• Naval Warfare

  Arleigh Burke-class destroyer finishes second sea trial

  27th February 2020

  Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) completed the second builder’s sea trials of the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Delbert D. Black (DDG 119). The vessel spent …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  France's DGA tests nEUROn in operational contexts

  24th February 2020

  The French DGA has completed a new flight test campaign of the nEUROn stealth combat drone technology demonstrator. Carried out in cooperation with Dassault Aviation, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  RAN trials USV, AUV capabilities

  29th January 2020

  The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group have carried out a trial of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) capabilities at …

• Military Logistics

  RAAF C-130J trials Litening sensor pod

  31st January 2020

  A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-130J Hercules aircraft has begun flight trials equipped with a Northrop Grumman Litening sensor pod. Mounted on a pylon underneath …

• Naval Warfare

  Raytheon prepares for SM-3 against intercontinental ballistic missile test

  23rd January 2020

  The development of the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) will continue in the coming months with further tests on targets beyond Earth’s upper atmosphere, as the USN …

• Land Warfare

  Dstl, QinetiQ complete APS trials

  16th January 2020

  Trials of an Active Protection System (APS) for Dstl’s Medusa Technology Assessment Programme (TAP) by a QinetiQ-led industry team are now complete. Part of Dstl’s …

• Air Warfare

  Chinese military jet engine production plans exposed

  24th January 2020

  Intriguing details about the production of Chinese aircraft jet engines for the next six years were exposed by a subsidiary of the Central Iron & …

• Defence Notes

  What is the Tor-M1?

  10th January 2020

  To learn more about our Defence Insight service, arrange a free trial. With Western officials suggesting that Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was hit by …

• Defence Notes

  Podcast: Revolutions in Vertical Flight S1 E2: The Dawn of the Helicopter

  20th December 2019

  Welcome to Shephard Studio’s podcast series on Revolutions in Vertical Flight, sponsored by our partner Bell. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and more. The Revolutions in Vertical Flight …

• Digital Battlespace

  NEMO trials underway off the UK coast

  4th November 2019

  Participants from 13 NATO countries are taking part in Naval Electro Magnetic Operations (NEMO) trials off the south coast of the UK.The six-day trial provides …

• Digital Battlespace

  GPS III COps connects with first GPS III satellite

  23rd October 2019

  The US Air Force’s (USAF’s) GPS III Contingency Operations Program (COps) has successfully connected with the first GPS III satellite on orbit, the USAF announced …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Camcopter completes Norwegian SAR demo

  7th October 2019

  Schiebel has completed a shipboard demonstration of its Camcopter S-100 unmanned helicopter for the Norwegian coast guard. Showcasing the unmanned aerial vehicle’s ability to support search …

• Naval Warfare

  Prince of Wales sails for initial sea trials

  20th September 2019

  The Royal Navy’s second aircraft carrier, Prince of Wales, has sailed from Rosyth Dockyard for initial sea trials. The carrier will conduct extensive sea trials …

• Military Logistics

  50th MT30 gas turbine complete

  17th September 2019

  Rolls-Royce has completed the 50th MT30 gas turbine, which will now be despatched for the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force’s 30FFM frigate. The turbine will …

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2019: Soucy showcases Warrior with rubber tracks

  3rd September 2019

  Soucy Defence will showcase a Warrior 510 IFV with its Composite Rubber Tracks (CRT) at DSEI 2019 following 5,000km of trials as part of the Warrior …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Project Vixen [UK]

  Programme Background Project Goal The Royal Navy uses Leonardo crewed Merlin (AW101) helicopters fitted with CROWSNEST pods to provide airborne early warning capabilities for carriers. An early ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Akinci [Pakistan]

  Programme Background 'Brotherly Ties'  On 14 January 2022, the Pakistan government unveiled its first-ever National Security Policy. As reported by Shephard, the policy emphasised 'brotherly ties' with ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) Project [Japan]

  Programme Background Requirement The Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) operated a few dozen Chinese-made UAVs that conducted SAR and surveillance activities. The drones performed well and ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Camcopter S-100 [Greece]

  Programme Background Trails A 2 August 2021 Schiebel press release announced the company had demonstrated the Camcopter S-100's capabilities to the Hellenic Navy. The UAV was ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Multi-Purpose Vessels (MPVs) [India]

  Programme Background Requirements The units will perform multi-role support functions such as maritime surveillance& patrol, launching/recovery of torpedoes and operation of various types of aerial, ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4, Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  Multi-Role Vehicle (Protected) (MRV-P) Package 1 (UK)

