Americas
The next generation of the US Army’s famous Abrams main battle tanks may soon find a maker. Through a questionnaire released by the army’s Ground Combat Systems office, the service is scouting potential manufacturers for the Abrams M1E3 variant. The survey asks interested firms to detail their experience integrating, installing, and verifying communication and battle command systems in ground combat vehicles.
Teledyne FLIR has taken its next-gen airborne imaging pod on a cross-Canada demo tour, showcasing the Star SAFIRE’s UltraFORCE 380X variant from the nose of a helicopter. A four-person crew flew over 10 cities across seven provinces to demonstrate the multi-spectral imaging system, featuring infrared and color cameras with continuous zoom and low-light capability.
Middle East & Africa
The United Nations said Wednesday that Israeli drones dropped four grenades near UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, with Israel insisting there was “no intentional fire” at the force. UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, called Tuesday’s incident “one of the most serious attacks” since a November ceasefire ended last year’s war between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The mission said Israeli forces had “dropped four grenades close to UNIFIL peacekeepers working to clear roadblocks hindering access to a UN position.”
Europe
The US Department of State has given its approval for a potential $8.5bn foreign military sale (FMS) of Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS)-enabled Patriot and accompanying equipment to Denmark. The Danish government looks to procure a suite of defence assets, including 36 Patriot MIM-104E guidance enhanced missiles-tactical (GEM-T) and 20 PATRIOT Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles . Two each of AN/MPQ-65 radar sets, Engagement Control Stations (ECS), Radar Interface Units (RIU) modification kits, IBCS Engagement Operations Centers (EOCs), IBCS Integrated Collaborative Environments (ICE) and two Electrical Power Plants III (EPP III) are also included in the sale.
A European country has placed a record order with Milrem Robotics to supply THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles for Ukraine. Ukraine already operates a limited number of THeMIS multipurpose robots, using them for tasks such as combat logistics, casualty evacuation, and route clearance. While the details of the order have not been disclosed, it is reportedly the largest-ever THeMIS contract, according to Estonian outlet Baltic Sentinel, which cited Milrem CEO Kuldar Väärsi.
Asia-Pacific
China did not disappoint with its massive September 3 military parade through Tiananmen Square, the site of a violent massacre in the heart of Beijing in June 1989, with numerous VIPs from around the world attending. As China celebrated its victory over “fascist” Japanese forces in 1945, the places of honor at Chairman Xi Jinping’s right and left hands were assigned to authoritarian leaders Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kim Jong Un of North Korea, respectively.