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Rheinmetall and MBDA Sign Agreement to Integrate the Small Anti Drone Missile into the Skyranger 30 and Other Military Platforms

Sunday, June 9th, 2024

To close the existing capability gaps in mobile defence against drones at short range, Rheinmetall Electronics and MBDA Deutschland signed a corresponding Letter of Intent (LOI) at ILA 2024. The companies intend to integrate MBDA’s Small Anti Drone Missile (SADM) into the Skyranger 30 and other Rheinmetall military vehicles. Utilising Enforcer technologies, this new guided missile offers an effective solution against small and medium-sized drones providing a high hit probability at long stand-off distances. For its part, the 30mm cannon on the Skyranger 30 offers highly efficient, mobile defence against airborne threats by combining firepower, intelligent sensor technology and high mobility at shorter ranges. This means that the two weapons complement each other perfectly.

The Letter of Intent aims at a long-term cooperation for the integration of the missile into the Skyranger 30 and other military vehicles as well as the development, production and integration of a launcher onto various turret systems and Rheinmetall’s digital system architecture.

On the MBDA stand at ILA, location G3/001, the missile is displayed on the turret of the Skyranger 30 system.

Thomas Gottschild, Managing Director of MBDA Germany: “The current conflicts have clearly shown that drone defence is one of the key challenges for armed forces. In order to provide the best possible solution, we are joining forces and building on our partnership with Rheinmetall and their turret solutions to close capability gaps in drone defence with the help of our Small Anti Drone Missile.”

Timo Haas, Chief Digital Officer von Rheinmetall: “As the prime contractor for the Skyranger 30 system in Germany, the Small Anti-Drone Missile is an ideal and logical addition to the capabilities of Rheinmetall’s systems and vehicles. We are working in advance and are already creating the conditions for the industrial set-up in order to quickly implement the customer’s decisions.”

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US Government Secures $73 Million Contract with UVision and Mistral for Hero-120SF Loitering Munitions

Wednesday, June 5th, 2024

Contract with U.S. Special Operations Command Expected to be Completed by May 2029

June 05, 2024 – UVision Inc., a global leader in aerial loitering systems, and Mistral Inc., a distinguished player in the US defense industry, have secured a $73,552,208 contract with the U.S. Government to supply Hero-120SF Loitering Munitions for the U.S. Special Operations Command. The contract includes munitions, spare parts, engineering change proposals, new equipment training, and conversion from organic precision fires-mounted to medium-range precision strike systems.

The Hero-120SF Loitering Munition System is a state-of-the-art, mid-range, anti-tank system designed specifically for heavy strikes against armored targets like tanks, vehicles, and other hard targets on the modern battlefield. With its ability to cause minimal collateral damage and equipped with a range of multi-purpose warheads, the Hero-120SF provides operational users with an unparalleled effective engagement solution.

Tailored for Special Forces operations, the Hero-120SF includes enhancements such as improved payload capacity, advanced guidance systems, and increased flexibility for deployment from various platforms.

Major General (Ret.) Avi Mizrachi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of UVision USA, stated, “This significant contract with the U.S. Special Operations Command, a uniquely important entity, supported by our strong partnership with Mistral, underscores the commitment of both UVision and Mistral to provide cutting-edge technology and operational expertise to safeguard US national security.”

Production of the Hero-120SF will take place at UVision USA’s facilities in Virginia and at the new SAIC plant that opened in March. Mistral Inc, the exclusive representative of UVision in the USA, and the prime contractor of this contract, offering the Hero series to meet the discerning needs of the United States military will oversee the industrial and commercial aspects of the contract.

The work under this contract is expected to be completed by 2029.

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Framework Contract for Rheinmetall: Bundeswehr Orders Around One Million DM45 Smoke Grenades – Worth up to €67 Million

Wednesday, May 29th, 2024

Rheinmetall has been commissioned by the Bundeswehr to supply around one million DM45 smoke hand grenades. On 22 May, Annette Lehnigk-Emden, President of the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), and Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH signed a framework agreement for the manufacture and supply of the grenades. A total of up to 1.5 million DM 45 smoke hand grenades can be procured under the agreement over the coming years. The potential order volume for the approximately one million smoke hand grenades is around EUR 67 million and will be financed from the Bundeswehr’s special fund. The framework agreement runs until 2027 and allows flexible annual call-off of the ammunition based on the identified requirements of the troops. The DM45 will be produced at Rheinmetall’s Silberhütte site in the Harz Mountains, Saxony Anhalt. The order that has now been placed means that the production facility will be utilised over the longer term.

