• Digital Battlespace

  L3Harris on track to deliver Viper Shield in 2025

  17th June 2024

  L3 Harris had a busy 2023 as it passed several milestones in the development of its Viper Shield. Both 2024 and 2025 are looking to be just as lively as delivery of production items nears.

• Air Warfare

  Preparing for mass deployments and improving aircraft fleet among US Air Force priorities for FY2025

  5th February 2024

  The branch’s main concerns for FY2025 will include integrating systems and equipment, improving software, cyber capabilities and aircraft fleet, and preparing for mass deployments.

• Land Warfare

  KNDS continues tests of potential gun for future Main Ground Combat System

  11th June 2024

  The Ascalon gun is designed to allow for a quick change between 140mm and 120mm barrels and is being designed as a concept for the development of the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) main weapon.

• Air Warfare

  Nearly half of USAF aircraft fleet has passed design service life, says air force official

  31st January 2024

  The US Air Force has been operating helicopters and combat, ISR, transport and training platforms that have been in service for three decades or more, with 44% of its fleet having already passed its design service life.

• Land Warfare

  Slovakia receives two donated MANTIS air defence systems

  26th October 2023

  The MANTIS air defence system has been designed to protect vital structures and was developed to protect the camps where Bundeswehr troops were stationed in Afghanistan.

• Digital Battlespace

  Mini Blackbird 1280 HFM infrared detector unveiled by SCD

  13th June 2024

  Advanced Mid-Wave Infrared (MWIR) high-definition detector to offer users extended operational duration.

• Training

  Embraer and Rheinmetall plan C-390 training for Europe

  7th June 2024

  The C-390 is a high-wing, twin-turbofan transport developed and manufactured by Embraer. It has been ordered by Brazil, Portugal, Hungary and the Netherlands with Austria and the Czech Republic also in the frame to purchase it.

• Air Warfare

  Australia awards contracts for UAS platforms

  15th July 2024

  The orders break new ground for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as they include an order for loitering munitions, the purchase of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) and the first order for SkyMantis 2 in the region.

• Land Warfare

  US Army explores sending ground robots underwater for logistics supply

  2nd January 2024

  The US Army is conducting research with commercially available solutions to assess their performance carrying diverse types of payloads.

• Air Warfare

  Portugal wants F-35s, but has no firm plans in place

  1st May 2024

  The Portuguese Air Force’s leader has outlined the importance of embracing the F-35 to maintain the country's air capabilities despite the absence of a formal procurement plan for the latest Lockheed Martin fighter.

• Land Warfare

  Hypersonic threats force Pentagon to modernise its missile defence architecture

  20th December 2023

  The US DoD has been updating policies, enhancing partnerships with allies and acquiring new sensors and systems.

• Naval Warfare

  UAE Coast Guard orders 10 OPVs for $434 million

  20th May 2024

  A deal to supply 10 P51MR-class 51m offshore patrol vessels to the UAE Coast Guard was proceeded by the signing of an Abu Dhabi-based JV between Fincantieri and EDGE.

• Air Warfare

  UK company demonstrates crewed-uncrewed teaming

  26th April 2024

  QinetiQ’s aerial target drone, the Banshee, was modified to be controlled by a piloted aircraft.

• Defence Notes

  Germany to provide Ukraine with additional air-defence systems and Gepard anti-aircraft guns

  11th October 2023

  The German government has announced a billion-euro-plus package of equipment for Ukraine which includes Patriot and IRIS-T air defence systems and Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns.

• Air Warfare

  Israel bets big on India to enhance defence procurement

  4th April 2024

  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has enhanced its defence collaboration with India, focusing on joint development and support for the Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MR-SAM) system, alongside the establishment of a dedicated local subsidiary for maintenance and upgrades.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Black Hornet 3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Programme Background Russo-Ukraine War Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UAVs have proved vital to the country's defence. Consequently, as in this programme, the ...

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

  FPV Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Statement of Intent On 14 June 2024, the Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries Serhiy Boyev, Minister of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umerov and the Minister ...

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

  ISR Drones (Second Batch) (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background First Batch On 20 March 2024, Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, announced that, following a 19 March Ukraine Defense Contact ...

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

  Latvian Drones (2025) (Ukraine Aid) [Latvia]

  Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG) In January 2024, the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG), a multi-nation organisation that coordinates military aid for Ukraine, established a ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Germany]

  Programme Background Germany has operated the domestically produced Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Leopard 2 since its inception in the 1970s. Spanning now eight versions, the Leopard 2A8 is the ...

