The US Army's medical evacuation sled includes an extra piece of plastic bolted on to provide cover for patients being pulled by snow machine. (Janes/Meredith Roaten)  As the US Army works to phase out Small Unit Support Vehicles (SUSVs) and replace them with Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicles (CATVs), army medics are trying out a new sled for evacuation in the Arctic environment, medical officers said during the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) 24-02 training rotation.  CATVs can perform medical evacuations, but there were...

NATO forces conducted amphibious landings during ‘Cold Response 2022'. The alliance's ‘Nordic Response' will build on these operations. (Janes/Michael Fabey)    Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS   Gunston Hall  (LSD 44) arrived in Harstad, Norway, on 21 February to embark Finnish and Swedish forces, which will combine with the French forces that joined the ship in Portsmouth, UK, to conduct amphibious training exercises in Norway, the US Navy (USN) said in a release.   Gunston Hall  will be joined by Italia...

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...

The US Army's 11th Airborne Division Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle variants are outfitted with radios and Starshield to perform command-and-control functions. (Janes/Meredith Roaten)  The first – almost fully decked out – command-and-control (C2) variants of the Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle (CATV), complete with shifted seating arrangements and integrated communications equipment, have been used in the first large scale exercise, a US Army brigade combat team commander told Janes.  The new CATVs were first put through their paces at Op...

The Terrex s5 infantry fighting vehicle is likely to incorporate a small unmanned aerial vehicle as a MUM-T capability to assist with waypoint navigation. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal/ST Engineering)  A range of manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capabilities are being planned for Singapore's recently unveiled Terrex s5 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV).  The Terrex is an 8×8 IFV with six distinct operational roles such as a troop carrier, command vehicle, anti-tank guided-missile (ATGM) vehicle, fire-support vehicle, mortar vehicle, and an amphibious ass...

A US Army snow machine pulls a sled full of Meals, Ready-to-Eat during the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 24-02 training rotation in February 2024. (Janes/Meredith Roaten)  Soldiers supported brigades from the backs of snowmobiles for the US Army's first large-scale exercise with a significant number of machines, service officials told Janes during the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) 24-02 training rotation held from 12 to 22 February at Fort Greely, Alaska.  The exercise utilised more than 100 Polaris snow...

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...

EODH is proposing to upgrade Hellenic Army Leopard 1A5s. (EODH/Thanasis Grammatikos)    The Hellenic Army has received industry proposals for upgrading its Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks (MBTs). An EODH spokesperson confirmed to   Janes  that the company is among those that have presented upgrade proposals to the Greek Army Staff.   The spokesperson said EODH is working with KNDS' Krauss Maffei-Wegmann (KMW) and Spanish defence company Duma and offers a complete solution with a price and time schedule for building a prototy...

A convoy of Cold-Weather All-Terrain Vehicle perform command-and-control operations for the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center training rotation in Fort Greely, Alaska. (Janes/Meredith Roaten)  The US Army needs to buy more Cold-Weather All-Terrain Vehicles (CATVs) and is considering buying an armoured variant in addition to the general-purpose and cargo variants it has already decided to buy, Major General Brian Eifler, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division, told Janes on 21 February.  BAE Systems delivered five CATVs to...

Workers at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant prepare 155 mm artillery rounds to be filled as a part of the load, assemble, and pack operation. (US Army)  It has been more than a year since the US Army announced its ramp-up of 155 mm ammunition was under way. Now, the Pentagon has to find a way to more than double its production output by the end of the year as the war in Ukraine marches on.  The 155 mm artillery round is fired by several weapons that see heavy usage in Ukraine, and one estimate – cited by the European Union's (EU's) European Par...

Sweden and Denmark have agreed to co-finance the 50 Swedish CV90s donated to Ukraine and for the production of additional IFVs. (Hägglunds)  The Swedish government announced its largest military support package for Ukraine on its website on 20 February. The SEK7.1 billion (USD683 million) package includes a maritime package, ground equipment, and financial support for bilateral projects and funds.  The latter includes financial support for Ukraine to buy more CV90 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).  The ground equipment Sweden is donating com...

An Arjun Mk 1A main battle tank. (Indian MoD/Janes)  The deliveries of Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO's) Arjun Mk 1A main battle tanks (MBTs) to the Indian Army will experience a delay because of an engine shortage, a DRDO official told Janes on 20 February.  The Indian Army ordered 118 Arjun Mk 1A MBTs worth INR75.23 billion (USD907 million) in September 2021, with deliveries of the initial batch scheduled for 2024 and the final batch in 2027.  However, because of a delay in the delivery of engines from German company...

A display of the Terrex s5, which was unveiled at the Singapore Airshow 2024. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  Singapore defence prime ST Engineering has launched the latest iteration in its Terrex 8×8 line of infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).  Known as the Terrex s5, the variant was launched on 18 February, ahead of the Singapore Airshow 2024 exhibition taking place from 20 to 25 February at the Changi Exhibition Centre.  “Equipped with advanced vetronics and a hybrid electric drive option, it is a production-ready, 8×8 armoured fighting vehicle”, u...

A display of the Ultimax 100 Mk 9, the latest variant of ST Engineering's Ultimax 100 light machine gun, at Singapore Airshow 2024. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  Singapore state-affiliated defence company ST Engineering has unveiled the latest variant of its Ultimax 100 5.56 mm gas-operated light machine gun.  The product, known as the Ultimax 100 Mk 9, is on display to the public for the first time at the Singapore Airshow 2024 defence exhibition, taking place at the Changi Exhibition Centre from 20 to 25 February.  A new feature found on the Mk...

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...

ST Engineering's Next Generation Singapore Assault Rifle, unveiled for the first time at the Singapore Airshow 2024. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  ST Engineering has unveiled the latest iteration to its Singapore Assault Rifle – 21st Century (SAR 21).  Known as the Next Generation SAR (Next Gen SAR), the 5.56 mm weapon was unveiled at the Singapore Airshow2024, which is taking place at the Changi Exhibition Centre from 20 to 25 February.  The Next Gen SAR has been positioned as a weapon that features the advantages of a bullpup rifle in terms of co...

The Netherlands has received the first of 20 PULS MRLs it ordered on 17 May 2023. (Elbit Systems)  The first of 20 Precise and Universal Launching System (PULS) multiple rocket launchers (MRLs) ordered by the Netherlands on 17 May 2023 has arrived in the country and will be presented to the local media in May, Janes has learnt.  The systems were ordered under an agreement between the Israeli and Dutch ministries of defence (MoDs). Under a USD305 million contract, Elbit Systems is supplying the MRLs as well rockets and missiles of various rang...

Texelis will supply its Celeris 4×4 chassis – pictured above – to Indonesia's PT SSE to develop a new armoured personnel carrier. (Texelis)  French vehicle chassis manufacturer Texelis and Indonesian vehicle manufacturer PT Sentra Surya Ekajayais (PT SSE) have signed a partnership agreement to develop an armoured personnel carrier (APC) for the Indonesian National Armed Forces.  According to a press release by Texelis on 15 February, the company will supply an undisclosed number of Celeris 4×4 chassis kits to PT SSE and will also provide “c...

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...

The Sabrah light tanks – pictured above from the Philippine Army training exercise – have a combat weight of 30 tonnes. They are capable of attaining a maximum onroad speed of 72 km/h. (GDELS)  The Philippine Army (PA) has completed the initial training courses on operations, driving, and maintenance of Sabrah ASCOD II combat vehicles.  According to a press release by General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) on 14 February, the training courses were conducted by the Spanish subsidiary of GDELS for members of the Armed Forces of the Phil...