The Guarani APC (pictured above) is designed to carry a section of infantry dismounts across a fire zone so that they can engage a target or complete a mission. (AEL Sistemas)    The Philippine Army has received the first batch of five Guarani 6×6 wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs) from Elbit Systems, Lieutenant Colonel Louie Dema-ala, the Philippine Armyʼs official spokesperson, told  Janes  on 6 March.   The APCs were delivered to the army in late February and are undergoing technical inspection with the serviceʼs...

An Arquus-upgraded VAB on display at the Milipol Qatar show held in Doha in May 2022. (Arquus)  French armoured vehicle company Arquus announced during the DIMDEX 2024 show held in Doha from 4 to 6 March that it had secured an additional contract to upgrade more of the Qatar Emiri Land Forces' (QELF's) Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé (VAB) armoured personnel carriers (APCs).  It said that the contract covers 54 VABs in addition to the 126 it has already modernised in France since 2018. An Arquus representative told Janes that a letter of intent wa...

US marines conduct cold-weather training in preparation for NATO Exercise ‘Nordic Response 2024' in Setermoen. (US Marine Corps)  With the kick-off of Exercise ‘Nordic Response 2024' in February in the Norwegian Arctic, NATO is including Finland forces for the first time as a new official allied member and has transferred the Land Component Command headquarters for the exercise to the US Marine Corps' II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF), another first.  The component, including Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish division forces, will exercise...

Norway has exercised a contract option for three additional TPY-4 early warning multimission radars. (Lockheed Martin)  The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) is procuring three additional TPY-4 multimission ground-based radars from Lockheed Martin after exercising a contract option with the company.  According to an announcement by the NDMA on 3 March, the additional radars will be stationed in Senja, Målselv, and Nordkapp to enhance surveillance in the northern region of the country.  In November 2022 Norway contracted Lockheed Martin...

The Carl-Gustaf M4 – pictured above – can be fired from the shoulder from the prone position with the soldier's body at an angle of at least 45° to the axis of the bore, or from a mount on an armoured personnel carrier. A heavy‐duty, detachable bipod is used when firing from the prone position. (ECDI)  Swedish defence company Saab has started the construction of a new Carl-Gustaf manufacturing facility in India, Saab said on 4 March.  Saab is building the new facility in Jhajjar, in India's northern state of Haryana, approximately 80 km from...

KNDS's Nexter qualified its Shard 120 mm APFSDS tank ammunition in late 2023. (Nexter)  KNDS's Nexter announced in a press release on 29 February that it had qualified its Shard 120 mm armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS) tank ammunition in late 2023 and that it is now ready for production.  The ammunition was demonstrated against rolled homogeneous armour with Leclerc and Leopard 2 main battle tank (MBT) users in Alcochete.  Shard is designed to defeat modern MBTs and future threats, with Nexter claiming it offers increas...

The M1A2 Abrams MBTs – pictured above from a US Army exercise – are protected by composite armours, armed with a 120 mm smoothbore gun, and powered by a bespoke gas-turbine engine. (US Army)  The Republic of China Army (RoCA) will receive 38 M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs), 11 M142 High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and associated ammunition, and 81 ‘BGM‐71F tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided (TOW) 2B' anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) from the United States in 2024, a RoCA officer told Janes on 3 March.  The RoCA...

Denmark is replacing its coastal air-defence radars, including the fixed long-range 3D RAT-31DL radar acquired back in 1995. (Selex ES)  Denmark has launched a EUR220 million (USD238.4 million) competition to replace its coastal radars in Bornholm and Skagen as well as on the Faroe Islands.  Three new Fixed Air Defence Radar (FADR) systems will be procured, each comprising a 3D phased-array Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR), Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) with all civilian and military interrogation modes, and Monitor and Control Units for...

Poland signs an agreement for IBCS air and missile defence C2 capability for phase two of the Wisła programme and the Narew short-range air-defence system. Pictured is the interior of the IBCS Engagement Operations Centre, which Poland will receive under phase two of Wisła. (Northrop Grumman)  Poland has signed a USD2.53 billion agreement with the US government for the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS).  Spanning from 2024 to 2031, the impending contract will involve integrating the IBCS with Poland's Narew and W...

