Calibre Defence Brief: US F-47, UK Excalibur, and Poland Satellites

Welcome to the first Calibre Defence Brief, which  offers a concise overview of key news events from the past week, including updates on the US F-47 program, the UK’s first extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle, Excalibur, and Poland’s move towards greater strategic autonomy through the procurement of its own ICEYE satellite constellation. The following sections detail developments across land, air, sea, and space domains, along with Calibre Defence commentary providing context for these events.

Land

NP Aerospace opens new Coventry facility 

The UK’s NP Aerospace, a manufacturer of armour and vehicle integrator, opened a new facility in Coventry on the 15th May to support its armour production and vehicle integration. The new building covers 80,000 square feet (7,432 metres). The company has secured several domestic and export contracts in 2024 and the expansion will support its delivery of them. NP Aerospace now supports many of the UK’s armoured vehicles and has worked with other companies like NMS UK to support their development and establishment in the UK. 

Kazakhstan unveils Taimas IFV                                    

Kazakhstan has revealed its new Taimas infantry fighting vehicle, which is based on the Arma 8×8 armoured vehicle from Otokar, during a 7th May military parade in Astana. The vehicle appears to be fitted with a two-man turret from China’s NORINCO, which is armed in the fashion of a BMP-3, with a 100 mm main gun and 30 mm coaxial cannon. Some concepts for the turret, which is sometimes fitted to the VN11. The vehicles will be produced in Kazakhstan by a company called Astana MPR Project according to some reports. 

Calibre Defence comment

Kazakhstan treads a fine line between reliance on Russia and seeking independence through international cooperation. The Taimas is an interesting case of this occurring, but does not significantly alter the country’s table of equipment – most of which is Russian. 

Brave1 sets up direct chat with frontline units 

Ukraine’s Brave1 cluster, an organisation set up to facilitate innovation and fund new ideas for defence, has opened a new tool called Brave1 Chat, according to a 13th May post on Facebook. The tool is part of Ukraine’s Delta command and control system and enables soldiers serving on the frontline to communicate directly with the cluster’s staff and vice versa. The chat is secure and designed to allow military units to provide feedback on new equipment that they have received. This follows on from the March release of the Brave1 Market, which features over 1,000 systems including drones and UGVs that units can purchase to meet their own mission needs. 

Calibre Defence comment

It seems that Brave1 is innovating quickly to support the frontline and provide services that are more closely aligned with everyday life. However, it is not clear how some of these innovations could be translated into other forces during peacetime. 

FNSS joins alliance for Spain’s cavalry requirement 

Türkiye’s FNSS has joined an alliance of four companies aiming to provide a 6×6 armoured vehicle to the Spanish Armed forces for the country’s armoured cavalry requirement. The group signed an MoU on the 14th May declaring that they would cooperate to provide a military off-the-shelf solution. The other members are TSD, a Spanish company that has been involved in the design, production and delivery of more than 15,000 vehicles. Grupo Oesía, privately-owned Spanish company that specialises in dual-use technologies and digital engineering. And John Cockerill Defence, the Belgian company that manufactures a variety of turret solutions. This MoU came shortly after FNSS and John Cockerill had presented a concept based upon the former’s Pars Alpha 6×6 equipped with a Cockerill 3000 turret carrying a 30 mm cannon, as shown in the image above. 

Calibre Defence comment

The two companies also collaborated for the recent LAAD exhibition in Brazil, marking the first time that FNSS has directly pitched its products there. Spain’s armed forces are undergoing a modernisation with frequent equipment purchases, it has tended to favour its domestic industry in past procurements. 

Air

DSCA approves Chinook sale to the UAE

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has approved the possible sale of six CH-47F Chinooks to the UAE, according to a 12th May announcement. The sale could be valued up to $1.32 billion (£1.04 billion/€1.22 billion) and includes a comprehensive suite of communications equipment, navigation systems using M-code GPS and AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning Systems. The UAE Joint Air Command already operates 28 CH-47C and F standard Chinooks, which are used by the country’s special forces. 

185+ F-47s and 1,000+ loyal wingmen planned for USAF

The US Air Force plans to procure more than 185 of its next generation F-47 air dominance fighters and over 1,000 loyal wingmen according to a 3th May post on X.com from General David Allvin, the 23rd Chief of Staff for the USAF. The F-47 is expected to have a combat radius in excess of 1,000 nautical miles (1,852 kilometers) and a top speed exceeding Mach 2. The first aircraft are to be operational between 2025 and 2029. They will be supported by at least 1,000 YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A uncrewed combat aircraft from General Atomics and Anduril respectively, which will also enter service between 2025 and 2029, with a combat radius exceeding 700 nautical miles (1,296 km). 

