September 25, 2024 | International, Land
US missile system will remain in Philippines despite China’s alarm
The U.S. Army transported the Typhon missile system to the northern Philippines as part of combat exercises in April with Philippine troops.
November 6, 2019 | International, Land
£2.8bn armoured vehicle contract secured for British Army
November 5, 2019 - A contract worth £2.8 billion has been signed to provide state-of-the-art armoured fighting vehicles to the British Army.
The Defence Secretary has announced that the army will receive more than 500 Boxer 8×8 high mobility, network-enabled armoured vehicles to transport troops onto the frontline.
Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, said: “Our men and women of the Armed Forces deserve to have the best equipment to do their job.
“The Boxer vehicle is a leader in its field and I look forward to it arriving in units from 2023.”
The vehicles will form part of the Army's Strike brigades, new units set up to deploy rapidly over long distances across varied terrains.
Boxer is modular by design to meet these requirements – the same vehicle base can be rapidly reconfigured to fill different roles on the battlefield, from carrying troops across deserts to treating severely injured service personnel on the journey to hospital.
Initially the Army will buy a mixture of the troop-carrying variant, ambulances, command vehicles, and specialist designs to carry military equipment.
Sir Simon Bollom, Chief Executive of Defence, Equipment and Support (DE&S), said:
“This is excellent news for the Army and I'm delighted that we can now move forward with a contract for the Mechanised Infantry Vehicle.
“We are looking forward to continuing to work closely with the Army and our partners across industry to deliver the best equipment and support for our troops.”
The UK announced in 2018 that it would re-join the Boxer programme within the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) and explore options to modernise its vehicle fleet and meet the Army's Mechanised Infantry Vehicle requirement.
The UK played a central role in the original design, development and testing of the Boxer. In re-joining the programme last year, the UK reassumed the rights it had as a project partner.
Major General Simon Hamilton, Mechanised Infantry Vehicle Programme lead for the British Army, said:
“I am delighted that we have committed to delivering the Mechanised Infantry capability through the purchase of around 500 battle-winning Boxer vehicles for the British Army. Boxer completes the suite of platforms to equip our new state-of-the-art STRIKE brigade where, alongside Ajax, Boxer's low logistic need, extended reach, high-mobility, and advanced digitisation will ensure STRIKE is ready for any global scenario.”
This contract was signed ahead of the pre-election period due to the strong value-for-money agreement reached with industry and other OCCAR nations, which expires on December 31st 2019, and announced today due to expected market implications. It would be possible for a new Government to take a different position.
The MOD Permanent Secretary, as the Accounting Officer, considered the value for money implications and, on this basis, determined the most appropriate course of action is to proceed with the contract award ahead of the election.
View source version on MOD UK: https://des.mod.uk/armoured-vehicle-contract-secured-british-army/
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December 26, 2024 | International, Land, C4ISR
British Army successfully tests radio wave-based drone defence system
The British Army has conducted “successful” trials of an RFDEW, which can neutralise drone swarms using radio waves.
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July 24, 2018 | International, C4ISR
This new antenna networks UAVs to expand battlefield comms
By: Maddy Longwell Persistent Systems, a New York City-based global communications technology company, has introduced a portable antenna system to incorporate unmanned aerial vehicles into a networked battlefield. The auto-tracking antenna system is an easily collapsible ground-to-air antenna that operates on the Wave Relay mobile ad hoc network (MANET), which Persistent Systems manufactures, a news release said. Persistent Systems hopes the antenna could be used in Special Operations Command's Mid-Endurance Unmanned Aircraft Systems III program. The 5-foot parabolic dish is designed to be deployed within 15 minutes and can track and rotate to follow MANET-connected technology in the air, expanding the network bubble. Persistent Systems predicts this will reduce costs by decreasing dependence on satellite communications. “The antenna helps connect far-flung forces, acting like a cheaper, locally controlled low-Earth satellite with a greater data rate,” Erik Schechter, a Persistent Systems spokesperson, said in an email. The IP67-rated antenna system, designed for any weather environment, has interchangeable S-Band, L-Band and C-Band MIMO feeds and supports high data rates, video and voice communications up to 130 miles, yet can be stored compactly and fit into a standard-sized SUV, according to the Persistent Systems press release. Schechter also said that the antenna can also be used for longer-range chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives command missions, like ones in Syria. The auto-tracking antenna system is expected to improve full-motion video and sensor data transmission from drones and is automatically calibrated to reduce user error. “The idea is for the Army, Navy, [Special Operations Command] and foreign customers to use it for better communications relays,” Schechter said. SOCOM announced in May that UTC Aerospace Systems had been selected for its MEUAS III program and would provide SOCOM with flight management and imaging systems. Previously, SOCOM had selected Insitu, a company owned by Boeing and Textron Systems, to provide technology for intelligence and surveillance. https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2018/07/23/this-new-antenna-networks-uavs-to-expand-battlefield-comms/