• Military Logistics

  F-35 airframe and engine MRO&U assigned for Asia Pacific

  19th December 2014

  F-35 airframe and engine Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade (MRO&U) capability for the Asia Pacific region has been assigned to Japan and Australia, it was …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Republic of Korea buys four Global Hawks

  18th December 2014

  THE Department of Defense (DoD) has announced the US government has approved the sale of four Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Block 30 Global Hawks to the …

• Land Warfare

  Rheinmetall receives US military orders

  18th December 2014

  Rheinmetall has been selected to supply advanced infantry and screening smoke munitions to the US armed forces. The company’s subsidiary, American Rheinmetall Munitions (ARM), has …

• Defence Helicopter

  Taiwan introduces first UH-60Ms

  17th December 2014

  Taiwan is standing up its first four Sikorsky UH-60M helicopters at Guiren Air Base, after they arrived from the US on 3 December. Destined for …

• Land Warfare

  Pearson to assess Challenger 2

  17th December 2014

  Pearson Engineering has been selected by the UK Ministry of Defence to assess up to 60 of the British Army’s Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank …

• Land Warfare

  Saab eyes future ATGM after Roquette success

  17th December 2014

  Saab is looking to provide its new extended-range (ER) and high explosive (HE) capabilities to current users of the AT4 anti-tank guided missile as well …

• Land Warfare

  USMC issues armour challenge

  17th December 2014

  A new stand-alone armour system to provide protection against heavy machine guns (HMGs) is being sought by the USMC. In cooperation with the US Defense …

• Defence Notes

  Russian defence companies see growth, for now

  16th December 2014

  Russian defence companies saw a 20% rise in sales last year, according to a new report analysing the world’s top 100 arms producers. Several Russian …

• Defence Helicopter

  India to launch Mi-17 and Ka-226T production

  16th December 2014

  India will begin licensed production of the Mi-17 and Ka-226T helicopters, following a political agreement reached as Russia chases a lucrative Indian military helicopter tender. …

• Land Warfare

  Russian MoD set to buy more Verba MANPADS

  16th December 2014

  The Russian Ministry of Defence is set to buy more 9K333 Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPAD). A source at the Russian MoD told Shephard that …

• Digital Battlespace

  ADF orders Harris Falcon III wideband tactical radios

  16th December 2014

  Harris Corporation will deliver Falcon III tactical radios to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) under an order from the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation as part …

• Naval Warfare

  Lockheed Martin to continue building MK41 VLS

  16th December 2014

  LOCKHEED Martin will continue building MK 41 Vertical Launch Systems (VLS) for the US Navy under a $235 million contract award announced on 15 December. …

• Digital Battlespace

  MUOS radio terminal support facility opens

  15th December 2014

  A new radio terminal development and certification facility has been opened by Lockheed Martin to support the US military in maximising utilisation of the Mobile …

• Land Warfare

  Aussie Land 400 initiated

  15th December 2014

  Australia’s Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) has kick-started the Australian Army’s massive Land 400 Phase 2 vehicle acquisition programme. In an announcement on the 10 December …

• Digital Battlespace

  BAE Systems to acquire Eclipse Electronic Systems

  12th December 2014

  BAE Systems has entered into an agreement with Esterline Corporation for the proposed acquisition of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Eclipse Electronic Systems. The company announced the …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants)

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• Tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams [Poland]

  Programme Background Requirement Since the early 2010s Poland wanted to upgrade its Soviet-era tank fleet due to modernisation requirements, the need to increase interoperability with NATO ...

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

  Drone40 (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background In August 2022, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a think tank, held a podcast with Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, in which ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Land 400 Phase 2 - Boxer CRV (Australia)

  Programme Background History The Land 400 Phase 2 programme will procure a replacement for the ASLAV, a derivative of the General Dynamics Land Systems Light Armoured Vehicle ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel - Medium (Project Land 8710 Phase 1A) [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirements Australia has set out requirements for a fleet of up to 18 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels - Medium (LMV-M) with the release of ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Second Hand SSNs [Australia]

  Programme Background Timeline In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock ...

• Tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams [Poland - Forecast]

  Programme Background Requirement The Polish Army wants to replace its legacy Soviet T-72 MBTs with new NATO-standard platforms to increase interoperability with its allies and ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Tanks

  Viatura Blindada de Combate-Carro de Combate (VBC-CC) [Brazil]

  Programme Background Several key technical requirements have been outlined by the Brazilian MoD. Among the most important are that the platform should weigh less than ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  Programme Background AUKUS Australia announced on 16 September 2021 that the contract with Naval Group signed in 2016 had been cancelled. Although not a surprising ...

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

  Project Air 7003 (Australia)

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R (Spain)

  Programme Background On 16 March 2022, the US State Department approved an FMS to Spain for eight MH-60R helicopters and associated equipment and weaponry for $950 ...

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

  MQ-4C Triton (Contracted) [Australia]

  Programme Background Three Contracted Units In June 2018, the Government provided Second Pass (Tranche 1) Approval to procure the first of six air vehicles, supporting ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Naval: RF, IR and acoustic decoys

  Nulka

  The Nulka active anti-ship missile decoy was originally conceived in Australia, and developed under a joint Australian-US programme. BAE Systems Australia is prime contractor, while ...

• S-64 Helitanker Fire-fighting Equipment

  Erickson's 10,031l tank for the S-64 helitanker drops water, retardant or foam mix at a rate of around 95l/h. Microprocessor-controlled tank doors offer eight individual ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  AUKUS SSN

  The AUKUS-SSN will be the submarine design resulting from the AUKUS trilateral pact between Australia, the US and the UK. Expected to incorporate technology from ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  HATS

  In October 2014, the Australian government approved a A$700 million (US$530 million) contract award to Boeing Defence Australia, teamed with Thales Australia, to provide the ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  CVTESS

  Saab's Combat Vehicle Tactical Engagement Simulation System (CVTESS) is a laser-based simulator which supports every version of the Abrams Main Battle Tank and the Bradley ...

• Tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3

  The M1A2 System Enhancement Package 3 (M1A2 SEPv3, also known as M1A2C) is the latest production-standard variant of the Abrams MBT. Designed primarily to address ...

• AEW&C

  Global 550 CAEW

  The G550 CAEW aircraft is a Gulfstream G550 adapted for AEW&C;, EW and ISTAR missions in Australia, Israel, Italy, Singapore and the US. The base platform is ...

• Frigates

  Adelaide Class

  The Adelaide-class guided missile frigates (FFG) were based on the US Navy's Oliver Hazard Perry design, with the first four ships in class built for ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  FGM-148 Javelin

  The Lockheed Martin-Raytheon Javelin JV developed the FGM-148 Javelin for the US Army’s requirement for an Advanced Anti-Tank Weapon System-Medium. Selected in 1989, the first ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  AS21 Redback

  First unveiled in scale model form at the Land Forces 2018 exhibition, the AS21 Redback is a tracked IFV developed to meet the Australian Army's Land ...

• Data links, UAS: communication systems

  MUMT-X

  The Manned/Unmanned Teaming - eXpanded (MUMT-X) system allows AH-64E helicopters to communicate with and control UAS in flight. Capable of transmitting data and video across four ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Spike LR2

  The Spike LR2 (NT-S) is Rafael’s fifth generation of the Spike missile and is backwards-compatible with existing Spike launchers.  Two warheads have been developed: a ...

• Tanks

  M10 Booker

  The US Army has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) with a contract worth US$1.14 billion to supply 96 light tanks under the Mobile Protected ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A

  The F-35A Lightning II is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft with CTOL capabilities. It is a multinational programme led by the US DoD, bringing together ...

• Towed guns

  105mm Light Gun

  The 105mm Light Gun was designed and manufactured by Royal Ordnance Nottingham (now BAE Systems), with the first guns introduced to the British Army in ...