Israeli defence firm Rafael is in talks to take over Volkswagen’s Osnabrück plant as production winds down. The site could be repurposed to support Iron Dome components, with some jobs potentially retained.
Franco-German manufacturer KNDS has secured 350 orders from five countries for the newest Leopard 2A8 main battle tank, with Germany alone committing to 123 units and planning to expand its purchase. The upgraded A8 variant features enhanced protection systems and represents several billion euros in confirmed contracts, with production expected to run for years.
Germany has presented the Leopard 2A8 and Panzerhaubitze 2000 A4 in Munich, with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius outlining the Bundeswehr’s plans for new armoured systems, production requirements and cooperation with European partners. The Bundeswehr has ordered 123 new Leopard 2A8 tanks.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems unveiled the L-SPIKE 4X Launched Effect and showcased the Iron Beam laser air defense system at AUSA 2025 in Washington, D.C. The company said Iron Beam is entering delivery to the Israel Defense Forces, while the new L-SPIKE 4X expands its precision strike missile family.
A blurry, 14-second video published online by the Israeli company, which has now been deleted from the company’s social media channels, showed a Rafael Spike Firefly drone hovering behind a person before he evidently senses danger and runs into a building. The drone chases the person and explodes.
The Ukraine war and expanding global conflict showered a windfall on German arms companies like Rheinmetall and TKMS, with some startups like Helsing becoming the upstarts of the weapons industry, and other legacy companies like Heckler & Koch even experiencing a dramatic reversal of fortunes.
As NATO races to supply Ukraine before Trump takes office, Europe is struggling to touch two percent of its GDP on defence expenditure while Russia plans to spend more than 32 percent of its national budget on its military.
Rafael’s systems on exhibit include I-Derby Missiles, RecceLite Reconnaissance Pods, Litening Advanced Targeting Pods, the SPICE Family of Air-to-Surface Missiles, the SPIKE Missile Family, and the BNET Tactical Communications system.
India’s defence procurement continues to raise more questions than answers, points out Hemant Shivakumar, with the uncertainty over the order of Spike Anti Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) appearing to be the latest casualty to the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Rafael’s Colonel Joseph Horowitz explains the capabilities of the Derby and Python systems at the Singapore Airshow 2016 and gives us updates on seeker technology and trials with India’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).
Saab and Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd have announced plans to set up a joint venture for the production of the RBS 70 VSHORAD and Bamse SRSAM systems in India.
The four-km range MMP, which stands for Missile Moyenne Portée, or Medium Range Missile, is a new development for the French Army and has only been test-fired for the first time, earlier this month.
The Indo-US Defense Policy Group meet to be held in Washington DC this week comes shortly after a perceived snub to the US offer to co-produce Javelin ATGMs with the Indian order for Israeli Spike ATGMs.
BAE Systems is to sell its stake in Defence Land Systems India (DLSI) to Mahindra Defence Systems less than three weeks after the two issued a statement announcing a strategic review of their joint venture.
This is how the French shipyard Chantier Naval Couach marketed its Fast Interceptor Craft to the Indian Navy. The navy ordered 15 of the vessels and the first three were inducted last month.
