Western systems like NASAMS have helped Ukraine improve its interception rates. (Photo: Kongsberg)
Since the start of the invasion last February, Ukraine has emphasised the need for Western air defence systems to augment its Soviet-era capabilities.
With the arrival of systems such as IRIS-T and NASAMS, Kyiv's interception rate has increased.
Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute's (RUSI) Integrated Air and Missile Defence Conference on 9 March, Ian Williams, International Security Programme fellow and Missile Defence Project deputy director told delegates Ukraine's exploitation of mobility and deception had kept much of its air defence systems intact.
Ukraine has also applied this logic to other forces, such as deep fires, using deception
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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.
The last year has seen several major procurements in the land market. Shephard’s Dr Peter Magill reviews the main trends and themes in land procurement of 2025.
Developed by Israel's Uvision and with systems being sold in the thousands to multiple European NATO countries and the US, the Hero family of loitering systems is also in production in the US and Italy, the latter through Rheinmetall.
The Leopard is becoming the tank of choice in central and eastern Europe as Croatia joins Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Hungary in ordering the platform. Lithuania and Croatia have also signed for CAESAR howitzers.
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