The system is called the Arctic Over-The-Horizon Radar (A-OTHR), and the deal is worth some US$1.75 billion to Australia.

Gordon Frazer – Founder and CEO of the Australia-based HF radar technical services company FrazerLab – told Defense News Canada’s decision would fill an urgent need.

“I used to say to people, you could fly a jumbo jet from Beijing to Canberra if it had its transponders off and no one would know,” he said, arguing the same is likely true for Canada.

“Russia could fly a Tu-95 from one of their bases, Engels Air Base or something like that, to Canada and possibly no one would know.”

He added, “That’s why NORAD is so concerned, and why they’ve been pushing so hard to get this sort of technology done.”

Frazer was formerly an engineer involved in Australia’s OTHR program known as the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN).

Expanded surveillance coverage

While NORAD maintains the North Warning System, a line of microwave radars in Canada’s frozen north, Frazer said it would be “almost a trivial problem to defeat it” by flying at low altitude between these known and stationary radar sites.

Instead, because OTHR bounces high-frequency signals off the ionosphere, it can look down on airborne targets — and sometimes even surface vessels — with ease, including aircraft and missiles.

An over-the-horizon radar results in radar coverage stretching far beyond what traditional line-of-sight radars can achieve due to the curvature of the Earth.

With its particular A-OTHR contract, BAE Systems Australia will transfer technology and expertise for Canada to build its own OTHR radar sites to monitor its periphery. Officially, Canberra says JORN can detect targets 3,000 kilometers (1,700 miles) away, but its capability almost certainly reaches far beyond that.

Ottawa stated in a press release: “The signing formalizes Canada’s partnership with Australia and enables the delivery of Australia’s proven OTHR technology in support of Canada’s A-OTHR program. It marks a major milestone in the program, transitioning A-OTHR from the planning phase into delivery phase.”

Natural challenges

Canada has already been researching the application of OTHRs in its north, where environmental and solar conditions are far different than they are in Australia.

Furthermore, significant differences exist between operating OTHRs in equatorial, mid-latitude, high-latitude and polar areas. Frazer pointed out that Canada, despite the “Arctic” in the A-OTHR nomenclature, is actually buying a high-latitude system.

Polar regions present even more complicated challenges for OTHRs due to the Earth’s magnetic field, which creates serious background clutter. In fact, some 40% of Canadian territory lies above the Arctic Circle.

Although it may sound counterintuitive, Frazer said Canada’s A-OTHR radar facilities would be built as far south as possible. This is in order to bounce radar signals off the ionosphere ahead of the zone where the worst distortion occurs.

However, Canada will also have the future opportunity to expand its OTHR network with trans-polar coverage, which would allow it to see deep into Russia.

Positioned thus, the technology could enable NORAD to see Russian strategic bombers taking off or ballistic missiles being launched, for example.

If Canada does seek transpolar radar coverage, it would likely want to place those radar installations as far north as possible, Frazer explained.

Australia has three JORN radar sites, but it is unclear how many sites Canada will establish. In North America, Frazer expects the Pacific west coast will be covered by an American system, the Atlantic east coast will be covered by Canada, and then an additional system can cover the north. If NORAD wants 360-degree coverage, Frazer suggested five or six radar installations would be needed.

Australian expertise

Craig Lockhart, CEO of BAE Systems Australia, said: “Canada’s acquisition of a cutting-edge Australian OTHR system supports the strategic interests of both nations through enhanced detection and tracking of threats to North America, strengthening Five Eyes situational awareness.”

Frazer said Australia developed world-leading OTHR talent “because of multi-generational consistency” in its investment in the technology.

The New Zealand-born engineer pointed out that around 15% of the cost of OTHR technology sits in equipment to inform human operators how to set the radar’s parameters to account for constantly changing atmospheric conditions.

Frazer highlighted that OTHRs are bespoke, national systems built only once per generation. However, he hopes the Canadian deal will benefit both countries.

“I think you’re starting to get the critical mass of being able to keep the technology pipeline from design to sustainment to upgrade to far-reaching tech.”

