April 2023 News Global Defence & Security Industry - Military |
|
|
|
|
According to information published by the Philippine News Agency, on April 25, 2023, the Philippine Army (PA) has recently deployed two new Israeli-made Autonomous Truck Mounted Howitzer System (ATMOS) 155mm self-propelled guns with the Capiz-based 3rd Infantry Division, aiming to strengthen its ability to neutralize internal threats.
According to information released on the Twitter account of "A-129 Mangusta" on April 25, 2023, Italy plans to deliver 40 additional M109L 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine.
Jankel, a British firm specializing in the design, integration, manufacture, and support of high-specification protection systems, has received a major order from Supacat to supply 70 HMT vehicle blast and seating protection systems. The order has been placed to enable the rapid production of 70 new Jackal vehicles for the British Ministry of Defense, a contract that was announced by Supacat and their production partners Babcockon on 23 February 2023. Now in receipt of this order, Jankel will commence production ramp-up immediately.
On April 19, 2023, at 5:11 a.m. Pacific Time, a combined team of U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen and Navy aircrew launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a test re-entry vehicle from the Airborne Launch Control System at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
The U.S. Department of Defense on April 21 announced that Lockheed Martin was awarded a $2,451,432,304 modification to contract W31P4Q-20-C-0023 for Phased Array Tracking Radar Intercept on Target (PATRIOT) Advanced Capability-3 missile production.
Pictures shared on the "Farooq Bhai" Twitter account suggest that the South Korean K239 Chunmoo multi-caliber MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) is now in use by Saudi Arabia's armed forces. This makes Saudi Arabia the second Middle Eastern nation to acquire the Chunmoo, following the UAE, which purchased eight of these rocket launcher systems in 2021.
According to Umair Aslam in Defense Talks, the Pakistani Army is set to receive the 2nd batch of Chinese-made NORINCO SH-15 Self-Propelled Howitzers (export variant of the PCL-181). A ceremony was also held in China to mark the production of 56 SH-15 for the Pakistani Army.
According to news published by the Russian Press Agency RIA on April 25, 2023, relayed by Reuters, in a recent development, Russia has started employing its advanced T-14 Armata Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) to target Ukrainian forces. However, these tanks have not been involved in any direct attack missions thus far.
As recalled by Laurent Lagneau in Oex360, in January 2021, the Directorate General of Armaments [DGA] notified the order of 364 Light Multirole Armored Vehicles "Serval" from Nexter and Texelis, out of a total of 978 units planned under the program. SCORPION (Synergie du contact renforcée par la polyvalence et l’infovalorisation, Synergy of contact reinforced by versatility and infovaluation). And these devices were to be delivered by 2025, including 119 in 2023.
Rheinmetall has booked an important order for ammunition for infantry fighting vehicles. The Group is supplying a European country with medium-calibre ammunition, with order volume exceeding €200 million net. Shipment is due to take place in 2023-2025.
In a recently released video by the Vietnamese armed forces, the 490th Brigade of the Vietnam People's Army can be seen participating in a training exercise involving the deployment of Scud tactical ballistic missiles. Vietnam is currently working with international partners to enhance the capabilities of its Soviet-era Scud missile systems, focusing on extending their range and reducing the Circular Error Probable (CEP) to increase accuracy.
Stockholm, Sweden - April 24, 2023: Germany has announced plans to invest in an extra 227 ultramobile, protected, all-terrain BvS10 vehicles from BAE Systems, with a contract valued at approximately $400 million. This decision comes after Sweden, Germany, and the United Kingdom's joint procurement to support Arctic operations under the Collaborative All-Terrain Vehicle (CATV) program, led by Sweden. The framework agreement will now extend delivery timelines from 2024 to 2030.
In a report published by "The Japan Times" on April 24, 2023, Japan plans to station the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) surface-to-air missile defense system on two islands in Okinawa Prefecture in anticipation of a potential North Korean ballistic missile launch. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno confirmed the decision on Monday, April 24, 2023.
On April 23, 2023, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) received the first two Altay Main Battle Tanks (MBTs), a significant milestone in Turkey's domestic defense industry. The tanks were supplied in a ceremony attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. As the final trials of the Altay tank are anticipated to conclude in 2024, mass production is expected to commence in 2025.
According to Hungary Today on April 21, Norway is making a significant contribution to an important area of Hungary’s defense capabilities, namely its air defense, Hungarian Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said in Oslo on April 20. In a statement, the Minister said that “in times of war, it is particularly important to strengthen our cooperation with our partners and allies”.
Award-winning metaverse startup, Hadean, has successfully delivered a cloud-distributed simulation technology demonstrator contract for the British Army Collective Training & Transformation Programme. This concludes the company's first direct engagement with the UK Ministry of Defence and paves the way for the wider adoption of cloud-native capabilities across the Armed Forces.
According to the Indian outlet Business Standard, with the Indian Army on a major drive to equip itself adequately on the Sino-Indian border, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) have joined hands to develop an indigenous light tank that is optimized for the extreme cold and high altitude of Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. Having co-designed an indigenous, 25-tonne, light tank, the DRDO has placed a development order on L&T to build the first prototype, say Army sources.
Acording to PSU Watch, Solar Industries India Ltd announced that Economic Explosives Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Solar Industries India, has bagged a Rs 212-crore contract from the Ministry of Defence. "Economic Explosives Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company has signed a contract for the supply of ‘Nagastra-1’ loitering munitions with the Ministry of Defence".
According to Ukrinform on April 22, Portugal will hand over five armored vehicles to Ukraine: "Portugal will send five armored rescue and medical aid vehicles to Ukraine: three of the M113 type and two of the M577 type," Minister of National Defense of Portugal Helena Carreiras announced following the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, Ukrinform reports.
April 23, 2023 - The French armed forces announced today via the Twitter account of the "Chef d'état-major des armées" that they have launched Operation "Sagittaire" to evacuate French nationals from Sudan. This action comes in response to the escalating conflict that began several days ago between the Sudanese army and various paramilitary groups. The primary goal of the operation is to ensure the safety and swift evacuation of French citizens caught in the crossfire of the ongoing hostilities.
At the Ukraine Defense Contact Group gathering focused on Ukraine's defense held last Friday, April 21, 2023, Ināra Mūrniece, Latvia's Minister of Defence, declared the country's intent to transfer its entire stock of FIM-92 Stinger MANPADS man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine.
On April 22, 2023, during an interview with the German Daily News program "Tagesschau", the Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced that Spain has committed to delivering six of the ten promised Leopard 2A4 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) to Ukraine in the coming days and a second batch of four tanks would follow.
During the Ukraine Defense Contact Group that was held in Ramstein, Germany on Friday, April 21, 2023, the Czech Defense Minister Daniel Blazhkovets, in a collaborative effort to bolster military aid for Kyiv, the Czech Republic has announced plans to upgrade an additional batch of T-72 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs). This initiative will be carried out in partnership with the United States and the Netherlands, highlighting a strong commitment to reinforcing regional security.
Next month, U.S. military personnel will start the training of Ukrainian soldiers to operate the American M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank (MBT), as declared the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday, April 21, 2023. Around 250 Ukrainian soldiers will be trained during 10 weeks to learn how to operate and repair the tanks.
Germany has handed over the second of four promised Iris-T SLM air defense missile systems to Ukraine. According to information published by the German weekly news magazine "SPIEGEL" on April 19, 2023, the delivery of one Iris-T SLM system and 16 guided missiles took place a few days ago, around April 16th, 2023.
