French company Safran Electronics & Defense and Bharat Electronics Ltd, an Indian government-owned company, have announced a joint venture to manufacture Safran’s smart precision-guided air-to-ground weapon in India. According to their memorandum of understanding announced Tuesday, the partnership will cover the sale, maintenance and customization of the French firm’s HAMMER weapon. HAMMER, which stands for Highly...
Author: Arthur McMiler (Arthur McMiler)
BAE System Orders $65M Saab Targeting System for CV90
BAE Systems Hagglunds will equip its Combat Vehicle 90, or CV90, with Saab’s sighting and fire control system under a supply contract valued at about $65 million. In its announcement of the deal with BAE Systems’ Swedish unit on Tuesday, Saab said the equipment called UTAAS, short for Universal Tank and Anti-Aircraft System, is a...
Report: Investors Lining Up Billions in Funding for French AI Projects
France has received $112.6 billion worth of investments for its artificial intelligence sector, CNBC reported ahead of the two-day Paris AI Action Summit. According to the report, the investments are expected to come from United Arab Emirates, U.S. and Canadian investment funds, and commitments from French firms, such as telecommunication company Orange and global technology...
Report: Amazon’s Kuiper to Undertake Study on UK Advanced Communications Systems
The U.K. Ministry of Defence has awarded Amazon a contract worth $830,000 to provide consultancy services on advanced space-based communication systems, The Telegraph reported Sunday. The agreement requires Amazon to explore the potential use of its Project Kuiper satellites to create a new communication network among military, government and commercial spacecraft. The initiative, considered Amazon’s first...
UK Spurs Construction of Small Nuclear Power Plants
The U.K. government is revising its nuclear energy policy to achieve the country’s goals of energy security and clean power. London announced in a statement Thursday that the revisions include integrating small nuclear power stations in policy planning to facilitate the plants’ construction in areas that need them. It added that Britain’s limit on eight...
France Eyes Modified Airbus Jet as Maritime Patrol Aircraft
Airbus Defence and Space has booked a two-year contract to conduct a risk assessment study on modifying an A321XLR twin-engine jet into a maritime patrol aircraft called A321 MPA for the French Navy. The company said the contract from the French defense procurement agency DGA follows an architecture and feasibility study on the conversion launched...
Riyadh Wooing Defense Companies With Incentives, Saudi Official Says
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries has invited defense companies to explore business opportunities in Saudi Arabia. GAMI Governor Ahmad Abdulaziz bin Al-Ohali, addressing participants at a recent defense and aerospace conference in Antalya, said the agency has partnered with industry stakeholders to create investment incentives for companies serving local and international defense markets....
Bundestag OKs Germany-Lithuania Defense Pact
The Bundestag, Germany’s federal parliament, has approved the Lithuanian-German defense cooperation agreement laid out in a Roadmap Action Plan signed in December 2023. The Lithuanian legislature, Seimas, ratified it in October 2024. According to Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence, Germany will deploy signal, headquarters and service companies, as well as medical and logistical units, in...
Serco Expanding US Defense Market Base in $327M Acquisition of Northrop Grumman Business
Serco, a global services company based in Hart, England, is set to acquire Northrop Grumman’s mission training and satellite ground network communications software business. The $327 million cash deal is expected to be completed by mid-2025, subject to regulatory approvals, according to the company’s announcement on Thursday. Mark Irwin, group chief executive at Serco, said...
Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force to Train on Textron Aviation Defense’s Beechcraft T-6
Textron Aviation Defense said it expects to finalize a contract in 2025 to supply the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, or JASDF, with its Beechcraft T-6 Texan II Integrated Training System. According to the company’s announcement of the pending deal, the system will modernize the JASDF’s training program through its T-6 Texan II trainer aircraft integrated...