Because over-the-horizon radar coverage can vary drastically due to solar conditions, other methods help plug surveillance gaps.

Airborne early-warning aircraft, for example, are complementary to OTHR. In May, Canada selected Saab’s GlobalEye as its future airborne early-warning platform.

Canada expects its A-OTHR to reach an initial operational capability by December 2029.

Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said the plan is to “more than double the funding that we’re allocating to counter-drone defenses,” to the tune of A$7 billion.

These figures – $5 billion in U.S. dollars – emanate from the Integrated Investment Program (IIP) released by Canberra on Apr. 16.

As the Australian Defence Force (ADF) seeks weapons able to count medium-sized drones and small-drone swarms when deploying overseas or to protect domestic infrastructure, Conroy touted two development contracts on Apr. 21.

AIM Defence was awarded an A$21.3 million contract for its Fractl laser system, whilst Sypaq Systems received a A$10.4 million deal to develop an interceptor drone.

The fourth-generation Fractl is a portable, high-energy laser system able to track a dime-sized object at speeds exceeding 100km/h, and powerful enough to burn through steel.

The funding will enable AIM Defence to enhance Fractl’s capability and combat readiness to counter individual and swarms of drones.

As for Sypaq, the Department of Defence said it will “develop the Corvo Strike, an interceptor drone designed to track, target and destroy larger drones now commonly employed on battlefields.” This winged interceptor powered by four propellers is also a loitering munition.

Both products will eventually integrate into a command-and-control system being developed under the Army’s umbrella Land 156 counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) program.

Conroy’s A$7 billion “for drone defenses” also includes diverse capabilities like naval missiles, the NASAMS air defense system, a new medium-range air defense system and upgrades to fighters, for example.

Dedicated counter-drone systems are just one of seven categories listed in the IIP. That document mentioned the “acquisition and introduction of dismounted and vehicle-mounted systems to protect deployed forces from low-altitude aerial threats, including uncrewed air systems and helicopters.”

The two contracts worth a combined A$31.7 million pale in comparison to the A$3.9 billion going toward AUKUS submarines this year alone. Furthermore, they are only development contracts, so the Fractl and Corvo Strike are not yet ready for widespread fielding.

“With the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East showing how uncrewed aerial systems are increasingly being employed in conflict, the development of sovereign counter-drone solutions is essential to ensure the ADF can detect, assess and respond to these threats,” Conroy stated.

Ukraine is expected to produce an estimated 4.5 million drones and counter-drone systems in 2026.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) already has eight Block 1 aircraft in testing. In addition, the first of three Block 2 aircraft ordered in February 2024 is currently performing ground testing and will fly soon, according to the manufacturer.

On Dec. 9, 2025, Boeing Defence Australia announced the RAAF had ordered seven additional Ghost Bats. This third tranche worth AUS$754 million (US$534 million) entails six CCAs in Block 2 configuration plus the first-ever Block 3 aircraft.

This will put the Australian air force on a path to have 10 operational Ghost Bats by 2028.

Australia, worried by the military rise of China, is prioritizing long-range deterrence. Unmanned systems like the Ghost Bat are a prominent part of that puzzle, allowing Australia to project airpower far from its shores.

Fleet mix

Boeing Defence Australia conducted two demonstrations in recent months. The first involved a pair of MQ-28As flying in formation, with an E-7A Wedgetail early-warning aircraft acting as a quarterback.

“That mission was to go out there against a representative target at a representative range and achieve the find, fix, track, target piece of the air-to-air kill chain,” Glen Ferguson, MQ-28 Global Program Director at Boeing Defence, said at the Singapore Airshow this month.

What followed was the MQ-28A’s first-ever missile firing on Dec. 8, 2025. This involved a Ghost Bat launching an externally mounted AIM-120 AMRAAM against a Phoenix drone. An F/A-18F Super Hornet fed targeting data, while an E-7A provided command and control.

“We did the engage-assess part of the kill chain, and we did it on purpose to show that all spectrums of the mission can be covered through a mix of crewed and uncrewed teaming,” Ferguson said.

