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 Europe 2023 conference in Prague.

The plans could see the transition to a new type of MBT for the Czech Army, Col Kerdik said.

The Czech Armed Forces, which is estimated to have 30 T-72M4 CZ tanks in service, faces issues with obsolescence in particular components and a desire for modernisation that will push the T-72M4 CZ out of service in the coming years. Previous modernisation efforts announced in 2018 were aimed at delaying obsolescence-related issues only until 2025. Coupled with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, there is a strong desire to re-arm Czech tank forces.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov posted a photo on 24 May, showing a Ukrainian Air Force Su-24MR ‘Fencer' aircraft carrying a Storm Shadow missile. (Ukraine Ministry of Defence)

Ukraine is using its Sukhoi Su-24 ‘Fencer' strike aircraft to carry the MBDA Storm Shadow cruise missiles recently received from the United Kingdom.

This delivery method was revealed by Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who on 24 May posted a photo of a Ukrainian Air Force Su-24 aircraft with a Storm Shadow on each of its inboard underwing pylons.

“I was glad to host [UK Defence Minister] Ben Wallace in Kyiv. We had a very meaningful discussion focused on priorities for increasing Ukraine's defence capabilities, particularly providing long-range weapons such as Storm Shadow,” Reznikov said in a tweet that included the image of the Su-24 carrying the Storm Shadow.

While it had been reported that the Su-24 was most likely the means by which the Ukrainian Air Force was employing the Storm Shadow, Reznikov's tweet provided the first official confirmation. Wallace has so far declined to answer any questions surrounding the use of the Storm Shadow in Ukraine.

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 is being held from 23 to 27 May in Langkawi, Malaysia.

Janes assesses this could potentially result in future security-related applications for the AW609 by Malaysia. Weststar has established a precedent of leasing its company helicopters to the Malaysian military.

A company spokesperson told Janes during LIMA that Weststar leased four Leonardo AW139s to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) in 2021. The leasing was intended to fill a capability gap left by the RMAF's retirement of its Nuri helicopters in 2020, according to information held by Janes .