Ankara intends to replace its aging fleet of Northrop Grumman T-38 jet trainers and F-5 light jets with the Hurjet, originally designed as a jet trainer.

“We look forward to further deepening our defense partnership with Turkey, a key NATO ally,” Bloomberg quoted an official from the US Embassy in Ankara as saying.

The Hurjet

The in-development aircraft is fitted with modern avionics, air-to-ground missiles, and guided munitions.

It features a service ceiling of 45,000 feet (13,716 meters) and a maximum speed of Mach 1.2.

The single-engine, tandem-seat aircraft has a payload capacity of around three tons (3,000 kilograms/6,614 pounds).

F101 Engine

Additionally, Turkey is seeking GE Aerospace F110 engines for its fifth-generation Kaan fighter jet project.

Both engines are considered to be interim solutions, expected to be replaced with domestic versions at a later stage.

Turkey’s relations deteriorated with the US after it purchased the Russian S-400 air defense system in 2019.

However, relations have started to improve after Ankara ratified Sweden’s NATO membership bid earlier this year.

The post Turkey Requests US Approval to Buy GE Engine for Domestic Jet appeared first on The Defense Post.

It takes the total number of SAMP/T NG systems ordered by France and Italy to 18.

A total of eight systems will be delivered to the French Air Force while the rest will go to the Italian Army and Air Force.

France is expected to receive the first system by 2026 and the rest by 2030. Paris reportedly plans to procure four more systems by 2035.

Can Counter Hypersonics

The NG is an upgrade on the SAMP/T, which has been in service since 2010.

It provides an interception range of over 150 kilometers (93 miles) against a variety of threats, including short- and medium-range ballistic missiles and hypersonic missiles. 

A consortium of Thales and MBDA produces the system, which uses the munitions of the Aster family (A30 B1 and A30 B1NT).

Features

The system is based on the multifunction Thales GF300 rotating active electronically scanned array radar and the New Generation Engagement Module (ME-NG) developed by Thales and MBDA Italy.

The radar provides 360-degree coverage and has a detection range of 350 kilometers (217 miles).

The ME-NG is designed to integrate a diverse range of radars and munitions to cater to the needs of different nations, according to Thales.

The truck-based system can be equipped with six launchers, each carrying Aster 30 missiles.

“Thales is proud to contribute to the sovereignty of nations with its most innovative Air Defence technologies, including the New Generation Engagement Module (ME-NG) and the GF300 radar,” executive VP of Land and Air Systems at Thales Herve Dammann said.

“This contract for seven additional SAMP/T NG for France is a significant step forward in the European Air Defence. It further strengthens Thales’ role as a trusted partner of the French Air and Space Forces.”

The post France Orders Seven Next-Gen SAMP/T Air Defense Systems appeared first on The Defense Post.

The package includes twelve V32/44CR propulsion engines, six L32/44CR generator sets, MAN SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) for each engine, three twin-screw Alpha CP propellers, and plant auxiliaries.

It will contribute “to some key requirements of the FSS ships essential for naval applications such as shock resistance; cyber security; nuclear, biological, chemical; Integrated Logistic Support; efficiency; low-emissions and reliability,” the German engine manufacturer stated.

“Navantia UK and our partners in Team Resolute for the FSS programme are proud to partner MAN in order to provide world class propulsion technology for the FSS vessels,” FSS Liaison Programme Manager at Navantia UK Jose Luis Viguera said.

Fleet Solid Support

Harland & Wolff and BMT Group are the other two partners of the consortium building the vessels under a 1.6-billion-pound ($1.97 billion) contract awarded by the UK government.

BMT is providing naval design, while Harland & Wolff and Navantia are building the vessels, with the first vessel expected to be delivered by 2028 and the last within four years afterward.

A support ship replenishes items on naval vessels required to sustain large-scale naval operations far away from home such as ammunition, spare parts, replacement jet engines, food, and provisions.

“Navantia is a highly reputable and important partner for navies around the world and we are proud to be chosen to participate in this significant FSS programme for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary,” Head of Sales, Navy at MAN Energy Solutions Andreas Junginger said.

The post MAN Propulsion to Power Royal Navy’s Fleet Support Ships appeared first on The Defense Post.

The state-of-the-art facility in James City County, Virginia, will enhance the Norwegian firm’s production capability for Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) and Joint Strike Missiles (JSM).

More importantly, it will bring the capability to the US, including sustainment and tech refresh capabilities for the missiles.

“Kongsberg is investing in a big way in the US market by making Virginia the US home of our new missile factory, which will entail hiring more than 180 people,” president and general manager of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Heather Armentrout said.

“We will also be investing more than $100 million into the Commonwealth of Virginia over the next few years, in terms of property, plant and equipment. 

“This is in addition to expansion at our core US production facility in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.”

Missile Production Expansion

This is the third missile facility Kongsberg announced in the last few months, including in Norway and Australia.

The decision is also in anticipation of a multiyear procurement contract by the US Department of Defense.

