Can NATO’s CUAS marketplace turn urgent demand into deliveries?
Framework contracts and leasing options aim to shorten acquisition timelines, while manufacturing partnerships could help suppliers scale production to meet allied demand.
BAE system has received an $8 million contract from the US Army to develop modernised precision-guidance kits that ensure the strike accuracy of 155mm artillery munitions.
The kits will enable munitions to make in-flight course corrections even in GPS-denied environments.
The kits are compatible with existing and experimental artillery munitions and propellants; and multiple firing platforms, including M777 lightweight towed howitzers and the M109 self-propelled howitzer family of vehicles.
Marc Casseres, director of Precision Guidance and Sensor Solutions, BAE Systems, said: ‘We understand the critical importance of maintaining the accuracy of the army’s long-range artillery against any adversary.
‘Our kits will provide this capability for the current stock of 155mm munitions and future munitions designed to provide significantly greater range. We were selected for this programme because of our expertise in precision-guidance technology and our ability to achieve a high level of engineering and manufacturing maturity.’
Framework contracts and leasing options aim to shorten acquisition timelines, while manufacturing partnerships could help suppliers scale production to meet allied demand.
The US is pursuing multiple UGV programmes, from commercial robotic platforms to new autonomy technologies. The combination of these efforts could prove key to turning ambition into operational capability.
NATO is looking to artificial intelligence to provide integration between different C2 systems to create a common operational picture, potentially offering a faster route to interoperability than the slow-moving processes of NATO standards committees.
The large-scale exercise in Latvia was the culmination of three experimentation initiatives to see how platforms, weapons and systems could fit into the alliance’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative. As well as forces, it brought together companies and equipment.
Canada plans to acquire at least 120 uncrewed aerial systems through two competitions with combined funding ceilings of C$32 million.
New counter-drone technologies, autonomous launchers and manufacturing modernisation initiatives highlighted emerging opportunities for defence suppliers, while the UK advanced a major military vehicle procurement programme.