• Training

  Singapore Army experiments with robot dog teaming at Exercise Forging Sabre

  26th September 2023

  The Singapore Army is testing robotic dogs and UAVs for urban operations on exercise in the US.

• Land Warfare

  ST Engineering hints at new SAR21 and Ultimax 100 variants

  21st June 2023

  ST Engineering continues to refine its small arms, with new variants to debut at next year's Singapore Airshow.

• Air Warfare

  MBDA UK to bolster Poland’s air defence system in US$5 billion deal

  9th November 2023

  The NAREW effort aims to equip the Polish Armed Forces with a ground-based air defence system capable of effectively countering threats posed by cruise missiles and fighter jets.

• Air Warfare

  Poland explores loyal wingman options for F-35 fleet

  7th November 2023

  A senior Polish Armed Forces official has unveiled Poland's active pursuit of a loyal wingman platform to complement its upcoming fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighters.

• Air Warfare

  Poland receives first two AW149 helicopters

  31st October 2023

  This acquisition was the result of a signed US$2 billion contract for 32 AW149 helicopters announced in mid-June 2022.

• Air Warfare

  French Navy tests VSR700 naval UAS demonstrator on multi-mission frigate

  2nd November 2023

  The latest Naval Aerial Drone System trials aimed to showcase the UAS performance capabilities in surveillance and intelligence missions.

• Air Warfare

  Germany selects consortium to develop key SCAF technologies and ‘remote carriers’

  1st November 2023

  A signed contract between Airbus, FCMS and MBDA will focus on technology maturation, with an emphasis on complementary basic technologies for NGWS and the Future Combat Air System use from 2040.

• Land Warfare

  Reviving coastal protection: The renewed focus on shoreline defence

  15th May 2024

  The sinking of the Russian cruiser Moskva has been among a range of incidents and geopolitical developments in recent years that has brought the issue of coastal defence back into the minds of government and defence decision-makers.

• Land Warfare

  Leopard MBT: Alpha beast finally gets to work after a long slumber (updated 2024)

  14th May 2024

  Leopard MBTs are German-made main battle tanks that have been in service since the Cold War and have undergone several upgrades to remain competitive in modern warfare. This article traces the history and development of the Leopard 1 and 2, its variants, its operational service and its future prospects.

• Air Warfare

  Dubai Air Show 2023: Can air-launched missile stocks keep pace with a full-spectrum conflict?

  9th November 2023

  Russia's war in Ukraine has pushed the issue of stocks up the priorities list for air forces concerned about dwindling reservoirs of air-launched ordnance.

• Air Warfare

  Dubai Airshow 2023: How the MQ-9 Reaper UAS came to rule the skies

  10th November 2023

  Ahead of the 2023 edition of the Dubai Airshow, Shephard looks at the GA-ASI MQ-9A Reaper UAS, its role in shaping modern conflict dynamics, and its deployment for surveillance and precision strike throughout the Middle East.

• Air Warfare

  MBDA's Enforcer missile system gears up for full-scale production for Germany

  31st October 2023

  As the Enforcer system awaits approval from the Bundeswehr, the full-rate production has been scheduled to commence before the end of 2023. MBDA has also been exploring various Enforcer variants including an air-launched version.

• Naval Warfare

  Singapore receives first Invincible-class submarine

  24th July 2023

  The first-in-class boat remains in Germany to assist with training.

• Air Warfare

  France enters talks with Saudi Arabia for potential sale of 54 Rafale fighter jets

  25th October 2023

  Saudi Arabia had officially requested a detailed quote from Dassault for 54 Rafale fighter jets, with a deadline of November 10 for a response. The estimated cost for the deal could rise to nearly US$8 billion.

• Training

  Exclusive: Full list of British Army $1 billion collective training programme bidders revealed

  23rd November 2023

  Internal documents obtained by Shephard have revealed a covert line up of companies, including Elbit Systems, joining the competition for the British Army Collective Training System (ACTS, previously known as CTTP).

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  S-70M Black Hawk [Indonesia]

  Programme Background On 23 August 2023, Lockheed Martin announced that Sikorsky had signed an agreement with PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) for a strategic partnership in ...

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

  Heron Mk 1 Replacement [Singapore]

  Programme Background Ahead of the Singapore Airshow, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) outgoing chief, Major General Kelvin Khong, stated that the service would ...

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

  Hermes 450 Replacement [Singapore]

  Programme Background Ahead of the Singapore Airshow, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) outgoing chief, Major General Kelvin Khong, stated that the service would replace its ...

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

  Ship-Bourne VTOL UAV [Singapore]

  Programme Background Multi-Role Combat Vessel  The Republic of Singapore Navy will retire its class of six Victory-class corvettes and replace them with a new platform ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Parrot Anafi (Singapore)

  Programme Background On 7 February 2022, the Singapore Army posted photographs on Facebook that showed the Anafi UAV used as training devices in a five-day ...

