December 2020 News Global Defence & Security Industry - Military

 
 
 
 
 

The Belgian Council of Ministers set Friday 11 December at 26,868 people the army contingent for 2021, a number which includes soldiers in active service, students in training, military personnel assigned to various tasks and reservists, in decline several hundred compared to 2020, announced the Defense Ministry. The annual setting of this quota is a constitutionally imposed requirement on the government, which must introduce a law to this effect.

According to a press release published on December 9, 2020, American company Boeing has upgraded and delivered the first batch of previously deployed Compact Laser Weapon System (CLWS) units to a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) customer – increasing their maximum beam power and reliability. Boeing expects to complete upgrades on the remaining units and deliver them in the first quarter of 2021.

According to a press release published on December 10, 2020, Marking its first year, EDGE, the UAE's (United Arab Emirates) advanced technology group for defense and beyond, was ranked among the top 25 military suppliers in the world by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a think tank that specializes in data analysis of military expenditure and arms trade among other peace and security related matters.

Rheinmetall and its strategic partner, the North-American helmet maker Galvion, have won an order to supply the German Bundeswehr with an advanced combat helmet. Awarded in November 2020, the framework contract encompasses the delivery of up to 20,000 helmets, specifically the “Combat Helmet, Special Forces, Heavy”.

According to a press release published on December 10, 2020, BAE Systems’ Amphibious Combat Vehicle Family of Vehicles (ACV FOV) program has achieved its most significant milestone to date with the U.S. Marine Corps’ decision to move into full-rate production and award a $184 million contract for 36 vehicles. The ACV is an advanced, next-generation vehicle for conducting ship-to-shore operations and effectively getting Marines into the fight.

Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and the Dutch procurement agency DMO (Defence Materiel Organisation) have signed a contract for the upgrading of 322 Fennek vehicles. The MLU (Mid Life Update) order has a volume of over EUR 300 million and includes among others the integration of new observation and reconnaissance systems (BAA II NDL) and the integration of the C4I command and control system.

The state trials of Russia’s improved Uran-9 tracked unmanned combat ground vehicle (UCGV) will be completed this year, Ground Forces Commander-in-Chief Army Gen. Oleg Salyukov said in an interview with the Krasnaya Zverda newspaper published on December 9. According to the official, various robotic platforms are currently in development in Russia.

The Lithuanian company Ostara, operating in the security and defence industry, has signed a memorandum ofl understanding with the Canadian firm Provectus Robotics Solutions Inc. The agreement will see Provectus’ remote control and autonomous driving solution (A-Kit) integrated into the advanced new generation buggy Krampus which is currently being developed by Ostara. Krampus is designed for border and environmental protection, surveillance of natural resources and mining operations support.

Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands declared their Composite Special Operations Component Command (C-SOCC) headquarters as fully operational on Monday 7 December 2020. The Composite Special Operations Component Command combines national capabilities from the three participating nations into a deployable multinational headquarters, specifically designed for commanding several Special Operations Forces task groups. This innovative approach provides the participating nations with a capability that exceeds the sum of their individual national contributions.

Mantis is called “Modular, Automatic and Network-Capable Targeting and Interception System”. It consists of several sensor units, an operating and fire control center and several turrets. "Mantis was procured in 2011 to protect German military camps abroad and can fight threats coming from the air with up to six 35 mm automatic guns," explains Heiko Meissner. Each of these guns can fire up to 1,000 rounds per minute.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced plans to finalize the creation of S-500 air and missile defense systems in 2021. Official data about the weapon, which will overwhelm all available missile and defense systems, remain scarce, the Izvestia daily writes.

Smart Shooter, a world-class designer, developer and manufacturer of innovative fire control systems that significantly increase the accuracy and lethality of small arms, has been awarded a contract by the Indian Ministry of Defence for the supply of its Smash Fire Control Systems to the Indian Navy.

On November 24, the Brazilian Navy formally purchased 90 Unimog 5000 trucks from Daimler Truck AG. Annual batches of Unimog U5000 4x4 trucks, including troops and material transport vehicles, water and fuel tanks, refrigerators and tippers, will be delivered to its Marine Corps (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais, CFN) from 2021 to 2027.

Page 3 of 4