A new research centre has opened that will support the Australian Defence Force (ADF) operate in hazardous environments.
The Centre for Advance Defence Research and Enterprise (CADRE), based at the University of Melbourne, opened on 19 May 2023. Bringing together academic and industry organisations, the CADRE will develop new concepts and technologies to protect military personnel.
Chief Defence Scientist, Professor Tanya Monro, said CADRE would mobilise the science, technology and innovation ecosystem.
Author: Michael
The M230 chain gun. (Northrop Grumman).
Not solely content with its brand new counter-drone ‘proximity’ airburst round, the Army is set to fund the development of another do-it-all munition for use with the 30mm chain guns it’s slowly proliferating across its fleet of ground vehicles.
The service has requested $18.93 million in fiscal year 2024 for the new 30x113mm XM1223 Multi-Mode Proximity Airburst (MMPA) round designed to counter threats from incoming drones and ground troops behind cover, according to budget documents.
Sypaq’s Corvo PPDS UAS is shipped in compact form for assembly by the user. The company said this allows it ship the UAS in bulk. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)
The Australian company Sypaq has reported a surge in interest within the Asia-Pacific (APAC) in its “cardboard” unmanned aerial systems (UASs) after their use in Ukraine.
The lightweight and small battlefield logistics aircraft is called the Corvo Precision Payload Delivery System (PPDS).
The KC-390 will undertake a range of duties for the Portuguese Air Force. (Embraer )
The Portuguese Air Force (FAP) formally activated its new transport squadron on 20 May.
Five Embraer KC-390 Millennium multimission transport aircraft will be operated by 506 Squadron at Beja Air Base No 11. The aircraft were acquired in August 2019 under an EUR827 million (USD894 million) contract to replace the C-130H Hercules aircraft of 501 Squadron.
The first aircraft, which is undergoing final certification by the Portuguese National Aeronautical Authority, will be formally received in 2023.
The US Navy awarded Austal USA a detail design and construction contract for up to seven T-AGOS 25 class ocean surveillance ships. (L3Harris Technologies)
The US Navy (USN) awarded Austal USA a contract with a potential value of USD3.2 billion for the detail design and construction of up to seven T-AGOS 25 class ocean surveillance ships, the contracting team confirmed on 19 May.
Austal USA has teamed up with L3Harris Technologies (L3Harris), Noise Control Engineering (NCE), TAI Engineering (TAI), and Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors (TMC) for the T-AGOS 25 work.
Fans of HBO’s Band of Brothers will be familiar with Currahee Mountain. Located in Stephens County, Georgia, 40 miles and one-hour drive west of Clemson, South Carolina. the mountain served as a physical fitness challenge to the paratroopers who trained at Camp Toccoa during WWII. The distance of the trail to the summit and back, “Three miles up, three miles down,” became synonymous with Currahee Mountain. Today, the trail to the top is accessible for visitors looking for a challenge.
Camp Toccoa, c. 1942 (Public Domain)
Currahee is derived from a Cherokee word meaning “stand alone.
The night was dark, the moon obscured by clouds, but the island nation of Grenada was illuminated by the fiery flashes of gunfire and the deafening roar of explosions. It was the evening of October 25th, 1983, and Operation Urgent Fury was underway. While many consider this to be a major military blunder, it’s also a testament to grit and determination.
Despite landing Rangers on the island in the middle of the day, the mission of Operation Urgent Fury was clear. Rescue American students studying there and restore order to the troubled nation.
Magnified optics on standard infantry weapons was not a common practice until the Global War on Terror with the adoption of the ACOG. The Marine Corps, with its emphasis on long-range marksmanship, made the 4x scope general issue while the Army issued it to soldiers in certain leadership positions. Before the ACOG, another magnified optic could be found on American infantry rifles: the Colt Scope.
Before the ACOG, there was the Colt scope (U.S. Marine Corps)
Colt’s sale of the AR-15 as the M16 to the U.S. military represented a huge change in American small arms.
Kandahar brings viewers on a heart-racing journey of an operator and his interpreter in the midst of a never-ending war and the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. It’s a real-life experience suddenly lighting up the big screen but every moment was lived by the military community, including the writer behind the movie.
Mitchell LaFortune, a Maine native, came from a long line of service. “My grandfather is a World War II veteran and served in the Pacific theater. He was one of those guys who joined before legally being able to.
Boeing delivered its first F/A-18 Super Hornet Block III to the US Navy on 31 August 2021. (Boeing)
The US Navy (USN) has inducted around 33 Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet Block IIIs into the air fleet, including around 20 for operational squadrons VFA-25 and VFA-113, with the remainder going to test units. The operational squadrons, which are based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, California, and fly the single-seat F/A-18E, are both gearing up for carrier deployments, Captain Jason Denney, F/A-18 and EA-18G programme manager, told Janes.