Indecision over scrapping an RfP for 93,895 close-quarters battle carbines for the Indian Army has led to a governmental qunadary on whether to deepen geopolitical ties with the UAE, India’s third-largest trading partner, or follow promises to boost domestic industry.
The UAE’s Caracal’s 5.56mm CAR 816 was declared lowest bidder in 2018. Carbines are critical for the army for counterinsurgency operations in Kashmir and against China in Eastern Ladakh.
In September there were indications the MoD would scrap the deal for a locally manufactured product after the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) declared the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO)-designed 5.56
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The armoured vehicles are fitted with 12.7mm heavy machine guns and came off the production line with specific Estonian requirements. Only the communications subsystems and some other minor equipment were added to vehicles in Estonia.
The newly disclosed Thales UK Vehicle Mounted SquadNet Radio (VMSR) offers full interoperability with the soldier radio variant to provide secure and reliable voice connection.
Full electrification of their land and air vehicles may be beyond modern militaries for now. But how close are they to the tipping point of the widespread use of electric vehicles?
The contract follows news released in 2023 that a first customer had taken into service Pearson Engineering’s new Slice system enabling the interoperability of Front-End Equipment (FEE) between main battle tanks and dedicated engineering vehicles.
When compared to some other wheeled artillery systems Archer has the advantage of quicker deployment and relocation as the complete fire mission is carried out without the crew leaving the protected cab at the front.
The system had been previously proven to work against rotary and fixed-wing kamikaze drones, with Aselsan now working on new capabilities for Gökberk to counter UAV swarms.
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