New Estonian night vision devices to help against “significantly” larger enemy
Argus is a family of Mil-Spec I2 multipurpose monocular systems that can be operated handheld or head-, helmet- or weapon-mounted.
Bulgaria in late December 2021 received the first 45 new armoured vehicles out of 98 on order for its SOF.
The armoured tactical vehicles are made by the SAMARM JV between Bulgarian manufacturer Samel 90 and UAE-based International Armored Group.
Samel 90 expects to complete the project by the end of 2022 — 12 months ahead of the original deadline.
‘The vehicles have a large and reliable engine, they are comfortable and protected, [and] they have all the necessary technical equipment for the specific activity of the Special Forces,’ said Bulgarian Chief of Defence Adm Emil Eftimov.
‘We have given a hand to the Bulgarian defence industry,’ he added in a statement posted on the Bulgarian MoD website.
Maj Gen Yavor Mateev, chief of Bulgarian SOF, said that the best-protected vehicles will be used for counter-terrorism missions or ‘direct action’, with the more lightly armoured vehicles to be allocated for tasks requiring greater mobility.
The exact types of vehicle involved in the contract remain undisclosed, although Shephard reported in 2018 that the JV partners developed a number of APC prototypes. SAMARM is known to offer the Guardian 4x4 APC, Guardian Max light tactical vehicle and Rila MRAP vehicle, all of which are manufactured by IAG.
Argus is a family of Mil-Spec I2 multipurpose monocular systems that can be operated handheld or head-, helmet- or weapon-mounted.
Hero-120, a loitering munition system fitted with a 4.5kg warhead, has been designed to carry out strikes against mid-range targets. In June 2021, the US Marine Corps announced the Hero-120 had been selected for its Organic Precision Fire Mounted (OPF-M) programme.
Patria developed the Patria 6x6 APC, unveiled at the June 2018 Eurosatory exhibition, as a successor to the XA-series Pasi APC and was selected for the Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) programme.
The US Army has acquired more than 1,100 launchers of which it has exported at least 200 launchers, while more than 10,000 Patriot missiles have been produced to date.
Rheinmetall has contracts to produce hundreds-of-thousands of artillery shells for Ukraine and new funding from the EU will boost the company’s manufacturing capability.
The 120mm-armed Leopard 2 MBT was developed in the 1970s as a replacement for the German Army’s 105mm Leopard 1s. Spain's fleet of Leopard 2A4s were originally leased from Germany for five-years but eventually purchased in 2005.