The smoke hand grenade bears the official designation ‘Granate, Hand, DM45, 800 g, KM (grenade, hand, DM45, 800 g, KM)’. It has been in service with the Bundeswehr since the mid-1990s. When its pyrotechnic charge burns, the smoke hand grenade produces heavy smoke and thus forms a smoke screen. This interrupts the line of sight, making it possible to deceive enemy forces or disguise one’s own movements. The DM45 smoke grenade fully fulfils the requirements of the troops during training, exercises and operations.

Posted in Contracts, International, Munitions, Press Release | 1 Comment »

Autonomous Multi-domain Launcher Meets Another Program Milestone

Saturday, May 4th, 2024

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — Mission success.

Another pivotal stride was made by the Autonomous Multi-domain Launcher as the combined team of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center and the Ground Vehicle Systems Center conducted a successful live fire of a Reduced Range Practice Rocket fired from the AML at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.

“The team has worked diligently over the past four years to achieve this milestone of a long-range missile launch from a fully robotic platform,” said Lucas Hunter, AML project manager for DEVCOM AvMC.

AML is an initiative to develop and demonstrate an autonomous, unmanned, highly mobile, C-130 transportable launcher. The prototype launcher will be capable of convoy operations, autonomous way point navigation, tele-operation and remote launcher turret and fire control operation. It will also launch longer munitions while remaining compatible with the current munitions.

One of the primary goals of AML is providing fires forces with additional launcher platforms to mass fire with minimal impact on force structure manning. AML will also give the Army a three-times increase in fire power and magazine depth.

During its time at YPG, the AML launched three RRPRs in a successive ripple fire mission. In all, six RRPRs were successfully fired from the AML in a demonstration of the launcher’s ability to maneuver under supervised autonomy from a hide location to a firing point, turn to an assigned heading and execute fire control commands from a remote gunner position.

Over the past week leading up to the initial live fire, the AML successfully demonstrated each of its mobility modes: tele-op, waypoint navigation and convoy operations.

Soldiers from the Tennessee Army National Guard 1-181st Field Artillery Regiment were also on hand to train on and operate the AML.

The team was pleased with the outcome, Hunter said, noting that the AML program proves the level of expertise contained within the DEVCOM formation and its ability to combine efforts across centers to address the needs of the Army’s Warfighters.

“The AML team leveraged three major Army S&T investments, the Palletized Field Artillery Launcher, Autonomous Transport Vehicle System and Secure Tactical Advanced Mobile Power to rapidly and economically develop the AML prototype,” Hunter said.

AML’s success at YPG paves the road to its next test at Valiant Shield 24, a bi-annual, joint service field-training exercise to be held in summer 2024.

By Katie Davis Skelley, DEVCOM Aviation & Missile Center Public Affairs

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Saab Receives Order for RBS 70 NG from Canada

Friday, February 16th, 2024

Saab has received an order from the Government of Canada for the short-range air defence system RBS 70 NG. The order value is approximately CAD 227 million (SEK 1.8 billion) with deliveries starting during 2024.

The order includes all necessary equipment to operate the RBS 70 NG, including firing units, missiles, transport vehicles, training and support. Following a competitive procurement process, Saab’s offer was chosen to meet the urgent operational requirement for Canada’s Soldier Portable Air Defence System Program. Through this programme, Saab will provide long term air defence support to the Canadian Armed Forces, with a specific focus on their Enhanced Forward Presence in Latvia. As part of its offer, Saab has committed to creating Canadian content through its local office and Canada-based partners and suppliers.

“We are pleased to deliver our proven and efficient air defence solution RBS 70 NG, which is a critical capability for nations in the current environment”, says Saab’s President and CEO Micael Johansson.

RBS 70 NG is a short-range air defence system manufactured by Saab. It is characterised by its unjammable laser-beam guidance and auto-tracking technology. Saab has RBS 70 NG customers globally, including Brazil, the Czech Republic and Latvia.

Posted in Contracts, International, Munitions, Press Release | 3 Comments »

Saab Receives Order for AT4 from NATO Support and Procurement Agency

Wednesday, February 7th, 2024

Saab has received an order for the anti-armour weapon AT4 from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). The order value is approximately EUR 63 million (approximately SEK 700 million) and deliveries will take place 2026-2027. The order was booked in Q4 2023.

“Our AT4 stands out on the market as a highly sought-after and effective support weapon. We are honoured that the NSPA has trusted our products once again, and they can feel confident that they have a leading single-shot weapon that is robust and reliable,” says Görgen Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Dynamics.

The AT4 series comprises a selection of easily manoeuvrable, lightweight, and disposable weapons designed for straightforward operation by a single soldier. Capable of countering tanks, heavy combat vehicles, and threats within structures and fortifications, the AT4 also serves to safeguard fixed installations, supply points, and other critical assets. Read more about AT4: www.saab.com/products/at4.