  Programme Background Requirement The MRV-P programme was intended to procure replacements for a diverse fleet of 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles purchased during the wars in Iraq ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  RQ-7B Shadow v2 Block III (USA)

  Programme Background The first iteration of the Shadow UAS, the Shadow 600, was first introduced in 1992 and since then Textron has had a longstanding ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  DEF129 Small UAS Plus [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The army wanted up to 17 SUAS+ systems with a life of six years. The tender said the UAV would be issued ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Hermes 900 StarLiner [Switzerland]

  Programme Background Contract Information In September 2015, under the Reconnaissance Drone System 15 (ADS 15), the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (VBS) awarded ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  4x4 Armoured Vehicle [Estonia]

  Programme Background The Estonian military wants to replace its fleet of soft-skin troop transports with 4x4 and 6x6 armoured vehicles. This will improve the survivability ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions (Forecast) [Germany]

  Programme Background Three Systems In April 2023, Germany reportedly ordered three different loitering munition systems to further assess their suitability for use by the German Armed ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  4x4 Armoured Vehicle (Unknown)

  Programme Background The Estonian military wants to replace its fleet of soft-skin troop transports with 4x4 and 6x6 armoured vehicles. This will improve the survivability ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  V-Bat 128 (Canada)

  Programme Background Requirement Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) is seeking a platform for the CCG that will significantly expand its surveillance range during search ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Heavy IFV [Poland]

  Programme Background Requirement Due to the perceived threat from Russia and the conflict in Ukraine, Poland has accelerated and expanded its plans to modernise its ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  TAPAS BH-201 [India]

  Programme Background Requirements As of late 2023, the Indian tri-service plan was reportedly to acquire 155 indigenously produced MALE UAVs alongside 31 MQ-9B drones from General Atomics (GA-ASI), ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UGVs

  Mission Master XT

  Part of Rheinmetall's Mission Master family, The Mission Mater Extreme Terrain, or Mission Master XT, is a rugged UGV designed to accompany troops in challenging environments ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  Tigon

  Hanwha Defense Systems selected DSA 2018 in Kuala Lumpur as the location to unveil its Tigon 6x6 armoured wheeled vehicle. The company conducted a fortnight-long ...

• Matternet M2

  The Matternet M2 quadcopter UAV has been certified by the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation for full logistics operations over cities. The platform is ...

• Special operations vehicles

  VOS-APP

  The Arquus VOS-APP is a 6x6 support vehicle currently under trial with the French SOF. Acting as a replacement for the 1970s-vintage ACMAT VLRA, the VOS-APP is the ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  KUS-VT tiltrotor

  The KUS-VT is a tiltrotor UAV that first flew in October 2013 and was exhibited at ADEX 2013. The aircraft is designed to have a ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  M1150 ABV

  The M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) project, launched by the USMC in 2002, is a joint programme to meet the requirements of both the US ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  HQ-60

  Similarly to other platforms in the L3 Technologies Hybrid Quadrotor (HQ) and Fixed-Wing Rotator family (see separate entries) of VTOL fixed-wing UAVs, the HQ-60 has ...

• Air-launched ASW torpedoes, Ship-launched torpedoes, Submarine-launched torpedoes

  MU90

  The MU90 is a lightweight torpedo manufactured in collaboration between Leonardo, Naval Group and Thales. It is a fire-and-forget torpedo that can be launched from ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Mojave

  Unveiled in December 2021, the Mojave is a MALE UAV in development by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI). It is based on the avionics and flight control ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Archer

  The Archer is a short-range UAV being developed for India by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).  Based on the Rustom I and inspired by Bayrakar's ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Flamingo Mk3

  The Flamingo Mk3 entered production in July 2017 and is based on the Flamingo Mk2. The Mk3 has been designed to provide a 65% increase ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  Miysis DIRCM

  Leonardo’s Miysis Directed Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) system provides high power, all aspect protection against modern and legacy Infrared Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (IR MANPADS) for ...

• Loitering munitions

  Mace

  Mace is a loitering munition developed by UAC, a Czech-Ukrainian company that is a subsidiary of DeViro. The electric-powered, catapult-launched UAV can host various warheads, including HEAT, thermobaric and ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  United 40 Block-5

  The United 40 was unveiled at the Dubai Airshow 2011 and is a MALE UAV with a twin-wing configuration and a hybrid turbine-electric engine. The ...

• Mine-protected vehicles

  Phantom 380-X1

  The Phantom 380-X1 is a 4x4 multipurpose armoured vehicle produced by Thailand's Panus. It is powered by a six-cylinder turbo engine with an undercarriage capable ...