Americas
BAE Systems Land & Armaments won a $121.4 million modification to produce M2A4 and M7A4 Bradley vehicles from various inducted legacy source variants. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2026. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity.
US company Boeing is offering the latest variant of its famed CH-47 Chinook helicopter as Poland’s new heavy-lift military transport solution. Announced at the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce, company director Tim Flood said the 47F Block II version of its Chinook would support Warsaw’s defense needs with its ability to transport 31 combat troops and up to 16,000 pounds (7,257 kilograms) of cargo.
Middle East & Africa
Syrian state media said Monday that overnight Israeli strikes killed 16 people in central Hama province, while a war monitor reported a higher death toll in the “intense” raids on military sites. The Israeli military, which has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since its civil war started in 2011, declined to comment on the latest reported attack. Syrian official news agency SANA, citing a medical source, said the number of dead “in the Israeli aggression on a number of sites on the outskirts of Masyaf” was “16 martyrs and 36 wounded, including six critically,” updating an earlier toll of 14. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported “intense Israeli strikes” overnight, providing an updated of toll of 25 dead including “five civilians, four soldiers and intelligence personnel and 13 Syrians working with pro-Iran groups.”
Europe
The Norwegian Army is boosting its sniper arsenal with the acquisition of hundreds of M107A1 rifles from American firearms manufacturer Barrett. Designed to meet the evolving demands of modern combat, the M107A1 is capable of delivering precision and rapid fire on targets up to 2,000 meters away. The weapon is also suppressor-capable, reducing its signature to support covert operations.
Asia-Pacific
China said on Monday it would hold joint military drills with Russia this month, as the allies deepen ties that have seen NATO dub Beijing an “enabler” of Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Naval and air forces will take part in the North-Joint 2024 exercises in the skies and around the Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk, off Russia’s coast, China’s defence ministry said.
