Leonardo has unveiled a concept model of the Proteus rotary-wing unmanned aerial system it is developing for the U.K. Ministry of Defence under a $74 million contract awarded in July 2022. The drone, displayed at the recently concluded DSEI 2023 trade show, will still be improved, with Leonardo and the MOD’s procurement arm Defence Equipment...
Author: Kristen Smith (Kristen Smith)
L3Harris to Build Underwater Surveillance Capability for Australia
L3Harris Technologies will provide an undersea asset tracking field to the Royal Australian Navy under a $210.29 million contract from Defence Australia. The company said work on the contract, which falls under the third phase of the SEA1350 Maritime Underwater Tracking Ranges program, includes delivering undersea warfare capabilities to help Australian Defence Force assets better...
US-Funded Cyber Defense Center Opens in Bulgaria
Bulgaria has established a Cyber Defense Center with funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Military Financing program. The new facility, inaugurated on Thursday, is the latest contribution of the United States to the Balkan nation. In the last five years, Washington has provided more than $238 million in security assistance to help the...
New US, Canada-Funded Radioactive Waste Storage Facility Opens in Kazakhstan
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration has completed building a radioactive waste management center at the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kazakhstan, with funding from Global Affairs Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program. The facility, which replaced an old storage site, started its operations in 2022. About 3,500 disused radioactive sources were transferred...
Lockheed Creates Team for UK New Medium Helicopter Contract Bid
Lockheed Martin UK has established its own team of British companies to compete for the U.K. Ministry of Defence’s $1.27 billion New Medium Helicopter contract award, under which the MOD would procure up to 44 aircraft as part of its modernization efforts. The team proposes the Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter to replace MOD’s aging aircraft...
BAE, Hadean Extend Partnership on Military Training Solution Development
BAE Systems has renewed its partnership with British startup Hadean to provide improved military training solutions to U.K. military customers, ADS Advance reported. Hadean provides a platform for the creation, curation and delivery of connected immersive experiences. Under the collaboration first signed in 2022, BAE integrated the artificial intelligence-enabled Hadean Platform for Defence with other...
Israeli Company Smartshooter Establishes Subsidiary to Support Australian Defense Needs
Smartshooter subsidiary Smash Australia has received interest from Australia’s army and special operations command for its products designed to counter ground targets and small unmanned aircraft systems. The subsidiary showcased its products at the Army Robotics eXposition in Perth, on invitation by QinetiQ, which has integrated Smartshooter’s Smash Hopper remote-controlled weapon station into the Talon...
Mitre Report Highlights Need to Combat Disinformation, Focus on Civil Aid in South Pacific
The United States and its allies can defeat China’s efforts to influence Pacific Island states by establishing stronger civil ties, combating Chinese disinformation campaigns, and providing them with humanitarian and disaster relief services, according to Mitre’s Sage Dragon wargame report. The two-day Sage Dragon wargame was held in November 2022 to simulate a fight in...
Canada to Probe Potential Foreign Interference in 2019, 2021 Elections
The Canadian government has selected a Quebec Court of Appeal judge to lead an investigation into possible interference by foreign countries, such as Russia and China, in Canada’s democratic institutions and federal general elections held in 2019 and 2021. Marie-Josee Hogue, puisne judge of the Quebec Court of Appeal, has been appointed as the commissioner...
Report: China to Raise $41B Fund to Develop Advanced Chips
The China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, also known as the Big Fund, is planning to launch its third investment initiative supporting the country’s development of advanced semiconductors. People familiar with the matter told Reuters that China’s state-owned fund aims to generate investments worth $41 billion, a significant increase compared to the previous funds worth...