Renault Trucks Defense and Land Rover announce working together to bid for UK Ministry of Defence contract work to supply military support vehicles. The cooperation between the two companies will be based on selected vehicles from the SHERPA tactical vehicle range of Renault Trucks Defense. The vehicles will be assembled by Land Rover in the UK. Renault Trucks Defense has already been down selected for the Operational Utility Vehicle System competition in the UK and the SHERPA 4*4 offered by Renault Trucks Defense for this competition will now be jointly offered to the UK Ministry of Defence with Land Rover. Other opportunities for vehicles from the SHERPA range to be considered subject to ongoing requirements of the UK Ministry of Defence. The partnership between the two world class companies offers the UK MoD the benefits of modern vehicles designed for current and future operations. This partnership builds upon the long standing relationship that Land Rover has with the UK MoD. In a joint statement, Serge Perez, Senior Vice President of Renault Trucks Defense and John Stretton, Director Global Government and Direct Sales Land Rover, said "The letter of intent between Renault Trucks Defense and Land Rover to work together offers the UK Ministry of Defence the combination of the outstanding technical design, proven performance and reliability of the SHERPA 4*4 with the unparalleled experience of Land Rover gained from serving the needs of the British Armed Forces for many years. The SHERPA 4*4 is an established European Utility Vehicle with the ability to both carry the level of armour protection demanded by current theatre of operations and with outstanding growth potential to meet future requirements."
18 February 2009

The French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) awarded an upstream study program in December 2008 to the temporary company grouping consisting of Nexter Munitions (representative) and TDA, a subsidiary of Thales, for the design and manufacture of a Metric Precision artillery Ammunition demonstrator (MPM). The aim of this upstream study program (Programme Etudes Amont or PEA) is the procurement of low-cost technological units for navigation, piloting, guidance, acquisition and detection (semi-active laser sensor), which can be integrated in several types of ammunition (120mm mortar, tank artillery, 155mm artillery, GMLRS rockets and 68mm helicopter rockets). This SAL terminal guided ammunition is designed for use in operational engagements, particularly of an urban nature, and should allow for the metric precision treatment of one-off and overlapping targets. These targets are designated in the last seconds of ballistic flight by a laser designator, operated through a means of observation (ground-level observation, aircraft etc.) During this designation phase, the auto-director will detect the spot back-scattered by the target, and supply the information to the guidance system which then develops piloting orders and thus ensure terminal metric precision. On top of this, target designation will be effected by the same type of designator, regardless of the ammunition (artillery, mortar, tank etc.). The main operational objective being sought is precision improvement in order to limit collateral damage, alleviate logistics and fire in the vicinity of friendly forces. This upstream study program will end by 2012 with demonstrative 120mm mortar fire.
18 February 2009

The General delegation for armament (DGA) ordered, on January 8, 2009 with Panhard General Defence, 232 small protected vehicles PVP, which changes to 546 the number of PVP ordered to date, of which 218 were already delivered to the French Army. The first order passed in September 2004, envisaged the delivery of 200 PVP per year at the end 2007 and until 2012. The acceleration of the deliveries and the orders decided within the framework it revival economic program to allow Panhard to increase its production up to 300 PVP per year. The final objective of program PVP is of 1.500 vehicles delivered in 2015.
12 February 2009

The Indian Army, Navy and the Air Force jointly conducted the largest ever Amphibious Exercise codenamed "EXERCISE TROPEX-2009" at Madhavpur beach, Gujarat. The amphibious landing, the most complex of all military manoeuvres involving coordination and synergy from conceptualization to planning and final execution, was ably demonstrated on the shores of Madhavpur. The element of Coast Guard was also a part of this short, swift and intense conflict. The exercise exhibited high level of coordination and synergy between the Armed Forces to carry out such swift and intense conflict during military operations. It also provided tremendous training value through the testing of human and material endurance, execution of organizational and logistics plans and finally delivering the punch in a mock battle.
09 February 2009

