Defence`s Feeds

Key Points ECOWAS negotiators are likely to be forced into offering immunity to Jammeh but will insist that he makes way for rival Adama Barrow to be inaugurated. Any refusal by Jammeh to depart increases the likelihood of swift military intervention, most probably led by neighbour Senegal.

Japanese military aircraft entered South Korea's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) hundreds of times in 2016, mainly in the airspace south of Jeju Island off the country's southern coast, South Korean military officials were quoted by the Yonhap news agency as saying on 12 January. The

Lockheed Martin is to demonstrate the PZL Mielec M28 'Bryza' across the Caribbean and Latin American regions in the coming weeks as it looks to sign up new military, government, and commercial customers for the short take-off and landing (STOL) twin-turboprop transport aircraft. The tour, which was

The Polish Ministry of National Defence (MND) is planning a new Strategic Defence Review (SDR) to be completed by the end of March, insider sources told IHS Jane's. Polish MND officials have stated the SDR is needed as previous studies of the country's long-term situation were either too

Two Russian producers of intercontinental ballistic missile delivery systems are experiencing difficulties in supplying their products on time due to unrelated production issues. The Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology (MIT), producer of the Yars mobile ICBM, has experienced problems with

Swedish defence and technology group Saab has announced that it will move its United States headquarters from Virginia to an existing office in New York. The move is part of an agreement with New York State under which "several incentives" will be provided to encourage Saab to invest in

British soldiers have trained alongside Sierra Leonean counterparts for the first time as part of a wider increase in British support for Africa, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 7 January. It said that 90 soldiers from the 1st Queen's Dragoons Guards deployed alongside 25 Sierra

The Spanish Ministry of Defence (MoD) has earmarked EUR10.6 million (USD11.2 million) to construct a new purpose-built headquarters for its joint cyber-defence command at the Retamares base in Pozuelo de Alarcon, just west of Madrid. Bidding for the contract will be open until 21 February and the

Key Points The USN is considering a future capability of networked autonomous surface and undersea vehicles Programme transitions may begin as early as 2017 The US Navy (USN) is envisioning a future surface combatant force that incorporates a network of autonomous surface and undersea vehicles

Key Points NAVSEA has set out the mission packages for LDUUV Decision was reached by pooling requirements across command forces The US Navy's (USN's) Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has revealed details of planned mission packages for the large displacement unmanned undersea vehicle (LDUUV)

Key Points Final qualification of the Aculeus HE-MM scheduled for March 2017 TDA is also evaluating a surface-to-surface capability for the Aculeus LG for land and maritime platforms With final development of its Aculeus LG induction laser-guided rocket (ILGR) system now under way for the French

Turkey's state-owned Machines and Chemical Industries Board (MKEK) delivered on 11 January the first 500 serially-produced MPT-76 battle rifles to the Turkish Land Forces Command (TLFC). The rifles delivered on 11 January are the first batch from a 2015 deal which will see the production of around

President Yoweri Museveni made major changes in the Uganda People's Defence Forces' (UPDF's) senior command in a reshuffle announced on 10 January. After less than four years at the helm, General Katumba Wamala was sacked as chief of defence Forces and re-appointed Minister of State for Works. He

Senior defence officials from Vietnam and Israel have pledged to expand defence ties, it was announced on 11 January. A statement by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in Hanoi said that following talks between the two parties, Vietnam and Israel would look to increase activities in defence research,

The UK Royal Navy’s HMS Clyde offshore patrol ship is set to undergo a comprehensive overhaul at Simon’s Town, South Africa, after five years of patrolling missions in and around the Falkland Islands.

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has approved Raytheon’s multimission, surface-to-air supersonic Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) for international sales.

BAE Systems has successfully completed three years of sea-based trials of its Artisan medium-range 3D air and surface surveillance radar on the UK Royal Navy’s Type 23 Duke-class frigates.