The Block 3’s internal weapons bay is provisioned to carry one AMRAAM-sized or two GBU-39/B bomb-sized weapons. Boeing has trialed an electronic warfare payload and infrared seeker, as well as three or four other sensor packages that Ferguson declined to discuss.

“The thing about CCAs that we’re learning is they’re not replacement aircraft,” he said.

According Pat Conroy, Australia’s minister for defense industry, the government is eying a fleet mix of at least least three uncrewed aerial platforms for every crewed combat aircraft.

Production and exports

Construction of a Ghost Bat production facility in Toowoomba, Queensland, will conclude this year, allowing it to begin operations in 2027.

Australia’s goal is for a Ghost Bat to cost 10% of a crewed combat aircraft, a target that Boeing believes it can reach.

“We’re really, really comfortable with our affordability,” said Ferguson. “We’ve built this aircraft from day one to be affordable.”

Exports are part of Boeing’s objective.

“We’re having conversations with a lot of customers right now about how they might feel or determine or deliver a CCA capability,” said Ferguson, who mentioned Japan as a potential collaborator.

Despite Boeing’s early start in the CCA testing business, Ghost Bat is not without competitors. Anduril Industries exhibited its Fury – designated the YFQ-44 by the U.S. Air Force – in Australia last year. General Atomics is also working on its Gambit family of collaborative combat aircraft.

The new tactical loitering munition from Singapore’s best-known defense company — dubbed the EagleStrike, and the first weapon in this category from ST Engineering — should be ready for production in early 2027.

The beyond-line-of-sight airborne weapon was developed at the company’s initiative, but it will presumably be offered to the Singapore Army in due course.

Jackson Tean, assistant vice president of International Business, Advanced Material Engineering, Land Systems, said the loitering munition has reached Technology Readiness Level 7. Further testing and certification will occur this year to fully mature it.

The company listed the munition’s range at 12.4 miles, with a 30-minute loitering time. Traveling at speeds of 67 miles per hour, the EagleStrike possesses a 7-ounce dual-mode shaped-charge warhead optimized for top attack against lightly protected targets.

The EagleStrike is launched from a canister. It is expected that a pod of 16 such canisters could be carried on a suitable vehicle.

ST Engineering has a range of drones in its portfolio, but Singapore’s military has shown a predilection for Israeli-made unmanned aircraft.

At Singapore Airshow 2026, for example, it publicly exhibited for the first time its large Hermes 900 drone from Elbit Systems as well as the Orbiter 4 from Aeronautics. The Hermes 900 is replacing the Singapore air force’s Hermes 450, which was in service for more than 20 years.

Turning to small arms, ST Engineering unveiled a new family of 5.56mm-caliber rifles based on Colt’s AR-15 design. This rifle family contrasts with the SAR-21 bullpup rifle that ST Engineering supplies to the Singapore Armed Forces.

This AME modular family of rifles is designed to equip an army squad with a range of five weapons comprising a carbine, assault rifle, grenade launcher, light machine gun and sharpshooter rifle.

The smallest member is the AME-A510 with a 10.5-inch barrel, which could be ideal for a vehicle crewman, for example. Next, the standard AME-A514 squad rifle boasts a 14.5-inch barrel. Specifications released by ST Engineering state a length of 32.3 inches and a weight of 6.4 pounds unloaded.

The same rifle can have an under-barrel 40mm grenade launcher attached, which changes its nomenclature to AME-A514GL.

More capable is the AME-A516L, which possesses a 16-inch barrel and integrated heat sink so it can act as a squad’s light machine gun.

Finally, the family boasts the AME-A520SS designated marksman rifle with a bipod.

A spokesman told Defense News that these rifles are aimed primarily at the export market. He also confirmed international sales have been achieved already.

Enhancements compared to the original AR-15 include enhanced barrel harmonics, a two-stage trigger, a muzzle brake that reduces recoil by 20% and ambidextrous controls.

A representative said the rifles are designed to be reliable, simple and cost-effective.