A decision on the delivery of advanced air defense systems S-300 to Iran can only be taken by the Russian leadership, the head of Russia's state arms exporter said on Wednesday. (The S-300P surface-to-air missile system. INFOgraphics). There has been significant media speculation of late concerning possible negotiations between Moscow and Tehran on the delivery of S-300 (SA-20 Gargoyle) air defense systems to the Islamic Republic. "In relation to the discussion of possible deliveries of S-300 air defense systems [to Iran] I would like to reiterate that if the Russian president and the government adopt such a decision, Rosoboronexport will have to implement it," Rosoboronexport's general director Anatoly Isaikin said in an interview with Nezavisimaya Gazeta. He insisted that the military and technical cooperation that Russia was developing with Iran was transparent, and complied fully with international and Russian laws. "We are doing everything absolutely openly and in accordance with the current legislation," the official said. "Before we can send even a pistol, even a round of ammunition abroad, we have to coordinate the issue with a number of state bodies and receive their permission." "Therefore, only a decision at the highest political level can give us the 'green light' to start contract negotiations," Isaikin said. The advanced version of the S-300 missile system, called S-300PMU1, has a range of over 150 kilometers (over 100 miles) and can intercept ballistic missiles and aircraft at low and high altitudes, making the system an effective tool for warding off possible air strikes. Media reports on possible S-300 delivery to Iran have alarmed the U.S. and Israel, which have consistently refused to rule out the possibility of military action against Tehran. The systems could greatly improve Iranian defenses against any air strike on its strategically important sites, including nuclear facilities.
04 February 2009

Sri Lankan Army tanks take part in an Independence Day parade in Colombo February 4, 2009. The United States and Britain urged a temporary ceasefire in Sri Lanka to evacuate casualties and allow relief into the war zone as the island state celebrated independence from colonial ruler Britain on Wednesday.
04 February 2009

Russia and Belarus signed a pact on the joint protection of the Russia-Belarus's airspace and the creation of an integrated regional air defence network yesterday. The pact was signed during a meeting of the Union State Supreme Council in Moscow, co-chaired by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Belarussian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. Military cooperation between the two former Soviet republics has gained momentum recently, bolstered in part by recent U.S. moves to deploy missile defence elements in Poland and the Czech Republic, Russian Newspaper said. The Kremlin said the document ''is a serious step in the development of military and military-technical ties between Russia and Belarus'' and it will significantly boost the defence capabilities of both countries. The system will be placed under the command of a Russian or Belarusian Air Force or Air Defence Force senior commander, at the Presidents' discretion. Belarus has several Russian made S-300 air defence battalions on combat duty and was negotiating the purchase of advanced S-400 systems from Russia, which will be made available by 2010.
03 February 2009

FN Herstal announced that on 22 December 2008, the FN Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR) was down-selected as one of four competitive products for procurement by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) following a full and open competition. Each awardee will now produce and deliver test samples for evaluation by the Marine Corps. This is the first phase of a five-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract for the production, delivery, and associated support of the Marine Corps' Infantry Automatic Rifle (IAR). The IAR is planned to replace a limited number of lightweight machine guns currently used in the automatic riflemen role within Infantry and Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Battalions The company whose weapon system will be selected after the Marine Corps evaluations will be awarded delivery orders for up to 6,500 IARs along with spare/repair parts, and various support services. The IAR is a lightweight, magazine-fed, 5.56mm weapon which enhances the automatic rifleman's maneuverability and displacement speed while providing the ability to suppress or destroy not only area targets, but point targets as well. The FN IAR derives from the SCAR™ platform and includes high tech components. It is a unique, highly-adaptable, modular selective fire weapon system that fills the roles of both individual battle rifle and squad automatic rifle in one light, compact package. The magazine-fed FN IAR is capable of firing from a closed bolt in both semi-automatic and fully-automatic modes, yet automatically transitions into open-bolt operation in semi-automatic or full-automatic before reaching cook-off temperature for a chambered cartridge.

03 February 2009

Germany's Federal Agency for Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) has placed an order with PSM GmbH of Kassel for a major expansion of the Bundeswehr's new infantry fighting vehicle, the Puma. The Düsseldorf-based Rheinmetall Group has a 50% stake in PSM, the company in charge of the Puma project. The order for integration of the multiple role lightweight guided missile system (MELLS) is worth approximately EUR 68 million. Equipping the Puma with this state-of-the-art guided missile system constitutes an important milestone in the overall programme, as well as underscoring the significance of this procurement project for the Bundeswehr. The MELLS adds a necessary dimension to the Puma's capabilities profile, enabling it to perform the full range of missions for which it was originally intended. The system is part of an equipment package that encompasses an array of additional capabilities requested by the military but not yet contractually agreed. The heart of the MELLS system is the Spike guided missile from Eurospike GmbH, another company in which Rheinmetall holds a 50% share. Procurement of the Puma in series should commence this year, and a series order for MELLS integration in every vehicle can now be expected as well. The integration project involves mounting a launcher for two missiles in the vehicle turret. The Spike guided missile selected here is equipped with an optronic sensor head that transmits imagery via a fibre optic cable to the Puma fighting compartment, where it is displayed on a computer monitor. It can be controlled via the user interface of the Puma's fire control unit. This will enable Germany's new infantry fighting vehicle to engage heavily armoured enemy ground targets and helicopters as well as countering threats behind cover. In addition to the autonomous target tracking capability of the missile itself, the Puma crew can take over control of the missile when it is in flight, e.g. in order to switch to a higher priority target.
03 February 2009

