A photograph released on 10 January 2024 shows a Rafael SPYDER All in One air-defence system launching a Python missile in a test. (Rafael Advanced Defense Systems)  Rafael and the Israel Ministry of Defense's (MoD's) Directorate for Defense Research and Development have completed a successful test of the All in One (AiO) variant of the company's SPYDER air-defence system, it was announced on 10 January.  Carried out in December 2023, the test included the interception of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) “in a challenging operational scenario...

The US Navy is buying more John Lewis-class oilers to meet deployment refuelling needs. (General Dynamics NASSCO)  As the US Navy (USN) continues to deploy its surface fleet to hot spots around the globe, the service must hone its ability to rearm and refuel those ships at sea, according to USN Secretary Carlos Del Toro.  “Every day, our ships respond to aggression and illegal activities with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific, the Arabian Gulf, the Caribbean, and across Europe,” Del Toro said on 10 January during a keynote speech at...

The USN is looking to combine live and virtual elements in exercises as it did during ‘Large Scale Exercise' 2023. (Janes/Michael Fabey)  The US Navy (USN) needs to shift its global force management plans to better reflect the more dangerous and competitive nature in the world, according to Admiral Daryl Caudle, commander, US Fleet Forces Command.  “We typically generate forces with our model to support global force management presence requirements for peacetime rotations,” Adm Caudle said on 9 January during a keynote speech at the Surface N...

HMS   Richmond   deploys to the Red Sea to help safeguard international shipping.  (Crown copyright)  The UK Royal Navy (RN) has deployed a third ship to the Gulf to provide resilience to UK naval presence in the region amid ongoing attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on merchant shipping.    The Type 23 Duke-class frigate HMS   Richmond  (F 239) departed Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth, the UK on 6 January and is now en route to the Gulf to support the international effort to protect shipping...

The Defence Research and Development Organisation has developed a new 7.62×51 mm assault rifle known as ‘Ugram' for the Indian Army. (Defence Research and Development Organisation/Janes)  India's state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) subsidiary Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) has developed a new 7.62×51 mm assault rifle known as ‘Ugram' for the Indian Army, an ARDE spokesperson told Janes on 9 January.  The rifle can strike at a maximum range of 500 m and is developed in collaboration with Hyder...

South Korea's domestically developed TAipers anti-tank missile is scheduled to start replace the Republic of Korea's (RoK's) military stocks of ageing TOW missiles from 2024. (Janes)  South Korea is preparing to mass-produce its domestically developed TAipers (‘Tank Snipers' or Cheongeom) air-launched anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs).    The TAipers will go into mass production from 2024 to 2031, a spokesperson from South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) told  Janes  . According to the agency, the prog...

The ECDI has delivered the Piorun to the EDF (photo of Lt Col Lelov holding the MANPADS). (ECDI/Kermo Pastarus)  The Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) announced in a press release on 8 January that it had delivered Polish Piorun short-range manportable air defence systems (MANPADS) to the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF).  An ECDI spokesperson told Janes on 9 January that deliveries were ongoing from 2023 to 2025 but would not disclose numbers. He said training mainly for reservists had begun in mid-2023 as part of the planned deliv...

The US Navy is planning to use HELIOS technology to introduce laser capabilities into fleet operations. (Lockheed Martin)  The successful missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) defence by US Navy (USN) ships in the Red Sea has prompted discussion for accelerated development of lasers on USN surface ships in such scenarios.  However, the USN is still struggling, trying to achieve the power necessary for missile defence, according to defence analysts.    “Most of the problem is trying to aim for higher powers that can be useful against...

The cruise missile that failed to launch on 3 January. (US Central Command)  US Central Command (CENTCOM) effectively confirmed that Iran has supplied cruise missiles to an Iraqi group on 5 January, when it posted a photograph of one it said had been found by the Iraqi Police in Babil Governorate two days earlier.  “The use of Iranian-supplied munitions by terrorist groups within Iraq and Syria endangers coalition forces and local residents,” it said. “The coalition is appreciative of the efforts of the legitimate security forces in Iraq for...

The Indian Army seeks to equip its in-service BMP-2 ICVs (pictured above) taking part in an Indian Army exercise – with TI-based DNS to improve their night-fighting capability. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  The Indian Army has outlined the detailed requirements supporting its acquisition of thermal imager (TI)-based driver night sights (DNSs) for its in-service BMP-2/2K infantry combat vehicles (ICVs).  In a request for information (RFI) document issued by the army on 8 January, the service intends to procure approximately 2,500 TI-based DNS for BMP-...

