Jane's Defense News

SOFEMA presented an upgraded HADES20 20 mm gun at the Special Operations Forces Innovation Network Seminar (SOFINS) exhibition, held at Camp de Souge, near Bordeaux, on 2–4 April. Specialists in refurbishing and upgrading decommissioned military equipment, SOFEMA has bought all 100 French Air

Thales showed a Hawkei tactical vehicle with its induction rocket launcher for four ready-to-fire 68 mm guided or unguided rockets during the 2019 Special Operations Forces Innovation Network Seminar (SOFINS) exhibition, held at Camp de Souge, France, on 2–4 April. The launcher is installed

The UK government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the UK’s defence industry, pledging to help boost productivity with a newly signed Vision 2025 initiative. Minister for defence procurement Stuart Andrew signed the joint Vision 2025 document with representatives of industry on 3

Key Points Elbit Systems of America is getting closer to its first flight of refurbished Grumman C-1A aircraft for the Brazilian Navy The aircraft is getting a total overhaul with new avionics, auxiliary power units, and communication systems Elbit Systems of America (ESA) is targeting September

The upgraded Mi-26T2V heavy military transport helicopter has successfully completed preliminary flight testing, Russian Helicopters, part of the Rostec state corporation, confirmed on 3 April. “The machine is being prepared for a handover to the Russian Ministry of Defence [MoD] to do joint

Thales has used the Special Operations Forces Innovation Network Seminar (SOFINS) 2019 exhibition held at Camp de Souge, France, from 2-4 April to unveil the latest variant in its family of night vision goggles (NVGs) for use by special forces. The BONIE High Performance (HP) NVG, which has been

The US Army has issued a request for information (RFI) for a Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) to enter service in 2030. The RFI, released on 4 April, covers the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and Boeing AH-64 Apache-replacement that was previously known as Capability (Cap) Set 3

Australia has announced a reform of its defence industrial clearance scheme intended to provide assurances and risk mitigation for companies working with classified information. Minister for Defence Industry Linda Reynolds said on 5 April that the reformed Defence Industry Security Program (DISP)

ST Engineering believes it is one step closer to securing the first customer for its DrN-15 hexacopter unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) now that it has secured a key permit, according to a company official. Calvin Tan, assistant principal engineer, told Jane’s on 4 April that DrN-15 became the

German engineering group Thyssenkrupp has announced plans to establish an additive manufacturing centre in Singapore. The company said on 4 April that the new facility will aim to “unlock the potential of additive manufacturing” for customers in Singapore and across the Asia-Pacific

PAE ISR is considering a variety of options to reduce the weight of its Resolute Eagle Group 3 tactical long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), according to a company official. Beth Beach, PAE ISR vice-president for business development, told Jane’s on 4 April that the company is

Night Vision Lasers Spain (NVLS)used the Special Operations Forces Innovation Network Seminar (SOFINS) to launch its QuadEye panoramic night-vision goggles (NVGs), designed to enhance the situational awareness of special operations forces (SOF) during low- and zero-light operations. Comprising a series of four separate

Russia’s Eastern Military District (EMD) has received 120 upgraded T-80 main battle tanks since the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 2 April. “The EMD’s combined arms units stationed in the Amur Region, the Sakhalin Region, and Primorsky Krai have

If US Army leaders get their way, in the coming years the service’s Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicle (FHTV) fleet will incur a deep procurement cut to help pay for modernisation priorities. When service officials crafted their fiscal year 2020 (FY 2020) budget request, they scoured their

By the end of 2019, the European Commission aims to approve grants worth approximately EUR243 million (USD273 million) to successful proposals by industry for developing defence capabilities as part of its European Defence Fund (EDF). Another EUR255 million in co-financing grants will be handed out

The Malian Air Force received a Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft configured for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) on 2 April, the European Union and Armed Forces of Mali (FAMa) announced. The Cessna was donated to Mali by the EU as part of its ongoing Programme of Support for Enhanced

The Ugandan government is seeking an additional USD100 million in military spending by June, effectively doubling the current defence budget, following a meeting between the president and security chiefs which allegedly discussed “tensions with Rwanda”, local media reported on 1 April.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is facing delays in its plans to overhaul its fleet of three Mil Mi-26 ‘Halo’ heavy-lift helicopters and extend the platforms’ total technical life (TTL). Official sources told Jane’s on 13 March that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in New Delhi has

The Romanian armed forces are to deploy a helicopter unit comprising four IAR 330L Puma aircraft to Gao, Mali, under the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), the Romanian Ministry of Defence (MoD) told Jane’s on 12 March. About 120 personnel will

Three Indonesian soldiers were killed in an ambush by separatist militants armed with small-arms and spears/bows in the Nduga district of Indonesia’s Papua province on 7 March. The attack was claimed by the Tentara Pembebasan Nasional Papua Barat (TPNBP), or West Papua National Liberation