An Italian Air Force ATR 72 maritime surveillance aircraft takes off from Malaysia in 2017. In Italian service, this aircraft is known as the P-72A. (Leonardo)  The Malaysian government has ordered two Leonardo ATR 72-600 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA).  In an announcement during the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023, on 25 May, the Malaysian Ministry of Defense (MINDEF) said that the two aircraft represented “Phase 1” of the aircraft's acquisition.  According to MINDEF, the contract has a value of MYR789.6...

Electric Boat awarded Newport News Shipbuilding a contract modification for Block V attack submarines. (Newport News Shipbuilding)  General Dynamics Electric Boat awarded HII's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) unit a USD305.2 million contract modification to procure long-lead-time material for two additional Block V Virginia-class submarines, HII confirmed on 24 May.  The contract modification brings the overall contract value to USD10.2 billion, HII said.  “These funds are critically important to stabilising and providing predictability to th...

Hyundai Heavy Industries displayed this model of the HDC-2000 LMS at the LIMA Exhibition 2023 in Langkawi. (Janes/Nishant Kumar)  Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) unveiled models of its new HDC-2000 Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) and HDL-10000 amphibious vessel at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023 held in Malaysia from 23 to 27 May.  An HHI spokesperson told Janes that the HDC-2000 design will be proposed for the Royal Malaysian Navy's (RMN's) programme to procure a second batch of LMS vessels. The design of...

Raytheon is replacing the US Army's Patriot radar with the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor. Some of the prototypes are undergoing testing with the army. (Raytheon)  The US Army is testing two of its new air-defence sensors at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in New Mexico, the service recently announced.  The Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) has begun contractor verification testing (CVT), the army's Program Executive Office Missiles and Space (PEO MS) announced on 18 May. The army envisions the radar as a key tech...

Caracal has signed an agreement with Ketech Asia for the production of the CAR 816 assault rifles, pictured above, in Malaysia. The CAR 816 is chambered for the 5.56×45 mm cartridge. (Edge)  The United Arab Emirates small-arms manufacturer Edge Group's Caracal subsidiary has signed an agreement with Ketech Asia for the production and resale of the CAR 816 assault rifles in Malaysia.  The agreement was signed on 24 May at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023, held in Langkawi, Malaysia, from 23 to 27 May.  U...

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...

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has displayed a model of a Multi-Role Support Ship that it is proposing to meet requirements within the Royal Malaysian Navy. (Janes/Nishant Kumar)  Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) unveiled a model of its new Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS) at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023.  An MHI spokesperson told Janes that work on the design of the new MRSS was initiated two to three years ago. However, the spokesperson said the design is not yet finalised and may change based on navi...

The Portuguese Navy is looking to commission the Multifunctional Naval Platform in 2026. (Victor Barreira)    The Portuguese Navy is poised to issue a tender to acquire a helicopter and unmanned systems mother ship    for a maximum of EUR132 million (USD142 million) to meet its Pilar I project.     A tender by prior qualification for the design and construction of the Plataforma Naval Multifuncional (Multifunctional Naval Platform) is scheduled to be published in mid-June in the   Portuguese Official Gazette...

Argentina's few remaining A-4ARs have effectively served out their lifespans. The future of the fleet is unclear. (Santiago Rivas)  Latin American fighter fleets were regularly modernised through the 1980s, with aircraft such as the French Mirage family, British Hawker Hunter, and American F-5 Tiger II and A-4 Skyhawk flying routinely. Most regional air forces have since seen their budgets constrained and fleet renewals restricted in terms of size and capability.  Today, many Latin American countries have small fleets of old aircraft, while o...

The Czech Republic has awarded BAE Systems a contract for 246 CV90 IFVs. (BAE Systems Hägglunds)  The Czech Republic has awarded BAE Systems a CZK49.3 billion (USD2.2 billion) contract for 246 CV90 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs). The contract was announced at the end of the first day of the International Defence and Security Technology Fair (IDET) 2023 being held in Brno, Czech Republic, from 24 to 26 May.  The Czech Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a press release on 24 May that the order also includes 29 workshop vehicles, training, spa...

Hungary received the first four of 12 Leopard 2A4HU tanks in July 2020. (Hungarian government)  Brigadier General Gábor Lőrincz, commander of the Hungarian Defence Forces' land forces, outlined lessons learned from Hungary's transition to the Leopard 2 main battle tank (MBT) at SAE Media's Future Armoured Vehicles Central and Eastern Europe 2023 conference in Prague.  Hungarian forces have received a company of 12 Leopard 2A4 tanks that will be used to train crews and technicians as the country undertakes efforts to switch its MBT fleet from...

