• Defence Notes

  Is the industrial base strong enough to fulfil the 2022 US National Defense Strategy?

  1st November 2022

  The document outlines the challenges the country expects to face in the next decade, putting emphasis on the Indo-Pacific and considering China the ‘most comprehensive and serious challenge’ to the US.

• Training

  Sikorsky receives order for VH-92 presidential helicopter training device

  2nd September 2022

  Sikorsky is producing and installing an extra VH-92A Flight Training Device.

• Land Warfare

  GDLS bets on innovative capabilities in USMC ARV competition

  12th August 2022

  GDLS is working on a prototype that will be equipped with an advanced electronic architecture and enhanced C4/UAS, AI, robotic and communication features.

• Land Warfare

  US orders additional Carl-Gustaf ammunition and AT4 systems

  7th September 2022

  AT4CS RS systems and munitions for the Carl-Gustaf will be supplied by Saab for the US Army, US Special Operations Command and the USMC.

• Defence Notes

  SAIC contracted for US Navy network support

  26th August 2022

  Science Applications International Corp (SAIC) has been awarded a $163 million USN contract to support the shore networks for the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific Shore Networks Branch.

• Land Warfare

  US Marines to field Next Generation Handheld Targeting System in FY24

  18th August 2022

  Acquired in February 2022, the Next Generation Handheld Targeting System will allow Marines to rapidly and accurately conduct target location and laser guidance during combat operations.

• Land Warfare

  US Marine Corps tests Northrop Grumman AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar

  16th August 2022

  The USMC conducted trials with the AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR as part of the Ground Based Air Defense Medium-Range Intercept Capability (GBAD MRIC) programme.

• Land Warfare

  US Marine Corps seeks to apply lessons from Russo-Ukrainian war

  25th July 2022

  The US Marine Corps has been learning lessons from the war in Ukraine and is now focusing on the acquisition and deployment of UAVs and artillery systems with long-range capabilities.

• Defence Notes

  UK defence strategy since the Integrated Review: the view from Washington

  26th September 2022

  What do US policymakers make of UK strategic thinking in the wake of the Integrated Review, and how could subsequent events affect the transatlantic defence relationship?

• Digital Battlespace

  US Marine Corps orders defensive cyber weapons

  12th August 2022

  Sealing Technologies is to provide the USMC with a suite of Defense Cyber Weapons Systems

• Land Warfare

  US Army conducts qualification shots of the TOW 2B antitank missile

  15th September 2022

  TOW 2B tests were conducted in a challenging simulated operational environment in the Redstone Test Center in Huntsville (Alabama) under the TOW obsolescence safety effort.

• Land Warfare

  Can the US meet the international demand for HIMARS?

  9th August 2022

  The performance of the M142 HIMARS in Ukraine has led to increased interest in this platform, but it has also raised questions about the capacity of the US to satisfy international demand in the short term.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Navy looks for longer range and endurance to solve wide-area mission planning

  13th August 2022

  The US Navy is engaged in a number of efforts to identify rapid acquisition strategies for new maritime based aircraft and technologies, including wide area mission capable UAVs.

• Training

  RUAG and Tactical Air to revamp US Navy aggressor F-5 fleet

  5th August 2022

  RUAG and Tactical Air will work to improve safety and readiness of US Navy Red Air adversary training aircraft under the modernisation programme.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy modifies Over-the-Horizon Weapon System missile deal for Raytheon

  8th August 2022

  OTH-WS is intended to provide a long range anti-ship, over-the-horizon offensive anti-surface warfare capability to USN.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Long-Range Attack Munition (LRAM) [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

• Military UAS - small

  RQ-21A Blackjack / STUASLO - Replacement Units (USMC)

  Programme Background Joint USN and USMC Procurment The RQ-21 Blackjack, or STUALSO, was a combined United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) programme ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-1Z

  In issuing the Force Design 2030 report into the future direction of the USMC, the corps is attempting to steer the course of its development, ...

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

  Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Unmanned Expeditionary (MUX) (Increment 1) [USMC]

  Programme Background All-in-One UAV Since 2016, the USMC has wished to acquire a UAV that could be deployed from a vessel, be used for various missions, ...

• Loitering munitions

  Organic Precision Fire - Mounted (OPF-M) [USMC]

  Programme Background Armed Vehicles In June 2021, Shephard reported that the USMC had selected the HERO-120 for the OPF-M programme. The USMC planned to integrate ...

