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“Ringtausch”: Rheinmetall Supplies Slovenia with State-of-the-Art Swap Body Trucks

Friday, December 16th, 2022

In a further multilateral exchange of equipment, or “Ringtausch”, Rheinmetall has provided Slovenia with military swap body truck at the behest of the German government. Forty newly build trucks, based on the UTF unprotected transport vehicles Rheinmetall produces for the Bundeswehr, have now been handed over to the Slovenian military in Ljubljana. For Rheinmetall, the transaction represents sales volume in the lower two-digit million-euro range.
In exchange for the new military trucks, the Slovenian armed forces furnished significant military aid to Ukraine several weeks ago. In addition to the vehicles, Slovenia is receiving variable loader platforms, five palletized water tank modules, as well as an initial service package, including training.
The project was completed at a remarkable pace. The equipment exchange was based on a declaration of intent made several weeks earlier on 21 September 2022 by German defence minister Christine Lambrecht and here Slovenian counterpart, Marjan Šarec, followed by an order placed with Rheinmetall on 5 December 2022. Negotiations between the the three parties – the German Ministry of Defence, the Slovenian armed forces and Rheinmetall – went quickly and smoothly.
Transfer of the vehicles took place at Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles GmbH’s local partner, MAN Truck & Bus Slovenija d.o.o. Immediately afterwards, Slovenia’s minister of defence, Marjan Šarec, took delivery of the trucks on behalf of the Slovenian Army. Delivery is thus largely complete, though individual components and training modules will still be shipped over the next two years.
In terms of configuration, these swap body trucks are comparable to the logistic vehicles developed by Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles on behalf of the Bundeswehr. Many of these protected and unprotected trucks are currently being produced under a framework agreement between Rheinmetall and the Koblenz-based Federal Office for Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw).
The “Ringtausch” is a procedure developed by the German government to support the Ukrainian war effort in cooperation with neighbouring European countries

and NATO partner nations. Here, NATO countries transfer Soviet-era heavy equipment to Ukraine, receiving surplus Western-made systems in return. Rheinmetall is already taking part in multilateral equipment exchanges with the armed forces of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Greece, supplying them with main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.

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New York Air Guardsman Completes Brazil Jungle Training

Friday, December 16th, 2022

MANAS, Brazil – For New York Air National Guard Tech Sgt. Jeremy Miter, adapting to the heat and humidity of the Amazon basin was the toughest part of the six weeks he spent at Brazil’s jungle warfare school from the end of September until mid-November.

“Once we got into the jungle, it was a whole other level of heat,” Miter said. “The triple canopy rain forest keeps the heat in and all around you. It creates a pressure cooker.”

Despite the heat, Miter became the fifth New York National Guard member to graduate from the course.
CIGS — the acronym for the school’s name in Portuguese, Centro de Instrução de Guerra na Selva — conducts the course for foreign military personnel in Manas, the capital of Brazil’s Amazonas state.

The Brazilians run a 10-week course for their own Soldiers.

New York Soldiers and Airmen have been attending the school since 2019 as part of the State Partnership Program relationship between Brazil’s military and the New York National Guard.

Army National Guard Sgt. William Dunn, a member of the 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion, was to attend with Mitre but could not because of a medical issue.

To operate in the heat and humidity, the students from India, France, Spain, Portugal, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina, and two other Americans from the 7th Special Forces Group learned how to stay hydrated.

Miter said students begin the course with physical fitness tests and swimming in uniform with combat gear.

The next step is surviving in the jungle. The students learn what to eat and not eat and how to find drinkable water and shelter.

“They put us out in the woods for 48 hours on our own to survive without food and only the water that you bring with you,” he said.

“I don’t think anybody ate for the entirety of the survival event,” Miter recalled. “Luckily, it rained at the end.”

As a joint tactical air controller assigned to the 274th Air Support Operations Squadron, part of the 107th Attack Wing, Miter supports ground troops by calling air strikes.

Miter, 33, joined the New York Air National Guard in 2006 and served as a firefighter at the 109th Airlift Wing until becoming a JTAC in 2010.

