The M249 is the mainstay light machine gun in the JGSDF. (Koji Miyake)
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) is seeking a successor to its current M249 5.56mm light machine gun, but chief contender Sumitomo Heavy Industries (SHI) has decided to withdraw from the competition.
The Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) signed a contract with Sumitomo subsidiary Sumisho Aero-Systems to introduce four FN Minimi Mk3 weapons in February 2020. ATLA had also signed a contract with JALUX in February to introduce four Heckler & Koch MG4s, with SHI contracted to produce five machine gun prototypes in March.
Since neither Sumisho Aero-Systems nor JALUX are manufacturers, they cannot produce these machine guns
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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.
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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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