Americas
The US Army awarded a $1.2 billion contract to Raytheon Technologies Co for six National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) for Ukraine on Wednesday, the Pentagon said. The United States has approved sending Ukraine a total of eight NASAMS to help fend off Russian missile and drone attacks. Ukraine received its first delivery of two NASAMS air defense systems in November. Others will be delivered in future months once they are built.
Thales has announced its plan to collaborate with Epic Games to bring the latter’s Unreal Engine 5 3D creation tool to its simulators. “We are very pleased to be working in collaboration with the Unreal Engine team at Epic Games. Their focus on providing advanced tools and technologies that have been adopted in industries beyond games matches our ambitions for taking professional simulation to the next level. Rapid insertion of Unreal Engine into our product lines gives us opportunities to delight our customers, particularly in the land training market where high-quality, densely populated synthetic environments help produce the best training outcomes,” said Peter Hitchcock, Vice President of the Training and Simulation business at Thales.
Middle East & Africa
Israeli-based tech startup CyberBee and California-based AI developer EyeCloud were awarded a $1.75-million grant to produce an indoor mini-drone for first responders deployed in GPS-denied interior spaces. The autonomous indoor drone would enhance Israeli and American first responders’ ability to efficiently locate and rescue victims in emergencies such as earthquakes, fires, or terror attacks.
Europe
Ukraine on Thursday urged the European Union to include in its new sanctions package measures that would target Russia’s missile industry, after Moscow’s systematic strikes on the country’s energy grid. Following military defeats on the ground, Russia began targeting Ukrainian energy facilities, causing severe damage and power shortages ahead of winter.
Norway and Polish firm Mesko have signed a $35.6 million contract to deliver man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) to the Norwegian Army. The agreement is part of Norway’s plans to integrate the latest, upgraded missiles into the armed forces. The Piorun MANPADS will cover the lowest elevation level with their fire-heat-seeking missiles.
Asia-Pacific
Up to 500 Tomahawk cruise missiles produced in the United States are being considered by the Japanese Ministry of Defense for purchase by fiscal 2027, The Yomiuri reports. In his summit meeting with US President Biden on the November 13, Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida confirmed the intention to advance talks on the purchase and to accelerate preparations toward the acquisition of “counterattack capability.” It is possible that the size of the purchase will change in the future because of factors such as the manufacturing capacity in the US.
Today’s Video
WATCH: NASAMS vs IRIS-T SLM | Best Ukrainian Air Defense Systems.