He deployed to Syria in 2019 and to the Horn of Africa in 2021.

In civilian life, Miter is assigned to the Syracuse Fire Department’s Engine 3.

Miter was picked to attend the course because “he has the mental focus and physical strength” to succeed, said New York Air National Guard Command Chief Master Sgt. Denny Richardson.

Swimming is central to the training, Miter said. The students learned to use the rivers to move around. Using makeshift rafts, they would swim with their rucksacks full of equipment. They also learned how to use boats to infiltrate an area.

The round-the-clock training kept the 25 class members so tired that nobody had the energy to worry about the caiman — Brazil’s version of the alligator — or piranhas in the river, he said.

Students also learned how to navigate in the dense jungle using terrain association and practiced rappelling from helicopters.

Since most of the students were from special forces units, that was simply refresher training, Miter said.

Working with 25 soldiers from different countries who didn’t speak the same language was challenging, but they managed to find ways to communicate.

“The exchange of knowledge between us and Brazil was great. Plus working with soldiers from other countries you don’t normally work with was valuable,“ Miter said.

By Eric Durr, New York Air National Guard

Posted in AFSW, Air Force, Guest Post, International, Training | 3 Comments »

Rheinmetall Stepping Up Delivery of Combat Helmets to the Bundeswehr: Quality Inspection Successfully Concluded

Thursday, December 15th, 2022

Rheinmetall has reached another milestone on the road to equipping the German military with a new combat helmet. On 6 December 2022, Christine Lambrecht, the German defence minister, took official delivery of the first items of military clothing and personal equipment ordered by the Bundeswehr in response to the abruptly changed security situation in Europe. The equipment includes the new combat helmet being supplied by Rheinmetall. Quick off the mark, Rheinmetall had already successfully concluded formal qualification of the tactical headgear as well as quality inspection of the first three lots of subsequent procurements.

In November 2020 the Bundeswehr placed an initial order with Rheinmetall for an advanced combat helmet. The framework agreement encompassed delivery of up to 20,000 “Combat Helmet, Special Forces, Heavy”. A first call-off of 5,000 helmets came the same month. The helmets were initially earmarked for special operations forces and specialized troops with an expanded basic capability for conducting special operations, as well as for equipping NATO’s VJTF 2023 spearhead force. In March 2022, spurred by the dramatic turn of events in Europe, the Bundeswehr significantly expanded its order. The new helmet model would now be known as the “Combat Helmet, Armed Forces”. In all, the follow-up order encompasses some 300,000 helmets, which will be supplied to the German military during the period 2022-2025. Rheinmetall is cooperating in this programme with two strategic partners. Total order volume exceeds €200 million.
Providing improved protection and more comfortable to wear, the new combat helmets feature decibel-independent hearing protection and a night observation device. They will substantially enhance the combat effectiveness of German infantry forces.

Since 2020, nearly 34,000 helmets have been supplied. By the end of the year, a further 11,000 will reach the troops. The order was won by Rheinmetall Soldier Electronics of Stockach, Germany. A specialist supplier of laser light modules, the company is extremely well-connected in the soldier systems segment.

Posted in Advertiser, Contracts, Helmets, International, Press Release | 2 Comments »

The iMUGS Consortium Demonstrates Autonomous Missions with Robotic Systems

Thursday, December 15th, 2022

The integrated Modular Unmanned Ground System (iMUGS) project Consortium showcased the usage of autonomous unmanned ground systems for various defence missions, including intelligence gathering, casualty evacuation and last mile re-supply at the projects penultimate demonstration in Versailles, France. The event was led by Safran and Nexter and supported by other consortium members.

All the partners met in the premises of Nexter Robotics, made available during the weeks of integration and validation preceding the demonstration.

During the demonstration, three Milrem Robotics’ THeMIS UGVs equipped with payloads from the consortium members and cooperation partners fulfilled several autonomous missions to demonstrate the ability of the complete iMUGS system. These included autonomous mission planning from the operator’s point of view, ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance) with object detection and recognition, autonomous re-supply and casualty evacuation and cyber threat response.

