European Defence News and Discussions

[meh_analysis]

Why Rafale and not Eurofighter? Both are multi-role aren’t they

No. Eurofighter is more air superiority type of a fighter, could do CAS but not as effectively as Rafale

 

[meh_analysis]

Even the French Air Force say the Rafale's future role in the NATO coalition is limited to a secondary support role due to the immense gap between the Rafale and current fifth generation fighters. Also its reliability and serviceability stats are poor.

Thread 'Honest French report on Rafale and its future'

Jul 15, 2025

key points in the report:

• Lack of stealth (VLO) is a key handicap. French forces may be relegated to a supporting role in coalitions, relying on allies with stealth fighters.
• The Rafale struggles against 5th-gen stealth fighters in exercises; its sensors are insufficient for parity
• only ~30 of ~ 200 Rafales would be available for sustained high-intensity combat

https://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/2025-01/ifri_gorremans_avenir_superiorite_aerienne_2025.pdf

@BonPlan please help non native French speakers with questions related to the report.

• dbc
• Replies: 141
• Forum: Europe & Russia

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I mean it's still better than everything else in it's category. NATO is moving towards fifth and sixth gen concepts, which makes any fourth gen concept redundant. That's why F-16 are being sold by major NATO users, while Rafales are still getting traction

 

[Zarvan]

The Swedish Armed Forces introduced the new Automatkarbin 24 (AK 24) assault rifle in 5.56×45mm NATO caliber at the beginning of 2025, and regular TFB readers have been able to follow the introduction in detail. What is a lesser-known fact is that shortly after fielding began, a firing ban was imposed on the Ak24 due to incidents of delayed ignition affecting a number of rifles. TFB continues to follow the story and to explain the issues. There is now a Press Release with more information.

Following corrective actions by the manufacturer, the Armed Forces have now lifted the ban on a limited number of weapons and restarted the operational validation process to confirm the rifle’s safety, reliability, and overall performance across a wider range of units. Previously, the error has been described as an issue with the tolerances.

Four Units Selected for Trials​

Validation testing is now being conducted at four different regiments with varying operational profiles:

• Amf 4 (4th Marine Regiment) – Gothenburg
• F 17 (Blekinge Wing) – Ronneby
• I 19 (Norrbotten Regiment) – Boden
• P 4 (Skaraborg Regiment) – Skovde

Each unit will carry out company-level troop trials using continuously employed professional soldiers (GSS/K) as part of regular training and operations.

“The current firing ban on the AK 24 will be lifted locally on a number of weapons during the period,” said Henrik Lundin, project lead for the introduction of new small arms.

The verification phase runs from 1 November 2025 to 1 May 2026. The focus is on maximum operational use to gather real-world data on function, safety, durability, and wear under diverse environmental conditions and unit types.

“The continued validation trials are crucial in order to lift the firing ban completely. The ambition is to resume deliveries of the AK 24 during Q2 2026,” Lundin added.

Conscripts to Remain with AK M4A Variant​

The original plan remains unchanged: conscripts undergoing basic military training will continue to train and qualify with the existing Ak M4A variant (Made by Colt). Even after the Ak 24 returns to broader service, priority will go to professional soldiers rather than conscripts.

“We see that when the AK 24 is reintroduced, it will primarily go to employed soldiers. The AK M4 fulfills its role in conscript training and is a good and reliable weapon,” Henrik Lundin stated.

The resumed trials mark the final stage before full-rate production and fielding of the AK 24, which is intended to become the standard service rifle for Sweden’s continuously serving personnel.

What Risks Does Delayed Ignition Pose?
The risks are that you do not have control over when and how you deliver the shot. In the worst case, it can mean that one aims the weapon at a target, pulls the trigger, but nothing happens. One would then suspect there’s been a stoppage and, with movement of the weapon, the barrel may swing to the side and what is now an accidental shot will most likely be discharged in the wrong direction. According to an article in The Officer’s Magazine, in addition to the delayed ignition issues, further faults have been reported, including a loose barrel and a gas block with poor attachment.

---

Sources: Swedish Armed Forces and The Officers' Magazine. Top image: Bezav Mahmod. All other images: FMV.

 

[firohot]

Ak 24??
Name is confusing

 

[Psyko70]

Ak 24??
Name is confusing

Sako ARG 40 assault rifle is actual rifle. Ak 24 is its swedish version.

 

[j_hungary]

Ak 24??
Name is confusing

AK is Automatkarbin (usually Ak), Swedish for Automatic Carbine, or Assault Rifle. AK 24 means Assault Rifle 2024, it replaces AK5 (FN FNC) and AK4 (HK G3) in Sweden

AK in AK47/AK74 and so on means Avtomat Kalashnikova = Automatic Kalashnikov Rifle

 

[Viet]

Germany latest tank Leopards 2 series A8 revealed to the public

The german tank arny receives more tanks to prepare for war. Putin is hungry. Most likely Germany will increase the size of tanks to 2,000 units, the same size during the cold war confrontation.

