News Desk

At IDEX 2021, Ophir will be showcasing its wide range of long-range IR zoom lenses, designed for both Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) & Mid Wave Infrared (MWIR) applications. The star of the display will be Ophir's award-winning, ultra-long-range zoom lens, the SupIR 50-1350mm f/5.5, suitable for VGA and XSGA format cooled MWIR optical systems.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. has demonstrated the SPIKE SR Short Range guided missile at the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE) 2021 earlier this month. The demonstration assessed SPIKE SR as a precision munition system for infantry squads, for which portability and simplicity of operation are essential.

NATO has selected Thales to provide the first certified defense cloud solution that can be deployed in the theatre of operations in less than 24 hours. Thales was selected after a worldwide competitive tendering process .

A NATO customer has awarded Rheinmetall an order for modern artillery ammunition. The Group’s South African subsidiary, Rheinmetall Denel Munition (Pty) Ltd. (RDM), will supply several thousand conventional and extended-range artillery shells of the Assegai family (Base Bleed and V-LAP) as well as M92 Assegai tactical modular charges. Delivery commenced in December 2020 and is to be complete by May 2021. The order is worth around €25 million.

Greece Orders 18 Rafales and Equip them with MICA multi-mission air-to-air missiles and Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, SCALP cruise missiles, and AM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles.

The Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) has completed a successful firing of Rafael's SPIKE LR missiles in a demonstration in Slovenia, December 2020. During the demonstration, the Slovenian Army also fired SPIKE missiles using the new dismounted digital SPIKE launcher ICLU. Both launchers includes a provision for the use of the more advanced SPIKE LR2.

Australia formally selected the Boeing AH-64E as a replacement for the Airbus Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter (ARH). The new helicopter is expected to enter service by 2025.

The first B-21 Raider bomber is expected to roll out early next year and fly in the middle of 2022. The production of the second B-21 stealth bomber is already underway at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Palmdale, Calif.,

Nexter Munitions successfully fired the KATANA smart artillery ammunition and tested its flight control capability during a test campaign in Sweden. During the test, the electronic and electromechanical systems were exposed to extreme physical conditions of the 155mm gun firing, demonstrating the system's endurance to realistic firing conditions.

Modern software-defined radios offering virtually unlimited bandwidth enable the warfighter to determine position, navigation, and timing without the support of GPS, opens unprecedented opportunities for joint fires, employing RAFAEL's 'FIRE WEAVER' battle command capabilities as seen here at a battalion-level exercise held last year. Connecting the dismounted teams with all sensors and effectors assigned to the operation, FIRE WEAVER can immediately address every target and call for fire assigning the most suitable and available weapon, within the availability, operational parameters, rules of engagement, and legal restrictions. With this capability FIRE WEAVER supports the dismounted squad, far beyond the organic weapons that members carry with them.

The French Delegation for Armaments (DGA) has qualified the command post vehicle (EPC) variant of the GRIFFON vehicle, destined to equip the Scorpion regiments in the French and Belgian Armies. The SCORPION program calls for the delivery of 333 EPCs, half of which will be delivered by 2025. The arrival of the GRIFFON EPC is complementary to the GRIFFON VTT Félin, with the goal of projecting a joint battle group (GTIA) into a foreign theatre of operations by 2021.

The new laser will be deployed for a trial phase onboard the Germany Navy frigate Sachsen. The laser demonstrator consists of twelve nearly identical 2kW fiber laser modules with close to diffraction-limited beam quality. Employing spectral coupling technology, the laser peaks 20 KW of power, the technology has growth potential in the 100kW performance class.

Parachute and Airborne Delivery expert IrvinGQ has adapted its ATAX platform to support the autonomous aerial deployment of unmanned ground vehicles, enabling users to deploy UGVs by parachute to remote locations, behind enemy lines without risking human lives to support those assets.

The Czech government approved the launch of procurement negotiations for four Israeli “SPYDER” batteries, within the framework of a G2G agreement between the two countries. Israel was selected as the sole supplier for the project and the expected agreement between the countries' defense ministries is estimated at over $400 million.