Malaysia has installed Lockheed Martin's AN/TPS-77 multirole radar (pictured) in Labuan to enhance maritime domain awareness. (Lockheed Martin)  The Malaysian Armed Forces has installed a long-range ground-based radar developed by Lockheed Martin in East Malaysia.  A spokesperson for the Malaysian Ministry of Defence (MoD) told Janes in mid-February that the Malaysian Armed Forces has installed Lockheed Martin's AN/TPS-77 multirole radar in Labuan island, located off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia.  According to Janes C4ISR...

APS SKYctrl skid C-UAS with FIELDctrl 3D MIMO radar, CyView C2, and the Mk 44 Bushmaster II single 30 mm cannon. (APS)    Polish company Advanced Protection Systems (APS) is delivering its SKYctrl skid counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) to a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) customer,   Janes   learnt.     A spokesperson from APS told   Janes  on 14 February that the GCC customer has ordered an undisclosed number of SKYctrl skidss, with deliveries ongoing since December 2023. They were unable to elaborate...

Gas emanates from a leak on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea in September 2022 following sabotage to the pipeline. Concerns are growing about seabed infrastructures security. (Swedish Coast Guard)  Arctic countries need to recalibrate the way they oversee and protect subsea infrastructure in the Arctic regional waters, given the increasing interest in augmenting the pipelines, cabling, and related equipment that make up these networks and recent actions off Nordic coasts, according to Rolf Einar Fife, Norwegian ambassador to t...

Antares  , the Spanish Navy's remaining Castor-class survey ship, was decommissioned on 16 February.  (Spanish Navy)    The Spanish Navy has retired its remaining operational Castor-class survey ship   Antares  (A 23) after 50 years of service. A formal decommissioning ceremony was held at Puntales Naval Station in San Fernando, Cádiz, on 16 February, the Spanish Navy announced the same day.     Built by Bazán (now Navantia) and commissioned into service in 1974,   Antares  is the third of an o...

Spanish company Indra will produce an H225M Full Mission Simulator for the Republic of Singapore Air Force. (Indra)  The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will receive an H225M Full Mission Simulator (FMS) from Spain-based company Indra.  In an announcement to coincide with the Singapore Airshow 2024, Indra said on 20 February that it had been awarded a contract to develop and produce the new simulator. “The contract includes post-delivery support, technical assistance, and options for future expansion.”  Indra could not provide addition...

ADF personnel and defence industry officials participate in the Australian Defence Force's Cyber Skills Challenge held in November 2023 in Canberra. (Commonwealth of Australia)  Australia has bolstered efforts to enhance cyber-defence capabilities to prevent and mitigate cyber attacks against critical infrastructure. For the Australian Defence Force (ADF), cyber defence is an integral part of a wider endeavour to strengthen military preparedness for modern hybrid warfare. The extensive use of cyberwarfare in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflic...

The US Army tested Weatherhaven's pop-up tent for mobile command-and-control operations during the JPMRC 24-02 training rotation. (Janes/Meredith Roaten)    The US Army is observing lessons regarding inexpensive unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) and electronic warfare (EW) emerging from Ukraine, and making sure its own capabilities can hold up, officials told   Janes  during the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) 24-02 training rotation held from 12 to 22 February.   The army needs to become stealthier and...

Norway extends life of its GAMER live training solution with Saab. (Saab)  Saab has been contracted to support Norway's training and simulation facilities, including the Combat Training Centre in Rena, the company announced on 22 February.    As part of the contract, the company will offer support, service, and maintenance for the modular GAMER (gunnery and manoeuvre exercise) live training system, a company spokesperson confirmed to   Janes  .   The contract totals SEK190 million (USD18.4 million) and spans between 2024 an...

According to Elbit Systems, the Hermes 650's front-engine configuration is designed to support several capabilities such as short take-off, increased endurance, and the ability to support a diverse payload. (Elbit Systems/Janes)  Elbit Systems unveiled its new front-engine Hermes 650 Spark tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on 21 February at Singapore Airshow 2024.  Speaking to   Janes, vice-president and head of Business Development and Marketing at Elbit Systems, Ziv Avni described the Hermes 650 as being in the one-tonne category...

HMS   Vanguard   is the lead boat of a four-strong class of Trident-armed SSBNs whose role is to provide the UK's strategic nuclear deterrent.  (UK MoD)  The test firing of an unarmed Trident II D5 missile from one of the UK Royal Navy's (RN's) nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) has failed, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed.    During the test launch, which took place from HMS   Vanguard  (S28) off the US eastern seaboard on 30 January, an “anomaly” occurred, an MoD s...