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[AZ_HighCountry]

The Swedish Armed Forces introduced the new Automatkarbin 24 (AK 24) assault rifle in 5.56×45mm NATO caliber at the beginning of 2025, and regular TFB readers have been able to follow the introduction in detail. What is a lesser-known fact is that shortly after fielding began, a firing ban was imposed on the Ak24 due to incidents of delayed ignition affecting a number of rifles. TFB continues to follow the story and to explain the issues. There is now a Press Release with more information.

Following corrective actions by the manufacturer, the Armed Forces have now lifted the ban on a limited number of weapons and restarted the operational validation process to confirm the rifle’s safety, reliability, and overall performance across a wider range of units. Previously, the error has been described as an issue with the tolerances.

Four Units Selected for Trials​

Validation testing is now being conducted at four different regiments with varying operational profiles:

• Amf 4 (4th Marine Regiment) – Gothenburg
• F 17 (Blekinge Wing) – Ronneby
• I 19 (Norrbotten Regiment) – Boden
• P 4 (Skaraborg Regiment) – Skovde

Each unit will carry out company-level troop trials using continuously employed professional soldiers (GSS/K) as part of regular training and operations.

“The current firing ban on the AK 24 will be lifted locally on a number of weapons during the period,” said Henrik Lundin, project lead for the introduction of new small arms.

The verification phase runs from 1 November 2025 to 1 May 2026. The focus is on maximum operational use to gather real-world data on function, safety, durability, and wear under diverse environmental conditions and unit types.

“The continued validation trials are crucial in order to lift the firing ban completely. The ambition is to resume deliveries of the AK 24 during Q2 2026,” Lundin added.

Conscripts to Remain with AK M4A Variant​

The original plan remains unchanged: conscripts undergoing basic military training will continue to train and qualify with the existing Ak M4A variant (Made by Colt). Even after the Ak 24 returns to broader service, priority will go to professional soldiers rather than conscripts.

“We see that when the AK 24 is reintroduced, it will primarily go to employed soldiers. The AK M4 fulfills its role in conscript training and is a good and reliable weapon,” Henrik Lundin stated.

The resumed trials mark the final stage before full-rate production and fielding of the AK 24, which is intended to become the standard service rifle for Sweden’s continuously serving personnel.

What Risks Does Delayed Ignition Pose?
The risks are that you do not have control over when and how you deliver the shot. In the worst case, it can mean that one aims the weapon at a target, pulls the trigger, but nothing happens. One would then suspect there’s been a stoppage and, with movement of the weapon, the barrel may swing to the side and what is now an accidental shot will most likely be discharged in the wrong direction. According to an article in The Officer’s Magazine, in addition to the delayed ignition issues, further faults have been reported, including a loose barrel and a gas block with poor attachment.

---

Sources: Swedish Armed Forces and The Officers' Magazine. Top image: Bezav Mahmod. All other images: FMV.

Delayed ignition? That immediately begs a couple of questions including under what conditions are the weapons experiencing this?

Also, what is the makeup of the primers and powder used? Extreme cold weather can and does have an impact of ignition. The Swedes know this.

Would definitely like to know more about this.

 

[dani191]

UK Royal Navy to equip MBDA’s drone-frying lasers by 2027​

By Rudy Ruitenberg
Nov 20, 2025, 05:55 PM

The DragonFire laser directed-energy weapon achieved the U.K.’s first high-power firing of the weapon type against an aerial target in early 2024. (British Defence Ministry)
PARIS — MBDA UK won an order to supply the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy with the DragonFire drone-zapping laser in a £316 million ($414 million) deal, with the first of the direct-energy weapons for drone defense to be fitted on a navy destroyer by 2027.

DragonFire successfully took down a high-speed drone in recent trials at the Hebrides testing range in Scotland, and will be the first high-power laser capability to enter service from a European nation, the MoD said in a Nov. 20 statement.


With relatively low-cost drones having become ubiquitous on the modern battlefield, the race has been on to find economically viable countermeasures. The DragonFire laser system costs £10 a shot, compared to upwards of hundreds of thousands of pounds per shot for traditional missile-based air defense, according to the MoD.

“This high-power laser will see our Royal Navy at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, delivering a cutting-edge capability to help defend the U.K. and our allies in this new era of threat,” Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard said in the statement.

