Weapons for sale: Latest combat tech display at Eurosatory expo

Contractors from 60 countries gather as war in Ukraine drives reassessment of nations' military needs

A Norwegian CV90 fighting vehicle in action during a Nato military exercise. EPA.
Powered by automated translation

Contractors from 60 countries will appear at a defence and security conference in Paris this week as the war in Ukraine drives spending in the sector.

Eurosatory, the world's largest land-air military expo, will involve about 2,000 exhibitors presenting state-of-the-art technology such as drones, tanks and complex weapons systems.

European governments are spending more on defence and reassessing their needs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February.

The Ukrainian government said it is outgunned by Russian forces and has pleaded with western governments for more military aid, including high-tech missile and artillery it believes will tip the balance of the conflict in its favour.

The war, which has resulted in huge losses of equipment for Moscow, has illustrated the advantages of advanced weaponry readiness.

BAE Systems, the British armaments maker and contractor, will be among those at the show which starts today.

Here are some of its weapons which will be on display:

CV90: The tracked combat vehicle comes in more than a dozen variants for different missions and is interoperable across Nato forces.

The CV90, made by BAE's Swedish subsidiary, was designed with the Nordic sub-Arctic climate in mind and could be of use in Ukraine.

The CV90MkIV is the latest version of the tank and, the manufacturers say, comes with improved digitised systems for awareness and targeting plus integrated anti-tank guided missiles.

BvS10: The armoured all-terrain vehicle is used in Arctic and other cold weather environments.

It can cross ice, steep mountains, and rocks, and it has an amphibious capability.

Its modular design allows it to be configured for different missions.

The Swedish Army recently ordered 127 BvS10s and it is in contention for the European joint acquisition programme for the Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle.

Archer: The wheeled 155mm howitzer is capable of putting down fire within 30 seconds and can move on in 60, limiting an enemy's ability to retaliate, the BAE website says.

Its automated ammunition magazine stows 21 rounds and can be fired in less than three minutes. With guided munitions it can reach targets at more than 50 kilometres away.

360 MVP Sensor: The system is said by BAE to improve ground vehicle crews’ situational awareness and is shown to improve response time, survivability, and mission success.

It is comprised of high-definition, extended-view sensors built with BAE Systems’ 1920x1200 long wave infrared camera cores. The 360 MVP Sensor system delivers low-latency imagery during the day, at night, in adverse weather, and in challenging natural and man-made battlefield conditions.

Check6: This is a rear-vision camera system for ground vehicles that provides high-quality situational awareness.

It gives ground vehicle occupants day, night, and all-weather visibility, enabling combat crews to “see” outside their vehicle while remaining inside its protective armour

APKWS laser-guidance kit: This transforms an unguided 2.75-inch (70 millimetre) rocket into a precision-guided missile.

The BAE blurb claims that the conversion can attain 93 per cent accuracy.

APKWS laser-guidance kits are already used by four branches of the US military, and are available to allied nations.

Ukraine's war with Russia - in pictures

Updated: June 13, 2022, 3:11 PM