Latest: Western gun makers are exploring the potential of small arms to counter small drones, turning cheap and widely available weapons into last-resort defenses against an emerging threat. The shift is playing out on the battlefields of eastern #Ukraine.
defensenews.com/global/europe/… 2. where invading Russian forces and defending Ukrainian soldiers have employed tactics to that effect. Now, other militaries are starting to explore the use case, says Italian gun manufacturer Benelli Armi, owned by the Beretta Holding.

Latest from #Eurosatory: “Our MLRS Family of Munitions cannot be integrated into the PULS system – if #Germany was to opt for PULS they could not gain access to our missiles,” Lockheed Martin told me.
defensenews.com/global/europe/… 2. Tensions are running high in the race to decide Europe’s artillery rocket system of choice, with Germany emerging as a decisive player in a race between teams Rheinmetall-Lockheed Martin and Elbit-KNDS.

🧵Latest: 3 months after kickstarting a bulk ammunition purchase for #Ukraine, Czech officials share divergent assessments of how it’s going. My interview with the first Deputy Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic:
defensenews.com/global/europe/… 2. “The #Czech-led initiative to fund and procure urgently artillery ammo for #Ukraine is progressing steadily – the first 180,000 shells have been contracted and should arrive by June,” František Šulc told me during the IDEB defense fair.

🧵Latest: With the 3rd winter of war well underway in #Ukraine, the country’s military-industrial complex is in a race against the technological clock to out-innovate #Russian invaders. A look at how Ukrainian defense firms have adapted to 2 years of war.
defensenews.com/global/europe/… 2. The uncertainty looming over the future of foreign military aid to Ukraine and the slow deliveries of pledged equipment by allies have affected how Kyiv designs and develops weapons.

🧵Latest: #Russia angles for drone-making partners in the Middle East. Rosoboronexport has said it wants to establish drone production facilities in #MidEast region, including UAE, as it attempts to grab market share in area it deems receptive to the idea.
defensenews.com/global/mideast… 2. State-owned Russian media agency TASS cited the export agency as saying it would make overtures to regional governments at the UMEX 2024 conference here, held here on Jan. 23-25, singling out the show’s host nation in particular [#UAE].

🧵Latest: #Spain has answered the urgent call for European states to ramp up ammo production by awarding local defense contractor Rheinmetall Expal Munitions a multimillion-dollar contract for 120mm munitions and issuing tenders for 155mm artillery shells.
defensenews.com/global/europe/… 2. In mid-December, #Spanish gov. published notices stating it had ordered 120mm mortar shells, illuminating grenades, smoke grenades and other related explosive material from Rheinmetall Expal Munitions. The combined value of the listed contracts is estimated at $4.67 million.

🧵Latest: Tucked away outside at the very end of the #DubaiAirshow’s static display, #Russia's pavilion spanned large portion of the floor plan. Setting was markedly different from its recent displays at defense fairs, where firms came almost empty-handed. defensenews.com/global/mideast… 2. Banking on the event to market its full range of weapons, including those used in the brutal invasion of #Ukraine, Russia’s outdoor setup placed helicopters and air-to-air guided missiles at center stage.

🧵Latest: Airbus has hired a #Spanish technology center to help with ground testing of the #Eurodrone’s propulsion system, marking the first step toward the platform’s eventual test flight.
defensenews.com/unmanned/2023/… 2. As part of the deal, the National Institute of Aerospace Technology, or INTA, which is backed by #Spain's Defence Ministry, will carry out ground trials to enable the integration and growth of the Eurodrone propulsion system.

🧵 Latest: Saudi Arabia is giving a boost to #Turkey’s struggling economy through a major drone contract negotiated w/ Turkish Baykar, one that @haluk tells me is the biggest sale between the 2 countries in Turkish defense history in a single contract.
defensenews.com/global/mideast… 2. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan embarked last week on a Gulf tour amid an ongoing financial crisis in Turkey, with the country’s currency plunging in value and inflation skyrocketing. His first stop: Saudi Arabia.

🧵Latest: #Estonia is one of many states looking to gradually make UGVs an important part of their military structure and doctrine as a complement to – or outright replacement of – existing capabilities. Run-down of June trials with old players & newcomers
defensenews.com/unmanned/2023/… 2. Objective of the trials was for the UGVs to finish 3 daily scenarios, ranging from easy-challenging, in time slot of 20 minutes, with minimal operator intervention or in autonomous mode. They took place in front of observers composed of military officials from 20 countries.

🧵Latest: #Portugal's drone manufacturer Tekever has confirmed to me that it will provide some of its long-endurance systems to Kyiv to support land and maritime operations, a move bankrolled by the UK's International Fund for #Ukraine.
defensenews.com/unmanned/2023/… 2. This week British MoD shared video on social media showcasing military equipment being provided by the IFU to Ukrainians. Launched last summer, first IFU deliveries — funded by Denmark, Iceland, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands & the UK— will begin to arrive in July.

