The US Army has announced funding for the acquisition of over 5,000 rifles as part of its Squad Designated Marksman Rifle (SDMR) programme, which will utilise the Heckler & Koch HK417.
The FY19 Budget revealed the SDMR as a new start programme for the next fiscal year with $46.2 million currently assigned. This funding will support the procurement and fielding of 5,180 7.62mm off-the-shelf rifles according to budget documentation.
Unit cost will be close to $9,000 a rifle accounting for the hardware itself, programme management, training and logistics support.
The new start programme could be overlooked as it is filed
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The One-Way Effector (OWE) is a ground-launched missile or drome designed to act as a swarm to overwhelm air defence systems. It was displayed for the first time in Paris this week.
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.
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