The Bundeswehr has ordered Skyranger 30 air-defence systems mounted on Boxers, Rheinmetall announced on 27 February 2024. (Rheinmetall)  The Bundeswehr has ordered Skyranger 30 air-defence systems mounted on Boxer armoured vehicles, Rheinmetall announced in a press release on 27 February. Under the EUR595 million (USD644.8 million) worth of contract, the prototype will be delivered at the end of 2024, followed by 18 production vehicles, with an option for 30 more.  According to the German company, the Skyranger 30 will be a key component of t...

The Indian Army has been seeking to replace its ageing Maruti Gypsys and Mahindra MMs with new light vehicles since the early 2010s in a phased manner. As part of this, the service awarded a contract to Tata Motors to supply 3,192 4×4 Safari Storme vehicles (pictured above) in 2016. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  The Indian Army has issued a tender to procure 4×4 ‘light vehicles' to perform general service (GS) roles.  According to a request for proposal (RFP) issued by the Indian Army on 29 February, the service intends to procure 1,054 light vehicles...

The Indonesian Army's Harimau tank on display at Indo Defence 2022. The tank uses a modular armour for protection and is armed with a 150 mm Cockerill main gun and a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun. (Janes/Andrew Galer)  The Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has handed over 52 armoured vehicles manufactured by PT Pindad to the Indonesian National Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia: TNI).  According to a press release by PT Pindad on 28 February, the MoD handed over 10 Harimau medium tanks, three Badak 6×6 wheeled armoured direct-fire su...

VSHORADS – pictured above from a DRDO test in March 2023 – is a tripod-launched missile system designed to strike moving aerial targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, and fighter aircraft. (DRDO)  India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) test-fired two of its very short-range air-defence system (VSHORADS) missiles from a ground-based portable launcher, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a press release on 29 February.  The tests were conducted on 28 and 29 February from the Integrated Test Range (...

L3Harris Technologies' AN/PRC-160 HF manpack, which enables forces to transmit video, voice, and data up to Top Secret Level, has been selected for the German armed forces. (L3 Harris Technologies)  The US Department of State has approved a possible Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Germany for Falcon III wideband software-defined radios.  As per an announcement by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 27 February, the proposed sale comprises L3Harris Technologies Falcon III AN/PRC-117 and AN/PRC-160 radios as well as various spa...

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...

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...

Austria has ordered 225 Pandur EVO AFVs for the Bundesheer. (GDELS)  A contract for 225 Pandur Evolution (EVO) armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) for the Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer) was signed by Minister of Defense Klaudia Tanner, Chief of Defence Staff General Rudolf Striedinger, and managing director of General Dynamics European Land Systems-Steyr (GDELS-Steyr) Martin Reischer on 19 February.  Present at the signing were Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Karl Hufnagel, managing director of ESL, which will supply the AFV's 12.7 mm...

The Bundesheer and Rheinmetall signed a contract on 21 February for the German company's Skyranger 30 turret. (Georg Mader)  The Bundesheer (Austrian Armed Forces) and Rheinmetall announced on 23 February that they had signed a contract for the German company's Skyranger 30 turret, making Austria the launch customer for the air-defence system.  Austrian Minister of Defence Klaudia Tanner and Rheinmetall Air Defence CEO Oliver Dürr signed the contract on 21 February for 36 Skyranger turrets to install in the same number of the 225 Pandur Evolu...

The Redback IFV (pictured above) weighs 42 tonnes and has a length, a width, and a height of 7.9 m, 3.64 m, and 3.75 m respectively. It has a maximum onroad speed of 65 km/h with a seating capacity for a crew of three and up to eight troops. (Hanwha Aerospace)  Hanwha Defense Australia (HDA) has awarded a contract worth USD600 million to Israel-based military technology company Elbit Systems to supply protection and fighting capabilities and sensors for Australian Redback infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), Elbit Systems said in a press releas...

High Point Aerotechnologies displayed its latest-generation Sawtooth counter-unmanned aircraft system. (Janes/Prasobh Narayanan)  US-based High Point Aerotechnologies showcased its latest-generation Sawtooth counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) for the first time at Singapore Airshow 2024 held from 20 to 25 February.  Speaking to Janes, the chief revenue officer of High Point, Evan Hunt, said the Sawtooth C-UAS uses layered technologies to adequately detect unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).  The system comprises a passive radio frequency (...