🧵Latest: We can now reveal that #Belgium has reportedly been in talks with #FCAS stakeholders regarding an “observer status for the time being,” rather than fully acceding to the program. The Belgian MoD did not respond to requests for comment.
defensenews.com/air/2023/06/16… 2. The CEO of #Dassault Aviation, Éric Trappier, has made it known he’s against expanding FCAS to include other countries involved in the #F35 program, even if they are European. However, he has not ruled out the possibility of governments joining as observer nations.

🧵2 weeks ago I set off to #Turkey to see how its F4E Phantom IIs, which once ruled the skies but have now been outclassed by more advanced fighters, fit into its modern fight. It's clear that these nearly antique fighters are not hangar queens.. just yet
thedrive.com/the-war-zone/f… 2. The AE 2023 exercise involves training alongside partner nations to reduce the loss of inexperienced fighter pilots and their aircraft in potential real-world combat missions, as well as keeping up fighter crews' and GCI (Ground Control Intercept) radar operators' readiness.

🧵Latest w/ @sfrantzman: #Israel's Elbit is ramping up its production of multi-purpose rocket and drone launchers in Europe, as the Netherlands is buying the firm's PULS system which #Spain also appears to be favoring for its new rocket artillery program. defensenews.com/global/europe/… 2. On May 17, Royal Netherlands Army announced on social media that it had contracted Elbit for supply of 20 of the truck-mounted PULS systems. Earlier in April, Dutch government had stated that the country would spend around $650 million on long-range weaponry.

🧵Latest at #FEINDEF: Navantia’s fourth of five Avante 2200 corvettes will be delivered to the #Saudi Royal Navy next week, as the Spanish shipbuilder expects to receive a proposal from the Kingdom by 2024 to build five new multi-mission combat ships.
defensenews.com/global/europe/… 2. Navantia was contracted by #SaudiArabia in 2018 to build 5 corvettes based on the Avante 2200 design and adapted to specific requirements, including ability to operate in extreme temperatures. Program, dubbed Alsarawat, called for the units to be delivered on a fast schedule.

🧵Latest at #FEINDEF: Airbus Spain is ready to start work on the high-endurance drone SiRTAP for the Spanish and Colombian air forces, saying the first units could be delivered to #Spain by 2026 if the government approves a contract soon.
defensenews.com/unmanned/2023/… 2. Officials have confirmed that #Spain is considering procuring a total of 27 SiRTAPs [each of which consists of three aircraft, a ground control station and data reception equipment]. The drone is currently still in a pre-design phase.

🧵First #IDEX2023 coverage: Counter-drone manufacturers say they are increasingly miniaturizing & simplifying systems to meet rising demand for man-portable weapons, as recent conflicts have emphasized importance of mobile capabilities. But this is risky:
defensenews.com/unmanned/2023/… 2. Warren Brown, Fortem Technology VP of Marketing explains that the purpose & ways portable drones interceptors are used today have changed over the last decade "Historically, security detail & protection of major events, key infrastructure has been focused on fixed solutions."

🧵Loved working on this one - The widespread use of #Starlink by Ukrainian troops in defending against Russia is accelerating development of drone warfare, according to experts. Here are the benefits, risks & legal challenges of its militarization:
c4isrnet.com/battlefield-te… 2. While SpaceX likely never ruled out potential military use, it was not a case they emphasized. Today, there's no question that Starlink’s prominence in #Ukraine war has militaries all over the world considering & looking to make greater use of it.

1/ Even as a defense reporter, I'll be the first one to admit that I have SO many questions and confusion regarding this “an unidentified object” shot down above Canada on Saturday Feb 11. 2. To summarize what is known at this point (from what I have gathered): #Canada incident was a small, cylindrical object smaller than the balloon shot down above Alaska. Was it a balloon? Wall Street Journal reported that it was a small metallic balloon with a tethered payload

🧵One of the most fascinating topics I've reported on: Unmanned technologies (both UUVs and UAVs) could offer the West an opening to catch up with #Russia, bogged down in Ukraine, in establishing a foothold in the warming #Arctic, according to experts.
defensenews.com/global/europe/… 2. The West is fairly late to the game against #Russia’s long-standing presence in the region (key to its national security and economic development), where experts agree it has succeeded in maintaining military superiority over the last decade.

🧵Don't send the fighter jets: I speak to drone experts & Hanwha Defense to make sense of the reasons behind #SouthKorea's failure to shoot down the North's drones on Dec 26. and what it must do to ensure this doesn't happen again. Latest for @defense_news
defensenews.com/unmanned/2023/… 2. While it’s unlikely the South’s military was unaware of NK drone development efforts, the “sophistication of the systems as well as their ability to swarm and evade detection” did come as a surprise, said Ken Gause from the US-based Center for Naval Analyses.