The Defence Production Action Plan that the heads of state of NATO members agreed to during their Vilnius summit in July prioritizes standardization of materials and weapons interoperability, according to Wendy Gilmour, the alliance’s assistant secretary general for defense investment. Gilmour told Defense News that the plan does not seek to have every NATO member...
Category: Europe
Saab, Kongsberg Note Swedish Interest on New Missile Systems for Amphibious Battalions
Saab will look into Sweden’s request for information in early September for a military requirement to beef up its Amphibious Corps’ coastal defense capabilities, a company spokesperson told Defense News. The report said Saab has already supplied several variants of its RBS15 missile to the Swedish Navy. Norwegian defense contractor Kongsberg also expressed interest in...
UK Reviewing Additional Actions Against China After Spy Arrests
The United Kingdom is considering increasing background checks on individuals working for the Chinese government and could add China to a new registration scheme that aims to crack down on foreign political influence activities, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said in a statement. The official’s remarks were in response to reports that the Metropolitan Police...
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...
Thales Conducts Mine Countermeasure Drone Sea Trials for UK, French Navies
Thales has demonstrated the capabilities of its drone-based mine countermeasure system to find and neutralize submerged threats remotely. During a trial conducted in France, the company remotely deployed its unmanned, underwater vessel to identify sea mines and install exercise charges to complete the neutralization cycle. A Thales team in a facility in Brest, France, served as...
UK Seeking to Rev Up Unmanned Armed Forces Capabilities in New Drone Strategy
The United Kingdom is seeking to rev up its unmanned armed forces capabilities under a new drone strategy that its military leaders are planning, British Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge said. In a keynote speech on opening day of the DSEI trade show in London, Cartlidge disclosed that Britain’s defense officials “will be bringing forward...
Germany Joins Artemis Accords for Sustainable Space Exploration
Germany has become the latest signatory country to NASA’s Artemis Accords, an international agreement to promote sustainable space exploration. Walter Pelzer, director general for the German Aerospace Center, signed the accords during a ceremony held Thursday at the Washington residence of German Ambassador Andreas Michaelis. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and U.S. National Space Council Executive Secretary Chirag...
Canada Pledges $24M to UK-Led Effort to Equip Ukraine Air Defense
Canadian Minister of National Defence Bill Blair has announced his country’s $24.4 million contribution to a United Kingdom-led partnership that aims to provide Ukraine with short and medium-range air missiles and associated equipment. “Together, Canada and the United Kingdom are standing with Ukraine as it fights to defend itself against Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion,”...
UK Defense Chief Calls for Integration of Emerging Tech Into Armed Forces
The British military needs to advance the development and deployment of new technologies most useful in the modern battlefield, according to Royal Navy Adm. Tony Radakin, chief of the defense staff at the U.K. Ministry of Defence. In his keynote speech at the 2023 Defence and Security Equipment International trade show on Thursday, Radakin said...
EU’s Airborne Electronic Warfare Capability Buildup Enters Second Phase
The European Union’s Responsive Electronic Attack for Cooperative Tasks program will enter its second phase in the next few months, Indra Sistemas, the Spanish defense contractor heading the consortium working on the project, told Defense News. The project aims to provide a design for airborne electronic attack capabilities as well as a system to protect...