MBDA UK is working on DragonFire together with QinetiQ and Leonardo, with the capability to be delivered almost five years ahead of the original schedule, according tot the MoD, which said the system is accurate enough to hit a £1 coin from a kilometer away.


“This latest contract for DragonFire is another significant milestone,” MBDA UK Managing Director Chris Allam said. “It allows us to continue with the next phase of the program and re-affirms the U.K.’s intent to be at the forefront of laser directed energy weapons.”

The DragonFire laser system in January 2024 for the first time destroyed an aerial target with a high-powered test shot. In the most recent tests, the weapon shot down drones that can fly up to 650 kilometers per hour, the MoD said.

The U.K.’s Strategic Defence Review backed the country’s work on directed energy weapons with additional investments of nearly £1 billion for the current parliamentary term, the MoD said. Work on DragonFire will help to create and sustain 590 jobs across the U.K., according to the ministry.

MBDA will deliver the new systems to the Royal Navy from 2027, with DragonFire to be fitted to a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer by that time.


While pan-European MBDA is best known for missile systems such as Mistral and the Aster family of air-defense effectors, the company is involved in laser projects in all its main stakeholder countries. Executives are betting that laser directed-energy weapons will be part of any future layered air defense.

Rheinmetall and MBDA last month supplied Germany with a laser-weapon demonstrator for naval use, while the missile maker is working with Leonardo in Italy to develop a light laser weapon for navy units. MBDA together with Safran in 2022 acquired a majority stake in French laser company Cilas, which has been developing the Helma-P counter-UAS weapon for France’s armed forces.

About Rudy Ruitenberg

 

[j_hungary]

Delayed ignition? That immediately begs a couple of questions including under what conditions are the weapons experiencing this?

Also, what is the makeup of the primers and powder used? Extreme cold weather can and does have an impact of ignition. The Swedes know this.

Would definitely like to know more about this.

The official story is "Tolerance Stacking." The Swede was using some off-market parts that have some tolerance issues because the Fins (who made this rifle) uses a longer barrel version M23 (16-20 inch barrel) while the Swede adapted it to 10-14 inch.

They don't think this is something wrong with the ammo loading or primer, because each rifle had a different time delay, from a few seconds to milliseconds

As for what? Nobody knows; they just said they fixed it. A lot of people are saying something wrong with the trigger group and firing pin tho.

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

That makes no sense whatsoever. Delayed ignition is usually ammo-related. I've seen it a number of times. Even in a couple of handguns. Barrel length had nothing to do with it.

I have rifles with 11.5, 14.5, 16, 18, and 20-inch barrels. Parts for said uppers sourced from any number of suppliers. All shoot the same ammo. None have experienced "delayed ignition".

Definitely would like to know more. Especially the ammo. For all we know, the issue may have been limited to a specific lot of ammo. That's not uncommon.

 

[j_hungary]

That makes no sense whatsoever. Delayed ignition is usually ammo-related. I've seen it a number of times. Even in a couple of handguns. Barrel length had nothing to do with it.

I have rifles with 11.5, 14.5, 16, 18, and 20-inch barrels. Parts for said uppers sourced from any number of suppliers. All shoot the same ammo. None have experienced "delayed ignition".

Definitely would like to know more. Especially the ammo. For all we know, the issue may have been limited to a specific lot of ammo. That's not uncommon.

Well, tell that to the Swedish Armed Forces Procurement then...That's their explanation.

Skjutförbud för Ak 24A

www.fmv.se

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

Should have included this part of the article:



That's actually important. That could be anything from the trigger group to a potential head spacing issue. Perhaps a slightly undersized firing pin. I can think of several others. Without actually having an example in possession for inspection, am simply running through the checklist.

Looking at the rifles themselves, am assuming the internals including the FCG are just like any other standard AR-style rifle. If the same ammo performs without issue in the "control" rifles, then the trouble-shooting begins.

 

[j_hungary]

Should have included this part of the article:

View attachment 160794

That's actually important. That could be anything from the trigger group to a potential head spacing issue. Perhaps a slightly undersized firing pin. I can think of several others. Without actually having an example in possession for inspection, am simply running through the checklist.

Looking at the rifles themselves, am assuming the internals including the FCG are just like any other standard AR-style rifle. If the same ammo performs without issue in the "control" rifles, then the trouble-shooting begins.

Huh? Did you not see I said this in my first post?

As for what? Nobody knows; they just said they fixed it. A lot of people are saying something wrong with the trigger group and firing pin tho.

FMV didn't actually say anything about the delayed ignition, but most people think this is not ammo-related. It's from some group I followed.

 

[AZ_HighCountry]

Huh? Did you not see I said this in my first post?



FMV didn't actually say anything about the delayed ignition, but most people think this is not ammo-related.

That specific snippet was not part of post #131.