The U.S. Army has pulled the plug on a six-year experiment with autonomous truck convoys, conceived as a way to keep troops out of harm’s way. Oshkosh Defense in Wisconsin and Robotic Research in Maryland have been contracted to wind down the project as the Army reconsiders its options. [node:read-more:link]
Fighter jets and U.S. tanks promised to Ukraine won’t be ready for a spring counteroffensive against Russia, says General Mark Milley, Chair of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. While training on M1 Abrams tanks has just begun, training on allies’ F-16s is still being negotiated and Milley’s French counterpart says upgrading Ukraine’s capabilities is a mid-to-long-term goal [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. Defense Department Inspector General says equipment drawn from U.S. Army stocks in Kuwait for Ukraine was not fit for combat even though Army policy is that pre-positioned vehicles, armaments and other equipment should be kept ready for immediate use. “We identified issues that resulted in unanticipated maintenance, repairs, and extended lead times to ensure the readiness of the military equipment,” the IG says [node:read-more:link]
Using both indoor and outdoor booths at CANSEC, Rheinmetall is showcasing its latest and most innovative advancements including water treatment, new fabrics, satellite communications. land Vehicle crew training, strategic fires and effects information, night vision system modernization and heavy equipment replacement. [node:read-more:link]
Eighteen Leopard 2A6s donated to Ukraine by Germany are to be replaced with new 2A8 models, in a €525-million contract with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. There also is an option for 105 more which would push the total cost to some €2.9 statement. Germany currently has 321 Leopards in service as well as others in storage. [node:read-more:link]
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says most arms promise to Ukraine have been delivered in time for an expected counter-offensive against Russia. “That means over 1,550 armored vehicles, 230 tanks, and other equipment, including vast amounts of ammunition,” he said. Coupled with 30,000 NATO-trained Ukrainian troops, it would put the country “in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory.” [node:read-more:link]
Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann have settled a legal dispute over intellectual property rights to the German Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks. KMW had sued over statements by Rheinmetall’s CEO that his company owned the rights but a court said a hearing set for today was cancelled because the dispute had been resolved. [node:read-more:link]
General Dynamics’ GPS Source subsidiary and Collins Aerospace are working on a project designed to address U.S. Army concerns that battlefield GPS could be jammed or spoofed. The goal is “assured positioning, navigation and timing” technology which could replace current receivers and antennas. [node:read-more:link]
Ukraine is using EU and U.S. funds to buy 100 eight-wheel-drive Rosomak armored modular vehicles from Poland, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced today. The Rosomak factory, which produces the vehicles under licence from Patria Group in Finland, is owned by Poland’s state-run PGZ defence conglomerate. [node:read-more:link]
Eight Norwegian leopard main battle tanks have arrived in Ukraine and now await European Union-supervised crew training to finish in Poland. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg lauded Norway’s economic and military support for Ukraine, reiterating March 24 that the alliance “must continue to provide Ukraine with what they need to prevail, for as long as it takes.” [node:read-more:link]
Five years after Canada contracted with South Carolina-based Jankel Tactical Systems to buy 76 armoured Toyota Land Cruisers for its diplomatic missions at a unit cost of $261,622, less than half have been delivered. The Public Services & Procurement and Global Affairs departments are saying only that they are “working with the supplier […] to schedule delivery of vehicles as needed.” [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. Government Accountability Office confirmed today that Oshkosh Defense has asked it to examine a U.S. Army decision to move Joint Light Tactical Vehicle production to Indiana-based AM General under a new $8.66-billion contract. Wisconsin-based Oshkosh had expressed concerns last month about how bids were evaluated and the GAO said it would complete its review by mid-June. [node:read-more:link]
In a major push to modernize its army’s tracked vehicle inventory, Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak today signed a deal with a domestically-led consortium to procure some 1,400 Badger infantry fighting vehicles, replacing Soviet-era BMP-1s. the new IFVs would work closely with 1,000 new tanks, the first of which were delivered in late 2022. [node:read-more:link]
Poland has delivered its first four Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks to Ukraine just as Sweden announced plans to send up to 10 of its 2A5 models. [node:read-more:link]
The federal government announced today that it is sending four more Chieftain 2 main battle tanks as well as an armoured recovery vehicle and more than 5,000 rounds of artillery to Ukraine. In the meantime, the four original MBTs are in Poland where a Canadian Armed Forces team is training Ukrainian tank crews. [node:read-more:link]
