Land Warfare

Contracts awarded for US Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle

8th April 2024

The US Marine Corps (USMC) will procure the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) from prime contractor BAE Systems to replace the legacy Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV7) platform. BAE Systems received the initial $1.1 billion contract to produce 204 ACVs in June 2018.

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.

Air Warfare

First USMC Bell AH-1Z goes in for power upgrade

29th March 2024

The Bell Textron AH-1Z Viper, an attack helicopter designed to operate and destroy targets in extreme environments, achieved IOC in February 2011.

Air Warfare

Italy buys additional 28 Sidewinder short range air missiles

21st March 2024

Italy has requested more Sidewinder Block II+ tactical missiles from the US on top of the approximately 1,000 AIM-9s already delivered.

Air Warfare

V-22 Osprey cleared for flight but cause of fatal crash not disclosed

12th March 2024

V-22s have been cleared for flight three months after a fatal crash which led to a grounding but processes involved in the clearance mean it will be weeks or even months before full operations return.

Air Warfare

US Marine Corps completes second XQ-58A Valkyrie flight test

29th February 2024

Originally designed by Kratos for the USAF, the XQ-58A will serve as a vital testbed for emerging technologies and capabilities of the US Marine Corps.

Land Warfare

Raytheon and Rafael to expand Iron Dome missile production

23rd February 2024

Rafael developed Iron Dome to provide a dual-role system which could be used for C-RAM and very-short-range air defence. Since 2011, Iron Dome has served as the lowest layer of the multi-layered Israeli air and missile defence network.

Land Warfare

US Marine Corps receives production standard ACV-30

1st February 2024

The Amphibious Combat Vehicle 30mm Canon (ACV-30) will provide the US Marine Corps (USMC) with substantial firepower when landing and is one of four types being manufactured for the force.

Land Warfare

BAE delivers first full-rate production amphibious C2 vehicle

15th January 2024

The Amphibious Combat Vehicle Command and Control (ACV-C) will provide the US Marine Corps with a mobile command centre to enable situational awareness and operations planning in the battlespace.

Loitering munitions

Long-Range Attack Munition (LRAM) [USMC]

Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force.  Air-Launch Effects Released ...

Military UAS - small

RQ-21A Blackjack / STUASLO - Replacement Units (USMC)

Programme Background Joint USN and USMC Procurment The RQ-21 Blackjack, or STUALSO, was a combined United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) programme ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Unmanned Expeditionary (MUX) (Increment 1) [USMC]

Programme Background All-in-One UAV Since 2016, the USMC has wished to acquire a UAV that could be deployed from a vessel, be used for various missions, ...

Military helicopters - attack

AH-1Z

In issuing the Force Design 2030 report into the future direction of the USMC, the corps is attempting to steer the course of its development, ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

RQ-20B Puma (USMC)

Programme BackgroundThe Puma 3 AE, called the RQ-20B Puma in US nomenclature, is widely used throughout the US Armed Forces. On 14 June 2022, AeroVironment released a ...

Loitering munitions

Organic Precision Fire - Mounted (OPF-M) [USMC]

Programme Background Armed Vehicles In June 2021, Shephard reported that the USMC had selected the HERO-120 for the OPF-M programme. The USMC planned to integrate ...

APCs/IFVs - 4x4, Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

JLTV Future Procurement (USMC)

Programme Background The USMC is expected to procure 10,859 JLTVs to replace all of its HMMWVs on a like-for-like basis. Since the USMC has already ...

Military UAS - small

RQ-21A Blackjack / STUASLO - Replacement Units (USN)

Programme Background Joint USN and USMC Procurment The RQ-21 Blackjack, or STUALSO, was a combined United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) programme ...

Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial Resupply System (JTAARS) / Medium ULS-A [USMC]

Programme Background US Marine ULS-A programmes The US Marines are seeking a family of Unmanned Logistics Systems-Air (ULS-A), which will provide logistics and ground units with ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

XQ-58A Valkyrie [USMC]

Programme Background Contract Award On 30 December 2022, the US DoD announced that it had awarded Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems a $15.52 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to ...

