Plasan Delivers Sandcat EX11 Armored Vehicles to the IDF

The SandCat EX11 was designed and produced by Plasan, using commercial Ford F550 chassis, stripped off the standard body, and added the armored capsule designed by the company’s unique kitted-hull architecture enabling flexible configurations for different uses.

IDF Fields Thousands of Interactive Information Devices Assisting Dismounted Leaders

Israel Defense Forces have received thousands of ORION Systems, providing a smartphone-based hand-held interactive information devices for junior officers and team leaders. The 'Olar' and 'Amud' systems as they are called by the IDF is designed as rugged and secured mobile device based on the Android platform. The system enables mission planning, navigation, positioning, and enhanced situational awareness using a 3 dimensional GIS database and Augmented Reality (AR) capabilities.

Israel’s Rafael Acquires British Land Systems’ Specialist Pearson Engineering

Israel's defense company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. has completed the acquisition of the British defense specialist company Pearson Engineering Ltd. The acquisition was executed under a stock purchase agreement (SPA), transferring 100% of the ownership. The acquisition includes Pearson's metalworks subsidiary company Responsive Engineering Ltd.

MSPO 2022 – Land Systems Update

The MSPO 2022 defense expo in Kielce, Poland, provided a view into the significant modernization and transformation the Polish Army is going through. Positioned at the eastern edge of NATO, Poland, and the Baltic states could be facing the brunt of a Russian onslaught if hostilities would spill beyond Ukraine. That's why the country is beefing up its military, modernizing its armed forces, and replenishing hardware handed over to Ukraine with new equipment.

A New Chinese Loitering Weapon Appears in Thailand

Today, Chinese aerospace company ALIT unveiled a new type of loitering weapon at the Thailand Defense and Security 2022 exhibition. The canister-launched version on show in Bangkok has a larger and heavier warhead. The ALIT display at D&S2022 outlines two versions of the weapon. The FH901 has a takeoff weight of 9 kg and carries a warhead of 3.5 kg.

IDF Special Forces to Get Hundreds of Z-MAG Commando Vehicles

The Directorate of Production and Procurement (DOPP) in the Israel Ministry of Defense will purchase hundreds of combat vehicles from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the use of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Special Forces units. The new commando vehicles have exceptional all-terrain capabilities, such as carrying payloads of 1.5 – 2.5 tons, and supporting carrying four to nine fully equipped soldiers and their equipment.

The Russian War in Ukraine – First Impressions

Until now, the war in Ukraine does not reflect the latest technology as analysts would expect. Since 2014 the Ukrainian army has been equipped with many locally produced weapons familiar to the Russians. But in recent months, Ukraine has obtained many western anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons that have surprised the Russians and caused the invading forces many losses. This review summarizes our impressions from the first three weeks of this devastating conflict.

Nexter Embarks on a New Generation Caesar MK2 Upgrade

France’s Nexter company has announced the receipt of an order worth €600 million from the national armament development agency (DGA) to develop and produce a more mobile and better-protected version of its Caesar truck-mounted self-propelled howitzer to be designated Caesar 6x6 Mark 2 New generation (NG).

Russian Forces in Crimea Shown in Marching Order – Where To?

The following satellite images were taken yesterday (19 February 2022). These recent images show a continued build-up of forces in Crimea, despite the Russian MOD announcement of units moving out of the peninsula. The satellite images were taken by ImageSat International (ISI) and show open areas around the township of Novoozerne on the western side of the Crimea peninsula.

North Korea Conducts a Successful Tests of a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV)

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A week after the second test of a missile with a hypersonic warhead, North Korea conducted another test flight of such a missile. According to the flight map released by the Koreans, the missile was launched into a ballistic trajectory. This was the third reported test of a hypersonic glide vehicle reported by North Korea. South Korea and Japan both detected this launch, saying a missile had been fired from North Korea towards the sea of Japan.

Drones Weaponised with a Smart Shooter – Killers from Above

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Fire control systems expert SMART SHOOTER, introduced today the SMASH Dragon application for armed drones. The new system employs an advanced remotely controlled robotic weapon payload that fits on different drones or other unmanned aerial platforms. The system successfully completed live firing tests and is currently under advanced stages of development.

Israel to Get the First of 12 New CH-53K Helicopters By 2026

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Israel has signed an order for more than two billion $ for the purchase of 12 CH-53K helicopters, with an option to purchase six more. The first helicopters will arrive in Israel by 2026 and will replace the old CH-53D Yasur helicopters, that are planned for decommissioning in 2025.

Iran Intensifies Drone Attacks Throughout the Middle East

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Iran is intensifying drone attacks in the region, directed against rival forces including the US, Saudi, and Emiratis as well as at civilian ships in the Gulf. Most targets are still unprotected and suffer significant damage and sometimes casualties under such attacks. Aware of the risk of UAS and loitering weapons for many years, Israel has developed effective countermeasures which are now being considered by its allies in the region.

US Army Deploys the Iron Dome to Guam

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The US Army is deploying one of the new Iron Dome batteries to Guam, to be tested as part of the Island's defense against cruise missiles. This deployment is far away from the hot spots in Syria and Iraq, where US forces suffer repeated attacks and could use Iron Dome's combat-proven capabilities to defeat missiles and drone attacks.