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[muck]

The Netherlands will acquire 22 Skyranger 30 systems based on the G5. The complex is classed as an "anti-drone cannon system". (Source)

 

[Mike1976]

The Netherlands will acquire 22 Skyranger 30 systems based on the G5. The complex is classed as an "anti-drone cannon system". (Source)

The first delivery is hoped to occur sometime in 2028 like most other contracts.

So @adversaries: please wait a couple of years before starting a war please, thank you ...

 

[muck]

The first delivery is hoped to occur sometime in 2028 like most other contracts.

So @adversaries: please wait a couple of years before starting a war please, thank you ...

It's our own bloody fault, to be honest. Had we all come together and ordered 500 of those in 2014 (or 2022 at the very least), Rheinmetall would've tripped over itself building factories and hiring people to facilitate deliveries at an earlier date.

 

[Mike1976]

It's our own bloody fault, to be honest. Had we all come together and ordered 500 of those in 2014 (or 2022 at the very least), Rheinmetall would've tripped over itself building factories and hiring people to facilitate deliveries at an earlier date.

In general definitely, but not many foresaw the rapid emergence of mass-use tactical-level drones at this rapid pace. AD systems are almost always a response to an emerging threat rather than the other way around.

 

[Fluff]

It's our own bloody fault, to be honest. Had we all come together and ordered 500 of those in 2014 (or 2022 at the very least), Rheinmetall would've tripped over itself building factories and hiring people to facilitate deliveries at an earlier date.

It would be helpful if European nato standardised on a few systems, this being one of them. It would make planning much simpler, knowing you can use the same figures, rather than planning each sector differently.

U.K. is buying some Spanish turret, but fires the U.K. made martlet. I’d like to see us buy 50 of these skyranger, for airfields, nuke reactors etc.

 

[muck]

@Fluff

Protectionism is the major stumbling block here, keeping even closely aligned militaries apart. Just look at FCAS and MGCS, for example. I daresay its clear that the French build better aircraft than the Germans and the Germans build better land warfare systems than the French, yet still Berlin and France have been struggling for almost a decade to get over their respective egos and narrow economic interests.

 

[Fluff]

@Fluff

Protectionism is the major stumbling block here, keeping even closely aligned militaries apart. Just look at FCAS and MGCS, for example. I daresay its clear that the French build better aircraft than the Germans and the Germans build better land warfare systems than the French, yet still Berlin and France have been struggling for almost a decade to get over their respective egos and narrow economic interests.

Which was fine while ussr collapsed, hopefully a real war in europe focuses the minds. U.K. is still in denial, regarding budget, I expect trump to resolve this for us.

Then deals need to be done, rheinmettal need to drop the price 10%, in exchange for 20 years of orders. At the higher level we need to swap fighters for tanks for ammo, so everyone gets something, but standardised.

 

[muck]

The German government has chosen the NEMO remote-controlled mortar to replace the Heer's ageing M113 armoured mortar carriers. CAVS, also coming from Finland's Patria, has been selected as the system's carrier vehicle. A contract for three prototypes was signed on January 29. A total of 102 mortar carriers will be acquired, with the first 45 vehicles arriving from 2027 onwards. (Source)

Germany and the Netherlands are prepping a deal to buy a further 222 Boxer armoured personnel carriers together. (Source)

 

[PEMM]

New TNT factory will be built in Finland. Worth 200M€ and will start production on 2028.

This will be significant for Europe. There is currently a large factory in Poland and a small one in Serbia.

TNT explosives factory coming to Finland in Pori – value to exceed 200 million euros

The new explosives factory was announced at a press conference. Finnish explosives manufacturer Forcit is responsible for its construction.

TNT explosives factory coming to Pori in Finland – A TNT explosives factory worth over 200 million euros is coming to Pori in Finland. The factory is being built by Finnish explosives manufacturer Forcit. Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen (Confederation) announced the news at a press conference.

The aim is to start production in 2028.

TNT, or trotyl, is used in artillery and mortar shells, among other things.

According to Minister of Defence Häkkänen, the project led by the Ministry of Defence will have a significant impact on increasing European ammunition production. According to Häkkänen, the investment will also enable the continuation of long-term support for Ukraine.

– This is a key security of supply project and a national security project for Finland. However, it is also a key project for the entire Western world and the Alliance. Finland’s importance in the production of Western defence equipment will rise to a new level with this project, Häkkänen said at a press conference.

The investment has been prepared together with allied countries. Russia has been preparing for a long war of attrition in Ukraine and Western countries have had difficulty getting their ammunition production to a sufficient level.

