• Defence Notes

  AUSA Winter: US Army plans force transition

  25th February 2013

  The US Army plans to reduce its Active Component (AC) from 570,000 to 490,000 personnel by 2017, retain the strength of the Army National Guard …

• Defence Notes

  AUSA Winter: Army outlines potential budget impact on NIE process

  25th February 2013

  Service panelists speaking at this week’s Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Winter Symposium and Exposition in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, outlined potential impacts of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Australian Army chief calls for unmanned technology use reassessment

  25th February 2013

  There is no foreseeable alternative to close combat, and the issue of unmanned platforms in symmetric warfare needs to be addressed according to the Chief …

• Land Warfare

  Navistar Defense receives Afghan vehicle order

  22nd February 2013

  Navistar Defense will retrofit 205 armoured cabs onto Navistar Medium Tactical Vehicles (MTV) designated for service with the Afghan National Security Forces. The company received …

• Land Warfare

  US Army becomes 'army of preparation'

  22nd February 2013

  After 12 years of conducting counter insurgency and stability operations in Afghanistan and Iraq the US Army will shift its focus in the future to …

• Defence Helicopter

  German CH-53 Mission Tactical Workstation operational debut

  22nd February 2013

  It has emerged that the German air force has recently commenced operations with the Mission Tactical Workstation from ESG Elektroniksystem & Logistik on board its …

• Land Warfare

  GDELS, FSDS team for Danish APC-R programme

  21st February 2013

  General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) has teamed with Falck Schmidt Defence Systems (FSDS) for the Danish Armored Personnel Carriers Replacement (APC-R) programme. The companies …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  MX-25 EO/IR imaging system evaluated by US Army

  21st February 2013

  L-3 Wescam has announced that the MX-25 electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) imaging system has been evaluated by the US Army’s Persistent Threat and Detection System (PTDS) Communications-Electronics …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SMSS successfully operated via satellite control

  20th February 2013

  Lockheed Martin has successfully demonstrated the ability for the Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) to be operated via satellite at a distance of more than …

• Land Warfare

  Excalibur Ib enters low-rate initial production

  20th February 2013

  Raytheon’s Increment Ib precision-guided projectile has entered low-rate initial production (LRIP) under a US Army contract announced on 20 February. The contract for the production …

• Land Warfare

  Raytheon targets Mobile Range at Middle East

  20th February 2013

  Raytheon used IDEX 2013 as the venue to launch its Mobile Range concept, designed to be a total solution for all complex weapon testing missions. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Raytheon JLENS aerostat successfully detects missile threats

  19th February 2013

  Raytheon has announced that its Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) tethered surveillance aerostat managed to detect and track four …

• Digital Battlespace

  ISAF withdrawal prompts Afghan air power changes

  18th February 2013

  Despite ISR assets being critical to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, as coalition forces withdraw from theatre this capability will not immediately be carried over …

• Land Warfare

  Mortar-capable MRAP destined for Afghanistan

  18th February 2013

  A new mortar variant of the Commando MRAP family of vehicles built by Textron Marine & Land Systems has been shown at the IDEX exhibition …

• Land Warfare

  Thales and Renault team for vehicle digitisation

  17th February 2013

  Under an agreement announced at the IDEX exhibition in Abu Dhabi, Thales and Renault Defense Trucks will cooperate on the development of digitised vehicle systems. …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Special operations vehicles

  VMOE

  Programme Background The Spanish Army's SOF units are procuring the VMOE to meet their requirements for an SOV with sufficient firepower, mobility and mine-protection to ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions [Spain]

  Programme Background Fuerza 35 Project This project is a Spanish Army initiative to create and maintain an effective force by forming flexible and cohesive operational organisations, ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Micro UAS [Spain]

  Programme Background Fuerza 35 Project This project is a Spanish Army initiative to create and maintain an effective force by forming flexible and cohesive operational ...

• Tanks

  New MBT (Spain)

  Programme Background One of the long-term needs identified in the Spanish Army's Force 2035 modernisation plan is a next-generation MBT. To this end, the Spanish ...

• Military UAS - small

  Small UAS [Spain]

  Programme Background Fuerza 35 Project This project is a Spanish Army initiative to create and maintain an effective force by forming flexible and cohesive operational ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  VCR (Spain - First Batch)

  Programme Background Purpose The VCR programme is to replace several legacy wheeled and tracked vehicles currently in service with the Spanish Army including the BMR-600 6x6, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Mini UAS [Spain]

  Programme Background Fuerza 35 Project This project is a Spanish Army initiative to create and maintain an effective force by forming flexible and cohesive operational ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  VCR (Spain - Second Batch)

  Programme Background Purpose The VCR programme is to replace several legacy wheeled and tracked vehicles currently in service with the Spanish Army including the BMR-600 6x6, ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  VCR (Spain - Third Batch)

  Programme Background Purpose The VCR programme is to replace several legacy wheeled and tracked vehicles currently in service with the Spanish Army including the BMR-600 ...

