The T-72M4 CZ has served in the Czech Army for 20 years and utilises locally built hulls coupled with additional explosive reactive armour, a new powerpack, a fire-control system, a commander panoramic sight, and an upgraded gunner sight, among other modifications. (Maulincio)  The Czech Army will develop plans to address the approaching obsolescence of its T-72M4 CZ main battle tank (MBT), Colonel Jan Kerdik, head of the land forces development division at the Czech Armed Forces, told SAE Media's Future Armoured Vehicles Central and Eastern...

The ULAQ search-and-rescue unmanned surface vessel displayed at LIMA 2023. (Janes/Nishant Kumar)  Turkish firm Meteksan Defence unveiled a model of the new search-and-rescue (SAR) variant of its ULAQ unmanned surface vessel (USV) at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023.  Meteksan's international sales director Burak Akbaş told Janes on 23 May that the company is positioning the SAR USV to meet requirements in Southeast Asia. He said the platform has been developed for coastguard SAR operations.  The ULAQ SA...

The Royal Malaysian Air Force is sustaining the operations of its BAE Systems Hawk fleet through component repairs. Some of the older Hawks have been in RMAF service since 1994. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)  As the Malaysian Armed Forces struggles with a problem of ageing aircraft, Honeywell said it is offering fleet sustainment solutions in partnership with local industries.  According to Honeywell, it is currently providing support to Malaysian partners to repair components of BAE Systems Hawk aircraft, which are in service with the Royal Malaysia...

The 22nd and final UK A400M was delivered to RAF Brize Norton on 22 May. (Crown Copyright)  The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has received into service the last of its Airbus A400M C1 Atlas airlifters currently under contract.  Aircraft ZM421, the 22nd A400M, was flown from the final assembly line in Seville, Spain, into the home of the UK's fixed-wing air mobility force at RAF Brize Norton station in Oxfordshire on 22 May.  The A400M provides the RAF's mid-tier airlift capability, with its 37 tonne payload capacity sitting between the 22 tonne of...

Sypaq's Corvo PPDS UAS is shipped in compact form for assembly by the user. The company said this allows it ship the UAS in bulk. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)  The Australian company Sypaq has reported a surge in interest within the Asia-Pacific (APAC) in its “cardboard” unmanned aerial systems (UASs) after their use in Ukraine.    The lightweight and small battlefield logistics aircraft is called the Corvo Precision Payload Delivery System (PPDS). Sypaq told   Janes   that the aircraft is being used in various applications such as th...

A graphic put out by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on 19 May to mark the announcement by US President Joe Biden that F-16s will be sent to Ukraine. (Crown Copyright)  The United States is to allow the transfer of Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon combat aircraft to Ukraine, President Joe Biden announced on 19 May.  The announcement, which reversed the president's earlier stated position that Ukraine did not need such jets, was made at the Group of Seven (G7) summit of world leaders in Hiroshima, Japan.  “In my private meeting with [Ukraini...

In 2022, Raytheon released this computer rendering to illustrate its HACM concept. (Raytheon)    Raytheon's Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM), an air-launched, air-breathing hypersonic vehicle, is undergoing subsystem component testing and beginning component fabrication, company programme director Nate Szyba told   Janes  .   In September 2022 Raytheon and Northrop Grumman were awarded a USD985 million contract to build and test the HACM by 2027, with the latter providing the propulsion system and the former the vehi...

Since February China's Eastern Theater Command has inducted several new military platforms including multiple launch rocket systems, propelled mortars, and armoured fighting vehicles. (China MND, state media, and social media)  The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) and PLA Rocket Force (PLARF) are increasing their presence along the Taiwan Strait to pressurise Taiwanese pro-independence developments and deter foreign actors from explicitly supporting the island.  National reunification is a core tenet of the Communist Party of Chi...

The RAF has 28 Hawk T2 jets at RAF Valley in Wales that it uses for the Advanced Fast Jet Training programme. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has outlined how it intends to solve the ongoing engine problem with the BAE Systems Hawk T2 advanced jet trainer aircraft, with a view to increasing availability and removing the bottleneck in the UK military pilot training pipeline.  Addressing the House of Commons Defence Committee (HCDC) on 17 May during the hearing titled, ‘Are air force gaps leaving UK exposed?', Director...

The A400M (pictured) is set to becomes the RAF's sole fixed-wing medium-lift transport aircraft when the C-130J is retired in the coming weeks. The service says it will have transitioned all of the capabilities, including the niche special forces duties, over to the aircraft by 2025. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) is confident that it can fully transition the niche special operations forces (SOF) capabilities of the Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules to the Airbus A400M Atlas airlifter in the next couple of years, the new...

