• Land Warfare

  Red Cat to begin Black Widow sUAS production in early 2025

  26th November 2024

  Red Cat, recently selected for the US Army’s ambitious SRR programme to supply warfighters with the next-generation Black Widow sUAS, will begin production on the uncrewed platform in early 2025.

• Defence Notes

  US lawmakers warn that “more military spending is absolutely necessary” to ensure Pentagon’s readiness

  15th April 2024

  The US Congress has raised concerns about how inflation rates and cuts in main acquisition programmes could affect the US military.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Why lawmakers want the US Army to have a Drone Corps

  30th May 2024

  Despite opposition from the service’s leadership, the proposal to have a separate UAV and C-UAV branch has advanced in the House of Representatives.

• Air Warfare

  Royal Navy Merlin Mk4 ditching kills one crew member

  5th September 2024

  A ditching is a deliberate emergency landing on water, not a crash.

• Land Warfare

  Danish CV90 fleet’s mid-life upgrade contract awarded to BAE Systems

  21st March 2024

  BAE Systems Hägglunds, the manufacturer of the Royal Danish Army’s fleet of CV90 infantry fighting vehicles, has been awarded a contract to prolong the life of the vehicles.

• Air Warfare

  Tiltrotor: The Long-Range Maneuver Solution

  25th February 2025

  If competition turns to conflict, the United States, along with its allies and partners, must be prepared to confront peer and near-peer competitors capable of achieving parity in military capability.

• Land Warfare

  Boxer continues swinging with the announcement of three key milestones in the next four months

  19th September 2024

  The UK’s Mechanised Infantry Vehicle programme appears set for a busy four months of success as the Boxer continues to deliver and be delivered. In an announcement at DVD 2024, the UK Boxer programme is set to see its final prototype vehicle, the first UK-produced serial vehicle, and initial conversion training by the British Army start by January 2025.

• Air Warfare

  First donated F-16s arrive in Ukraine but more pilot training will be ‘critical’

  7th August 2024

  Denmark and the Netherlands were the first Western nations to promise donated aircraft.

• Air Warfare

  Turkey moves one step closer towards Eurofighter Typhoon purchase

  17th October 2024

  Germany, the last country in the programme’s consortium to agree to any potential sale, has now softened its objections as the go-ahead for technical talks has been given.

• Naval Warfare

  MBDA and Safran unveil the latest versions of the SIMBAD-RC and NGDS launchers

  25th October 2024

  With navies facing the growing threats of swarms of UAVs and fast attack craft/USVs, the two French companies have been developing reloadable-at-sea systems capable of firing multiple ammunitions.

• Naval Warfare

  Military threats force through Australian frigate procurement

  9th July 2024

  Construction may have been started by BAE Systems on the first Hunter-class frigate but scepticism surrounds the general-purpose frigate programme due to delays and planning issues.

• Air Warfare

  RTX Raytheon wins billion-dollar contract for F-22 sensors

  2nd September 2024

  The details of the sensor upgrade have yet to be formalised but could involve infrared search and tracking.

• Air Warfare

  Brazil’s first Gripen F reaches final assembly line as delivery edges closer

  20th May 2024

  A concrete delivery timeline for the first Saab JAS 39F Gripen two-seater for Brazil has yet to be confirmed, but with the fighter now in the final assembly stage and undergoing testing, delivery could come soon.

• Naval Warfare

  US Coast Guard to invest nearly $500 million in Arctic capabilities

  28th March 2024

  The branch has been seeking icebreakers, cutters, C3 and ISR solutions, as well as uncrewed aerial and maritime platforms.

• Air Warfare

  Hungary to get more Gripens from Saab

  23rd February 2024

  The new order followed a 2022 announcement that Saab would modernise the Hungarian Air Force’s current fleet of 14 JAS 39C/D Gripen fighter aircraft.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  DP18A [Thailand]

  Programme Background According to Aero Technology Industry Company Limited (ATIL) officials, speaking to Janes at Defence & Security (D&S;) 2023 in Bangkok, at the time of ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A400M [Türkiye]

  Turkey has become the second country to receive the new-generation A400M airlifter, with the first of ten aircraft handed over by Airbus Defence and Space ...

• Trainer

  S-211 Replacement [Philippines]

  Programme Background Requirement The Philippines is looking at replacement options for its ageing fleet of S-211 trainer jets. The S-211s have been in operation with ...

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

  Sky Scout-X [Thailand]

  Programme Background At the Defence & Security (D&S;) 2019 show in Bangkok, RV Connex displayed a variant of this Sky Scout, the Sky Scout-X. This ...

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

  Long-Endurance UAV [US AFRICOM]

  Programme Background Ageing MQ-9A Reapers In November 2022, Shephard reported that GA-ASI would continue supporting contractor SMX with its MQ-9A after winning a $2.3 billion task ...