The NSM is an anti-ship missile operational with five navies, including the US Navy. 

The JSM is an air-launched cruise missile designed to fit into the F-35’s internal bay and perform complex missions such as anti-surface warfare and land attack. 

“The US Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force are important customers for Kongsberg’s Naval Strike Missile and Joint Strike Missile. Their demand signals gave us the predictability we needed to make this investment in the United States,” president of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Eirik Lie said. 

“This will allow us to better serve our allies in the US and continue to expand that supply chain locally, building capacity and redundancy for these critical capabilities.”

Virginia Facility

The 150,000-square-foot (13,935 square meters) facility will be equipped to assemble, upgrade, and repair both the missiles.

The company expected to invest $71 million in the facility and an additional $30 million in engineering and software, Virginia Business stated, citing the office of the governor of Virginia.

The post Kongsberg to Produce NSM, JSM Missiles at Virginia Facility appeared first on The Defense Post.

The Taipan radar was accepted by the 5th Regiment Royal Artillery on June 28 at Larkhill Camp. 

It “offers the British Army rapid deployment and redeployment, high operational mobility, and precise counter-battery operations, locating an increased number of targets at greater range with reduced electronic warfare signatures, leveraging Saab’s Digital Antenna technology,” the company explained.

Mamba’s Replacement  

The Taipan is the intended replacement of Saab’s Mamba, which has been in service with the British Army since 2003.

In 2020, Saab upgraded the Mamba in 2020 under a 46-million-pound ($60 million) contract, extending its service life until 2026.

It is capable of locating artillery projectiles, rockets, and mortars from a distance of 50 kilometers (31 miles).

The Mamba features an active electronically scanned array to track incoming threats in three dimensions and is capable of handling more than 100 targets.

Project Serpens

The UK Ministry of Defence launched project Serpens in 2018 to replace a trio of weapon locating radars operable with the British Army: the Hostile Artillery Locating system, the AN/TPQ-49 lightweight counter-mortar radar, and the Mamba.

The project’s in-service date is 2026 with a retirement date of 2057. 

Like the Mamba, the other radars are completing their service in 2026.

“The team at Saab looks forward to continuing our support for the UK as it becomes the first user of the new Arthur current generation and next generation systems,” Group Managing Director Andy Fraser said.

Lt. Gen. Sir Andrew Gregory added: “Saab is our key partner for both Mamba and now Taipan and what it as a company has and continues to deliver to our Armed Forces is hugely impressive.”

“Mamba has more than proved its worth and Taipan is a step change in capability.” 

The post British Army Receives Next-Gen Weapon Locating Radars From Saab appeared first on The Defense Post.

The test demonstrated wired end-burning technology for hypersonic applications that provides greater range than conventional rocket motors.

It also produced data supporting digital modeling and simulations that validated the motor’s design maturity and performance.

“This is a major milestone in proving the significant capability of this solid rocket motor,” Raytheon President of Advanced Technology Colin Whelan said.

“By leveraging industry collaboration, we were able to demonstrate that we can produce and meet requirements for challenging long-range fires kill chains.”

The firms leveraged their combined digital engineering expertise to speed the design and development in a digital environment using model-based systems engineering.

Testing took place at Northrop Grumman’s Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in West Virginia,

“We are excited to rapidly push the boundaries on next-generation propulsion technology and provide our customers with the ability to respond to evolving threats,” Northrop Grumman Weapon Systems VP Frank DeMauro said.

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A request for proposals was issued in May for the four defense contractors selected for the RCV Phase I last year: Oshkosh, Textron Systems, General Dynamics, and McQ.

Oshkosh submitted its proposal along with a pair of RCV prototypes it built for phase I on August 19.

According to the contractor, “the Oshkosh RCV is purpose-built to provide soldiers with the capabilities necessary for increased performance, improved maintainability, and flexibility in multi-domain operations.”

Moreover, it is modular and platform-agnostic and supports the integration of future technologies.

RCV Program Phase II

A total of nine prototypes will be built for phase II by each participant at a base price of $118.9 million by early 2026.

The prototypes will be built on the phase I iterations, supporting platform mobility testing and soldier touchpoints as part of the Phase II source selection.

The winner is expected to be awarded a potential follow-on production contract of $607 million, with fielding starting in 2028.

“The Oshkosh team, with Pratt Miller Defense and QinetiQ US, has applied early feedback to deliver prototypes and a Phase II proposal that are soldier-centered and designed to keep pace with the evolving battlefield,” chief programs officer at Oshkosh Defense Pat Williams said.

“We remain steadfast in our collaboration with the U.S. Army to provide the most capable, mature, and production-ready RCV offering to achieve the program’s rapid prototype and fielding schedule.”

Robotic Combat Vehicle

The initiative aims to integrate human-machine integration on the battlefield, putting the uncrewed combat vehicles ahead of the soldiers.

The vehicle should have the capability to defeat light to medium-armored platforms, featuring anti-tank missiles and recoilless rifles.

