SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket (pictured) launched South Korea's first military reconnaissance satellite on 1 December. The satellite is expected to strengthen the RoK Armed Forces' early warning capabilities against potential North Korean threats. (SpaceX)  South Korea has launched its first military reconnaissance satellite using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.  The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the reconnaissance satellite was launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on 1 December, South Korea's Ministry of National Defense (MND) announc...

The BAAINBw has ordered 50 Dingo 2 A4.1 armoured vehicles from KNDS. (Bundeswehr)  The Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw), Germany's Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology, and In-Service Support, and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann + Nexter Defense Systems (KNDS) announced on 30 November that they had signed a contract for 50 Dingo 2 A4.1 armoured vehicles the day before. KNDS said in a press release that the vehicles would replace Dingo 2s transferred by the Bundeswehr to Ukraine...

A Gurkha from 1 Royal Gurkha Rifles with an L85A3 5.56 mm assault rifle (right) next to a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force 1st Airborne Brigade paratrooper with a Howa Type 20 5.56 mm assault rifle (left) during Exercise ‘Vigilant Isles' in Somagahara Camp, Japan, on 15 November. (Crown copyright)  British Army soldiers embedded with the Japan Ground Self‐Defense Force (JGSDF) for the first time during Exercise ‘Vigilant Isles 23' in Japan from 15 to 26 November.  The Japanese embassy in London said on its website on 26 November that the exerc...

Displayed as a mock-up at the ILA Berlin Air Show in 2022, the Eurofighter EK has now been approved by the Bundestag. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The German Bundestag has approved development of the Eurofighter Elektronischer Kampf (EK) electronic warfare (EW) aircraft for the Luftwaffe.  The Luftwaffe and Airbus (Germany's lead contractor in the Eurofighter consortium) announced the budgetary committee approval on 29 November, saying 15 aircraft will be upgraded for electronic attack (EA) and suppression/destruction of enemy air defence (SEAD/D...

A soldier from the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (11th ACR) operates a Mounted Mission Command-Software (MMC-S)-based system during a training mission at Ft Irwin, California. (US Army)  The US Army is developing a new slate of advanced software designed to improve collection, dissemination, and exploitation of battlefield intelligence at the tactical level, according to a service solicitation.  The software development effort, known as the ‘Intel Apps' programme, is being spearheaded by Project Manager, Intelligence Systems & Analytics (IS&A...

Rohde & Schwarz unveiled a compact version of its Ardronis family of C-UASs. The system was seen operating at NATO's Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System Technical Interoperability Exercise (C-UAS TIE23). (Janes/Olivia Savage)  Germany-based Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) has unveiled a new counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) called Ardronis Locate Compact.    Ardronis Locate Compact is a small, ruggedised system designed for the detection and localisation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), especially over large areas such as military bases, a...

Up to 50 of the British Army's Foxhound LPPV vehicles will be converted into command variants. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Up to 50 of the British Army's Foxhound vehicles will be converted into command variants under a GBP19.76 million (USD24.92 million) sole-source contract with General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS).  The contract, expected to be awarded in early 2024, will involve the conversion of up to 50 Foxhound Light Protected Patrol Vehicles (LPPVs) over a 15-month period, a UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) contract notice disclosed on 23 Nove...

The two agencies will task the optical telescope, developed by Spaceflux, from the Space Operations Centre at RAF High Wycombe. (Spaceflux)  The UK Space Agency and Space Command have contracted UK company Spaceflux to develop and operate a new space domain awareness (SDA) sensor to monitor objects in geostationary orbit (GEO).  Known as Project Nyx Alpha, the contract, announced by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 22 November, will involve building a ground-based camera-telescope to gather positional information on UK satellites in order...

Rheinmetall Electronics UK Trailblazer vehicle vision systems, designed to aid the driver with terrain negotiation, obstacle avoidance, and route selection, are being procured to fill a critical safety requirement with the UK's Warrior IFVs. (Rheinmetall Electronics UK)  The British Army's Warrior infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) will be equipped with rear view cameras as part of a contract with Rheinmetall Electronics UK.  Valued in the low double-digit million-euro range and announced on 21 November, the contract will involve the provision...

The German Navy's F126 frigates will be equipped with Systematic's SitaWare C2 suite. (Damen Naval)  Germany's F126 frigates will be equipped with Systematic's command-and-control (C2) software, the company announced on 20 November.  The project, called the National Maritime C2 Service Bundeswehr (NMC2S Bw), will involve adding SitaWare Maritime and Fusion to the Bundeswehr's SitaWare Headquarters (HQ) licences and installing this onboard the F126 frigates.    A Systematic spokesperson told   Janes   the licences are aimed to b...