China has called for "discretion" from Washington and Seoul regarding the planned deployment of the US Army's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to South Korea. THAAD is "detrimental to strategic stability, mutual trust, and the strategic security interests of China

Key Points Finland's Hamina-class FAC will receive a torpedo fit as part of a planned MLU The addition of a torpedo capability underlines Helsinki's increasing focus on underwater security The Finnish Navy's four Hamina-class missile-capable fast attack craft (FAC) will receive a torpedo fit as

Americas

• The US Army is looking to shoot green, releasing a solicitation for biodegradable ammunition to be used during training exercises. Biodegradable alternatives for low-velocity 40mm grenades, various mortar shells, shoulder-launched munitions, 120mm tank rounds and 155mm artillery rounds are all being sought, with the Army stating that “materials identified can be utilized by private industry to manufacture biodegradable water bottles, plastic containers, or any other composite or plastic product(s) on the market today.” Current training rounds can often take 100 years or more to biodegrade with long-term effects including the pollution and corrosion of soil and nearby water.

• Raytheon’s SM-6 missile has been cleared for international export by the US DoD. At present, the missile is in use by the US Navy, providing anti-aircraft and anti-ship defenses for its fleet. First deployed in 2013, testing of different variants of the SM-6 have progressed over the last several years, the most recent in December 2016, which confirmed the missile’s ability to be used against ocean surface targets. During the trials, the SM-6 set a record for the longest range surface-to-air interceptor.

• UAV manufacturers are off to a busy 2017, with branches of the US Armed forces commissioning new orders and sustainment works. Washington firm Insitu has been contracted $70 million for the provision of six additional Lot I RQ-21A Blackjack unmanned aircraft systems to the Navy, comprised of unmanned aircraft, ground control stations, multi-mission plug-and-play payloads, and additional supporting equipment. The Army, meanwhile, has contracted Textron to perform sustainment services for the Army’s RQ-7 Shadow tactical unmanned aircraft system. Valued at $ 206 million, Textron will provide engineering, logistics, field service operations, depot materiel repair and post-production software support to the Army’s fleet of 117 Shadow aircraft.

Africa

• Joint exercises between the militaries of the UK and Sierra Leone will take place for the first time. Speaking on the announcement, UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said the exercises are “the latest example of the UK stepping up globally to tackle international threats that put Britain at risk.” 90 soldiers from the Queen’s Dragoon Guards will partner with 25 soldiers from Sierra Leone, with a focus on learning to fight and survive in a jungle environment.

• Germany will send troops and attack helicopters to Mali to support the current UN peace mission in the country. 150 personnel alongside eight attack helicopters will join existing troop numbers as part of efforts to tackle an Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist insurgency that had previously co-opted an ethnic Tuareg uprising in the north of the country. The four attack helicopters and a similar number of transport machines will stay in Mali until mid-2018.

Europe

• France’s procurement agency has contracted Safran to develop and build an improved version of the global navigation system currently used on French Triomphant-class nuclear submarines. The system will incorporate new technologies for higher performance to eliminate the need for electrostatically suspended gyroscopes, which are traditionally used for navigation on strategic platforms. Safran’s navigation systems are used on more than 500 surface ships from around the world as well more than 70 nuclear-powered and diesel-electric submarines.

• Leonardo helicopters has been commissioned to provide support for UK AW159 Wildcat helicopters. The five-year Wildcat Integrated Support and Training contract, worth $333 million, will see Leonardo provide a range of support and training services for Wildcat variants operated by the Royal Navy and Army and will preserve some 500 jobs at its UK facilities. Navy Wildcats act as the core of the service’s aviation capability, tackling ASW roles, force protection, transport and information, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance, while the Army variant performs reconnaissance, command and control, force protection, and transport missions.

Asia Pacific

• A $5 billion plan to build 12 mine counter-measure vessels (MCMVs) for the Indian Navy has run aground following the refusal by South Korea’s Kangnam Corporation to provide a performance guarantee for supervision of construction of the vessels by state-owned Goa Shipyard Ltd. As a result, both parties are no where near signing the $1 billion design and technology transfer agreement required for the program to go much further. According to India’s MoD, “the real bone of contention is that we want full intellectual property rights of the MCMVs which is not acceptable to the selected design and technology partner.” Discussions continue.

Today’s Video

A recap of US SM-6 and SM-2 Block IV interceptor tests: