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.
The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has received the green light for the potential FMS of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) to India, in a contract worth $1.87bn.
The prime contractors are Raytheon and its Norwegian partner, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
At the core of the contract are five AN/MPQ-64FI Sentinel radar systems, 118 AIM-120C-7/C-8 AMRAAM missiles, three AMRAAM guidance sections, four AMRAAM control sections and 134 Stinger FIM-92L missiles.
India wishes to expand its air defence capabilities to counter airborne threats. The sale comes months after tensions with Pakistan escalated as a result of the Indian government’s decision to make controversial changes to Article 370 in August 2019 relating to the status of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region.
However, the DSCA said that: ‘This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-Indian strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defensive partner, which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia region.’
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?