RESENDE, Brazil - BAE Systems Hägglunds and Knightec Group Brazil have launched a joint engineering initiative in the state of Rio de Janeiro to manufacture components for military vehicles. The program involves the transfer of technical expertise to the Resende facility to support the global supply chain for the BvS10 all-terrain vehicle.

Knightec Group Brazil, which formed following a 2024 merger between Knightec and Semcon, is tasked with developing conceptual designs for gear housings used in the amphibious BvS10. The project focuses on optimizing production costs and improving the performance of the vehicle components by applying Knightec’s existing experience in the automotive engineering sector.

This pilot program establishes a framework for localized industrial activity as BAE Systems seeks to expand its production capacity. The company currently manages a global fleet of approximately 1,200 BvS10 vehicles across five European nations, with more than 650 additional units on order for international customers, including the United States.

The collaboration represents an extension of an existing relationship between the two firms in Europe. According to project details, the goal is to align manufacturing processes early in the development cycle to accommodate increasingly complex designs as the program evolves. The initiative is also intended to strengthen the domestic defense ecosystem in Brazil by increasing local engineering competence.

The Swedish-based BAE Systems Hägglunds has maintained a presence in Brazil for over a century, previously supplying M113 and M109 vehicles to the Army and various warships to the Navy. Company officials indicated that the current permissions for export controls are already in place to support expanded manufacturing, including the potential domestic production of the CV90 infantry fighting vehicle if selected for future Brazilian military requirements.

This effort signals a strategic shift toward decentralized defense manufacturing in South America. By integrating Brazilian automotive engineering into a specialized military supply chain, BAE Systems is addressing global production bottlenecks caused by a surge in international orders. For Brazil, the project provides a pathway to modernize its industrial base and secure high-tech jobs, while BAE Systems gains a cost-optimized production hub capable of supporting NATO-standard equipment outside of its traditional European facilities.

Source: Forecast International
Associated URL: https://www.baesystems.com

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Navy has issued a contract modification to General Dynamics Mission Systems to increase the production of the Hammerhead next-generation anti-submarine mine. The award, which calls for an unspecified number of additional mines, is designed to satisfy operational requirements by late 2026. Notably, the modification also includes the procurement of a Hammerhead technical data package, which could allow the Navy to tap other contractors to manufacture the mine in the future.

The Hammerhead system modernizes the Navy's maritime denial capabilities by mooring itself to the sea floor at intermediate and deep-water depths and launching an encapsulated torpedo upon detecting a threat. This system is part of a broader effort to replace legacy Cold War-era weaponry, such as the air-delivered Quickstrike series and Submarine Launched Mobile Mines.

New mining systems like the Hammerhead and the Orca unmanned underwater vehicle are being developed to extend deployment ranges and enable mine-laying in contested areas. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command requested these capabilities to counter the rapid modernization and expansion of China's conventional naval fleet, nuclear-powered attack submarines, and underwater drones operating in the Western Pacific.

Source: USNI
Associated URL: https://news.usni.org/2026/03/17/u-s-navy-to-increase-hammerhead-anti-submarine-mine-order

LONDON - The United Kingdom has placed an order for dozens of new self-propelled howitzers for the Army.

The Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) placed an order on the behalf of the United Kingdom for 37 RCH155 self-propelled howitzers through a long-lead production contract worth GBP53 million ($70 million). Over half of the contract value will support the development of a new 'Gun Hall' in Telford that will manufacture the howitzers' barrels.

KNDS and Rheinmetall produce the RCH155 through their joint venture ARTEC. The howitzer is based on the Boxer armored vehicle chassis.

"This contract is really great news - not only for our soldiers, but for the U.K.'s ever-increasing industrial base," Head of International, Industry, and Prosperity of the British Army HQ Brig Toby Lambert stated. "It demonstrates a strengthening of our supply chains and delivers on our commitments made in the [October 2024] Trinity House Agreement with our close ally, Germany."

The British government previously inked a GBP52 million contract in December for three RCH155 demonstrator vehicles that will go through joint British-German testing.

RCH155 will replace the AS-90 howitzers that the U.K. transferred to Ukraine after the start of Russia's invasion.

Source: The Defense Post
Associated URL: https://thedefensepost.com/2026/03/16/british-army-rch-howitzers/