The RNLA's first MMR after it was demonstrated during live firings at the Dutch MoD's 't Harde firing range on 15 February. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)  The first Ground Master 200 Multi Mission/Compact (GM200 MM/C) radar handed over to the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) by Thales in Hengelo on 14 February was demonstrated during live firings at the Dutch Ministry of Defence's 't Harde firing range the next day.  The Multi-Mission Radar (MMR), as it is designated in RNLA service, tracked 81 mm mortar rounds and 155 mm Panzerhaubitze (PzH) shells...

India has cleared various defence equipment aquisitions, including the procurement of heavyweight torpedoes to enhance the attacking capabilities of Kalvari-class submarines, as shown in the above picture. (Ministry of Defence, India)  India's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has approved the procurement of various defence equipment worth INR845.6 billion (USD10.19 billion) for the Indian Armed Forces and the Indian Coast Guard.  The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement on 16 February that...

Boeing's MQ-25A Stingray UAV tanker that the company is developing for the US Navy. (Boeing)  BAE Systems has been selected to execute upgrade and modernisation work for the US Navy's (USN's) MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aerial refueller, with programme officials aiming to increase on-board computing performance and revamp several legacy components and subsystems aboard the unmanned aerial system (UAS).  The overall modernisation programme envisioned for the MQ-25's vehicle management system computer (VMSC), in the end, “improves aircraft perform...

The first GM200 MM/C radar was handed over to the RNLA by Thales Nederland on 14 February. (Dutch MoD/Sgt Maj Gregory Fréni)  The first Ground Master 200 Multi Mission/Compact (GM200 MM/C) radar was handed over to the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) by Thales in Hengelo, eastern Netherlands, on 14 February.  The handover included a live demonstration of the Scania Gryphus 8×8 truck-mounted system at the Dutch Ministry of Defence's ‘t Harde firing range on 15 February, tracking 81 mm mortar rounds and 155 mm Panzerhaubitze (PzH) shells fired at...

Sentinel-class fast-response cutter USCGC   Clarence Sutphin Jr  interdicted missile, communications, and other military equipment in the Arabian Sea.  (US Navy)  A US Coast Guard (USCG) cutter recently seized advanced conventional weapons and other lethal aid originating in Iran and bound for Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen from a vessel in the Arabian Sea, US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on 15 February.    Sentinel-class fast-response cutter USCGC   Clarence Sutphin Jr  (WPC 1147), assign...

A digital twin of the French Army's VBCI infantry fighting vehicle is being developed by KNDS and Arquus that will eventually become their key offering for the modernisation and maintenance of the army's vehicle fleets. (Nexter)  KNDS and Arquus will develop a digital twin demonstrator of the Véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie (VBCI) 8×8 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) in support of the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and Defence Innovation Agency.  The digital twin will be developed under the ‘Digitization of Maintenance' (...

The GM200 MM/C mobile radar in the compact antenna test range at Thales Nederland. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)    Thales Nederland has tripled its radar production over the last few years,   Janes  learnt while attending the company's handover of the first Ground Master 200 Multi Mission/Compact (GM200 MM/C) radar to the Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) in Hengelo, Eastern Netherlands, on 14 February.   The increase is in the production of both land-based and naval radars, and the GM200 MM/C is a case in point, with the Netherl...

A still from the video shows an Iraqi soldier setting up an AN/TPQ-49 radar. (Iraq MoD)  The Iraqi military now has the AN/TPQ-49 radar, it was revealed on 10 February when the Ministry of Defence (MoD) released a video showing Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah visiting the Artillery Branch Directorate.  The MoD said the chief attended the official opening of the first ‘astimkan' battalion of the post-2023 Iraqi Armed Forces and was briefed on the ‘astimkan' device, a word associated with target l...

The TPY-4 radar. (Lockheed Martin)  Lockheed Martin is positioning its TPY-4 ground-based long-range surveillance radar for the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF's) air-defence requirements.  Chandra Marshall, vice-president for radar and sensor systems at Lockheed Martin, confirmed the matter during a briefing for media representatives on 14 February. The briefing was held as a run-up to the Singapore Airshow, which will be held from 20 to 25 February.  The RSAF operates the FPS-117 long-range surveillance radar as part of a multilayer...

Russia is reportedly deploying Starlink terminals in contested regions in Ukraine, the GUR said. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)  The Russian Armed Forces is reportedly using the Starlink satellite communications system in Ukraine to establish internet connectivity, Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) confirmed on 11 February.  Russian forces, such as the 83rd Air Assault Brigade, which are fighting in the contested region of Donetsk, near Klishchiivka and Andriivka, are currently deploying the system at t...