With the Arjun Main Battle Tank slated to be compared with Russian T-90 tanks in trials after August, the DRDO is working on development of host of armoured defence systems to provide additional capabilities for the indigenously developed battle tank. "DRDO is developing a laser warning control system (LWCS) and Mobile Camouflaging System (MCS) to be equipped on the Arjun, which is expected to be fielded for regimental level trials with T-90s during monsoon," Defence Ministry officials told the news agency. The MCS is being developed by DRDO to help the tank reduce the threat of interference from all types of sensors and smart munitions of the enemy in the tank's systems. "This will help us reduce the signatures of the tank in the battle field and help it improve its survivability," they said. DRDO is co-developing the technology along with a Gurgaon-based private sector defence manufacturer Barracuda Camouflaging Limited. The other system LWCS is being developed in cooperation with Elbit Limited of Israel. On Monday 25 May 2009, the DRDO had handed over a set of 16 Arjun Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) equipped with advanced technology including enhanced firing range to the Indian Army.
28 May 2009

The Spanish Ministry of Defense has recently released a Request for Information (RFI) addressing companies interested in producing the new 8 x 8 armoured vehicles for the Spanish Armed Forces. The RFI’s deadline is scheduled for August 15, 2009. MoD officials said that a contract for delivery of 300 vehicles by 2016 is to be signed in June 2010 following the evaluation of the submitted proposals. The RFI has been issued by Spain’s procurement agency, General Directorate of Armament and Material (DGAM), and published on the agency’s website. Yet, the document does not include any specifications on the financial provisions of the programme. The Spanish department of Defence said in a statement that the Armed Forces need to have "a family of wheeled multipurpose medium weight armoured vehicles with a high levels of protection and mobility". These vehicles will take part in the "Vehículo blindado de Ruedas" (VBR) of the Spanish Army. The vehicles should have a high capacity for survival of the personnel and crew, while retaining sufficient internal volume and significant load capacity, according to the document. Beyond that, the MoD is looking for vehicles with a reduced need for logistic resources and low costs of service. The vehicle will be acquired in three versions in the first phase of the programme, known as Personnel Carriers (Porta personal - VPP), Cavalry Exploration (Exploración de caballería -VEC), and Command Vehicles (Puesto de mando - VPC). However, the vehicle must also be modular, open to allow the incorporation of technological innovations that may be considered necessary. According to the announced programme schedule, the MoD will await the Industry’s answer for the RFI until August 2009. The evaluation of supplies and vehicles should be completed by December 2009 with a request for combining supply with price (RFQ) by January 2010, with a final contract signed by June 2010.
27 May 2009

The Russia-Belarus financial and industrial group Defense Systems will supply Pechora-2M air defense systems to five countries in the near future, the company's deputy general director said on Tuesday. "We will deliver Pechora-2M air defense systems to three former Soviet states and two [other] foreign countries soon," Vyacheslav Karatayev said, without specifying the customers. He added that the company was holding talks with another 10 countries on sales of Pechora missile systems. "This system is very popular around the world. However, we have not yet been able to increase the production capacity to 15-17 systems annually, as was the case during the Soviet era," the official said. Some Russian media sources earlier reported that the portfolio of 2009-2011 export orders for Pechora-2M and Pechora-2A SAM systems totaled 200 units, including 70 for Egypt. The Defense Systems joint venture was formed in 1996 under a Russia-Belarus intergovernmental agreement. The company comprises 38 subsidiaries in both countries and focuses on the production, export and post-sale servicing of Pechora-2M air defense systems.
26 May 2009

France opened on Tuesday 26 May 2009 a permanent military base in the Persian Gulf, in a bid to bolster security in the region. The base, located in Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates, will be home to 400 to 500 French personnel from the Navy, Army and Air Force and will effectively control the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Up until now, only the United States has had military bases in the oil-rich region, but Persian Gulf officials have been talking about bringing in other military partners for several years as a result of declining U.S. influence among Arab countries. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, an average of about 15 tankers carrying 16.5 to 17 million barrels of crude oil pass through the strait every day. This represents 40% of the world's seaborne oil shipments, and 20% of all world shipments. The French base will start receiving its first warships in the next few weeks, the officials said, and will also become one of the key support points for an international naval task force fighting piracy off the Somali coast. Arab experts believe that the presence of a French military base will bring about more balance in the region, boost Arab Gulf countries' deterrence against Iran and subsequently improve stability.
26 May 2009

After 35 years of troubled development, India’s indigenously-designed Arjun tank has finally entered regimental service with the Indian Army. The development marks the fruition of 35 years of research in self-reliance by dedicated Indian scientists against all odds. Initially, 12 prototypes were developed during 1983 to 1990 and they were subjected to field trials of more than 20,000 kms and 1100 rounds. Based on user feedback 15 pre-production vehicles were developed during 1990 to 1995 and they were subjected to field trials of more than 70,000 kms and 8,000 rounds. DRDO will be incorporating all these inputs in the next regiment of 62 tanks for handing over to Army before March 2010 as desired by the Army. The regiment of 45 tanks will be subjected to a conversion training and field practice for a period of 3 months. Thereafter, the Army is planning to conduct a comparative trial with T-90 tanks in Oct/Nov 2009 to assess the operational deployment role of the tanks. The present batch of 124 tanks will be delivered by Mar 2010.
25 May 2009