• Special operations vehicles

  Neton VLOE

  Programme Background The VLOE will replace several variants of the VLOE Lathar (a SOF vehicles based on the Nissan Patrol ML-6 COTS chassis) currently in ...

• Special operations vehicles

  Neton VLOE - (Spain - Navy)

  Programme Background Information regarding the Spanish Navy's procurement of the Einsa Neton remains limited, however, it is likely that decisions to procure the platform arose from ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Spain HT-29 Caiman (NH90 TTH) - Air Force Second Batch

  The HT-29 Caiman will replace AS332 Super Puma fleet in service with the Spanish Air Force. The Spanish version of the NH90 TTHs can perform ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  B1 Centauro Replacement (Spain)

  Programme Background The Spanish Army entered the B1 Centauro into service between 2000 and 2006. Manufactured by the Italian Iveco and Oto Melara consortium CIO, the ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Spain HT-29 Caiman (NH90 TTH) - Air Force First Batch

  The HT-29 Caiman will replace AS332 Super Puma fleet in service with the Spanish Air Force. The Spanish version of the NH90 TTHs can perform ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Secondhand Logistics Transport Vessel

  Programme Background Following the decommissioning of El Camino Español (A-05) and Martín Posadillo (A-04) in November 2019 and June 2020 respectively, the Spanish Navy began the procurement process ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UGVs

  Valkyrie

  The Valkyrie is a 6x6 UGV developed by the Spanish company SASCorp. It was unveiled for the first time at FINDEF 2021. The platform has reportedly ...

• Towed guns

  SIAC 155mm/52cal

  The SIAC 155mm/52cal towed howitzer is the latest derivative of the 155mm/52cal APU SBT howitzer originally developed by GDELS-SBS in the 1990s to meet a ...

• Land: RWS

  Guardian 2.0

  The Guardian 2.0 RWS is an upgraded version of Escribano's Guardian RWS in service with the Spanish Army, which offers improved sensors and better stabilisation. ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  ASCOD CBP IFV

  GDELS unveiled a new variant of its tracked ASCOD (Austrian Spanish Cooperative Development) IFV based on the new Common Base Platform (CBP) at the June ...

• Land: vehicle simulators

  Leopard 2E Simulators

  Indra was prime contractor for the Spanish Army Leopard 2E Tank Simulation Programme, which involved 23 devices across driving, turret and platoon simulators with networking ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Alcotán

  The Alcotán is a lightweight, hand-launched platform. Designed by USOL, the system features an aerial platform, autopilot and GCS. It is suitable for both civil ...

• Special operations vehicles

  Neton

  The 4x4 Neton Ultrafast Tactical Vehicle is manufactured by Spanish firm Einsa. It is an all-terrain, highly mobile and air-transportable SF platform. Following an evaluation ...

• Loitering munitions

  QLM-40

  The QLM-40, or Q-SLAM-40, is a multi-purpose loitering munition manufactured by Arquimea. It is launched from a pneumatic launcher, powered by an electric motor and contains an ISR payload ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  BMR-600

  The BMR-600 "Pegaso"  is a wheeled fully-amphibious 6x6 APC which began development in 1972. It was originally designed by Santa Barbara Sistemas which is now ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Piranha V

  The Piranha V, the latest member of the Piranha family of wheeled armoured fighting vehicles, introduced a vehicle in the upper weight class. Unveiled in ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Searcher Mk III

  The Searcher Mk III is a multi-mission, fixed-wing tactical UAS used for ISTAR, artillery adjustment and damage assessment. Manufactured by Isreal Aerospace Industries, the platform ...

• Individual assault/anti-tank weapons

  Alcotan-100

  The Alcotan-100 is a recoilless, shoulder-launched, antitank rocket launcher developed to meet a Spanish Army requirement, entering service in 2008. In 2014, the Peruvian Army ...

• Light machine guns

  MG4

  The 5.56mm MG4 has been in German Army service since 2005 and sold to at least five export customers, including the Spanish Army. The MG4 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Fulmar X

  The Fulmar X is a Thales UAV designed to carry out high-quality ISTAR missions for civil and military applications. A complete system comprises two UAVs, launch and recovery ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  RF-7800H-MP

  The L3Harris RF-7800H-MP is a manpack HF radio with expanded data capabilities for long-range communications. First delivered in 2012, it remains in service with several militaries ...