The contract, worth an undisclosed amount and announced on Jan. 26, will see the Singapore Army adopt the Titan 8×8 infantry fighting vehicle — or IFV — which is based on ST Engineering’s 35-ton Terrex s5.

Working with Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and Defence Science and Technology Agency, ST Engineering is customizing the Terrex s5 with “additional capabilities.” Deliveries will commence in 2028.

MINDEF stated the Titan “has stronger firepower and is equipped with a 30mm cannon mounted on a remote-controlled weapon station.”

At the airshow, ST Engineering displayed the prototypical Terrex s5 with the company’s Adder remote turret armed with a Leonardo 30mm X-Gun.

However, an ST Engineering representative told Defense News this does not necessarily mean the Titan will feature this same cannon.

“With our multi-domain expertise and engineering depth, we’re confident that the new IFV will deliver outstanding mobility, advanced smart technologies and unmatched adaptability to support Singapore’s future fighting force,” said Lim Kok Ann, president of Land Systems at ST Engineering.

The prototype debuting in Singapore employs hybrid electric drive, with Cheng Ze Wei, director of ST Engineering’s Wheeled Platforms Business-Combat Platforms, explaining the main advantage of this propulsion is an abundance of power to support associated platforms and sensors.

It is unclear if Singapore is adopting the hybrid electric drive variant, as ST Engineering offers a conventional diesel engine, too.

Another advantage of the hybrid configuration is that it occupies far less space than a regular power pack in the front of the vehicle hull.

“The Titan is designed with new digitalized systems, advanced vehicle electronics and a command-and-control architecture to support networked motorized operations,” MINDEF also noted.

For example, the Terrex s5 features two rear-mounted launcher boxes containing four drones each that can perform reconnaissance. Unmanned ground vehicles, like ST Engineering’s Taurus 4×4, can also be controlled from inside the Terrex s5.

At Singapore Airshow 2026, ST Engineering demonstrated the technological potential of the Terrex s5 in a proof-of-concept exhibit entitled the Vehicle AI Cockpit. If a customer chooses, this solution is ready to be installed in any armored vehicle.

It relies on AI in three ways — for vehicle control, surveillance and unified manned-unmanned teaming.

A top-mounted camera displays the vehicle’s 360-degree surroundings on a panoramic screen at the front of the vehicle interior. AI can then automatically identify drones, people and vehicles with color-coded prompts.

Two side-by-side control stations mean operators can seamlessly transition between driving the vehicle, firing its weapons or operating associated unmanned systems like drones. The AI also uses a Nova voice-activated system to perform tasks, such as choosing the most economic mode of driving.

The 27-foot-long Terrex s5 can carry a 13-ton payload and accommodate 12 troops. ST Engineering is already promoting this Terrex variant to export markets.

“It isn’t just a ship by itself, but one that’s integrated with artificial intelligence and an evolving brain,” he said of the new 8,000-ton warship, the largest ever surface combatant in Singapore’s navy.

The 492-foot (150m) Victory, the first of six Multi-Role Combat Vessels (MRCV), was launched at ST Engineering’s Benoi shipyard in Singapore on Oct. 21. The warship will now transfer to the shipbuilder’s Gul yard for outfitting, integration and sea trials.

With a contract awarded to ST Engineering in March 2023, the MRCV is a combination of a frigate and “mothership” for unmanned systems that fly through the air, sail on the ocean’s surface or dive beneath the waves.

Chan said the operational concept reminded him of “sci-fi movies, because it isn’t about having a fixed number of drones or unmanned surface vessels. As the mission set evolves, we’ll also evolve the type of weapon system and capabilities that we can have on the ship.”

One MRCV, with its fleet of unmanned companions, could execute missions that would otherwise require multiple manned warships, he claimed.

The six MRCVs, the first of which will be delivered in 2028, will replace six 595-ton Victory-class missile corvettes serving in the Republic of Singapore Navy – the RSN – since the 1990s. the The new slate of ships will take on precisely the same names as the corvettes they succeed.

The MRCVs are designed to have a 7,000-nautical-mile range. A mission bay holds up to eight 20-foot containers, meaning ships can rapidly transition from combat to disaster relief, for example.