All arms procurement projects with tied-over budgets will be shelved in the wake of deep defence budget cuts which are also prompting the armed forces to resort to training on simulators, army chief Anupong Paojinda says. Gen Anupong said the cuts would result in the army freezing the 3.89-billion-baht purchase of another lot of 89 armoured personnel carriers from Ukraine.
25 May 2009

Bolivia may order weaponry worth several million dollars from Russia in the near future, a deputy foreign minister said on Friday. Sources earlier reported that Bolivia had expressed interest in buying a number of Russian-made Mi-17 multipurpose helicopters to combat terrorism and drug trafficking. During the talks in Moscow in February, Russia and Bolivia signed a bilateral agreement on military-technical cooperation. Moscow said it could offer La Paz a loan for the purchase of Russian-made weaponry, without specifying the amount.
22 May 2009

The Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) has commissioned Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) to supply a light, air-portable reconnaissance vehicle for nuclear and chemical threats, in the form of the new MUNGO NC Recce. To this end, KMW will initially produce a reconnaissance vehicle which will start trials at the start of 2010. There are plans for a total of 25 of the MUNGO NC Recce in series production.
19 May 2009

Elbit Systems Ltd. announced it has been awarded a contract valued at €25 million to supply the Austrian Army with Elbit Systems' new 12.7mm unmanned Electrically Remote Controlled Weapon Stations. The systems will be delivered over the course of the next four years. The contract for the Austrian Army was signed between Elbit Systems and IVECO S.p.A., a subsidiary of the Fiat Group, prime contractor for the program. The Weapon Stations provided by Elbit Systems will be integrated into IVECO Defence Vehicles' Light Multi-role Vehicles (LMV) 4X4.
18 May 2009

Russia will only supply advanced Iskander and S-400 missile systems to Belarus if the country's leadership approves the deal, state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Thursday. "It is a political decision. If it is adopted, we will deliver these systems to Belarus," said Valery Varlamov, a department head at Rosoboronexport. The S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler) is designed to intercept and destroy airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles), twice the range of the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot, and 2 1/2 times that of Russia's S-300PMU-2.
14 May 2009

The first batches of the new Panther mine-protected command and liaison vehicles modified to meet exacting British Army standards by BAE Systems have been completed on schedule and begun front line duty in Afghanistan. The vehicles, customised to Theatre Entry Standard (TES), will have over a dozen changes to fit them for current operations, including larger roof hatches, a rear view camera, protected engine compartment, new rear cargo pod and electronic devices to counter improvised explosive devices. Most of the modifications were carried out at BAE Systems Global Combat Systems’ Newcastle production plant. Three BAE Systems engineers have been completing the TES upgrades in Afghanistan to speed introduction to service.
12 May 2009

BAE Systems has been awarded an $81.4 million contract to produce 39 M88A2 HERCULES recovery vehicles and spare parts for the U.S. Army. "HERCULES continues to provide unmatched capabilities to our troops,” said Joe McCarthy, vice president and general manager, Heavy Brigade Combat Team Systems at BAE Systems. “This contract brings value to our employees as it extends the current M88A2 production work at BAE Systems and our suppliers across the U.S.” Work under the contract will be completed by the existing workforce at BAE Systems and is expected to be completed by May 2012. The contract contains options for the U.S. Army to purchase up to 81 additional vehicles and the U.S. Marine Corps to purchase an additional 10 vehicles, as well as six sets of spare parts.
11 May 2009

Russia's advanced S-400 Triumf air defense systems will be displayed for the first time in the May 9 Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square, the defense minister has said. Victory Day marks the final surrender by Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union at the end of WWII, referred to as the Great Patriotic War in Russia and other former Soviet states. The parade will involve over 9,000 service personnel, 112 military vehicles and 70 aircraft.
"Last year the S-300 air defense systems took part in the parade for the first time ever, and this year we will show the S-400," Anatoly Serdyukov said in an interview with the Rossiiskaya.
The S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler) air defense system is expected to form the new cornerstone of Russia's theater air and missile defenses up to 2020 or even 2025. Russia has already deployed two missile regiments equipped with the S-400 system to protect the airspace surrounding Moscow and industrial zones in the center of Russia's European territory.
09 May 2009

Renault Trucks Defense has signed with Thales a contract for supplying 33 units of Sherpa 3 dedicated to the tactical stations of the Syracuse III military satellite communications program. 16 Sherpa will be delivered in 2009 and in 2010. Already known as a NATO reference, the Sherpa 3 will get the French reference and will be deployed within the French Army (land and air forces).
07 May 2009

Three production-representative MRAP All Terrain Vehicles (M-ATV) from Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, have arrived at the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland today for military evaluation. The Oshkosh M-ATV is designed to meet the U.S. Armed Services’ urgent need requirement for a well-protected vehicle than can thrive in operations on Afghanistan’s rugged and mountainous off-road terrain. In addition to meeting these mobility demands, the Oshkosh M-ATV provides the superior crew protection that military forces need by incorporating an armor system from Plasan North America, which developed the armor system in use on more than 5,000 current MRAP vehicles and for the Armored Cab Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacements (MTVR) in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Oshkosh M-ATV’s superior mobility is achieved with the integration of the company’s TAK-4 independent suspension system. The same system is used on more than 10,000 MTVRs, which are renowned for their advanced crew-protection capabilities and unmatched mobility in off-road operations, including those in Afghanistan. Oshkosh recently was awarded a contract to integrate the TAK-4 system onto MRAPs in the field to improve mobility.
02 May 2009