The Babcock Immersive Training Experience (BITE), unveiled at IT²EC 2024, was configured to imitate a bunker control room, equipped with communication devices and video feeds, including from UAVs and social media. (Janes/Olivia Savage)  Babcock unveiled a new modular, immersive training system at the International Training Technology Exhibition & Conference (IT²EC) 2024 held from 9 to 11 April in London.  Known as the Babcock Immersive Training Experience (BITE), the system is designed to provide trainees with a realistic training environment...

VBS4 24.1, the latest version of BISim's VBS4 virtual simulation software pictured being used by MoD personnel with commercial-off-the-shelf hardware, is due to be released in May. (Bohemia Interactive Simulations )  The latest version of Bohemia Interactive Simulations' (BISim's) Virtual Battlespace 4 (VBS4) environment will feature munition-equipped unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the company announced at the International Training Technology Exhibition & Conference (IT2EC) 2024 held from 9 to 11 April in London.  VBS4 is a virtual desktop...

A Nigerian A-29 Super Tucano is pictured here. Embraer Defence CEO Bosco da Costa sees potential for up to 450 Super Tucanos over 20 years, including from Africa. (US Africa Command Public Affairs)    Embraer Defence & Security sees a market for up to 490 A-29 Super Tucano trainer and attack aircraft over the next two decades, Embraer president and CEO Bosco da Costa Jr told   Janes  on 10 April at the FIDAE 2024 airshow in Santiago, Chile.   “We are in touch with several countries around the world, not only here in South...

Saab has been contracted to upgrade the army's live training capability. Pictured are troops practising their debussing drills from a Saab DFWES-equipped Warrior infantry combat vehicle in Alberta. (Janes)  The British Army has signed a GBP60 million (USD75.7 million) three-year support contract with Saab to improve its live training capability.  The contract – Instrumented Live Training (ILT-D) – is replacing the existing Direct Fire Weapon Effects Simulator (DFWES) contract with Saab and will involve modernising its live training capabiliti...

A V-280 Valor in flight. Bell is modifying the V-280 and pairing it with the V-247 drone to compete for the US Navy's Future Vertical Lift-Maritime Strike programme. (Bell)  The US Navy (USN) is starting to look for its next-generation maritime strike platform. Bell is offering a variant of its V-280 Valor tiltrotor teamed with its V-247 Vigilant unmanned aircraft for the navy's Future Vertical Lift-Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) capability, building off the V-280's selection for the army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) programme....

CESI is joining Leonardo's Team Aurelian to bid for the British Army's CTTP programme. Pictured are chief technology officer for CESI Stu Armstrong (left) and CTTP campaign director at Leonardo UK John Wells. (Leonardo UK)  US-company Cole Engineering Services Inc (CESI) is joining Leonardo's Team Aurelian for the upcoming British Army's Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP) contract.  Announced by Leonardo at the International Training Technology Exhibition & Conference (IT²EC) 2024 held from 9 to 11 April in London, the new pa...

An artist's conception of the C-390 in a maritime role. (Embraer)  The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Embraer on 10 April at the FIDAE 2024 airshow in Santiago, Chile, to study adapting the C-390 transport aircraft for special missions.  Potential uses under study include maritime patrol and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. The C-390 is primarily a transport and air-to-air tanker aircraft, with no additional variants in service.    Embraer has delivered six C-390...

AVIC's new HH-100 cargo-delivery unmanned aerial vehicle is being designed for a maximum take-off weight of 2 tons. (AVIC/Janes)  The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) is preparing its HH-100 large cargo unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for flight-testing.    The UAV, which has a planned maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 2 tons, completed its high-speed automatic taxiing test at Yangchang airport in southwest China's Sichuan Province on 3 April and is being readied for its maiden flight, AVIC announced on 7 April. The programme...

DSIT's DogFish sonar system is designed for use on underwater vehicles. (DSIT)  DSIT Solutions publicly unveiled its new multimission sonar system designed for operation onboard underwater vehicles at the Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) 2024 conference and exhibition, held in London from 9 to 11 April.  The system, named DogFish, was developed in response to the proliferation of threats in the underwater environment from manned and unmanned vessels. It has the capability to autonomously detect, track, and classify submarines, mini-submarine...

Serbia is negotiating the acquisition of 12 Rafale fighters from France. (French Air and Space Force)  Serbia and France will seal a deal on the procurement of 12 newly produced Rafale fighters for the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence (RV i PVO) in the next two months, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić told Serbian media in Paris on 9 April after meetings with President of France Emmanuel Macron and representatives of Dassault Aviation the day before.  Media close to the Serbian government have reported that negotiations have been under w...

