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.
Having won a $166 million bid for the Indian Army’s 186,138 bulletproof jackets, SMPP’s executive director Ashish Kansal told the Economic Times that the Western-sourced fabric used during trials later changed to a Chinese supplier. This admission is creating consternation in the defence community.
‘Yes, we’ve changed the suppliers and have informed the army about it. There’s no change of quality and the jackets are of the same standard that was tested,’ Kansal confirmed to the daily.
However, a retired senior army official told Shephard: ‘Once samples are qualified, ethically and legally, the vendor should not be allowed to change
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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.