At the stern is a load and recovery system that handles smaller boats and unmanned surface vessels. A crane performs the same job on the vessel’s flanks. Drones and a medium-sized helicopter make use of the large flight deck at the stern.

The warship’s armaments include a Leonardo Strales 76mm naval gun, two Rafael Typhoon MK 30-c remote-controlled weapon stations, and missiles. MICA and Aster missiles offer air cover, but Singapore has not revealed what anti-ship missiles will arm the warship. However, it is likely to be Blue Spear missiles from Proteus.

Technology is critical to these ships, cutting down the crew requirement to fewer than 100 sailors. In a pinch, the bridge can be operated by just two crew members.

The new style of warship is designed to keep abreast of contemporary trends. For example, a high-voltage electrical distribution system powers both the integrated full electric propulsion system as well as sensors and weapons.

Chan acknowledged that Singapore’s navy took a long time to get this ship and its requirements approved. “What we need is a ship that can keep evolving with our operational requirements,” he said. “This is the new way that we have to operate and fight in the future.”

Besides ST Engineering, the shipbuilding program includes Sweden-based Saab. The company provided the ship design and is responsible for assembling composite superstructure elements.

Lars Kaddik of Saab Kockums told Defense News that carbon fiber composite is up to 50% lighter than steel, is corrosion-proof, stealthier than a steel equivalent, and it provides insulation for equipment inside the mast. It also reduces top weight on the ship, thus improving hull stability.

Saab has been manufacturing superstructure panels in Singapore. The company now hopes to replicate this kind of international arrangement in other parts of the world. Already, Saab and ST Engineering are jointly promoting Singapore’s 1,200-ton littoral mission vessel to Estonia.

For a nation of just six million citizens, Singapore has a powerful navy. Once current build programs reach fruition, the RSN will boast six Type 218SG submarines, six MRCVs, six frigates, eight littoral mission vessels, four landing ships and a bevy of smaller vessels.

“In the past, the role of the navy was perhaps only to defend our near shores,” Chan said. “Today, our strategic lines of communications extend much farther. That’s why we need new capabilities … to defend and secure our sea lines of communications, to make sure that no one with ill intent can disrupt our day-to-day lives.”

He also referred to the country’s geo-strategic location on the Singapore Strait. More than 100,000 vessels ply annually through this maritime chokepoint in Southeast Asia.

The name is short for Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System, and company executives unveiled a “collaborative combat” version of the vehicle at the Land Forces 2024 exhibition here earlier this month.

The show ride was armed with a Bushmaster 25mm cannon, but other possibilities include larger-caliber weapons, mortars, antitank guided missiles, loitering munition launchers and surveillance sensors, according to the firm

To evaluate new technologies such as unmanned ground vehicles (UGV), drones, robotics and counter-drone systems, the Australian Army is converting the Adelaide-based 1st Armoured Regiment into a test and experimental unit.

Lt. Col. Jake Penley, its commanding officer, told Defense News that the unit will hand in its M1A1 Abrams tanks later this year, before achieving an initial operational capability in the experimentation mission on Feb. 1, 2025.

Penley said of his unit’s new role: “The ability to get high-end emerging technology in the hands of soldiers sooner in an experimentation role means we can verify and validate those platforms quickly and get them out to combat units.”

The unit is already evaluating optionally manned M113 tracked vehicles, after BAE Systems Australia converted 20 vehicles. “They’re really beneficial,” Penley said, and the regiment’s armor expertise means they know how to maintain them.

BAE Systems is currently talking to the Army about upgrading these optionally manned M113s with more advanced sensors and software from the ATLAS project.

The 10-ton-class combat ATLAS – slightly smaller than LAV-25 8×8 armored vehicles used by the Australian Army and U.S. Marine Corps – can perform advanced reconnaissance, armored overwatch, flank protection and convoy escort missions.

Paul Finch, Project Manager Land Autonomy at BAE Systems Australia, told Defense News that the ATLAS employs a Supacat HMT Extenda chassis and drive module, plus a Vantage unmanned turret from Slovenian company Valhalla Turrets.