"For consecutive days, Chinese peacekeeping engineers have been working hard despite of the intense heat and finally finished the rush repair of the access road for the Allied and United Forces (AUF). In order to let the people here remember the contributions that Chinese engineers have made for promoting Sudan's peace process, we decided to name the road as 'Chinese Engineer Road'", said Brigadier James of the Sudanese AUF with gratitude who was chairing the completion ceremony for the rush repair of the access road, held specially by the AUF unit stationed in Wow, Sudan at the time when the Spring Festival, the Chinese lunar New Year came. The Sudanese AUF is co-formed by the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement within the framework of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). The access road and the roads connecting the unit of the AUF stationed at the suburb of Wow and other units are long out of repair, the roadbed is seriously damaged and the road surface is bumpy, which have significantly influenced routine duty performance and emergent maneuver ability. Having received the road construction assignment in late November last year, the 4th batch of the Chinese peacekeeping engineering detachment to Sudan worked for more than 20 days consecutively under the leadership of the detachment commander despite of the high temperature of above 40?. They have excavated 7,580 cubic meters of earth and turned the seriously-damaged 3,000 m-long segment into a sample road with hard roadbed and smooth water drainage. Mr. Kenana, the UN military-civilian affairs liaison officer, said at the completion ceremony: "The construction of 'Chinese Engineer Road' is not only conducive to the cooperation between troops of south and north Sudan, but is beneficial to the life of the local people. It has important practical and political significance for promoting local peace process."
03 February 2009

AM General, LLC, South Bend, Ind., was awarded on Jan. 30, 2009, a $510,781,157 firm fixed price contract to add 3,401 each High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV) to contract. Work is being performed at Mishawaka, Ind., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2009. One bid was solicited and one bid received.
03 February 2009

BAE Systems and Thales have been contracted by the U.S. Army to provide combat identification solutions for ground combat and combat support vehicles to minimize the risk of fratricide. BAE Systems and Thales have been contracted by the U.S. Army to provide combat identification solutions for ground combat and combat support vehicles to minimize the risk of fratricide, commonly referred to as "friendly fire." Under a $3.3 million contract from the U.S. Army Communications and Electronics Life Cycle Management Center, the companies will study how millimeter-wave combat identification systems can address issues related to affordability, information security, and platform integration. The contract was awarded as part of the Joint Cooperative Target Identification-Ground program, an effort to develop a low-cost target identification capability for the Army and Marine Corps.
02 February 2009

The upgraded version of the Oplot main battle tank is undergoing government trials, which include comprehensive testing of the tank's firing, mobility and protection capabilities. After completion of the trials, if successful, the Oplot will enter small-scale production, with the first batch of 10 vehicles planned to be produced in 2009. The production will take place at the Malyshev Plant in Kharkov. The upgraded Oplot MBT differs from the basic Oplot version in having a commander's panoramic sight incomporating daylight and thermal imaging channels, new-generation explosive reactive armour based on a new principle of defeating kinetic and chemical energy attacks (with special focus on increasing the hull side and turret side protection level to enhance the tank's survivability in urban conditions), more environment-friendly 1200 hp 6TD-2E diesel engine instead of original 6TD-2 engine, complex movement control system with a new steering wheel and an upgraded digital panel for the driver, new radio equipment, and more powerful (10 kW rather than 8 kW) auxiliary power unit.
01 February 2009

Serbia hopes to find an export market for its Lazar armored personnel carrier and believes Iraq may provide just such an opportunity, according to statements from the Serbian Defense Ministry. During a visit last week to Iraq, Serbia's Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac and his delegation took note of the enthusiastic response to a presentation concerning the Lazar APC. Serbia is keen on stressing close ties with the new Iraqi government and, in particular, reigniting its former relationship as a defense supplier to the country. Recent initiatives in the latter regard have come under scrutiny, as in the case of a controversial defense contract reached in December 2007, which Serbian authorities estimated to be $236 million (media reports placed the figure higher, at $833 million). The deal included one item in particular that raised eyebrows - the sale of between 20 and 35 piston-engine Lasta 95 light training aircraft. At the time of the deal, the Lasta 95 prototype remained under development and mass-production still has not begun. As for the Lazar APC, it is produced by domestic firm and principal state arms exporter Yugoimport SDPR. Named after a 14th-century Serbian prince, the Lazar is an 8x8 armored vehicle. It is armed with a 20mm cannon main gun and capable of carrying up to 10 troops. The vehicle can be fitted with add-on armor, such as explosive-reactive armor and is protected against mines by its V-shaped hull and high ground clearance. The Serbian Army is expected to purchase the Lazar for its own use in the near future.
01 February 2009