The Patriot Air Defence System. (Photo: US Army)
The US Army will receive two times more than it requested to modify and improve the Patriot and Stinger missile systems over the current fiscal year and better prepare those capabilities for tomorrow's warfare.
While the service proposed a nearly US$250 million investment in those efforts, the US Congress authorised over $505 million as part of the FY2025 National Defence Appropriations Act (NDAA).
The additional funds will enable the branch to accelerate procurements and upgrades of those capabilities as both systems were reported to perform well on the battlefield in Ukraine and have been receiving growing international interest.
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Germany has ordered 84 RCH 155 self-propelled guns, as system incorporating Boxer 8×8 vehicles and the Artillery Gun Module, and 200 Puma Infantry Fighting Vehicles while the UK has committed to a single Early Capability Demonstrator RCH 155.
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.
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