The delivery comes just five months after the country received its penultimate GlobalEye aircraft at the Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi.

According to Saab business area head for surveillance Carl-Johan Bergholm, completing the delivery in under 10 years underscores the company’s position as a “leading provider” of AEW&C platforms.

Deliveries of the GlobalEye to the UAE began in 2020 after five years of production and flight testing.

‘Multi-Domain Platform’

Saab is pitching its GlobalEye as an “advanced, multi-domain solution” capable of long-range threat detection and identification.

It features active and passive sensors that provide real-time information to units on the ground, at sea, or in the air.

The aircraft can operate for up to 11 hours at 35,000 feet (10,668 meters) while detecting threats as low as 200 feet (61 meters).

Its primary goal is to enhance the situational awareness of military units in high-threat environments.

Currently, the UAE Air Force is the only confirmed operator of the AEW&C aircraft.

Sweden has placed an order for three aircraft, with deliveries expected between 2024 and 2029.

The post Saab Concludes GlobalEye Early Warning Aircraft Deliveries to UAE appeared first on The Defense Post.

Anton Andreev, assigned to the fifth company of Moscow’s 1009th regiment, told Russian Telegram channel Astra that half his unit had been eliminated on the first night of fighting in Vovchansk.

He also revealed that only 12 of his 100-strong unit were left to fight as the invading forces attempted to advance and gain more territory.

He attributed the huge Russian loss to Kyiv’s powerful artillery and drone strikes.

“You walk through the street, and everything seems to be fine,” Andreev said in a video message verified by The Guardian. “But then you get caught up in a massacre.”

‘Sent to Die Like Meat’

Fighting has intensified in Kharkiv since last month when an estimated 30,000 Russian troops caught the Ukrainians off guard and quickly seized 99 square miles (159 square kilometers) of territory.

But the mission was not easy, as Andreev lamented about being sent there to die “like meat.”

He claimed that their commanders always insisted on advancing even if they were already taking huge casualties.

“They just chop us up! We are sent under machine guns, under drones in daylight, like meat. And commanders just shout ‘forward and forward,’” he said.

If confirmed, Andreev’s statement would lend weight to claims that the Russian military has been making costly mistakes on the battlefield resulting in heavy losses.

Earlier this year, a Ukrainian artillery commander said the invading forces continued to carry out large-scale “meat assaults,” in which a large number of soldiers swarm an enemy area with almost no cover.

The post Russian Soldier Says Ukraine Almost Wiped Out His Entire Unit in Kharkiv appeared first on The Defense Post.

This is according to US Army Futures Command head Gen. James Rainey, who was asked to speak before members of the Senate Appropriations airland subcommittee on the $22-billion initiative.

Some US lawmakers have raised concerns over the program marred with performance challenges, even calling it a “bad penny that keeps turning up.”

Rainey said the IVAS goggles must ace their upcoming test series because a poor showing may result in redirecting its massive budget elsewhere.

“As a former infantryman, I realize the potential [of the IVAS]. It is a legitimate 10 times upgrade to our most important formations,” he said, as quoted by Breaking Defense.

“But if it does not work, then I think we would have to take a very hard look at whether we continue down that path or use the money for other critical aspects of our night-vision strategy.”

A Rocky Path

The much-hyped IVAS goggles were supposed to revolutionize the way soldiers train, operate, and receive information on the battlefield.

They feature a mixed reality heads-up display that integrates next-generation situational awareness tools to aid in decision-making and targeting.

However, the multibillion-dollar program has been on a rocky path as soldiers complained of experiencing discomfort after less than three hours of using the goggles.

Among the “mission-affecting” physical impairments caused by the IVAS are headaches, nausea, and eye strain.

Potential Alternative

If all goes wrong after the IVAS trials, the US Army can redirect the money to Elbit’s Enhanced Night Vision Goggles (ENGV) – Binoculars.

Rainey said the ENGV has “really strong” performance in providing enhanced situational awareness to soldiers.

The system is known for its white phosphor image intensifier tubes that enable operators to see in the dark or when there is fog, dust, or thick smoke.

According to Rainey, investing in a potentially more effective and efficient night vision system can help ensure that the army can “own the night.”

The post Upcoming Tests Likely to Seal Fate of US Army’s Troubled IVAS Goggles: Official appeared first on The Defense Post.

A total of 54 howitzers will be equipped with Hensoldt’s See Through Armour System (SETAS), a high-resolution day and night vision system for armored vehicles.

The electro-optical vision system will offer full situational awareness from inside the howitzer, identifying and classifying targets with high-resolution color daylight and uncooled thermal imaging cameras.

The system automatically warns the crew of potentially threatening movements detected close to the vehicles.

The estimated completion date has not yet been revealed.

The Integration Phases

The SETAS’ integration will be split into two parts, with the initial step focusing on connecting the system to the KNDS vehicle network and battle management system.

Hensoldt Optronics & Land Solutions Head Tanya Altmann said the integration will provide vehicle crew members with the best situational awareness through AI-supported sensor fusion.

The second part of the configuration will tackle enhancements for automatic image processing functions, including Moving Target Indication, object tracking, and other modes.

The RCH 155

Designed as air-portable self-propelled artillery, the Remote-Controlled Howitzer 155 mm (RCH 155) is a fully autonomous howitzer capable of shooting moving targets at a rate of up to eight rounds per minute.

In 2022, Germany financed Ukraine’s purchase of 18 RCH 155s. The military aid was reported to be worth 216 million euros ($227 million).

The vehicles are set to be delivered in 2024 and 2025.

The post Hensoldt to Supply All-Round Vision System for KNDS Howitzers appeared first on The Defense Post.

In collaboration with the Estonian surveillance system provider DefSecIntel, the mixed reality-based system will be used to enhance the vehicle crews’ situational awareness in Ukraine.

Deployment of the Vegvisir Core will take place in spring 2024, providing “significant” battlefield advantages for mounted troops, the startup said.

Vegvisir CEO Ingvar Parnamae said “it took us nearly three years of planning, fundraising, research, development, relentless testing, and negotiations with manufacturers to reach the first contract.” However, no contract details were disclosed.

New investors are continuing to be added to improve the system’s functionality, he stated.

Vegvisir Core

The Vegvisir Core system comprises vehicle-mounted cameras, an immersive ultra-low latency headset, and data overlay capability providing a 360-degree view of the surrounding environment.

It connects the vehicle crew with a digital hub, allowing seamless interaction and access to digital information.

Heightened awareness enables soldiers to make better decisions in complex battlefield situations.

Vegvisir is compatible with a range of military vehicles such as infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, combat support platforms, and main battle tanks.

It can also be mounted on marine platforms.

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