US Army’s test of Lockheed jammer highlights payload adaptability

On the same subject

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  January 25, 2021 | International, Land, C4ISR

  Elbit UK to make new target-marking kits for British foot soldiers

  By: Andrew Chuter LONDON – Britain's armed forces are investing just over £100 million ($134 million) acquiring equipment to improve sensor-to-shooter capabilities for dismounted troops, the Ministry of Defence announced Jan 21. Under the effort, the UK arm of Israeli-based Elbit Systems has been awarded an £101 million deal to supply the British dismounted joint fires integrators (D-JFI) program. The equipment will give British Army, Royal Marine, special forces and Royal Air Force units improved ability to find, identify and instantly distribute battlefield target information to artillery, aircraft and others. The new kit, based around the latest thermal sight technology, will primarily be used by joint terminal attack controllers and fire-support teams. The contract, which includes support, comes to a close in March 2026, although there is an option to extend it by two years. Elbit Systems UK secured the contract in mid-December, but officials only now announced it. British defense procurement minister Jeremy Quin said the contract “not only delivers the very latest in battlefield technology to our frontline soldiers, but also invests in the British defense industry, sustaining more than 500 jobs across the UK.” In a statement the company said their D-JFI solution will “enable fast and secured transition of target information across the British and allied armed forces, allowing swift and accurate utilization of artillery and close air support.” Several Elbit technologies are being used in the system, including: the TORCH-X battle management application; the HattoriX system for high-precision target marking, the CORAL thermal-imaging system, and the Rattler XR laser designator. This new contract is the latest of a number of deals secured by Elbit Systems UK in recent years, furthering the British Army's digitalization efforts. The company was awarded the £40 million Battlefield Management Application program in 2018 as part of the Morpheus communications modernization program, followed by the Joint Fires Mobile Trainer and the Joint Fires Synthetic Training contract in 2019. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2021/01/21/elbit-uk-to-make-new-target-marking-kits-for-british-foot-soldiers/

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  August 6, 2018 | International, Aerospace

  Bell Pushes V-280 Gunship, Shipboard Variants: Recon In Works

  One variant, in Army colors, has missile racks sticking out of what was originally the passenger cabin — a conversion that units could potentially install or remove as needed in the field. The other, with Marine Corps markings, is a sleeker thoroughbred gunship with internal weapons bays, stealth features, and folding wings to fit in shipboard hangars. By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR. ARLINGTON: How new is Bell Helicopter's shiny showroom — excuse me, Advanced Vertical Lift Center — minutes from the Pentagon and the Capitol? Between the time I arrived this morning and the time I headed out, they installed two huge mockups of their high-speed V-280 Valor tilrotor. But these aren't land-based troop transports like the prototype Bell's already flying for the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) demonstration program. They're heavily armed gunships. One, in Army colors, has missile racks sticking out of what was originally the passenger cabin — a conversion that units could potentially install or remove as needed in the field. The other, with Marine Corps markings, is a sleeker thoroughbred gunship with internal weapons bays, stealth features, and folding wings to fit in shipboard hangars. Bell showed off these mockups before, but there's almost no imagery available online, so when executives said I was free to take photos, I had my phone out at once. Equally interesting was what they said about another design they've still got under wraps: Bell's contender for the Army Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft(FARA), a scout light, small, and agile enough to avoid detection by flying down city streets. https://breakingdefense.com/2018/08/bell-pushes-v-280-gunship-shipboard-variants-recon-in-works/

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  July 13, 2023 | International, Other Defence

  NATO steps up work on climate change and security

  On Tuesday (11 July 2023), NATO released three major reports contributing to Allies’ increased understanding of the impact of climate change on NATO’s strategic environment, missions and operations, and the adaptation of their armed forces required to maintain operational effectiveness.