The New Zealand government has confirmed the acquisition of new Lewis Machine & Tool (LMT) assault rifles in an announcement on 8 December.
Some 8,800 of these 5.56mm weapons, to be known locally as the Modular Assault Rifle System - Light (MARS-L), will replace the Steyr AUG A1 in NZ Army service that were introduced in 1988. Minister of Defence Gerry Brownlee commented, ‘It gives our personnel a weapon they can rely on in any situation.’
The MARS-L, believed to be based on the CQB16 rifle, includes optical day and night sights, a detachable 40mm grenade launcher and ancillaries such as
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The new artillery and howitzer factory pre-dates the emphasis on this capability from this month’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR). The first joint industry-government meeting outlined in the review took place this week.
Romania received its first Cobra MkII 4×4 light tactical armoured vehicles, ordered Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs) and VAMTAC light vehicles, and is set to invest billions-of-dollars in infantry fighting vehicles.
The Italian Army operates Pumas in 6×6 and 4×4 configurations but the platforms are ageing and numbers have fallen with obsolescence also being an issue. Any replacement is likely to have a focus on the involvement of local industry.
The VAMTAC (Vehículo de Alta Movilidad Táctico or High Mobility Tactical Vehicle) 4×4 by Urovesa is in service with or has been ordered by eight countries, the most recent being Spain this month and Romania last month.
Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is a next-generation surface-to-surface missile with the solid rocket motor (SRM) provided by Northrop Grumman. The company is working to boost its SRM production capability.
The CV90 is in service with or ordered by ten countries. The agreement between six of these countries is designed to create commonality to provide economies of scale and a reduced training burden.
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