A 5.56×45 mm XT112 assault rifle prototype showcased at TADTE 2023. The rifle has a firing range of 600 m. (Janes/Kapil Kajal)  The Republic of China Army (RoCA) will procure nearly 25,000 new 5.56×45 mm assault rifles called XT112 to replace in-service T65 and T91 assault rifles, a RoCA officer told Janes on 8 April.  The new rifles will be inducted into the RoCA by the end of 2025, the officer said.  The XT112 is developed by the 205th Arsenal of Taiwan Ministry of National Defense's (MND's) Armaments Bureau.  Lieutenant Colonel Yi-wei Li f...

A Boeing P-8 Poseidon of the US Navy. Although Boeing's discussions with Brazil have not reached the stage of determining a local configuration, Flood said the company encourages a common configuration across international fleets. (US Navy)  Boeing anticipates a requirement for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft from Brazil, for which it is pitching the P-8.    “We see an enormous opportunity for P-8s,” Tim Flood, the company's vice-president of international business development for Europe and the Americas, told   Janes  a...

Saildrone has partnered with Thales Australia to enhance the capabilities of its Surveyor-class USVs (pictured) by equipping them with Thales Australia's BlueSentry thin-line fibre-optic towed array. (Saildrone)  Thales Australia has signed an agreement with California-based Saildrone to collaborate on integrating its BlueSentry sonar system into Saildrone's Surveyor-class unmanned surface vessels (USVs).  The agreement, announced at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2024 global maritime exposition in National Harbor, Maryland, on 8 April, will h...

BAE Systems is integrating VRAI's simulation data capture and analysis software in a Hawk trainer simulator. The data will be compared with live Hawk training sorties to improve fast jet training. Pictured is one of the Royal Air Force's Hawk T2 trainer aircraft. (Benoit Denet)  BAE Systems has partnered with VRAI to leverage extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI) in order to enhance pilot training.    VRAI's HEAT data capture technology, which collates, analyses, and visualises simulator data, will be integrated by BAE...

Collins Aerospace's sixth-generation cockpit demonstrator as seen at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space global maritime exposition in April 2024. (Janes/Jeremiah Cushman)  Collins Aerospace is demonstrating its latest cockpit technology for sixth-generation manned combat aircraft at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2024 global maritime exposition in National Harbor, Maryland, held from 8 to 10 April.    The technology demonstrator is conceptual and is being constantly upgraded with feedback from potential users, Tracy Miller, principal sales eng...

Dry dock work has been completed for the mid-life overhaul of aircraft carrier USS   John C Stennis  .  (US Navy)  HII's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division completed the dry dock portion of the refuelling and complex overhaul (RCOH) of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis (CVN 74), HII confirmed on 8 April during the Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2024 global maritime exposition in National Harbor, Maryland.  NNS flooded the dry dock with 100 million gallons of water to float Stennis and move the carr...

Submarine equipment funding is being sought after the US Navy cut an attack submarine from future procurement. (Janes/Michael Fabey)  Following the US Navy (USN) decision to cut an expected Virginia-class attack submarine (SSN) from its proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget proposal, Chris Kastner, the president and CEO of submarine builder HII, has called for the USNto maintain the supply chain for that work by buying submarine materials anyway.  “We need to make sure that we order a full ship set of material for that other submarine so we k...

In its economic impact study on the programme, PwC has outlined a ‘growth scenario' that could see the sale of as many as 287 additional Eurofighter combat aircraft. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  An economic impact study report published by the Eurofighter consortium on 9 April has predicted the potential sale of hundreds more of the multirole combat aircraft to both partner and export countries.  Compiled by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the Eurofighter Economic Impact Assessment study touts a “growth scenario” of as many as 287 new sales, includ...

India's TASL launched an Earth observation satellite aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Bandwagon-1 rideshare mission on 7 April. The satellite can be used to gather intelligence for the Indian Armed Forces. (SpaceX)  India's Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) has launched an Earth observation satellite that can be leveraged by the Indian Armed Forces to enhance surveillance of strategic areas of interest.    The satellite, named TSAT-1A, was carried into space by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Bandwagon-1 rideshar...

Raytheon is seeking to improve operations in RF-cluttered environments for ESSM Block 2 missiles, shown here being tested by Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS   Fredericton  in November 2022.  (Royal Canadian Navy)  As the first Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) Block 2 units start to make their way to areas like the Red Sea, Raytheon Technologies is working on further improvements to missile operations in areas challenged by radio frequency (RF) interference, according to Chris Driscoll, the company's ESSM direct...