CAVS rolls on as Denmark orders 129 vehicles
Denmark signed the Technical Arrangement for the multinational Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) in April this year. The order means the country will receive its first vehicle this year.
The Spanish Army Contracting Board has opened a tender on a €4.87 million ($5.77 million), four-year framework agreement to procure 40x53 mm ammunition for the SB40 automatic grenade launcher and MK19 grenade machine gun (pictured in US Army use).
Interested companies have until 6 October to submit bids.
The SB40 LAG was developed in Spain by General Dynamics European Land Systems – Santa Bárbara Sistemas as a private venture in the late 1980s.
The Spanish Army took delivery of a pre-production batch of 60 weapons in 1992 for trials in the infantry support role; Shephard Defence Insight notes that the service now employs the SB40 both in the dismounted role and on AFVs.
General Dynamics has built more than 40,000 MK19 Mod 3 GMGs for roughly 30 customers since 1984. The MK19 fires M383 HE, M430 HE dual purpose and M918 training practice ammunition. The weapon is also produced by ATK as a second-source supplier.
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Denmark signed the Technical Arrangement for the multinational Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) in April this year. The order means the country will receive its first vehicle this year.
The Soldier-Kit system consists of detector, jammer, tablet and wideband antenna and is being evaluated as part of Project Flytrap 3.0 counter uncrewed aerial system (CUAS) exercise.
Arquus displayed the Drailer uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) integrating the Akeron LP long-range missile at the Techterre technology demonstrator event ahead of trials in September.
The Czech Republic ordered 52 CAmion Equipé d’un Système d’ARtillerie (CAESAR) self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) in 2021 and added another 10 a year later. A cancellation of the programme would impact both the army’s capabilities and local industry which is involved in the manufacture.
Demand for ammunition continues to increase with manufacturing capability growing to match. Sweden have turned to the two supply lines of Rheinmetall and Nammo as part of a Nordic effort to meet demand. The Polish Government has also announced a US$700 million investment to boost manufacture of munitions.
Several US Army vehicle programmes were axed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s plans to transform the US Army, as outlined in the Letter to the Force: Army Transformation Initiative document. However, the new generation Abrams M1E3 main battle tank (MBT) was singled out for survival. But what will it look like?