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

  GA-ASI Drone [Ukraine]

  Programme Background MQ-9A Reaper - April 2022 On 13 April 2022, Forbes reported that Ukraine was talking with GA-ASI to acquire the MQ-9A Reaper. Ukrainian officials ...

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

  Vector / Scorpion (Contracted) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Previous Orders & Donations On 29 March 2022, the US Embassy in Warsaw announced that Quantum Systems had donated an unknown quantity of ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 [Sweden]

  Programme Background As the domestic manufacturer and original operator of the CV90 IFV, Sweden has had a continuous fleet of CV90s in service since the ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 600 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background $300 Million USAI (1 April 2022) On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine following ...

• Loitering munitions

  One-Way Attack Drones (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background 2024/2025 Military Aid Package On 12 January 2024, the UK government announced it would provide Ukraine with £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) in military ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 300 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (16 March 2022 & 13 April 2022) On 16 March 2022, President Biden announced $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine through ...

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

  Latvian Drones (2024) (Ukraine Aid) [Latvia]

  Background Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG) In January 2024, the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG), a multi-nation organisation that coordinates military aid for Ukraine, established a drone ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Norway]

  Programme Background September 2024 On 3 September 2024, the Norwegian government announced that "Ukraine will get more drones donated to their frontline, and more air ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  Programme Background  In February 2025, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste Simon Harris highlighted Irelands need to procure a new combat fighter jet to combat ...

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

  Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase I) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) provides short-range day and night ISR to US Army units at the squad, platoon and other small ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Akash-NG missile

  The Akash-NG (New Generation) missile is an advanced surface-to-air missile system developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to enhance the country's air ...

• Core systems: cameras and IR detectors

  Ophir 26-105mm f/1.6 LWIR continuous zoom

  Ophir's plethora of IR optics includes a wide range of long-range zoom lenses for every application. Ophir's budget range has been extended to include a ...

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

  Vespa-15

  The Vespa-15 is a first-person view (FPV) rotary-wing UAV manufactured by a Ukrainian company.  In May 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Ukraine announced it ...

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

  Kazhan

  The E620 Kazhan is a Ukrainian-made rotary-wing attack drone. It is available in hexacopter and quadcopter configurations and can drop 60mm, 82mm, and 120mm mortar shells. ...

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

  Black Hornet 3

  The Black Hornet 3 is the next generation of the PD-100 Black Hornet, the world's smallest nano-UAS. This new model of the Black Hornet provides ...

• Infrastructure - shelters/accommodation

  Alpha/Omega

  Alpha and Omega are multipurpose frame tents that require minimal maintenance and can be used in extreme climatic conditions. The Omega is more spacious and ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  CB90

  Combatboat (Stridsbåt) 90 (CB90) is a class of small, rapid attack boats designed for raiding and inshore/nearshore coastal protection operations or deploying up to 20 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - micro

  Corvo PPDS

  The Corvo Precision Payload Delivery Systems (PPDS) is a micro fixed-wing drone constructed from cardboard. It is a low-cost, single-use drone for delivering supplies and equipment ...

• EO/IR systems

  USG-212

  Described as a plug-and-play turnkey solution, the USG-212 is an EO/IR camera gimbal from Ukrspecsystems. It appears to be out of production. The gimbal has ...

• Short Range Missile Defence Systems: 0 to 20 km range

  MIM-23 Hawk

  The MIM-23 HAWK (Homing All the Way Killer) is an American medium-range surface-to-air missile system developed by Raytheon in the 1950s to provide mobile air ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  Storm Shadow/SCALP EG

  The Storm Shadow is an air-launched cruise missile developed by France, Italy and the UK. It is known as the Storm Shadow in the UK ...

• Land: air defence radar, Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  TRML-4D

  The TRML-4D is a multi-functional surveillance and target acquisition radar system developed by Hensoldt. It is the latest C-band (NATO G-band) TRS-4D radar family member, ...

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

  Vampire

  The Vampire is a hexacopter drone developed by the Ukrainian company Skyfall. It can carry and drop various types of ammunition on the enemy. In ...

• EO/IR systems

  NightHawk2-UZ

  The NightHawk2-UZ is a dual EO-IR stabilised camera turret from NextVision designed for long-range observation applications that demand low weight. The 350g sensor's IR camera has a 1280x720p ...

• 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 ...