• Land Warfare

  Rheinmetall awarded Skyguard contract

  3rd February 2016

  Rheinmetall has been awarded a $425.39 million order by an undisclosed international customer to modernise its Skyguard air defence systems, the company announced on 2 …

• Digital Battlespace

  Singapore Airshow: Manila confirms Israeli radars

  9th February 2016

  After a long-running process, the Philippines has finally inked a deal with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Elta Systems for three over-the-horizon air surveillance radars.  The …

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy orders more P-8As

  1st February 2016

  The US Navy has awarded a contract to Boeing under which the company will build additional P-8A Poseidon aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UK confirms Zephyr purchase

  3rd February 2016

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) will invest in two Zephyr High Altitude Pseudo Satellites (HAPS) in a deal worth £10.6 million. The contract will …

• Digital Battlespace

  Testing complete on first GPS satellite

  4th February 2016

  Despite earlier delays, the completion of the latest batch of testing means that Lockheed Martin's first GPS III satellite will be available for launch this …

• Defence Helicopter

  Malaysia confirms MD 530G purchase

  1st February 2016

  MD Helicopters (MDHI) is to supply six MD 530G scout attack helicopters to Malaysia’s Ministry of Defence, the company announced on 1 February. First deliveries …

• Digital Battlespace

  SpaceDataHighway: no longer science fiction

  1st February 2016

  The SpaceDataHighway programme has reached a significant milestone with the first EDRS-A relay satellite launched into geostationary orbit on 30 January. The satellite will now …

• Defence Helicopter

  Singapore Airshow: Bell building momentum with trifecta

  10th February 2016

  Despite an industry downturn, much of it driven by the oil and gas segment, Bell Helicopter ‘had a good year’ in 2015. Although the OEM …

• Land Warfare

  EDA places order for Carl-Gustaf ammo

  26th January 2016

  Saab has received an order for Carl-Gustaf ammunition from the European Defence Agency (EDA), announced on 25 January. The order falls under an existing five …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris offers all-digital GPS satellite payloads

  3rd February 2016

  Harris is gearing up to offer its fully digital navigation payloads for future US Air Force GPS satellites. This follows a Request for Proposal (RFP) in …

• Military Logistics

  Philippine sealift vessel launched

  28th January 2016

  The first Strategic Sealift Vessel (SSV) for the Philippine Navy (PN) was launched by PT PAL in Surabaya, Indonesia on 17 January. LD 601, the …

• Land Warfare

  Stryker lethality review complete

  29th January 2016

  The plan to upgrade US Stryker armoured vehicles with a new automated turret and gun is moving ahead despite budgetary concerns. A preliminary design review …

• Land Warfare

  Hawkei undergoes fatigue testing

  20th January 2016

  The second phase of fatigue testing on Australia’s new Hawkei vehicles has now begun at at Thales Australia’s manufacturing facility in Bendigo, Victoria. The eight …

• Military Logistics

  Australia spans bridging gaps

  22nd January 2016

  Australia continues to renew its combat bridge inventory under a two-contract deal with WFEL, as announced on 20 January. The Australian Army sought new off-the-shelf …

• Land Warfare

  NSPA orders Saab RBS 70 Bolide missiles

  15th January 2016

  The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has awarded an order for RBS 70 Bolide missiles to Saab, the company announced on 13 January.  The …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Warmate [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Ukraine placed an order for an undisclosed number of Warmate systems in 2017. Shepherd believes units acquired in this order later were utilised ...

• Special operations vehicles

  Ashok Leyland LBPV (India - Air Force)

  Programme Background The IAF created the Garud commando force in 2004 to protect its airbases, carry out combat search and rescue and conduct covert operations ...

• Minehunters

  Awaji Class

  Programme Background Two Awaji class mine countermeasures vessels (MCMV) were ordered from the Japanese shipyard Japan Marine United (JMU) for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) initially. ...

• OPVs

  Inlay Class (second OPV)

  Programme Background The Inlay class originally consists of a single OPV in service with the Myanmar Navy. However, a second Inlay-class OPV has been reported under construction since ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  Eagle V 4x4

  According to documents released by the Danish Ministry of Defence, a total of 233.6 million Danish Krone (US$34.669 million) were allocated to this programme. 62.1 ...

• OPVs

  Cyprus Second Sa'ar 62 OPV

  Programme BackgroundThe Republic of Cyrus' Ministry of Defence placed an order with Israel Shipyards for its first Sa'ar 62  OPV in December 2015 in a project valued ...