– The demand for TNT, the key raw material for artillery ammunition, has increased many times over worldwide. It will remain at a high level in the future, Häkkänen said.

Helsingin Sanomat reported on the matter before the press conference.
A significant part of the production will be exported

The new factory will be the second significant production facility manufacturing TNT explosives in the EU, in addition to the factory operating in Poland. There is also a small-scale plant operating in Serbia.

A significant amount of the factory's production is intended for export. At the press conference, the capacity of the future factory is described as possibly the most significant in Europe.

According to Häkkänen, no additional taxpayers' money will be spent on the factory. This means that the funds already allocated in principle for the defense forces in the budget will be used to purchase TNT. The Defence Forces have signed a long-term letter of intent with Forcit to procure TNT explosives for the years 2028–2037.

In addition, the project is backed by extensive support from the business community and international partners, according to the Ministry of Defence. Among others, the state-owned private equity firm Tesi is negotiating an investment in the plant project.

According to Pori City Mayor Lauri Inna, the production plant will directly create jobs for dozens of people, but the additional impacts on logistics and service industries will be “significant”. He describes the investment as significant for the whole of Western Finland.

According to Inna, land use preparations have been made in Pori for about six months. The city will announce the exact location of the plant in the near future.

Forcit CEO Joakim Westerlund says that the company has conducted extensive market analyses and surveys of the plant’s location over the past year.

“In the overall assessment, Pori best met the overall requirements,” says Westerlund.

Explosives manufacturer Forcit has previously stated that the company is interested in building a TNT factory in Finland.

Forcit currently manufactures explosives in both Hanko and Laukaa's Vihtavuori.

https://yle.fi/a/74-20140605

 

[muck]

With native solutions delayed, rumour has it that Germany will ask the United States for permission to buy land-based Tomahawk missiles. (Source)

 

[thelistener]

If I have understood correctly Germany will decide the replaced of the fuchs fleet this spring. If they plan to go with ahead with CAVS program they have joined (seems likely, now that they have chosen this mortar variant) Germany will build Patria 6x6 in Germany.

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[Balint]

LRMV details the Italian Army MBT and AIFV programmes - EDR Magazine

The UTTAT Nettuno test establishment and firing range, which is part of the test ranges the Italian defence uses to

www.edrmagazine.eu

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[haze99]

Norway

Norwegian Army Receives New German-made Leguan 2 Tracked Armoured Bridge Layer Vehicles

Danish Army Receives New German-made Leguan 2 Tracked Armoured Bridge Layer Vehicles

armyrecognition.com

 

[PEMM]

Finland - Squadron 2020 project progresses

Hull of the first Pohjanmaa-class corvette completed

The first multi-role corvette of the Pohjanmaa-class, being built for the Finnish Navy, has reached the "hull completed" phase at the end of 2024 and its hull assembly now finished. The protective covering, which shielded the vessel during the painting phase, was removed in early February. Outfitting of the vessel continues at Rauma Marine Constructions' (RMC) shipyard in Rauma, and the official launch will take place later this spring.

The project is progressing towards the completion of all four vessels by 2029. Construction of the first corvette began in Rauma in April 2024, followed by the start of the second vessel’s construction in October 2024. The corvettes will be commissioned in stages between 2027 and 2029.

RMC and its subsidiary RMC Defence Oy are building the Pohjanmaa-class multi-role corvettes for the Finnish Navy. The ships are designed to operate in the changing conditions of the Baltic Sea. The Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command serves as the contracting authority. The corvettes are equipped for year-round naval operations and can perform missions such as maritime attack prevention, naval mine-laying, underwater warfare, and securing maritime connections.

Ensimmäisen Pohjanmaa-luokan korvetin runko valmiina -

logistiikkalaitos.fi

 

[santana]

Airbus A321 Airliners To Be Modified Into “Flying Frigate” Patrol Jets By France

Airbus Defense and Space has begun a risk-assessment study for France’s future maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), to be based on an Airbus A321 airliner platform. Billed as a “flying frigate” by the company, the new MPA is intended to replace the French Navy’s Dassault Atlantique 2 fleet but emerges at a time when NATO nations are increasingly adopting the in-production Boeing P-8 Poseidon for their maritime patrol requirements.

Airbus yesterday announced a contract for further risk-reduction studies of the new maritime patrol aircraft. The contract was awarded by the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), France’s defense procurement agency, with Airbus Defense and Space as prime contractor, in partnership with European defense corporation Thales. The contract runs for two years and follows a previous architecture and feasibility study launched at the end of 2022.

The latest contract is intended to prepare for the full-scale development of a new MPA that could start at the end of 2026, followed by the production launch. It will involve the first wind tunnel tests as well as work out technical specifications, so the various onboard systems can be chosen. It will also look at the economic and industrial conditions involved in the program.

