Taiwan Army orders additional Kestrel anti-tank weapon systems – Jane’s Feedzy

HII prepares to deliver Virginia-class submarine
New Jersey
as the company looks to open new markets through AUKUS deal.
(Janes/Michael Fabey)

HII sees the AUKUS agreement made by Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States for submarine programme development as a vehicle for new international business.

“We actually see that as an opening of markets,” Christopher Kastner, HII CEO and president told investment analysts on 2 November, during a quarterly earnings call.

In particular, HII expects to realise new market opportunities in both Australia and the UK, Kastner said.

HII is following the lead of the US Navy (USN) on how to move forward with AUKUS matters. The USN is being “methodical”, he said.

The short-term benefits of the deal are “really not material financially”, he said, adding the benefits are more “top line” with more “medium- to long-term” opportunities.

Still, he added, the company needs to take steps now to ensure it is prepared for AUKUS work and future opportunities.

He said federal funds “could flow next year” for needs such as workforce development, supply chain assessment, and infrastructure support.

The R‐Han rocket, pictured above, being test‐fired from a locally developed Rantis MLRS. (Kementrian Pertahanan Indonesia)

The Indonesia Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced in late-October that state-owned arms manufacturer PT Pindad has completed the development of a 122 mm multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) known as the R-Han 122B.

In a social media post, the MoD said that PT Pindad conducted a “series of successful trials on the system” before declaring its completion of development.

The MoD added it is now working on finalising the contract for the procurement of R-Han 122B systems and 60 mm mortar ammunition.

Janes earlier reported that PT Pindad has been producing the R-Han 122B for the Indonesian Marine Corps on a low-rate initial production (LRIP) basis since 2017, but the service needs more than 1,000 rounds of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and inertial navigation system (GPS/INS)-guided weapon across its three divisions by 2024.

The R-Han 122B has a calibre of 122 mm, an overall length of 2,810 mm, and is driven by a hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) rocket motor, according to PT Pindad.

Columbia-class submarine construction remains a Pentagon priority. (US Navy)

The US Navy (USN) has continued to face difficulties in delivering Virginia-class attack submarines (SSNs), maintaining existing vessels, and gearing up for the construction and delivery schedule for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) meant to replace the Ohio-class boats for the US fleets.

Meeting the requirements for the trinational Australian, UK, and US (AUKUS) agreement to bolster the Australian submarine fleet will likely mean a dip in the US submarine fleet below its future goals and needs, according to a recent report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

“There’s a lot of talk around AUKUS, and obviously we’re going to do everything we can to support our customer in that regard, but the fact is this supply chain still remains very fragile,” Jason Aiken, executive vice-president and chief financial officer for General Dynamics (GD), whose Electric Boat division is one of the two countries’ two submarine builders for Virginias and Columbias, told investment analysts on 25 October during a quarterly earnings call.