The missions, performed by the French armed forces, presented how manned units can utilize unmanned systems to conduct missions more safely and effectively. “Unmanned systems increase stand-off distance from the enemy and, thanks to various sensors and effectors, provide soldiers the means to gather a higher quantity and much more precise information about their operation area than humans are capable of,” said Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem Robotics, the iMUGS Consortium lead.

“Autonomous unmanned assets are a game changer for armed forces as they allow the allocation of soldiers to more important tasks,” Väärsi added.

The UGV’s autonomous functionality that includes follow-me, waypoint navigation and obstacle detection and avoidance capabilities was developed by consortium members Diehl Defence, Milrem Robotics, Nexter and Safran. ISR was provided by OTEOS, the Escribano Mechanical & Engineering’s Electro Optic System, SAAB Grintek’s Laser Warning System (LWS) and Metravib Defence’s PEARL acoustic shot detection. Radio communication was provided by Bittium’s software defined radios.

The command and control (C2) and tactical C2ISR by GMV and sol.one were setup in the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann’s Boxer Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) with a C2 mission module and a static command centre. Cyber threat response was provided by Talgen. dotOcean and Insta showcased, via video, global and local swarming capabilities, respectively, in their in-house simulator.

The demonstration organized in France was the fifth of a total of six demonstrations held during the iMUGS project. The previous demonstrations were held in Estonia, Latvia, Finland, and Belgium. The last will be held in December in Germany.

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Galvion Wins Major NSPA Contract to Supply Ballistic Combat Helmets to NATO

Wednesday, December 14th, 2022

Galvion, a world leader in innovative head protection systems and power and data management solutions, has been awarded a framework contract by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) to supply its flagship Batlskin Caiman® ballistic helmet system. This announcement places Galvion as a major supplier of higher performance helmet systems, typically used by Special Operations Forces (SOF), to any NATO country wishing to purchase through NSPA.

The contract was awarded following extensive user trials conducted by the lead user nation under the supervision of the NSPA. The contract duration is three years with options to be extended to a maximum of seven years.

Selected by NSPA to meet the higher performance bracket of four specified helmet categories, Galvion’s flagship Batlskin Caiman® helmet comes in five sizes and is equipped with the very latest APEX lining system, an intuitively adjustable design that enables a customized fit for users. The Caiman helmet is scalable for highly dynamic operations, with mission-specific accessories (visor, mandible and helmet cover) also available through the framework contract. The helmet system has been tried and tested on operations and is already in service across multiple countries, primarily for SOF use, delivering unmatched levels of weight and comfort, and is expressly designed to incorporate electronics, communications headsets, and other critical equipment needs, now and into the future.

Jonathan Blanshay, CEO at Galvion said: I’m particularly proud to announce this contract award today. The Caiman system was developed over a number of years with extensive SOF operator collaboration and feedback, specifically with an eye to the future needs of users. It is a platform with a unique combination of agility, protection, weight reduction, and scalability, built to meet the real-world demands of the modern battlefield. Added Blanshay, This framework contract presents an exciting opportunity to get this class-leading helmet to a vast cross-section of those it was designed to serve, and we look forward to working through NSPA to outfit operators across NATO for years to come.

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Slovakia Signs $1.37 Billion Deal for 152 CV90s under Government-to-Government Agreement

Wednesday, December 14th, 2022

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Dec. 12, 2022 – As part of a government-to-government agreement between Sweden and the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic has signed a $1.37 billion (€1.3 billion) agreement for the delivery of 152 CV9035 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) from BAE Systems. The CV90s will be produced and delivered in several configurations with the full cooperation of Slovak industry including ZTS – ŠPECIÁL as the main industry partner to BAE Systems. Other Slovak state-owned and private companies will take critical roles in producing the vehicles and supporting the program in the longer term.

The Slovak Army will receive the newest iteration of the CV9035, known as the CV90MkIV, with the latest advanced capabilities and digital technology. The vehicle combines improved battlefield speeds and handling with an upgraded electronic architecture to support future growth and meet the needs of the evolving battlefield.