• Maritime patrol

  Maritime Patrol Aircraft (Singapore)

  Programme Background Deployed from Changi West airbase, and jointly operated by the RSAF and Republic of Singapore Navy, the ageing Fokker 50 fleet is primarily ...

• Amphibious assault ships, Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Landing Ship Tank Replacement [Singapore]

  Programme Background Requirements Singapore needs to replace its four in-service Endurance-class ships, which will be retired in the late 2020s. In 2014, Singapore announced the ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Vesper [Singapore]

  In September 2024, the Singapore Army announced on Facebook that it had acquired the Vesper drone from Vantage Robotics in collaboration with the Defence Science and ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Vesper [Singapore]

  In September 2024, the Singapore Army announced on Facebook that it had acquired the Vesper drone from Vantage Robotics in collaboration with the Defence Science and ...

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

  Orbiter 4 (Singapore)

  Programme Background Contract Announcement Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced the acquisition during the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) Committee of Supply debate on 2 March 2022. Following ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Landing Ship Tank Replacement [Singapore]

  Singapore needs to replace its four in-service Endurance-class ships, which will be retired in the late 2020s. The country has already announced the intention to replace ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F Chinook (Singapore)

  Programme Background In July 2020, photos have emerged on the internet of the first Boeing CH-47F Chinook destined for the Republic of Singapore Air Force ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Vesper [Singapore]

  Programme Background On 6 September 2024, the Singapore Army announced on Facebook that it had introduced the Vesper into service. The social media post confirmed ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Garmoosha [UAE]

  Programme Background First Contract In an interview with Shephard at the Dubai Airshow 2021, Faisal Al Bannai, CEO of EDGE, stated the development of the ...

• Frigates

  Multi-Role Combat Vessels (1-6) [Singapore]

  Programme Background Requirements Singapore is planning to replace its current ageing Victory-class corvettes, which are due to leave service in 2025, with an equal number of ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  Veloce-60

  The Veloce-60 was a fixed-wing UAV first displayed by ST Engineering at Singapore Airshow 2020. It had VTOL capabilities with a rear-mounted piston engine to power a ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Viper 40

  The Viper 40 is a tube-launched loitering munition from SpearUAV. Part of the wider Viper family of drones, the variant can uniquely be launched from ...

• Military UGVs

  Taurus

  Unveiled at Singapore Airshow 2024, the Taurus is a medium UGV from ST Engineering. The multi-role vehicle can be used for surveillance, casualty evacuation, logistics transport and ...

• Tiltrotors, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Lanying R6000

  First shown at the 2024 Singapore Airshow, the Lanying R6000 is an optionally crewed helicopter from United Aircraft Group. It is comparable to the V-22 ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  TD220

  The TD220 is an electric, coaxial dual-rotor UAV manufactured by Zhong Hang Zhi (ZHZ). The aircraft, which debuted at the 2014 Singapore Airshow, is designed ...

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

  Hermes 650 Spark

  Unveiled at the Singapore Airshow 2024, the Hermes 650 Spark is a MALE fixed-wing drone from Elbit Systems.  The UAV has been designed to minimise life cycle ...

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

  Veloce-15

  The ST Engineering Veloce-15 (V-15) is a hybrid fixed-wing UAV with four rotors for vertical lift and a tail-mounted two-bladed pusher propeller for horizontal propulsion.  ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  DrN-35DH

  The DrN-35DH is a hexacopter UAV that ST Engineering showed at the Singapore Airshow 2024. Designed for ISR operations, it carries two cameras, with a primary gimbaled EO/IR ...

• Military - USVs

  Seagull

  At the Singapore Airshow 2016, Elbit Systems unveiled a prototype of its latest USV. The Seagull USV, with MCM capability, has been designed for facilitating ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  DrN-15 (series)

  The DrN-15 is a hexacopter mini-UAV from ST Engineering. The platform is highly customizable and can carry various payloads depending on a user's requirements.  All DrN ...

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

  Wing Loong 10

  The Wing Loong 10 is a HALE UAV, known as the WL-10 in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and formally known as the Cloud ...

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  Singapore BWC

  The Singapore Basic Wings Course (BWC) is a 20-year service contract awarded to Lockheed Martin in November 2006 to provide the Republic of Singapore Air ...

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

  Super Heron HF

  The Super Heron Heavy Fuel (HF) MALE UAS is a heavy-fuel version of the Heron Mk 1 manufactured by Isreal Aerospace Industries' Malat Division. The platform ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Viper 750

  The Viper 750 is a tube-launched loitering munition from SpearUAV. Part of the wider Viper family of drones, the variant can uniquely be launched from ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  LD-10

  The Chinese LD-10 anti-radiation missile was unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2012.