Poland is set to acquire two Saab 340 Erieye AEW&C aircraft from Sweden, according to a statement made by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, as well as a briefing slide shown by the Polish Air Force. (Saab)  Poland is in the advanced stages of negotiations with Sweden to acquire airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft for the country's armed forces.  The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, made the disclosure on 22 May, saying he expects a contract...

The New Zealand Army has received the first batch of 18 Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles from Thales Australia. The above picture shows a Bushmaster in service with the Australian Army. (Australian Department of Defence)  The New Zealand Army has inducted the first batch of Bushmaster 4×4 Protected Mobility Vehicles at the Trentham Military Camp located in Upper Hutt near Wellington.  According to a press release by New Zealand's Defence Minister Andrew Little, the army has received 18 Bushmasters.  In July 2020 New Zealand approved th...

The Leonardo tiltrotor AW609 can support various security-centric applications such as cargo carrier, special operations, personnel recovery, and ‘homeland security'. (Leonardo)  Weststar Aviation Services (Weststar), a Malaysian aviation company, has signed an agreement with Leonardo to operate a single AW609 tiltrotor helicopter in the country.  According to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023 on 24 May, Weststar will operate the aircraft under lease. LIMA...

M-113A2 Colombian, with desert scheme and camouflage mesh. (Janes/Erich Saumeth Cadavid)  The Colombian Army has 28 operational M113A2 armoured personnel carriers (APCs), about half of what it operated 10 years ago, according to army documents viewed by Janes.  Food Machinery Corp – now part of BAE Systems – delivered up to 88 units of the A1 variant in 1977. This stock shrunk to 54 vehicles in service at the beginning of the last decade, and Dynamic Trading Solutions (DTS) upgraded the vehicles to the A2 variant.  The army supply was reduced...

US marines filing into an MV-22 on   USS Kearsarge  off the coast of North Carolina during Exercise ‘Bold Alligator' in 2012.   (Janes/Mike Fabey)  Boeing's Philadelphia, Pennsylvania V-22 factory, which produces the fuselage and other major equipment for the joint Bell-Boeing tiltrotor aircraft, may close as soon as 2025, according to a Boeing official.  Discussions have begun about closing the assembly line, said Shane Openshaw, Boeing's programme manager for the V-22, on 23 May. “We're starting to have those c...

The Sancar USV on display at LIMA 2023. (Janes/Nishant Kumar)  The Turkish Navy is set to receive at least two unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) by the end of this year, according to Turkish defence companies exhibiting at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2023, held in Langkawi, Malaysia, from 23 to 27 May.    On display at LIMA was the Sancar USV developed by Havelsan in partnership with Turkish shipbuilder Yonca-Onuk. Under a contract awarded in early 2022, the two companies will deliver one Sancar USV...

Estonia and Latvia are jointly procuring the IRIS-T air-defence system. (Diehl)  Estonia and Latvia are jointly procuring the IRIS-T air-defence system, the two Baltic states' defence ministers announced in Riga on 21 May. Latvian Defence Minister Ināra Mūrniece and her Estonian counterpart, Hanno Pevkur, said the joint purchase would create a new ‘Livonian shield' protecting their countries' airspace.  The two defence ministers said negotiations would begin with Diehl Defence, which if successful Pevkur hoped would result in a contract and a...

Leaders of both the FCAS/SCAF and GCAP programmes are committed to operability between their respective solutions. (BAE Systems)  Programme leaders from the Future Combat Air System/Système de Combat Aérien du Futur (FCAS/SCAF) and Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) have promoted the need for interoperability between their rival efforts.  Sharing a stage for the first time, the chief of SCAF in the French Air and Space Force (l'Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace: AAE), Major General Jean-Luc Moritz, and UK Future Combat Air Director at the Ministr...

Aerojet Rocketdyne provides solid rocket motor boosters and other products for ‘hypersonic' weapons. (Aerojet Rocketdyne artist concept)  The US Army is in the midst of a massive effort to ramp up its production capacity for artillery, but will still have to contend with supply chains for the fuel that powers the in-demand rockets. Ammonium perchlorate (AP) – an oxidiser used in solid rocket fuels – is a crucial ingredient but can be difficult to source.    The number of approved sources for AP increased in recent years, US Office of the...