BAE Systems M777 155 mm/39 calibre ultra lightweight howitzer in service with the Ukrainian forces can hit targets to a maximum range of 24.7 km using unassisted rounds and has a sustained rate of fire of 2 rds/min. (Ministry of Defence of Ukraine)  BAE Systems and AMS Integrated Solutions have signed an agreement to provide maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services for artillery systems in Ukraine.  According to a BAE Systems statement on 18 December, the agreement will enable the two companies to offer “specialised artillery systems...

USN Secretary Carlos Del Toro touted the EW capabilities of the EA-18G Growlers. (US Navy)  Recent global conflicts highlight the increasing use of electronic warfare (EW) in military operations, US Navy (USN) Secretary Carlos Del Toro said on 12 December during a keynote speech at the Association of Old Crows' (AOC's) 60th Annual International Symposium & Convention at National Harbor, Maryland.  “For the US and our NATO allies, the conflict in Ukraine reinforces the emphasis we place on developing and maintaining a ready, interoperable comb...

The upgraded Type 12 SSM will have a range of 1,000 km. The original version (pictured above) has a range of 200 km. While the original Type 12 SSM was designed as a land-based anti-ship missile, the upgraded variant can be launched from land, aircraft, and surface combatants. (Japan Ground Self-Defense Force)  The Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) has accelerated the deployment of the upgraded Type 12 surface-to-ship missile (SSM) by a year, the MoD said in a press release in mid-December.  According to the MoD, the missile's deployment – orig...

HMS   Somerset  seen at Haakonsvern Naval Base on 14 December after receiving its NSM outload. The NSM launcher hardware is fitted in the space forward of the bridge previously occupied by Harpoon.   (Royal Norwegian Navy)  The Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset has become the first UK Royal Navy (RN) warship to receive the Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace Naval Strike Missile (NSM) surface-to-surface missile system.  NSM is being procured from Norway under the Maritime Offensive Surface Strike programme in order to rep...

The Akash Air Force Launcher (pictured above) carries three Akash anti-aircraft surface-to-air missiles on a wheeled tractor-trailer combination. (DRDO)  The Indian Air Force and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have demonstrated the enhanced capability of the Akash semimobile surface-to-air (SAM) missile system to intercept four unmanned aerial targets from a single firing unit, the DRDO said in a social media post on 17 December.  According to the demonstration footage released by the DRDO, the Akash system's central...

US Air Force maintainers prepare to load AIM-120-C-7 AMRAAMs on a USAF F-15 on Okinawa in 2016. A proposed new sale of AIM-120 and AIM-9 Sidewinders to Japan has the goal of improving the ability of JASDF's F-15, F-35, and F-2 fleets to meet current and future threats and protect US personnel in Japan, according to the US State Department. (US Department of Defense)  The United States State Department has approved the possible sale of air-to-air missiles for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF).  In announcements on 15 December, the State...

The SIG716 is a gas-cycled, air‐cooled, magazine box-fed weapon of a conventional layout with a maximum hitting range of 800 m. (SIG SAUER)  India's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the procurement of 70,000 additional SIG Sauer's SIG716 7.62×51 mm rifles worth INR8.4 billion (USD100 million) for the Indian Army, A Bharat Bhushan Babu, principal spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD),told Janes on 14 December.  The MoD ordered the first batch of 72,400 SIG716 rifles worth USD90 million in 2020 using the Fast Track...

Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the UN is focused on making better use of digital technology. He is pictured at the UN's recent Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting in Accra, Ghana. (UN Peacekeeping)  Technological developments in areas such as data exploitation, digitisation, and artificial intelligence (AI) were a major theme at the recent United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Ministerial in Accra, Ghana, with the international organisation seeking to adapt to an evolving military landscape.  The ministerial saw...

The DART AE is a 3.5 m long single-use hypersonic vehicle powered by a SPARTAN scramjet engine that, according to developer Hypersonix Launch Systems, has a top speed of Mach 7 and a range of 1,000 km. (Hypersonix Launch Systems)  Australian firm H...

The US Army announced the Precision Strike Missile had undergone qualification testing in November 2023. (US Army )  The first Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) weapons have been delivered to the US Army, representing the programme reaching initial operating capability (IOC), the service announced on 8 December.    Lockheed Martin plans to deliver three early operational capability (EOC) missiles out of 26 surface-to-surface missiles that are part of PrSM Increment 1 to the army before the end of the year, Paula Hartley, vice-president an...

