Defence`s Feeds

Russian Lancet Loitering Munition

In its draft report presented on 8 November, the European Parliament's committee of inquiry into the Israeli spyware Pegasus, the

According to information gathered by Intelligence Online, the relaunch of the Pakistani branch of the French foreign trade advisers' body,

The Kazakh government is talking to the cyber and space industries in multiple countries, especially in Turkey, as it looks

Iran's Basiji militia, responsible for a large number of civilian casualties in Iran since the death of Masha Amini in September (IO, 17/10/22), is

On 30 October, spy chief Chen Yixin was appointed Minister of State Security (Guoanbu), making him the holder of the

The Fraternelle des agents parachutistes (FAP) is getting a makeover. Located at number 46 rue du Châtelain in the Brussels

FTI Consulting's recent appointment of Majdi Al Madani to head the forensic and litigation division of its Riyadh office will surely

Jessica Thorpe, a senior associate at corporate intelligence firm Alaco, who joined the firm last year, was hired to assist

Americas

General Atomics won a $46.9 million contract modification by the US Navy, which exercises an option to provide spares necessary for the successful operational capability of the Marine Air Ground Task Force Unmanned Aircraft System Expeditionary Medium Altitude Long Endurance MQ-9A Block 5 Reaper air vehicles, ground control stations, and ancillary equipment. Work will take place in California, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Virginia, Ohio, Arkansas, Florida and South Carolina.

The US Navy awarded Sikorsky a $14.1 million modification, which exercises an option to provide non-recurring engineering, supplies and support necessary for the low rate initial production Lot 1 deployable configuration updates for the CH-53K heavy lift replacement aircraft for the Navy. Work will take place in Florida. Expected completion is in December 2023.

Middle East & Africa

Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems has received a $72-million contract to supply an undisclosed international customer with Hermes 900 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Under the two-year agreement, Elbit will deliver Hermes 900 drones equipped with the company’s electro-optical system, including a wide area persistent surveillance system, multi-spectral electro-optical payload, satellite communication, and signal intelligence payloads.

Europe

The US State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Switzerland of PATRIOT Advanced Capability (PAC) 3 Missile Segment Enhanced (MSE) missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $700 million. The proposed sale of the PAC-3 MSE missiles will enhance the capability of Switzerland’s PATRIOT missile defense system. The proposed sale supports Switzerland’s goal of improving national and territorial defense as well as interoperability with U.S. and NATO forces. Switzerland will use the PATRIOT system and missiles to defend its territorial integrity and for regional stability. The prime contractor will be Lockheed-Martin, Dallas, Texas.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that an offer to cooperate with Australia on submarines still stood, after a bitter row over a cancelled contract last year threatened to torpedo relations. Macron was left furious when Australia’s previous prime minister Scott Morrison abruptly tore up a contract for France to build a dozen diesel-powered submarines and announced a deal to buy US or British nuclear-powered subs.

Asia-Pacific

The New Zealand government has enhanced its defense commitments to Ukraine, boosting military equipment funding and extending training for Ukrainian warfighters. Prime Minister Jacina Ardern on Monday announced an undisclosed amount of additional military support to improve Ukraine’s self defense nine months into Russia’s invasion.

Today’s Video

WATCH: Elbit Systems / HERMES 900 – Next Gen Multi-Role MALE UAS

The Monthly Highlights publication provides an overview, at a glance, of the on-going work of the policy departments, including a selection of the latest and forthcoming publications, and a list of future events.
Source : © European Union, 2022 - EP

European defence giants are gearing up for a new project unveiled by the European Commission's Cyber Coordination Task Force on 14 October to build a new European Cyber Situation and Analysis Centre. Over the past three weeks, Rhea Group, Leonardo, Airbus Group, Thales and Atos have been

Herzliya: Cognyte puts IMSI-catchers in 5GThe Israeli company Cognyte, a cyberoffensive spin-off of the Israeli defence firm Verint, filed a

In late October, China's ambassador to Bangladesh, Li Jiming, declared that Beijing was ready to provide help to the country

The third Entretiens d'Abu Dhabi, an event billed as "an open exchange bringing France and UAE together through this dialogue",

The yearly report of French interministerial anti-sect mission MIVILUDES (Mission Interministérielle de Vigilance et de Lutte contre les Dérives Sectaires),

The Chinese embassy in Rome is mobilising its contacts in the Italian capital to find out why letters of congratulation

Having only taken office on 27 October, new Prime Minister Mohammed al-Soudani is inheriting a delicate US legal case against

Previously with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), which covers the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS, or MI6), Joshua Burch

Americas

Sikorsky won a $98.9 million deal for UH-60M Black Hawk aircraft. UH-60 Black Hawk is a multi-mission helicopter developed by Sikorsky that has been operational in the US Army since 1978. The export version of the UH-60 Black Hawk is designated as S-70A. Work will take place in Connecticut. Estimated completion date is June 30, 2027.

The US Navy is seeking proposals to build a low-cost unmanned vessel capable of towing and launching many unmanned vessels into contested environments. A design and construction contract could be awarded by mid-2026, with expected vessel delivery beginning within two years.

Middle East & Africa

The Israeli government is asking local defense manufacturers to design and produce longer-range, more stealthy armed drones for use against Iran. Defense sources told Breaking Defense that the new unmanned systems would provide the country with more attack options in the event of a conflict with its arch-foe.

Europe

Sweden will deliver new military aid worth $287 million to Ukraine. “It’s a bigger military support package than all eight previous packages combined,” Kristersson told a news conference. “It’s the single largest we’ve done, and we follow exactly the Ukrainian priority list of what they themselves think they need just now,” the Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at a press conference. Kristersson also noted the government was closely following developments concerning the explosion in Poland near the Ukrainian border on Tuesday and that more information was needed to gain a clearer picture of what happened. On Tuesday an explosion in the eastern part of Poland, close to the Ukrainian boarder, led to an emergency meeting of the NATO ambassadors. It is still unclear wether the explosion came from Russian missile. NARO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg however said on Wednesday that the explosion was most likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile.

The armaments group Rheinmetall has set itself higher financial targets for the medium term because of the armament in many NATO countries. In 2025, the Düsseldorf group wants to achieve sales of between 10 and 11 billion euros, as it announced on Wednesday at an investor event in Vienna. The operating profit margin, which Rheinmetall uses to measure its profitability, is expected to increase to around 13 percent.

Rheinmetall AG will soon dispatch main battle tanks and other military hardware to Slovakia, a move that will allow the country to transfer equipment to Ukraine as NATO continues to support Kyiv in its fight against Russian forces. The German defense company said Wednesday that it would be sending 15 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and ammunition to Slovakia as well as a service package including training and spare parts. The first vehicle is expected to be shipped in December and the company aims to complete deliveries by the end of 2023. The vehicles that Rheinmetall will be providing were formerly in the inventories of various states, the company said.

Asia-Pacific

Taiwan has introduced its new single-rotor drone for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The unmanned system was unveiled by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCIST) during a demonstration conducted on Tuesday. According to local media outlets, the drone features a larger payload capacity than other unmanned aerial vehicles in Taiwan’s arsenal.

Today’s Video

WATCH: US intelligence believes Ukraine fired missile that landed in Poland