Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures
Multiple countries have been deploying small arms as the last line of drone defence due to their multiple operational and tactical advantages.
Saab booked a new Gripen E equipment deal from Sweden in Q4 2021. (Photo: Saab)
In its full-year results presentation on 11 February, Saab described 11% sales growth in 2021 to SEK39.15 billion ($4.20 billion), helping net profits to more than double to SEK2.89 billion.
Order bookings grew by 3% to a value of SEK43.57 billion in 2021, while the order backlog as at 31 December 2021 reached SEK105.18 billion (up by 5%).
‘In 2021, we strengthened our platform for future growth by continuing to grow our order intake,’ said Micael Johansson, Saab president and CEO, adding that the defence and aerospace company expects organic sales growth of 5% in 2022.
Orders booked in Q4 2021, for instance, included a new Gripen E equipment contract for Sweden, multiple Carl-Gustaf orders including the next-generation round for Sweden, and a launch contract for the new G1X air defence radar.
However, sales fell in Q4 as the Aeronautics and Kockums businesses within Saab reported growth while Dynamics and Surveillance had lower sales.
Johansson sounded a note of caution around a ‘continued risk’ of supply chain shortages in 2022. He noted that headwinds related to the global COVID-19 pandemic remain ‘to some extent’, although Saab has ‘largely mitigated the impact on our business’.
Multiple countries have been deploying small arms as the last line of drone defence due to their multiple operational and tactical advantages.
The Singapore-based technology company unveiled its new rifle family at this week’s airshow. Chen Chuanren spoke with the ST Engineering’s head of small arms to find out more about how the weapons have been refined.
Any potential ‘Arctic Sentry’ mission would be months in the planning, but with tensions high in the region given the US’s push for Greenland, NATO countries will need to continue to emphasise their commitment to the region, analysts have said.
Defence Minister Gen Vladimir Padrino López has declared that the Venezuelan armed forces “will continue to employ all its available capabilities for military defence”.
The UK’s defence spending commitments remain uncertain as the government’s Defence Investment Plan, which had been due by the end of 2025, is yet to be published.
Disruption of infrastructure in Europe, whether by cyberattack, physical damage to pipelines or uncrewed aerial vehicles flying over major airports, as has happened more recently, is on the rise. What is the most effective way of countering the aerial aspect of this not-so-open warfare?