Three RCV versions were initially envisioned by the service, which later zeroed in on the lighter version that can be transported by rotary-wing aircraft.

It should weigh around 8,500 pounds (3,855 kilograms), with a payload not exceeding 7,000 pounds (3,175 kilograms).

The program has four components: “the chassis, the network that connects the Robotic Combat Vehicle to a control vehicle, the control vehicle and modular payloads,” National Defense quoted Brig. Gen. Geoffrey Norman as saying.

The post Oshkosh Submits US Army Robotic Combat Vehicle Phase II Proposal appeared first on The Defense Post.

Denmark financed the procurement as part of an agreement that included direct purchases from Ukrainian defense manufacturers.

“This was the first agreement we concluded. In July, we placed an order (to Ukrainian manufacturers) for the production of 18 Bohdana artillery systems, and this weekend they were already handed over to the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” RBC-Ukraine quoted Poulsen as saying.

Danish Purchase of Ukrainian Weapons

Copenhagen allocated 200 million Danish kroner ($28.5 million) for the initiative in its 2.2 billion kroner ($313 million) military aid in April.

The Ukrainian defense industry produces far more than the state can purchase, necessitating external financing to close the gap.

According to Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin, the industry’s annual output is worth $20 billion, while the state can purchase only $6 billion worth of defense products.

“This decision is extremely important for both the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian economy. The production capability of our defense industry far exceeds the purchasing power of the state budget,” Kyiv Independent quoted from a Ukrainian Strategic Industries Ministry statement.

Moreover, it is cheaper to produce at home than to buy from abroad and easier to maintain.

Ukrainian Wheeled Howitzer

The Bohdana prototype entered service in May 2022, most notably helping expel Russian forces from Snake Island.

Full-rate production commenced in January 2023, and by the end of the year, 30 platforms had been delivered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The monthly rate of production reportedly reached 10 units by May 2024, and upgraded versions featuring the Tatra 815-7 8×8 chassis and autoloader were also introduced.

Features

The 155mm wheeled platform is crewed by five people and designed to operate with NATO-standard shells, a departure from the Soviet-era 152 mm rounds.

It has a maximum range of 42 kilometers (26 miles) with standard shells and 50 kilometers (31 miles) with rocket-assisted rounds and a rate of fire of five rounds per minute.

The eight-wheel artillery system weighs around 28 tons and features an armored cabin and a storage capacity of 20 rounds.

The post Ukraine Receives Locally-Produced Howitzers From Denmark appeared first on The Defense Post.

A long-range intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance sensor, the PASEO improves the survivability and lethality of infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks.

“It integrates high performance day and night all weather optronics sensors and offers 360° coverage with a high-rate sectorial scanning capability,” Safran explains.

“The PASEO Joint Fires includes Safran’s Geonyx inertial navigation system, which provides precise and reliable positions, even if satellite navigation signals are unavailable or inaccessible (GNSS-Denied environment).”

Additional Features

Additional capabilities include advanced image processing, optional assistance for early threat detection and assessment, and threat geo-localization.

“We are delighted to continue to support Australian Defence and Hanwha Defence Australia with yet another trusted and battle proven optronic solution where we will be supporting the design, integration and sustainment in the country,” Safran Electronics and Defense Australasia Head of Sales and Marketing Anthony Bianco said.

“It will be critically important that this superior capability is delivered to Australian Defence as we have done for the Army over the last five years.”

Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Hanwha Defence Australia has been contracted to provide 129 Australia-manufactured Redbacks for the Australian Army, with delivery running from 2027 to 2028.

The 4 billion Australian dollar ($2.68 billion) contract includes the development and delivery of training system and support system components.

The Redback is based on the South Korean K21 platform and is an intended replacement for the fleet of 403 M113AS4 armored personnel carriers, the first of which was inducted in the 1960s.

It features rubber tracks to minimize sound and vibration and advanced situational awareness systems.

Additionally, the vehicle is equipped with layered protection featuring advanced armor and an active protection system.

The post Safran to Integrate Targeting Sights on Australian Army Redback IFVs appeared first on The Defense Post.

They are intended to replenish some of the over 300 Bradleys sent to Ukraine with an updated version.

“The Bradley Fighting Vehicle brings game-changing capabilities to the Army and our allied nations,” director of ground vehicle production for BAE Systems’ Combat Mission Systems business Dan Furber said.

“Because of the support for additional production of the modern Bradley A4 variant, this enduring capability continues to make a difference for troops all over the world, ensuring they have the firepower, mobility and survivability they need to achieve their missions.”

Bradley A4

The A4 retains the previous design for logistics reasons while enhancing its battlefield performance in a range of scenarios, including close-combat, urban warfare, and open-combat situations. 

It features new suspension and track upgrades, improving mobility, architecture, and power management, enabling the platform to host technologies such as the Active Protection System and communications technology.

Additionally, it features “the latest digitized electronics for optimum situational awareness, network connectivity and communication within the [Armored Brigade Combat Team].”

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