Land Warfare

Rheinmetall wins communications deal that could be worth up to €400 million

24th April 2024

The systems have been purchased under a special fund which has already been tapped into for the purchase of 60 CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopters worth up to €8 billion (US$8.7 billion) and thousands of Rheinmetall Caracal airmobile special operations vehicles worth €1.9 billion.

Air Warfare

Nigeria confirms M-346 advanced trainer deliveries for this year

19th April 2024

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) will enhance its fleet with the imminent delivery of six Leonardo-built M-346 advanced trainer and light attack aircraft by the end of 2024.

Naval Warfare

Kongsberg contracted for Dutch and Belgian frigate propellers and drive shafts

19th April 2024

In July 2023, Damen and Thales signed contracts to design, build and deliver four new anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigates for Belgium and the Netherlands.

Air Warfare

Boeing upgrades Australian P-8A Poseidon MPAs

15th April 2024

The upgrade contract could be extended beyond 2030 to cater for the additional two new P-8A Poseidons the Royal Australian Air Force was set to receive in the coming years.

Land Warfare

Rheinmetall to supply 20 more Marder IFVs to Ukraine

9th April 2024

From 1970, 2,136 Marders were produced, with the latest German Army standard being the 1A5 which was upgraded for use in Afghanistan. Ex-German Marders have been in service in Chile and Ukraine, while Argentina uses the locally built VCTP, a derivative of the Marder.

Training

US, Japan, Australia and the Philippines conduct major military exercise in South China Sea

8th April 2024

The countries conducted a Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) within the Philippine’s Exclusive Economic Zone on 7 April 2024.

Land Warfare

Japan orders three Mission Master UGVs

8th April 2024

Part of Rheinmetall's Mission Master family, the Mission Master Silent Partner (SP) is an eight-wheeled UGV designed to fulfil various logistics and battlefield support roles. Since 2017, several countries, including the UK, Netherlands and an undisclosed Middle Eastern country, have made purchases for trials and development purposes.

Training

Radar training simulators for German Navy Engineering School pass FAT

4th April 2024

The German Navy has contracted UK information technology company OSI Maritime Systems to provide a navigation suite which has passed system testing for the F126 frigate.

Naval Warfare

Belgium buys Exail’s R7 ROVs for underwater operations

3rd April 2024

The Belgian Armed Forces have ordered six R7 Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) from the French company Exail to allow for underwater inspection and disposal of explosive ordnance (EOD).

Land Warfare

Rheinmetall wins $145 million contract for subsystems to replace howitzers sent to Ukraine

2nd April 2024

The Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH 2000) was developed in the mid-1980s to meet a German Army requirement to replace its M109 SPHs and 185 were delivered. Export orders from Greece (24), Italy (70, of which 68 were produced locally) and the Netherlands (57) increased production to more than 330 systems.

Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

Render Safe Sets, Kits & Outfits (RS SKO) - UAV (US)

Programme Background Definition The RS SKO provides capabilities needed for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams to render safe US and foreign ordnance and improvised explosive ...

APCs/IFVs - 4x4

VTMM 2 (Italy)

Programme Background The Italian Army has a requirement for 633 VTMMs, known as Orso (Bear) in Italian service. These will be used to perform specialised ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

Vector / Scorpion (Second Order) [Germany]

Programme Background  Donation To Ukraine On 29 March 2022, the US Embassy in Warsaw announced that Quantum Drones had donated an unknown quantity of its ...

APCs/IFVs - tracked

Puma IFV (Contracted)

By March 2019, 269 of the 350 Pumas on order had been delivered to the German Army. Deliveries of the remaining 81 vehicles are scheduled ...

Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

Zielplan Marine 2035+ (Rotary-Wing UAVs) [Germany]

Programme Background Zieplan Marine 2035+ Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at the 2022 Bundeswehr Conference that Germany must become the "cornerstone of conventional defence in Europe". ...

Submarines: conventional, attack

Type 212CD [Germany]

Programme Background Norway selected TKMS as the shipbuilder for its new class of Type 212CD submarines to replace the six Ula-class SSKs currently in service. ...

APCs/IFVs - tracked

Puma IFV (Germany - Second Batch)

Programme Background The contract award for the second batch of Pumas had been delayed until 2022 at the earliest. However, in April 2021, German media ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

Zielplan Marine 2035+ (Fixed-Wing UAVs) [Germany]

Programme Background Zieplan Marine 2035+ Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at the 2022 Bundeswehr Conference that Germany must become the "cornerstone of conventional defence in Europe". ...

Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

Heavy-lift Helicopter STH (Germany)

Programme Background The German government issued a tender in March 2019 for the procurement of heavy-lift helicopters under the Schwerer Transporthubschrauber (STH) program, 60 units are ...

Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles, Special operations vehicles

Caracal 4x4 Light Air Assault (Germany)

Programme Background By 2017, the German Army's airborne forces had initiated two programmes to replace legacy equipment currently in service. The first of these programmes, ...

Tanks

Leopard 2A8+ (Germany)

Programme Background Germany has operated the domestically produced Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Leopard 2 since its inception in the 1970s. Spanning now eight versions, the Leopard 2A8 is the ...

APCs/IFVs - tracked

Puma IFV (Germany - Option)

Programme Background The contract award for the second batch of Pumas had been delayed until 2022 at the earliest. However, in April 2021, German media ...

Sealift/replenishment vessels

Type 707 (1-2) [Germany]

Programme Background Requirements The German Navy approved an acquisition to start replacing the two ageing Rhön-class (Type 704) class single-hulled tankers, which were constructed in the ...

APCs/IFVs - tracked

CATV (Germany)

Programme Background CATV The CATV programme was initiated in 2019, when the UK, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden signed an MoU to share acquisition costs for ...

APCs/IFVs - 8x8

Boxer JFST (Heavy)

Programme Background The German Army has a requirement for a heavy armoured vehicle platform to supplement the lighter Fennek in service with its JFSTs. Unlike ...

Military - UUVs

Bluefin-HAUV

The Bluefin Hovering AUV (HAUV) is a two-man system used for ship hull and infrastructure inspection, port and harbour security and MCM. Operators are able ...

Air: helicopter flight simulators

German HFTS

Helicopter Flight Training Services (HFTS) was founded by the consortium of CAE, Airbus Helicopters, Thales and Rheinmetall Defence Electronics. Each company owns a 25% share ...

APCs/IFVs - 6x6

Fuchs 1

Spanning now 8 variants, the Fuchs 1 is the German Army's longstanding wheeled armoured personnel carrier. The army received 1,125 Fuchs, with most delivered between 1979-86. ...

Mine-protected vehicles

Shrek

The Shrek is an MRAP vehicle developed by the Streit Group in collaboration with the Ukrainian Kremenchug Automotive Plant (KrAZ). It is available in three ...

APCs/IFVs - 6x6

DURO IIIP

The DURO IIIP (also known as the GMTF) 6x6 is a protected, mobile off-road armoured vehicle based on the DURO (Durable, Robust) family of 4x4 ...

Land: UGV simulators

Remote Controlled Vehicle Simulation

The Remote Controlled Vehicle Simulation is designed for users such as EOD forces.  Key features: use of original control devices; PC-based VR simulation; multiple scenarios ...

Military UGVs

Oto-TRP7-HS

The Oto-TRP7-HS (Homeland Security) is a semi-autonomous, electric-powered, tracked UGV. It is designed to undertake a number of homeland security missions. 

Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

Manpack-6 Bomb Ranger

Manpack-6 is a portable jamming system that can be carried by a person in areas where there is a risk of encountering remoted controlled improvised ...

Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

Eagle V 6x6

GDELS unveiled the fifth generation of its Eagle light tactical vehicle in both 4x4 and 6x6 models at Eurosatory 2012. The Eagle V has replaced ...

Military - UUVs

Sea Wasp

The Sea Wasp is designed to be land-portable by a two-person team and consists of a vehicle, generator, pilot station, hand winch and power supply ...

Military UGVs

Vanguard

The Vanguard UGV is designed to provide mission support for EOD technicians in both law enforcement and the military. It can be deployed in EOD/IED ...

Military UGVs

Telemax tEODor PRO

The Telemax EOD and observation robot (Telemax tEODor) PRO is designed to complement Cobham's tEODor UGV (see separate entry) by providing a smaller EOD robot ...

Military UGVs

Zeus

NIC Instruments' Zeus UGV is a development of its First Responder (see separate entry) platform and was unveiled at Milipol Paris in November 2017. The company ...

Military - UUVs

Bluefin-12D

The Bluefin-12D AUV can be used for offshore survey, search and salvage, exploration, environmental protection and monitoring, MCM and EOD. 

EO/IR systems

Gyrocam 15DHD

Gyrocam 15DHD is a 15in dual system that delivers HD and mid-wave thermal optics, in a modular payload that supports ISR missions. The 15DHD features ...