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

  D-Eyes 04 [Thailand]

  Programme Background Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) According to a 29 June 2021 announcement, the RTA signed an MoU with Thailand's DTI to develop a MALE ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)

  Programme Background Five prototypes will be manufactured for developmental tests. Indian Air Force will buy 36 AMCA Mark-I aircraft from 2029-30. The Mark-I configuration will ...

• Trainer

  T-4 Replacement [Japan]

  Programme Background The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) has been using the T-4 as an intermediate trainer jet since 1988, but now the Acquisition, Technology ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V [Türkiye]

  Programme Background Requirement Turkish Air Force ordered 100 F-35A aircraft as a partner nation, however, the country was removed from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions [Thailand]

  Programme Background Roadmap In February 2024, the RTAF unveiled its White Paper 2024. Incorporating lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel-Hamas War, and other events such ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Next Generation Submarines [Japan]

  Japan is undertaking development studies for its Next Generation Submarine design. The project aims to develop a new platform that is expected to start replacing ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Next Generation Submarines [Japan]

  Japan is undertaking development studies for its Next Generation Submarine design. The project aims to develop a new platform that is expected to start replacing ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  MUM-T Drone [Thailand]

  Programme Background Roadmap In February 2024, the RTAF unveiled its White Paper 2024. Incorporating lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel-Hamas War, and other events ...

• Trainer

  T-6C [Thailand]

  Programme Background The contract is for 12 Beechcraft T-6C Texan II advanced military training aircraft, ground-based training systems for pilots and maintenance professionals, a mission ...

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

  Persistent Surveillance / High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) [Japan]

  Programme Background Drone Appetite Released in December 2022, the Defence Buildup Programme (DBP) called on the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) to replace some human assets with ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  PC-21 FTD

  Airbus D&S; has technical responsibility for overall system integration and the geo-specific database within the consortium for the development and production of the Pilatus PC-21 ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  Distributed and Networked Mission Training

  Airbus D&S; networks training systems to enable joint and distributed mission training across local and national boundaries, generating realistic and needs-oriented scenarios. The solution uses ...

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

  Sky Scout-M

  Unveiled at the Defense & Security (D&S;) 2023 exhibition in Bangkok, the Sky Scout-M is a combat version of the Sky Scout from RV Connex.  ...

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

  DP18A

  Unveiled at Defence & Security 2023 in Bangkok, the DP18A is a fixed-wing tactical drone designed to offer the Thai Armed Forces a cost-effective drone capable ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  TEagle Eye III

  Thailand’s state-owned Defence Technology Institute (DTI) unveiled the TEagle Eye III fixed-wing UAV in November 2015 at the country's Defence and Security (D&S;) exhibition. It ...

• Helicopter guns

  FN D-HMP 250

  The FN D-HMP (Digital Heavy Machine Gun Pod) 250 is a self-contained airborne weapon system armed with a .50 cal FN M3P heavy machine gun, ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar, Air: surveillance radar

  AN/APY-1/2

  The S-band AN/APY-1 radar is installed in a large rotodome above the fuselage of the Boeing KE-3A/E-3A/B Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft ...

• Land: battle management systems, Naval: Combat Management Systems

  SENIN

  The French Navy has chosen Airbus D&S; and SODENA for development and installation of SENIN on its entire fleet of the ECDIS electronic cartography system. ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - national programmes

  21st Century Warrior

  Slovenia picked S&T; IT Solutions and Services for the R&D; phase of its 21st Century Warrior programme. The future soldier system is designed to fit ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Australian Army S-70 Training System

  The Australian Army S-70A-9 Black Hawk is a turnkey programme including a full flight and mission simulator (FF&MS;), building, facilities and maintenance support. This CAE-built ...

• Tanks

  M60A3 Upgrade

  Leonardo presented its M60A3 upgrade proposal, which improves the tank's firepower, protection and mobility, for the first time at the Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM, Naval: Radio and SATCOM

  R&S M3SR Series4100

  Rohde & Schwarz M3SR Series4100 is a family of software-defined HF radios designed for stationary and shipborne communications. Offered in multiple configurations, they offer high-data-rate BLOS ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Brunei MPTC

  The CAE Brunei Multi-Purpose Training Centre (MPTC) is a JV established in 2012 between CAE and the Government of Brunei. Located in Rimba near the Brunei ...

• Data links

  MIDS FDL LVT-3

  The MIDS Fighter Data Link (FDL) LVT-3 was developed by Rockwell Collins and BAE Systems under a limited liability company to integrate MIDS commonality in ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  NanoS2

  The NanoS2 acquisition system combines a data concentrator and a compact flight test recorder, which provides modularity and permits stacking of 12 data acquisition modules ...