A news broadcast with file footage of North Korea's artillery firing, at a railway station in Seoul on 5 January 2024. North Korea fired more than 200 artillery shells near two South Korean islands that day, said the South Korean government. (Jung Yeon-je /AFP via Getty Images)  North Korea fired more than 200 artillery shells into waters near the Seoul-controlled Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong islands early on 5 January, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson Colonel Lee Sung-jun disclosed in a statement to reporters on the same...

The 120 mm guided mortar round that was recovered in North Kivu province in the DRC in June 2023. (United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo via the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo)  Sophisticated guided mortar rounds are being used to attack the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) in the eastern province of North Kivu, according to the latest report from the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)...

The NSPA ordered up to 1,000 PAC-2 GEM-Ts from COMLOG on 3 January for Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and Spain (photo of German Patriots deployed to Sliač Air Base in Slovakia in March 2022). (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)  The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has ordered up to 1,000 Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) Guidance Enhanced Missiles-Tactical (GEM-Ts) from MBDA-Raytheon joint venture COMLOG for Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and Spain, the NSPA and COMLOG announced in a joint press release on 3 January. In addition...

A news broadcast with file footage of North Korea's artillery firing, at a railway station in Seoul on 5 January 2024. North Korea fired more than 200 artillery shells near two South Korean islands that day, said the South Korean government. (Jung Yeon-je /AFP via Getty Images)  North Korea fired more than 200 artillery shells into waters near the Seoul-controlled Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong islands early on 5 January, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson Colonel Lee Sung-jun disclosed in a statement to reporters on the same...

LIG Nex1 displayed a mock-up of its LAMD system at the DX Korea defence show in 2022. The missile is 165 mm in diameter and will intercept targets at a maximum firing range of 7 km and at an altitude of 5 km. (Janes/Jon Grevatt)  South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has accelerated the exploration and development of the low-altitude missile defence (LAMD) system – also known as the long-range artillery interception system – by a year, the agency said in a press release on 1 January.  According to DAPA, the system's...

The Talaiyeh long-range anti-ship missile is seen next to its launcher during the ceremony at Konarak naval base. (defapress.ir)  The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) held a ceremony on 24 December to induct new equipment that included an anti-ship missile called the Talaiyeh, which is said to have a range of more than 1,000 km.  Iranian media coverage showed a Talaiyeh on display next to a mobile launcher at the naval base in Konarak, the headquarters of the IRIN's third region. It appeared to be the same type of missile as the one unvei...

South Korea's fleet of 22 Westland WG13 Lynx Mk 99 maritime helicopters has been operational with the RoK Navy since 1991. (NurPhoto via Getty Images)  South Korea has approved a plan to replace the country's ageing Westland WG13 Lynx Mk 99 maritime helicopter fleet amid other decisions on future rotary-wing-related acquisitions.  During its 158th meeting on 29 December, the Defense Acquisition Program Committee backed a “basic strategic plan” to replace the Republic of Korea (RoK) Navy's 22 operational Lynx Mk 99s. The Lynxes, which entered...

The Brazilian Marine Corps Amphibious Vehicles Battalion received 23 AAV7A1 RAM/RS vehicles between 2017 and 2018 in three different configurations. (Victor Barreira)  The Brazilian Marine Corps (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais: CFN) is implementing an ambitious effort to replace several of its older platforms, acquire new capabilities, update infrastructure and organisations, and simultaneously bolster the local Defence Technological and Industrial Base (DTIB).  Marine Materiel Command (Comando do Material de Fuzileiros Navais: CMatFN) under Gene...

An RRAI Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport participates in an automated breaching experiment led by the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty, North Carolina. (US Army)  The small robots of the 264th Clearance Company will participate in a training centre rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson, Louisiana, in one of the earliest tests of the ground vehicles in army operations, a US army officer told Janes.  The Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (S-MET) and the Expeditionary Modular Autonomous Vehicle (EMAV) – wh...

The SAMAR air-defence system – as seen at Aero India 2023 – uses Ashok Leyland vehicle mounted with refurbished R-73E missiles on rail launchers. (Janes/Rahul Udoshi)  The Indian Air Force (IAF) has inducted the Surface to Air Missile for Assured Retaliation (SAMAR) system, an IAF source told Janes on 20 December.  According to the source, the service also test-fired the system in mid-December at Air Force Station Suryalanka located in the southern coastal region of India.  The source did not elaborate on the number of systems the service has...