultimax 100 5.56 mm gas-operated light machine gun.  The product, known as the Ultimax 100 Mk 9, is on display to the public for the first time at the Singapore Airshow 2024 defence exhibition, taking place at the Changi Exhibition Centre from 20 to 25 February.  A new feature found on the Mk...

The RNLA's first MMR after it was demonstrated during live firings at the Dutch MoD's 't Harde firing range on 15 February. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)  The first Ground Master 200 Multi Mission/Compact (GM200 MM/C) radar handed over to the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) by Thales in Hengelo on 14 February was demonstrated during live firings at the Dutch Ministry of Defence's 't Harde firing range the next day.  The Multi-Mission Radar (MMR), as it is designated in RNLA service, tracked 81 mm mortar rounds and 155 mm Panzerhaubitze (PzH) shells...

ST Engineering's Next Generation Singapore Assault Rifle, unveiled for the first time at the Singapore Airshow 2024. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  ST Engineering has unveiled the latest iteration to its Singapore Assault Rifle – 21st Century (SAR 21).  Known as the Next Generation SAR (Next Gen SAR), the 5.56 mm weapon was unveiled at the Singapore Airshow2024, which is taking place at the Changi Exhibition Centre from 20 to 25 February.  The Next Gen SAR has been positioned as a weapon that features the advantages of a bullpup rifle in terms of co...

The Netherlands has received the first of 20 PULS MRLs it ordered on 17 May 2023. (Elbit Systems)  The first of 20 Precise and Universal Launching System (PULS) multiple rocket launchers (MRLs) ordered by the Netherlands on 17 May 2023 has arrived in the country and will be presented to the local media in May, Janes has learnt.  The systems were ordered under an agreement between the Israeli and Dutch ministries of defence (MoDs). Under a USD305 million contract, Elbit Systems is supplying the MRLs as well rockets and missiles of various rang...

Texelis will supply its Celeris 4×4 chassis – pictured above – to Indonesia's PT SSE to develop a new armoured personnel carrier. (Texelis)  French vehicle chassis manufacturer Texelis and Indonesian vehicle manufacturer PT Sentra Surya Ekajayais (PT SSE) have signed a partnership agreement to develop an armoured personnel carrier (APC) for the Indonesian National Armed Forces.  According to a press release by Texelis on 15 February, the company will supply an undisclosed number of Celeris 4×4 chassis kits to PT SSE and will also provide “c...

The first GM200 MM/C radar was handed over to the RNLA by Thales Nederland on 14 February. (Dutch MoD/Sgt Maj Gregory Fréni)  The first Ground Master 200 Multi Mission/Compact (GM200 MM/C) radar was handed over to the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) by Thales in Hengelo, eastern Netherlands, on 14 February.  The handover included a live demonstration of the Scania Gryphus 8×8 truck-mounted system at the Dutch Ministry of Defence's ‘t Harde firing range on 15 February, tracking 81 mm mortar rounds and 155 mm Panzerhaubitze (PzH) shells fired at...

The Sabrah light tanks – pictured above from the Philippine Army training exercise – have a combat weight of 30 tonnes. They are capable of attaining a maximum onroad speed of 72 km/h. (GDELS)  The Philippine Army (PA) has completed the initial training courses on operations, driving, and maintenance of Sabrah ASCOD II combat vehicles.  According to a press release by General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) on 14 February, the training courses were conducted by the Spanish subsidiary of GDELS for members of the Armed Forces of the Phil...

The GM200 MM/C mobile radar in the compact antenna test range at Thales Nederland. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)    Thales Nederland has tripled its radar production over the last few years,   Janes  learnt while attending the company's handover of the first Ground Master 200 Multi Mission/Compact (GM200 MM/C) radar to the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) in Hengelo, Eastern Netherlands, on 14 February.   The increase is in the production of both land-based and naval radars, and the GM200 MM/C is a case in point, with the Netherl...

A digital twin of the French Army's VBCI infantry fighting vehicle is being developed by KNDS and Arquus that will eventually become their key offering for the modernisation and maintenance of the army's vehicle fleets. (Nexter)  KNDS and Arquus will develop a digital twin demonstrator of the Véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie (VBCI) 8×8 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) in support of the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and Defence Innovation Agency.  The digital twin will be developed under the ‘Digitization of Maintenance' (...

US Army Medevac UH-60L Black Hawk seen at Kandahar Airfield. DARPA is exploring new ways to produce battlefield medicines at front-line bases and outposts. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  A new Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) programme aims to accelerate drug manufacturing in austere environments, such as forward operating bases (FOBs), generating data and processes to evaluate new paradigms for real-time regulatory approval.  Launched in January 2024 the aim of the Establishing Qualification Processes for Agile Pharmaceutical Manufa...

The TPY-4 radar. (Lockheed Martin)  Lockheed Martin is positioning its TPY-4 ground-based long-range surveillance radar for the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF's) air-defence requirements.  Chandra Marshall, vice-president for radar and sensor systems at Lockheed Martin, confirmed the matter during a briefing for media representatives on 14 February. The briefing was held as a run-up to the Singapore Airshow, which will be held from 20 to 25 February.  The RSAF operates the FPS-117 long-range surveillance radar as part of a multilayer...

A still from the video shows an Iraqi soldier setting up an AN/TPQ-49 radar. (Iraq MoD)  The Iraqi military now has the AN/TPQ-49 radar, it was revealed on 10 February when the Ministry of Defence (MoD) released a video showing Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah visiting the Artillery Branch Directorate.  The MoD said the chief attended the official opening of the first ‘astimkan' battalion of the post-2023 Iraqi Armed Forces and was briefed on the ‘astimkan' device, a word associated with target l...

Aselsan Gürz SHORAD system shown at WDS 2024. (Janes/Sunil Nair)  Aselsan's Gürz short-range air-defence (SHORAD) system was displayed at the World Defense Show (WDS) 2024 held in Riyadh from 4 to 8 February. This was the system's international debut after it was shown at the 16th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul in July 2023. An all-in-one, layered air and missile-defence system, the Gürz is designed to intercept aerial targets ranging from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of all types and sizes, fixed- and rotary-wing a...

FNSS Pars Alpha 8×8 New Generation at WDS 2024. (Janes/Sunil Nair)  Turkish vehicle manufacturer FNSS unveiled its Pars Alpha 8×8 new generation (NG) armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) at the World Defence Show (WDS) 2024 held in Riyadh from 4 to 8 February.  The Pars Alpha on display had a Teber-II 30/40 remote-controlled turret (RCT) fitted with a 30 mm dual-feed automatic cannon. This can be replaced by a 40 mm cannon by changing the recoil spring and forward feeder.  A 7.62 mm or 5.56 mm machine gun can be fitted as a secondary armament on a...