• Loitering munitions

  Warmate (2017) [Poland]

  Programme Background Order In November 2017, Poland ordered 100 sets of Warmate loitering munitions, each consisting of ten platforms, for a reported 100 million Polish Zloty ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  HUSAR (2023 Order) [Germany]

  Programme Background First Order In 2015, the German Army launched the HUSAR programme to identify a replacement for its Airbus Defence & Space KZO and ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Makassar Class LPD (7)

  Indonesia signed a contract for $150 million for two LPDs in the Makassar class, KRI Makassar and KRI Surabaya, with South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering ...

• Patrol boats

  Rajshree Class (Flight II)

  Programme BackgroundThe Rajshree class is to consist of 13 FPVs built in two separate flights. Flight I saw construction begin in 2010 and all eight vessels ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  HUSAR (2017 Order) [Germany]

  Programme Background Requirement In 2015, the German Army launched the HUSAR programme to identify a replacement for its Airbus Defence & Space KZO and first-generation ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  New Exploration and Escort Helicopter (NEES) (Phase I) [Italy]

  Programme Background In 2017, the Italian government signed a contract with Leonardo to replace its fleet of AW129 Mangusta attack helicopters with the in-development AW249, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  ScanEagle [Czechia]

  Programme Background Earmarked The ACR took delivery of ten ScanEagle systems (100 UAVs), which were received as a donation from the US in 2015. In ...

• Aircraft carriers

  Queen Elizabeth Class

  The contract to begin the construction of the first ship was awarded in 2008, ten years after the programme was announced in the 1998 SDR. ...

• Submarines: conventional, attack

  S26T [Thailand]

  Programme Background The Royal Thai Navy has been in the process of acquiring a new submarine for a number of years. They formally selected China's ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Pistols

  Jericho Pistol 941

  Designed for military and law enforcement users, the Jericho Pistol 941 is available in 9mm, .40 S&W; and .45 ACP calibres and in standard, short ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  V-RAPTOR

  Unveiled at LAAD 2023 in Rio de Janeiro, the V-RAPTOR is a tactical police armoured vehicle from domestic manufacturer Combat Armor Defense do Brasil.

• Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  Guará WS

  Avibras is marketing the 4x4 Guará WS light armoured vehicle, a further development of its 4x4 AV-VB4 RE Guará prototype. Developed in cooperation with the ...

• OPVs

  Israel Shipyards OPV

  The Israel Shipyards OPV design is a 400t-500t vessel designed for naval security operations. The 500t version can equip a light marine helicopter (up to five ...

• Land: manned turrets

  TORC30

  The TORC30 is a stabilised unmanned turret armed with a Rheinmetall MK30-2/ABM 30mm cannon being developed by Ares, an Elbit subsidiary, and the Brazilian Army’s ...

• Air: Displays

  Panoramic Cockpit Display

  Developed by L3Harris and Elbit Systems America, the Panoramic Cockpit Display (PCD) is a touchscreen MFD integrated into F-35 aircraft. It provides two electronically divided ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  Armadillo TA-2

  The Armadillo TA-2 is an automatic or manned rocket launcher system designed to be fully retracted inside a 4x4 light vehicle.The concept, which was being ...

• EW test systems, Air: chaff, flare and decoy systems

  CAST-easy

  RUAG unveiled the Countermeasure Advanced System Test Equipment (CAST-easy) in 2017 earmarking it for the Panavia Tornado series of combat aircraft. The 2017 announcement stated ...

• Naval guns, Land: RWS

  Dragonfire

  Dragonfire is a new laser weapon system built for the UK MoD, receiving £30 million of funding in early 2017. The design of the gun ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Drone Deterrence System

  First unveiled at the LIMA 2017 exhibition by Mitsubishi Electric, the Drone Deterrence System began to be developed in 2014 and made its first sale in ...

• Military - UUVs

  ThunderFish Alpha

  The ThunderFish Alpha (formerly DeDAvE) is an AUV designed for deep-sea military, commercial and scientific applications. In March 2017, Kraken announced a licensing agreement for ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  Fletcher

  Arnold Defense, which has produced more than 1.1 million 2.75in/70mm rocket launchers for airborne applications since 1961, unveiled the Fletcher 2.75in/70mm Weapon System at the September ...

• Minehunters

  Kormoran II Class

  Three Kormoran II-class minehunters were budgeted for the Polish Navy in 2011, and a contract was placed for a prototype in 2013, with the first ...

• OPVs

  La Confiance Class (PLG)

  The La Confiance-class, also known as the Guyanese Light Patrol Vessel (PLG), in service with the French Navy, was designed by Bureau Mauric and built ...

• Submachine guns

  FN SCAR-SC

  FN Herstal unveiled the 5.56mm FN SCAR-SC (Subcompact Carbine), the newest member of the SCAR (SOF Combat Assault Rifle) family originally developed for the US ...