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Ukraine’s need for missile defence systems is critical (picture for illustrative purposes). Credit: Shutterstock

Hidden in the weeds of the UK’s January military assistance package to Ukraine was mention of a new air defence system, dubbed Gravehawk, previously unknown to defence observers, in what appears to be part of Kyiv’s move to harness rapid defence innovation in its ongoing war against Russia.

Announced on 16 January, Gravehawk was described as a ship container sized, UK designed “mobile air defence system”, able to “retrofit” air-to-air missiles into a ground-based air defence role.

This means the Ukrainian Armed Forces can use missiles already in its inventory. Two prototypes of the air defence capability system was apparently tested in Ukraine in September 2024, and a further 15 systems will be delivered in 2025.

However, little else is known of the system, including the type of launcher system used, the timeline for development work, or whether additional Gravehawk units will be delivered in 2026 and beyond.

The UK Ministry of Defence declined to comment when approach for comment by Global Defence Technology, citing operational security. 

Fairbanks Morse Defense unit Maxim Watermakers has concluded the qualification tests for its Closed Loop Cooling System (CLCS) designed for submarine maintenance at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility.

This marks the first instance of such a system being deployed for the US Navy and represents the maiden utilisation of such advanced technology by Maxim at naval installations. The testing involved 14 different evaluations over four days, confirming the system fulfils US Navy requirements.

These included assessments of normal and emergency operations, testing modes, and crucial filling and draining features. The Maritime Sustainment Technology and Innovation Consortium (MSTIC) funded the testing of the CLCS, which is engineered to enhance the efficiency of submarine dry dock maintenance.

The main mission of Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard is to deliver regional maintenance services at the depot and intermediate levels, ensuring the operational readiness of surface ships and submarines. The CLCS incorporates a ship service skid for circulating cooling water through the submarine.

Lockheed Martin has officially handed over the first two F-16 Block 70 fourth-generation multirole aircraft to Bulgaria during a ceremony in Greenville, South Carolina, US.

This delivery is part of a larger commitment, encompassing two contracts signed in 2019 and 2022, for a total of 16 aircraft.

Bulgaria Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov said: “With the acquisition of this multi-role fighter… we are marking the beginning of the renewal of our combat aviation, the building of new capabilities of our Armed Forces, with which we will ensure full interoperability with Nato and EU allies.” 

The arrival of the F-16 Block 70 jets is an enhancement to Bulgaria’s Air Force, aligning with Nato standards and providing a platform capable of executing a spectrum of missions.

The aircraft includes features such as an advanced radar system for superior situational awareness, an automatic ground collision avoidance system for increased pilot safety, and an upgraded cockpit display that delivers real-time information to the pilot. 

The UK is testing the efficacy of so-called ‘cope cages’ on British Army Challenger 2 tanks, as combat experiences in the Ukraine-Russia war highlight the vulnerability of armoured vehicles in an era of small drone warfare on the battlefield. 

Information revealed at DefenceIQ’s International Armoured Vehicles exhibition and conference detailed some of the methods that the British Army was looking at to defeat small drone threats, including soft kill countermeasures as well as hard deterrents, such as cope cages.

During the event, it was disclosed that cope cages were under assessment, looking at specific capabilities such as obscuration, drone flight path interference, and physical protection. Design considerations include weight, physical robustness, function, as well as deployment.

It is understood that cope cage trials are ongoing on the Challenger 2 at an Army Training Unit site. These trials are examining areas like vehicle function and sightlines, crew ingress and egress, stowage, and maintenance tasks.

In addition, technical trials are ongoing to determine threat impact and implications to the host platform’s signature. 

Ahead of his accession to lead the US Department of Defense (DoD), Pete Hegseth announced a loaded agenda intended to ditch structures, decisions, and processes outside the ideological bounds of President Donald Trump’s America First doctrine.

Rebuilding the US military, Hegseth said on 25 January 2025, “means reviving our defence industrial base, reforming our acquisition process, passing a financial audit, and rapidly fielding emerging technologies.” Thus, “We will remain the strongest and most lethal force in the world.”

These aims will constitute sweeping changes at the Pentagon headquarters in Washington. In the meantime, over the next several months, officials will undertake a review to determine what will stay and what will have to go.

Trump’s flurry of executive orders, signed in the days after his inauguration, direct officials to assess the supposed damage done to the DoD under his predecessor, Joe Biden.

Some of the new administration’s assertions are more ideological than others, tanging from cutting DEIA programmes, to introducing more efficient practices across the federal government.