Dedicated drone munitions could unlock modular mission potential
Top attacks have proven effective against heavily armoured vehicles in Ukraine. A new family of uncrewed aerial system-delivered munitions is looking to press that advantage further.
Arquus (formerly known as ACAT) has completed its 500th Bastion Long Range Desert Patrol vehicle which has been in production since 2012.
The Bastion can transport eight combat soldiers as well as military equipment. The most recent model has a four-cylinder 270hp engine compared to the earlier 180hp version.
Several African armies operate Bastion and it has become a common vehicle used in counter-terrorism missions as part of the French-led G5 Sahel security alliance.
Shephard Defence Insight data shows that there are 23 Bastions in use in Cameroon, 12 in Ethiopia, 12 in Kenya, 19 in Mali, 43 in Senegal and 13 in Somalia.
During 2019, the Arquus Saint-Nazaire factory manufactured a total of 1,350 vehicles, including 1,200 VT4 liaison vehicles for the French Army.
Top attacks have proven effective against heavily armoured vehicles in Ukraine. A new family of uncrewed aerial system-delivered munitions is looking to press that advantage further.
The Israeli company hopes that producing its Sigma artillery system wholly in the US will help it win a key US Army contract, but it will be up against the popular CAESAR Mk II wheeled weapon and the K9 tracked.
Germany has ordered 84 RCH 155 self-propelled guns, as system incorporating Boxer 8×8 vehicles and the Artillery Gun Module, and 200 Puma Infantry Fighting Vehicles while the UK has committed to a single Early Capability Demonstrator RCH 155.
While integration of guided weapons on modern armoured vehicles usually takes the form of a podded launcher on the turret exterior, recent developments suggest the concept of firing missiles from a tank’s main gun could be seeing a revival.
The order is a further boost for the Common Armoured Vehicles System programme which has notched notable successes in the past 12 months. The first vehicle, made in Finland, will be delivered next year with local production expected to ramp up in 2027.
The French and German governments signed an agreement in June 2018 to cooperate on the development of a new main battle tank under the Main Ground Combat System programme but the effort has struggled. This new agreement may damage it further.