With a residual 6-ton payload capacity, it can fit inside a 20-foot standard shipping container. This opens up numerous transportation options by road, train and ship, while six ATLAS vehicles fit inside a C-17 aircraft.

Finch said the prototype was completed in July following a contract award to Supacat in June 2023. He said the vehicle is around 90% complete, with work still to be done to qualify subsystems and to train its software.

The ATLAS is competing against mostly tracked platforms in this medium-sized UGV category, but its wheeled configuration brings advantages in terms of road mobility.

“My prediction, ahead of any formal requirement being provided, is that future warfighting will see an increase in platforms with increased sophistication and capabilities,” Col. Helen Mammino, Director Battlefield Aviation Program of the Army Aviation Command, said here on Sept. 11 at the Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems conference, held in conjunction with the Land Forces 2024 event.

The opportunity arises because advances in robotics and autonomy are converging with new drone developments, according to Mammino.

“One of the key features for our objective-force operating environment will be the abundance and proliferation of uncrewed aerial systems,” or UAS, she added.

The ground service has combined various army efforts under the umbrella program DEF 129, divided into four size categories: nano-UAS, small drones (SUAS), SUAS-plus, and tactical drones (TUAS).

Beginning with the larger, brigade-level TUAS, the Australian Army is in the process of fielding Insitu RQ-21A Integrators to replace Textron’s Shadow 200 aircraft. “The delivery of the RQ-21 is currently underway, with an end state being a full complement of six systems introduced … by the end of 2025,” Mommino said. Each system contains four aircraft, with their indigenous content levels reaching 82%.

Concerning the SUAS-plus category for combat teams, Elbit Systems has been on contract since late 20222 for the Skylark I-LEX, but systems are only now reaching Australia. Designed for domestic use, they will be tasked with assisting civilian authorities, for instance.

The army also presently uses AeroVironment’s Puma AE in the same size category, and efforts to replace these will not occur before the early 2030s.

The DEF 129 program’s phase 4B targets the platoon-level SUAS segment, where the AeroVironment Wasp AE is being replaced by a mixed fleet comprising the Quantum-Systems Vector 2-in-1 for mounted operations, and the Sypaq Systems CorvoX for dismounted use. An contract exceeding $100 million Australian (US$68 million) announced in mid-July will see delivery of both types from the third quarter of 2025.

The Australian Army currently uses the Black Hornet 3 as a nano-UAS in infantry sections. Officials are also experimenting with numerous other types, and Mammino said ten nano variants would be in use by 2025.

Last year, the government suddenly canceled the Navy’s selection of Schiebel’s S-100 Camcopter. The Army is now responsible for the maritime UAS mission, and Mammino said her command is “working through the early stages of requirements for those systems, and understanding what the acquisition pathway will look like.”

Meanwhile, Army Aviation Command is also responsible for introduction of 29 AH-64E Apaches and 40 UH-60M Black Hawks into Australian service. Mammino said eight Black Hawks are already in Australia, with four more due before year’s end.

Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency – ATLA for short – published the video on its official YouTube page on July 4. In an accompanying explanation, it said it had “conducted a pre-launch test of a Hyper-Velocity Gliding Projectile for island defense” in California on March 23.

Examining the video footage, Timothy Wright, research associate in the Defence and Military Analysis Programme of the U.K.-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), offered this explanation to Defense News:

“Japan conducted two preliminary tests of its so-called HVGP in March and April, 2024 respectively. The missile’s manufacturer said the purpose of the test was to validate ‘measurement’ units, possibly meaning the missile’s inertial navigation system. ATLA did not say whether the warhead separated from the booster during either test.”

Once fielded, the HVGP, made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, will be launched from a truck using a booster, after which the warhead separates and glides towards its target.

Wright noted, “Japan is developing the HVGP for both anti-ship and land attack missions to intercept and eliminate invading forces against Japan at a distance and at an early stage.”

ATLA has previously released computer animations of an HVGP attacking an enemy aircraft carrier.