Calibre Defence comment

The range of the F-47 is very important as it is required to operate at extensive reach within the Indo-Pacific. This requirement is likely to make the aircraft quite large compared to its predecessor. 

GA-ASI presents MQ-1 in counter-drone role

General Atomics has presented an MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAV in a counter-drone role at the Army Aviation Association of America conference held from the 14th to the 16th May in Nashville, Tennessee, according to Aviation Week. The MQ-1C was shown equipped with the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) from BAE Systems, which US aircraft have been using to engage Iranian drones in the Middle East. It costs around $20,000 (£15,800/€18,500) per round, which is much cheaper than other air-to-air missiles that could be used in the role. The APKWS is fitted to unguided rockets and uses laser guidance to provide a precise strike against a target. 

The US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll issued a memo in early May stating that procurement of “outdated crewed attack aircraft…and obsolete UAVs like the Gray Eagle” would be cancelled. This indicates that there may not be a future for the Gray Eagle, regardless of how it is developed. 

Calibre Defence comment

The MQ-1C Gray Eagle could make a good platform for the counter-UAS role providing that adversaries cannot readily develop solutions to engage them. The US has lost several MQ-9s to the Houthis in Yemen, indicating that the MQ-1C would be at risk too. 

Sea

Royal Navy launches Excalibur, its first large autonomous submarine

The Royal Navy unveiled its first uncrewed submarine (Extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle – XLAUV), Excalibur, a 12m experimental vessel developed over three years under Project Cetus, during a 15th May ceremony. Over the next two years, Excalibur will undergo extensive sea trials to address the unique challenges of operating such vessels and to inform the development of future uncrewed systems that can work alongside crewed platforms. These trials aim to enhance the Royal Navy’s ability to safeguard infrastructure, protect allied vessels, and gather intelligence, ensuring they remain ahead of potential adversaries in the underwater domain. Built by Plymouth-based MSubs, Excalibur represents a significant step towards a mixed fleet of crewed and uncrewed systems for the UK, leveraging lessons from existing programs and highlighting the role of collaboration with industrial partners.

Calibre Defence comment

Autonomous platforms have an important role to play in ASW, providing greater mass in terms of sensors and area coverage. However, there are likely to be challenges around integrating these systems into the wider order of battle. 

Germany and UK to procure Sting Ray torpedoes, co-develop 2,000 km missile

Germany and the UK are planning to collaborate on the development of a new 2,000 km Deep Precision Strike Capability, which will support the defence industries of both companies. This was announced following a meeting between the UK’s Defence Secretary, John Healey and Germany’s Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius in Berlin on the 15th May. The announcement also included procurement of the new Sting Ray torpedoes that are currently under development and further cooperation in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) space. 

Calibre Defence comment

ASW is an increasingly important subject requiring international cooperation and support as Europe must provide for its own needs under this requirement, while reducing its reliance on the US. 

Space

Poland and ICEYE to work together on space-based reconnaissance 

ICEYE signed an agreement with the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Poland to deliver an initial batch of three ICEYE SAR satellites to the Polish Armed Forces under their MikroSAR program, according to a 14th May press release. The contract comes with an option for three more satellites and ground segment capabilities within the next year.  It is valued at approximately €200 million, and also includes a partnership with local industry to provide a mobile Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform for near real-time tasking, data downloads, and analysis. This capability sounds as though it may be similar to the US Army’s TITAN vehicles. 

The immediate implementation of this agreement will provide Poland with independent radar reconnaissance and imaging capabilities, considered by the Polish Minister of Defense as crucial for national sovereignty and innovation with both military and economic applications. 

Calibre Defence comment

Poland is rapidly and ambitiously modernising its armed forces and fiercely national, with a firm focus on its own domestic priorities for defence. Having access to a capability that Ukraine has used to extensively target Russia’s strategic depth will no doubt contribute to the country’s feeling of independence and strength. 

Kepler and Cailabs validate satellite to ground optical comms relay 

Kepler Communications Inc. announced a successful demonstration of space-to-ground optical data relay with Cailabs. Kepler demonstrated full Space Development Agency (SDA) standard data rates and acquisition in multiple space-to-ground scenarios between Kepler’s optical Pathfinder satellite equipped in low Earth orbit (LEO) and Cailabs’ Optical Ground Station in Rennes, France.

This demonstration proves the feasibility of optical data relay for space communications. Successful links like this validate other scenarios, including communications with aircraft. The milestone also confirms the ability to transmit space-to-space optical links, a key objective of the Kepler Network. 

Calibre Defence comment

An optical data relay refers to a system that uses light to transmit data wirelessly between points, specifically in space and between space and the ground. This signifies that the data is encoded onto beams of light, similar to how fiber optic cables transmit information, but without the physical cable. This allows for high bandwidth and potentially faster data transfer rates compared to traditional radio frequency communication in space.

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on 19th May, 2025.