The upgraded Hamina-class missile boats have been comprehensively equipped for their size and are capable of monitoring and countering air, surface, and underwater threats. (Finnish Navy)    The Finnish Navy's Hamina-class fast attack craft (FAC) mid-life upgrade (MLU) and modernisation programme has officially concluded and all four vessels have been returned to    active duty.   A ceremony to mark the milestone was held at the Finnish Navy's base in Turku on 12 December, the service announced the same day.  The Hamina-cla...

The 405th Army Field Support Brigade's Tele-Maintenance and Distribution Cell-Ukraine in Jasionka, Poland, briefs a Ukrainian defence official. (US Army)    The Pentagon is working on expanding access to intellectual property (IP), sustainment training, and depot access for Ukrainians, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment Christopher Lowman told   Janes  on 29 November.   While the US has already begun providing some things to Ukraine, the country and the whole region will need more support in the coming years to...

Spain is buying extended-range AMRAAM missiles to equip Eurofighter and Hornet (pictured) fighters, as well as its ground-based NASAMS air defence. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Spain is to expand its procurement of extended-range Raytheon AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) for its fleet of Eurofighter (C16 in national service) and Boeing EF-18 (C15) Hornet combat aircraft, as well as for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) ground-based air-defence system.  With 68 AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM missiles havin...

The Croatian government is procuring 89 Bradley combat vehicles donated by the US. (Croatian MoD/F Klen)  The first batch of 22 M2A2 Bradley ODS (Operation Desert Storm) infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for the Croatian Army arrived in the port of Rijeka on 6 December, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced later the same day.  The vehicles will be overhauled by Đuro Đaković Special Vehicles in Slavonski Brod so that they are ready for operational service by 2026.  The Minnesota National Guard, which has been co-operating with Croatia since...

Slovenia has signed a programme agreement with Germany to procure the IRIS-T SLM. (Diehl Defence)  The Slovenian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on its website on 6 December that it had signed a programme agreement with the German Federal MoD to buy the IRIS-T SLM (Surface Launched Medium Range) air-defence system from Diehl Defence. The agreement was signed by Slovenian State Secretary for Defence Damir Črnčec and his German counterpart, Benedikt Zimmer, in accordance with the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the joint procurement of...

The Croatian government is procuring 89 Bradley combat vehicles donated by the US. (Croatian MoD/F Klen)  The first batch of 22 M2A2 Bradley ODS (Operation Desert Storm) infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for the Croatian Army arrived in the port of Rijeka on 6 December, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced later the same day.  The vehicles will be overhauled by Đuro Đaković Special Vehicles in Slavonski Brod so that they are ready for operational service by 2026.  The Minnesota National Guard, which has been co-operating with Croatia since...

Aegis Ashore is a four-storey deckhouse and launch tower, which will provide a static home in Romania and Poland for the SPY-1D(V) radar, SM-3 missiles, and other systems taken from the US Navy's BMD ships. (Missile Defense Agency)  The US Navy (USN) is scheduled to officially accept the Aegis Ashore site in Poland by mid-December, according to Rear Admiral Douglas Williams, the acting director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA).  “The navy will formally accept Aegis Ashore Poland into their inventory on December 15,” Rear Adm Williams told...

The US Army announced the Precision Strike Missile had undergone qualification testing in November 2023. (US Army)  The first Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) weapons have been delivered to the US Army, representing the programme reaching initial operating capability (IOC), the service announced on 8 December.  Lockheed Martin plans to deliver three early operational capability missiles out of 26 surface-to-surface missiles that are part of PrSM Increment 1 to the army before the end of the year, Paula Hartley, vice-president and general manag...

Ansar Allah released a photograph on 1 November showing a Zulfiqar launch to illustrate its attacks on Israel. (Ansar Allah)  The Yemeni rebel group Ansar Allah (Houthis) has been launching Zulfiqar ballistic missiles and Quds cruise missiles at Israel, not new types of weapons, according to two letters submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by Gilad Erdan,the Israeli ambassador to the UN.  The letters said Zulfiqars were launched from Yemen towards Israel on 31 October, 4 November, 9 November, and 14 November. The one on 4 N...

A visual comparison of the new Taurus KEPD 350K-2 (in foreground) and KEPD 350K precision-attack cruise missiles. The KEPD 350K-2 uses a new wing design and improved dynamics to retain the 500 km range of the older and larger KEPD 350K. (Janes)  A smaller version of the Taurus Systems KEPD 350K air-launched precision‐attack cruise missile being planned for the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50 fighter aircraft could enter production two years after full-scale development is launched.  Designated as the KEPD 350K-2, this all-weather-capab...