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

  JLTV Future Procurement (USMC)

  Programme Background The USMC is expected to procure 10,859 JLTVs to replace all of its HMMWVs on a like-for-like basis. Since the USMC has already ...

• Military UAS - small

  RQ-21A Blackjack / STUASLO - Replacement Units (USN)

  Programme Background Joint USN and USMC Procurment The RQ-21 Blackjack, or STUALSO, was a combined United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) programme ...

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

  Micro VTOL [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

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

  Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial Resupply System (JTAARS) / Medium ULS-A [USMC]

  Programme Background US Marine ULS-A programmes The US Marines are seeking a family of Unmanned Logistics Systems-Air (ULS-A), which will provide logistics and ground units with ...

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

  XQ-58A Valkyrie [USMC]

  Programme Background Contract Award On 30 December 2022, the US DoD announced that it had awarded Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems a $15.52 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to ...

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

  Medium Range/Medium Endurance (MR/ME) [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Nano VTOL [USMC]

  In April 2024, the USMC released a document outlining its drone strategy and how it intended to achieve its uncrewed ambitions. The document contained various ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Nano VTOL [USMC]

  In April 2024, the USMC released a document outlining its drone strategy and how it intended to achieve its uncrewed ambitions. The document contained various ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35B STOVL Future Procurement - US Navy

  US Navy has ordered 122 F-35B aircraft until FY2020, the remaining 202 fighters will be acquired at a rate of 10 and 17 per year ...

• Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  ARV (USMC)

  Programme Background The ARV constitutes one component of a wider USMC effort to develop an interconnected network of manned and unmanned platforms more suited to ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  GATR e850 Outdoor Modem

  Cubic’s GATR e850 is a rugged broadband outdoor modem ideal for mobile/transportable communications, based on the iDirect e850 board set. Features include a waterproof enclosure ...

• Individual assault/anti-tank weapons

  M72 LAW FFE

  The M72 Light Assault Weapon Fire from Enclosure (M72 LAW FFE) was developed by Nammo to meet a USMC requirement for a version of the ...

• Military helicopters - maritime, Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-1Y Venom

  Originally planned as a UH-1N Twin Huey upgrade for the USMC, all but the first ten UH-1Ys now use new-build airframes. This new build prevents ...

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

  SeaOnyx

  The SeaOnyx is an in-development cargo-carrying coaxial rotary-wing UAV manufactured by Ledois in partnership with Phenix Solutions.  In April 2023, Leidos announced it had been awarded an ...

• Fighter - multirole, Fighter - naval

  F-35C

  The F-35C Lightning II, also known as the F-35 carrier variant (CV), is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft in carrier configuration. It has larger wings and ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  LAV-25

  General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada has produced derivatives of the Piranha series, branded the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV), since the Canadian Army selected the 6x6 Piranha ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-1 SeaCobra

  Bell developed the 209/AH-1 SeaCobra on the basis of the US Army’s single-engine AH-1G Cobra as the USMC determined that a twin-engine attack helicopter would ...

• Air: mission management systems

  AFATDS

  Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) is a multi-service (US Army/USMC) joint and combined forces fire support battle command system. It provides automated support ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV

  BAE Systems teamed with Iveco Defence to offer a version of Iveco Defence Vehicle's Superav for the USMC's Armored Combat Vehicle Phase 1 Increment 1 ...

• Air: transport/tanker simulators

  USMC KC-130J Training Devices

  CAE delivered a KC-130J cockpit avionics part-task trainer to MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. The device is used for classroom training of ground maintenance personnel ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  SAIC ACV 1.1 prototype

  SAIC unveiled its first prototype for the USMC Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) 1.1 (Phase 1, Increment 1) project on 21 February 2017. The SAIC prototype is ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-1W SuperCobra

  Bell’s AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter was developed from the AH-1T for the USMC. It has been in service since 1986 to the present day, first ...

• Subsystems: software

  DI-Guy

  DI-Guy is an AI, scenario and SDK for real-time human visualisation, simulation and artificial intelligence. DI-Guy has thousands of realistic ready-to-use characters and motions. It ...

• TCTS Inc-II

  Collins Aerospace (formerly Rockwell Collins) and Leonardo DRS have been selected by the USN to supply an encrypted, next-generation tactical training system for its Tactical ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  HIMARS

  Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control developed the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher to provide the US and allied armies with a ...