RT-1000, the first version of RAIVEN, will support a wide array of missions, including the US Army's Future Vertical Lift modernisation effort. First flight tests are scheduled for 2024. (Raytheon)  Raytheon's new multispectral, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) sensor and targeting platform, dubbed RAIVEN, was the company's attempt to close emerging capability gaps in legacy EO/IR systems developed in the post 9/11 era.  “There was a … demand for EO/IR products during the global war on terror and so we devel...

The UK fields 23 Puma helicopters that are scheduled to be replaced via the New Medium Helicopter procurement programme. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) may seek to extend the service life of the Westland-Aerospatiale SA 330E Puma HC2 medium-lift rotorcraft as it looks to mitigate potential delays to the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) replacement programme and other issues.  Speaking to the House of Commons Defence Committee (HCDC) on 17 May, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Designate Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton sa...

Montenegro will receive Elbit Spear mortar systems for its JLTVs. (Elbit Systems)  Montenegro will receive Elbit Spear 120 mm mortar systems for its Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) under a government-to-government agreement between the Israeli and Montenegrin ministries of defence (MoDs), the Israeli company announced in a press release on 15 May. Elbit Systems was awarded a EUR20 million (USD21.6 million) contract – signed by Yair Kulas, director of Israel's International Defense Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT), and Colonel Vladan Mart...

Screengrab from an Airbus video shown at the AOC Europe 2023 conference in Bonn, Germany, showing a Luftwaffe A400M aircraft in a stand-off jammer configuration for the luWES airborne electronic attack requirement. (Richard Scott)  Airbus Defence and Space has revealed a stand-off jammer (SOJ) adaptation of its A400M Atlas airlifter as a potential solution for Germany's Luftgestätze Wirkung im Elektromagnetischen Spektrum (luWES) programme.  Showcased for the first time at the AOC Europe 2023 conference and exhibition in Bonn, Germany, from 1...

Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles underlined the need to enhance advanced defence technologies such as ‘quantum computing' to strengthen the ADF's asymmetric capabilities. (BAE Systems)  The Australian government intensified its efforts to accelerate the development of quantum technologies for defence application, highlighting these technologies as a key to improve the capabilities of the Australian Defence Force (ADF).  In a speech to the American Chamber of Commerce in Adelaide on 17 May, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Ric...

The Taiwanese MND has announced the procurement of 18 additional M142 HIMARSs. The picture shows the US Army firing the HIMARS during Exercise ‘Eager Lion' in Jordan. The HIMARS can hit targets at a range of 70 km using the MFOM, both guided and unguided, and 300 km with the MGM-142 ATACMS. (US Army/Sgt 1st Class Steven Queen)  The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense (MND) has announced the procurement of 18 additional M142 High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARSs) from the US.  In a recent press release, the MND said it has purchas...

Having declined to join its international partners in the Mk III upgrade, Germany will now retire its Tigers with no dedicated attack helicopter replacement. Instead, it will employ the H145M in the light attack helicopter role. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  Germany plans to retire its Airbus Helicopters Tiger attack fleet in favour of acquiring more Airbus Helicopters H145M utility rotorcraft that it can arm with long-range air-to-surface missiles.  Reuters cited a Bundeswehr spokesperson as confirming the plan that had been reported in the Germa...

The Polish army received its first five M142 HIMARSs at the 1st Transport Aviation Base in Warsaw on 15 May. (Polish MND/Leszek Chemperek)  The Polish army received its first five M142 High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARSs) on 15 May. The Polish Armaments Agency (AA) said on its website on 15 May that the systems were delivered by air to the 1st Transport Aviation Base in Warsaw.  Attending the handover ceremony, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak said the systems would go to the 16th Mec...

The Australian DoD will procure around 80 EOD robots from L3Harris Micreo including the company's T7 (pictured) and T4 robots. The T7 is also used by the British Armed Forces and the USAF. (Janes/Melanie Rovery)  The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has signed a AUD46 million (USD30.7 million) contract with L3Harris Micreo to procure around 80 explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) robots for the Australian Defence Force (ADF).  “[These new robots] will carry cameras and sensors that have an improved ability to find, examine, and neutralise...

A US Army network engineer at Joint Modernization Command works on creating the Project Convergence Mission Partner Environment at Fort Bliss, Texas. (US Department of Defense)  US Army units have begun employing a new variant of the Mission Partner Environment (MPE) network, allowing service commanders to exchange data more freely with allies and partner country forces downrange.    The Secure but Unclassified (SBU) variant of the MPE is employed across service formations deployed in the United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF)...