L3Harris Technologies will supply its radios for the combat net radio requirement as part of the Foxtrot digitisation programme. The company is already supplying its AN/PRC-163 radios to meet the ‘Replacement of Ground-Air Radios' requirement under Foxtrot. (Janes/Olivia Savage)  L3Harris Technologies has been selected by the Netherlands Armed Forces to supply its radios for the Foxtrot tactical digitisation programme.  This will involve delivering radios for approximately 8,000 vehicles, 3,500 military personnel, 135 vessels, 170 aircraft, a...

The NDM   Bahia  LPD, formerly the Foudre-class FS   Siroco  LPD with the French Navy between 1998 and 2015, was acquired by Brazil in 2015.  (Victor Barreira )    The Brazilian Navy is acquiring a new satellite communications (satcom) system for NDM   Bahia   (G40) multi-purpose landing platform dock (LPD) to improve the satcom capability of the amphibious warfare ship.     A tender launched by the Brazilian Naval Commission in Washington, DC, on behalf of the Logistics Cen...

FFG is working on the Boxer RRV variant. (FFG )  Lieutenant Colonel Karlheinz Boehnke, Multi-Role Armoured Vehicle (MRAV) Boxer representative in the German Army Concept and Capabilities Development Centre, presented a Boxer jamming variant and an update on other planned versions on the second day of SAE Media Group's Future Armoured Vehicles Survivability (FAVS) 2023 conference held in London from 13 to 15 November.  The Boxer Knifefish jamming variant would exist in two versions – ultra-high frequency (UHF)/very high frequency (VHF...

The new antenna array associated with Project Strongbow is shown here in testing at SwRI's San Antonio, Texas, facility. (SwRI)  The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) has begun retrofitting an upgraded communications eavesdropping suite on its 12 Halifax-class frigates under Project Strongbow.  Work has started on the implementation phase, according to Canada's Department of National Defence (DND), with initial operational capability (IOC) planned for 2025. Initial shipboard installations on three frigates are following now-completed environmental qu...

US Army Major Aaron Spence, an international technology integrator assigned to Army South, demonstrates the RIC-U to a group of Brazilian soldiers. US Army National Guard photo by Staff Sergeant Jonathan Pietrantoni. (US Army South)    The US Army wants to move its conversations with allies from sending slideshows and emails back and forth to being able to communicate via voice in the field, army officials told   Janes   ahead of the ‘Southern Vanguard 24' exercise in Macapá, Brazil.   The US Army is testing a new configura...

Eter is currently deployed with the Armed Forces of Ukraine to detect Russian radio signals. (Mykhailo Fedorov/Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine)  Ukraine has developed and is deploying a signals intelligence (SIGINT) system on the frontline called Eter, the Ukrainian Minister for igital ransformation, Mykhailo Fedorov said on 14 November.    Eter is a radio-electronic intelligence complex developed by Ukraine-based company Falcons and supported by the defence technology cluster Brave1. It comprises three direction finding (D...

EOS has secured a contract to supply spares of its R600S remote weapon system (pictured) to a South East Asian military. (Electro Optic Systems)  Electro Optic Systems (EOS) has secured a contract worth AUD28 million (USD18.2 million) to supply spares of its R600S remote weapon system (RWS) to a South East Asian military, a spokesperson for the company told Janes on 15 November.  Under this contract, EOS will provide “gimbals and sensor units” for the R600S to the customer, the spokesperson said.  “The R600S is mainly used for ground-to-groun...

The first of three Global 6000 business jets seen in Kansas in November 2022, ahead of its conversion with PEGASUS SIGINT mission systems. (Bombardier)  The Global 6000 business jet-based Persistent German Airborne Surveillance System (PEGASUS) has passed its critical design review (CDR), prime contractor Hensoldt announced on 16 November.  The CDR, which was conducted by representatives of the Bundeswehr, was successfully completed two years after Hensoldt was contracted to develop the capability based on its Kalaetron signals intelligence (...

A rendered image of the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft in NATO markings, showcased at the DSEI 2023 defence exhibition in London. (Boeing via Janes/Gareth Jennings)  NATO has selected the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail to replace its Boeing E-3A Sentry Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft.  The alliance announced the selection on 15 November, saying the approval was granted in the same month. Six aircraft will be acquired to begin operations from 2031.  The six Wedgetails will replace the 14 Sentries operated by the NATO E-3A Com...

RAF aircraft, such as the Poseidon MRA1 pictured, are providing surveillance support to Israel. (Crown Copyright)  The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) is providing aerial surveillance support to Israel in its ongoing operation against Hamas militants in Gaza, it was disclosed on 13 November.  Answering questions in the House of Commons, Minister of State for the Armed Forces James Heappey said, aircraft have been deployed to the region in support of Israel and the UK's wider security concerns.  “A total of 12 aircraft have deployed to the eastern Me...