Fighter - naval

F-35B STOVL Future Procurement - US Navy

US Navy has ordered 122 F-35B aircraft until FY2020, the remaining 202 fighters will be acquired at a rate of 10 and 17 per year ...

Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

ARV (USMC)

Programme Background The ARV constitutes one component of a wider USMC effort to develop an interconnected network of manned and unmanned platforms more suited to ...

APCs/IFVs - 8x8

ACV (US - USMC)

Programme Background The Armored Combat Vehicle (ACV) programme is intended to provide a replacement for the USMC's fleet of Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7 (AAV7) tracked ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Unmanned Expeditionary (MUX) (Increment 2) [USMC]

Programme Background MUX Since 2016, the USMC has wished to acquire a UAV that could be deployed from a vessel, used for various missions, and ...

Tiltrotors

V-22 Osprey (USN)

Programme Background Requirement According to USN FY2023 Budget Estimate documentation, the V-22 programme provides an aircraft to meet the amphibious and vertical assault needs of ...

Land: Radio and SATCOM

GATR e850 Outdoor Modem

Cubic’s GATR e850 is a rugged broadband outdoor modem ideal for mobile/transportable communications, based on the iDirect e850 board set. Features include a waterproof enclosure ...

Individual assault/anti-tank weapons

M72 LAW FFE

The M72 Light Assault Weapon Fire from Enclosure (M72 LAW FFE) was developed by Nammo to meet a USMC requirement for a version of the ...

Military helicopters - maritime, Military helicopters - multirole

UH-1Y Venom

Originally planned as a UH-1N Twin Huey upgrade for the USMC, all but the first ten UH-1Ys now use new-build airframes. This new build prevents ...

Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

SeaOnyx

The SeaOnyx is an in-development cargo-carrying coaxial rotary-wing UAV manufactured by Ledois in partnership with Phenix Solutions.  In April 2023, Leidos announced it had been awarded an ...

Fighter - multirole, Fighter - naval

F-35C

The F-35C Lightning II, also known as the F-35 carrier variant (CV), is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft in carrier configuration. It has larger wings and ...

APCs/IFVs - 8x8

LAV-25

General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada has produced derivatives of the Piranha series, branded the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV), since the Canadian Army selected the 6x6 Piranha ...

Air: mission management systems

AFATDS

Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) is a multi-service (US Army/USMC) joint and combined forces fire support battle command system. It provides automated support ...

Military helicopters - attack

AH-1 SeaCobra

Bell developed the 209/AH-1 SeaCobra on the basis of the US Army’s single-engine AH-1G Cobra as the USMC determined that a twin-engine attack helicopter would ...

Air: transport/tanker simulators

USMC KC-130J Training Devices

CAE delivered a KC-130J cockpit avionics part-task trainer to MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. The device is used for classroom training of ground maintenance personnel ...

APCs/IFVs - 8x8

ACV

BAE Systems teamed with Iveco Defence to offer a version of Iveco Defence Vehicle's Superav for the USMC's Armored Combat Vehicle Phase 1 Increment 1 ...

APCs/IFVs - 8x8

SAIC ACV 1.1 prototype

SAIC unveiled its first prototype for the USMC Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) 1.1 (Phase 1, Increment 1) project on 21 February 2017. The SAIC prototype is ...

Military helicopters - attack

AH-1W SuperCobra

Bell’s AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter was developed from the AH-1T for the USMC. It has been in service since 1986 to the present day, first ...

Subsystems: software

DI-Guy

DI-Guy is an AI, scenario and SDK for real-time human visualisation, simulation and artificial intelligence. DI-Guy has thousands of realistic ready-to-use characters and motions. It ...

TCTS Inc-II

Collins Aerospace (formerly Rockwell Collins) and Leonardo DRS have been selected by the USN to supply an encrypted, next-generation tactical training system for its Tactical ...

Self-propelled rocket launchers

HIMARS

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control developed the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher to provide the US and allied armies with a ...