The Slovak CV90s will be equipped with the new state-of-the-art D-series turret with a 35 mm gun. The turret provides CV9035 crews with improved protection and amplified combat efficiency through the latest generation of sensors, artificial intelligence and augmented reality software, increasing the CV9035s multi-domain capabilities on the battlefield. The Slovak CV9035 will also be equipped with Elbit Systems’ “Iron Fist” active protection system (APS) solution and an integrated, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ SPIKE-LR, an advanced anti-tank guided missile.

Of the 152 vehicles, 122 will be delivered in the infantry fighting vehicle variant. Twelve IFVs will be built in a new configuration for the Anti-Material Rifles and Grenade Launcher Squad. The remaining vehicles will include Command & Control, Reconnaissance and Engineer and Recovery variants, aimed at providing specialist combat logistics support. The contract also covers training and education systems, as well as tactical simulators.

“I am excited for another major modernization project for our land forces. With these vehicles, we are fulfilling our commitment from a few years ago – to build a heavy mechanized brigade. I am looking forward to close cooperation with our partners who are already using the Swedish vehicles,” said Minister of Defence Jaroslav Na?.

“The Swedish IFV CV90 meets the criteria of the Slovak Armed Forces. Today, we upgraded the cooperation not only between our armed forces, but also between our countries. I am glad that modernisation of the Slovak Armed Forces is rapidly moving forward. In the last two years, the pace of our army’s modernization achieved levels that have not been seen in decades,” said Marian Majer, State Secretary of Defence.

“The collaboration between Sweden and Slovakia will further strengthen the relationship between the nations. CV90 has been the backbone of the Swedish Armed Forces for decades,” said Pål Jonson, Minister for Defence for Sweden. “Sweden now looks forward to supporting Slovakia in introducing the CV90, the leading infantry fighting vehicle, as a key capability also for the Slovak Army.”

“We are committed to delivering an infantry fighting vehicle that meets the Slovak Army’s requirements now and in the future,” said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, managing director of BAE Systems Hägglunds in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, which designs and produces the CV90.

“This is an important moment in our nations’ relations and we are honored to be part of this alongside our Slovak industry partners. We look forward to cooperating with Slovakia and we are building the program to deliver these vehicles on a proven industrial cooperation approach,” added Gustafsson-Rask.

The contract will provide Slovak industry with a significant opportunity to invest in its skills and capabilities for many years to come. Strategic collaboration with local suppliers enables them to play a high-value role throughout the production and lifecycle of the CV9035 and all its variants.

The Slovak Republic joins the CV90 User Club as the 8th member. The organization currently consists of seven countries, four of them members of NATO: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

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Rampart Range Day & Expo 2023

Tuesday, December 13th, 2022

The 2023 Rampart Range Day & Expo is coming up on 30 May, 2023 at the Stittsville Range near Ottawa, Ontario in Canada.

To sign up, visit rampartcorp.com/rampart-range-day.

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Conlog Group Receives Finnish Defence Force Communications Contract

Tuesday, December 13th, 2022

Monday 12 December, 2022: Conlog Group announces that it has been selected by the Finnish Defence Forces for the design, implementation, documentation, use and maintenance of containerised communication stations.

The self-contained stations will allow Finnish forces to maintain communications in challenging environments.

Over the lifetime of the contact if all options are exercised the value of the project will amount to €39.1 million. In terms of workload, it will equate to 113 person-years per annum to the company.

Announcing the contract CEO of Conlog Group, Juha Moisio, said: “This is a major contract for Conlog Group and shows that when it comes to building transportable installations that can meet the most challenging of environments then it is Conlog that the Finnish Defence Forces trust.”

“One of the advantages we have is that our engineers all know the type of environments in which military personnel need to deploy as nearly all of us have undertaken military service at some point. That means that we can combine real world experience of operations to ensure that each and every solution we design meets those real-world requirements,” he added.

The solution being developed for the Finnish Defence Forces is based on one of Conlog Group’s main product lines – its containerised communications installations – but will be further developed to meet the specific requirements of the Finnish Defence Forces.

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