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Spike Missile Integrated into Apache Helicopter at Yuma Proving Ground

Friday, December 22nd, 2023

YUMA PROVING GROUND, Ariz. — A primary responsibility of U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground is to support developmental testing to improve existing weapons systems, even on platforms considered the most lethal of their kind.

A recent example of this is testing in support of an airworthiness release that will allow the Spike non-line of site missile to be integrated into the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.

Always identified with state-of-the-art sensors and precision guidance systems, as well as lethal air-to-surface missiles like the Hellfire, the Apache will now boast a precision weapon with more than four times the range of the iconic missile.

“Our plan is to field next summer,” said Maj. Brian Haley, assistant product manager for Program Manager Apache. “We are going rapidly from this culminating test event to fielding. It is an awesome capability that I think will be a game-changer.”

Over the course of five days in December 2023, testers fired eight full-up rounds in a variety of test scenarios at the proving ground: day and night shots, against both moving and static targets such as a mock SA-22 and a Dodge Dakota truck, at different distances, from hovers close up to more than 30 kilometers away.

In more than one fire, the Apache dropped down in altitude and even turned 180 degrees as the missile sped toward its target to intentionally lose link with the round to verify it would still hit the target on its automatic track: the link was reestablished before impact in one test and intentionally not reestablished in another.

The Spike missile is also able to disable the warhead mid-flight, and one test verified this, hitting a target board like a slug. The test included acoustic sensors to gather sound data on its impact.

“The flight restriction algorithm on the Spike is pretty robust,” said Cole Sutter, YPG test officer. “It has an intended and expected flight area, and when it leaves that expected flight area it induces a roll to land within the surface danger zone.”

Aviation testers appreciate YPG’s vast ranges and variety of realistic targets as they put the weapon through its paces in a variety of situations and altitudes. YPG’s natural desert environment also contributes significantly to the realism of the testing. The Spike had three successful test shots in January 2023 for integration qualification and had been demonstrated at the proving ground in 2019 and during Project Convergence 2021.

“We’ve had a relationship with Yuma for four years now,” said Haley. “It has the range space, the facilities, and frequency management requirements that are specific to us. Other ranges have different resource challenges that we don’t have here.”

Information gathered during the test will not only validate fielding the weapon, but also contribute new insights into reconfiguring existing pods on the Apache to accommodate more missiles, as well as in training combat pilots on how to use the Spike for maximum effect.

By Mark Schauer

Editor’s note: Spike Non Line of Sight (NLOS) is part of the Spike Fire-and-Forget family of missiles manufactured by Israel’s Rafael. It was selected in 2020 by the US Army as their Interim-Long Range Precision Munition.

Here is a Lockheed Martin press release on the test . They accomplished the system integration and offer Spike in the US.

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L3Harris and NIOA Announce Guided Weapons Collaboration in Australia

Monday, November 6th, 2023

SYDNEY, Nov. 7, 2023 – Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies [NYSE:LHX] company, and Australian-owned defence prime NIOA have announced a strategic agreement to explore the manufacturing of critical guided weapons components in Australia.

The agreement anticipates the future assembly and manufacture of rocket motors, boosters and warheads for munitions within the Aerojet Rocketdyne portfolio. This portfolio covers the wide range of weapons within Australia’s sovereign Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise.

“As part of a world-leading technology company, Aerojet Rocketdyne is pleased to embark on this project to bring rocket motor and warhead manufacturing to Australia,” said Ross Niebergall, President, Aerojet Rocketdyne. “Our company is uniquely positioned to provide the intellectual property for a wide range of propulsion systems used by the Commonwealth. Growing our capability in Australia will provide opportunities for Australian companies to contribute to the global supply chain for guided weapons.”

Speaking on the eve of the INDO PACIFIC 2023 international defence exhibition in Sydney, NIOA Group CEO Robert Nioa said, “As a 100% Australian-owned company, NIOA is excited to be entering this strategic agreement with Aerojet Rocketdyne to address critical munitions priorities for Australia.

“Ultimately we aim to create a multi-user rocket motor facility that will not only support our portfolio of offerings but will also have capacity and flexibility to support future strategic partners to meet the guided weapon demands as identified by the Australian Defence Force as well as adjacent industry sectors like space.

“This logical grouping of the main elements of the rocket motor, warhead and booster supply chains can deliver economies of scale that will maintain the production volumes needed to sustain critical skillsets. Forward deployed logistics and co-production initiatives in the Indo-Pacific region with Australia’s close allies are central to our model. This facility will also boost regional employment and will provide substantial opportunities for local companies to get involved in the supply chain.”

The Australian Government’s Defence Strategic Review released earlier this year emphasized the rapid establishment of a domestic GWEO manufacturing capability. The government responded by committing $2.5 billion to accelerate a sovereign industry to improve the Australian Defence Force’s self-reliance and the nation’s export capacity.

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