Full Story

Airbus A321 Airliners To Be Modified Into “Flying Frigate” Patrol Jets By France

The maritime patrol jet is intended to replace the French Navy’s aging Dassault Atlantique 2s and comes as Boeing’s P-8 gobbles up market share. The maritime patrol jet is intended to replace the French Navy’s aging Dassault Atlantique 2s and comes as Boeing’s P-8 gobbles up market share.

www.twz.com

 

[PEMM]

New patrol vessel under construction in Gdansk for Finnish coast guard, was being launched and kurwa happened.

[Film czytelnika] Moment wypadku podczas wodowania w Stoczni Gdańskiej

Na Martwej Wiśle w Gdańsku doszło do częściowego zatopienia pontonu, za pomocą którego usiłowano przesunąć statek. Na szczęście osadzona na nim jednostka zsunęła się i nie zatonęła.

www.trojmiasto.pl

Accident during launching at the Gdańsk Shipyard


On the Martwa Wisła in Gdańsk, a pontoon was partially submergedMap , with the help of which an attempt was made to move a ship. Fortunately, the unit mounted on it slid off and did not sink. Emergency services are working on the site.

During the operation of moving the patrol vessel built by the Gdańsk Shipyard for the Finns, an accident occurred. The vessel slipped off the pontoon Carrier 8, belonging to a Swedish company. Fortunately, the patrol vessel did not sink, it was secured by the pushboats Nosorożec G-01 and Nosorożec G-02. Unfortunately, the pontoon partially sank. Services, including the fire brigade and representatives of the Maritime Office, are working on the site.

Wypadek przy wodowaniu w Stoczni Gdańskiej

Na Martwej Wiśle w Gdańsku doszło do częściowego zatopienia pontonu, za pomocą którego usiłowano przesunąć statek. Na szczęście osadzona na nim jednostka zsunęła się i nie zatonęła.

www.trojmiasto.pl

 

[TheKiwi]

Airbus Defense and Space has begun a risk-assessment study for France’s future maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), to be based on an Airbus A321 airliner platform. Billed as a “flying frigate” by the company, the new MPA is intended to replace the French Navy’s Dassault Atlantique 2 fleet but emerges at a time when NATO nations are increasingly adopting the in-production Boeing P-8 Poseidon for their maritime patrol requirements....

The A321 would be a decent platform for a MPA, but it's up against the fact that the P-8 already exists and has already been adopted by most of the nations that need a MPA.

At best apart from French needs you'd be looking at.... Greece, Portugal, and maybe Pakistan. That's not a recipe for a successful selling program.

 

[santana]

French Fighters Downed “Nearly A Dozen Drones” In Red Sea Combat​

As the first Mirage 2000s arrive in Ukraine, the French Air Force confirms that these jets, as well as Rafales, have been used to shoot down Houthi drones.

Full Story:

French Fighters Downed “Nearly A Dozen Drones” In Red Sea Combat

As the first Mirage 2000s arrive in Ukraine, the French Air Force confirms that these jets, as well as Rafales, have been used to shoot down Houthi drones. As the first Mirage 2000s arrive in Ukraine, the French Air Force confirms that these jets, well as Rafales, have been used to shoot down...

www.twz.com

 

[Mike1976]

"Assault rifle" is a purpose rather than a technical designation, most journalists don't know the difference between the two. An assault rifle is a select-fire weapon firing an intermediate cartridge. The emphasis is here on the "assault" rather than the "rifle" bit which can be a 20" M16A4 or an 8" Sig Rattler. It doesn’t say anything about the length of the weapon overall or of the barrel.

The rifle pictured as the AK 24 definitely isn't a Colt, it's from the original contract with Sako. They can't produce quickly enough though.

Sweden Signs Agreement For More Sako AK 24 Rifles

The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has requested an additional 22,500 AK 24 (Automatkarbin 24) rifles for the Swedish Armed Forces.The supplier is the Finnish company Sako, owned by Beretta Holding.The AK 24 is an automatic carbine in caliber 5.56mm that is adapted for both right-...

www.thefirearmblog.com

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[muck]

The incoming administration in Germany is set to drastically raise Germany's military spending. According to coalition negotiation sherpas, the new governments seeks to spend €600 billion on defence over the next four years, with an anual budget of €100 bn (currently: €52 bn) as well as a €200 billion one-off cash injection purely for armament procurement. (Source) This sum would represent a tripling compared to the last "pre-war" legislative periode 2017-2021.

In other news, France has offered to extend its nuclear umbrella over Germany. (Source)