When development commenced in fiscal 2015, the HVGP was slated to enter service in 2029. However, Japan’s perceived deterioration of its security environment – prompted primarily by China and North Korea – caused defense leaders to accelerate the missile’s development by three years.

The high-supersonic Block I version of the HVGP, with an estimated maximum range of 310 miles (500km), is now expected to be fielded by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) in 2026.

As part of its incremental development, a hypersonic Block 2 version, with perhaps an 1,864-mile (3,000km) range, will be fielded in around FY2030.

“Japan’s current missile capabilities reflect the restrictions of its post-1945 defense posture, but those limitations will soon change substantially following Tokyo’s groundbreaking decision in 2023 for it to procure so-called ‘counterstrike’ capabilities,” Wright said.

The IISS researcher said Tokyo is developing “at least seven new types of air-, sea- and ground-launched missiles for land and maritime roles, and buying three different missile designs from its U.S. ally”.

One of those American missiles is the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM). Also on July 4, ATLA confirmed it had signed an agreement to acquire the Lockheed Martin-made weapon. The U.S. had approved a $104 million Foreign Military Sale of 50 AGM-158B/B-2 JASSMs with extended range last August.

These, plus the HVGP, will strengthen Japan’s “stand-off defense capabilities in order to quickly and remotely intercept and eliminate invading forces against our country,” ATLA said.

Japanese ground forces are expected to eventually field two HVGP battalions.

“Once these systems enter service in large numbers, Japan will possess one of the most significant long-range strike capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Wright.

This same weapon is widely used by Ukrainian soldiers against Russian invaders, plus Taiwan recently had a USD $60.2 million Foreign Military Sale of 720 of these loitering munitions approved.

Canberra’s announcement did not mention quantities or price, but it said the first examples would reach Australia later this year and enter Australian Defence Force service in 2025.

The Switchblade 300, which has a 3.69-pound (1.68kg) warhead and 19-mile (30km) range in its latest Block 20 variant, will “boost the ADF’s arsenal of drones, including those capable of being armed,” according to a Department of Defence statement.

The weapon can be transported in a backpack, before being launched from a tube.

“With autonomous weapon systems increasingly prevalent, the Defence Strategic Review made clear that new technology and asymmetric advantage are important priorities,” said Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy. “The delivery of this proven precision loitering munition demonstrates the speed at which we are introducing capabilities to the ADF.”

However, his reference to speedy introduction is incongruous. Ukraine has been demonstrating the utility of loitering munitions for the past 2.5 years of combat, and yet Australia is only now introducing this class of weapon.

Indeed, Travis Reddy, CEO of the Australian firm DefendTex, criticized the ADF for its tardiness in acquiring any loitering munitions. His company manufactures the D40 drone, essentially a flying 40mm grenade.

He told Defense News the Australian government even prevented DefendTex from exporting warhead-equipped D40s to Ukraine, because its fuse had not “been through all the certification and qualification stages”. Therefore, the Australian company could send only camera-equipped D40s.

Conversely, the “U.K. took a pragmatic approach” and delivered to Ukraine 300 warhead-equipped D40s that it had commercially procured from DefendTex. Reddy said this D40 case “very much talks about this risk-adverse culture that exists within Defence”.

“We’re running programs right now to develop Australian drones,” Conroy said. “And we’re hoping to get them into the inventory as soon as possible.”

One example is the One-Way Loitering (OWL) munition developed by Western Australia-based firm Innovaero.

Innovaero officials didn’t immediatelyrespond to Defense News requests for details, but it is known the OWL is being trialed by Australian Army special forces, and more will be delivered to the army this year.

The OWL is in a different class to the Switchblade 300, since it has a 125-mile range, 100-minute endurance and carries a 15-pound anti-armor or fragmentation warhead.

Another Australian firm delivering drones to Ukraine is Sypaq Systems. Amanda Holt, Sypaq’s CEO, previously told Defense News that her firm had been delivering 100 low-cost Corvo drones per month, and that Ukrainian troops often jury-rigged them with explosives to act as loitering munitions.