• Land Warfare

  UK fires Archer for first time in live-fire exercise

  22nd November 2024

  Exercise Dynamic Front 25 is part of a series of NATO exercises that will run until 26 November.

• Land Warfare

  Hensoldt to send more TRML-4D radars to Ukraine

  3rd May 2024

  The Hensoldt TRML-4D, an air-defence radar based on the maritime TRS-4D radar, has been designed to provide similar scanning and surveillance capabilities to forces on land.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Ready for the race: Air separation drone swarms vs. air defence systems

  11th April 2024

  As the dynamics of aerial combat rapidly evolve, Chinese scientists have engineered a sophisticated air separation drone model that can fragment into up to six drones, each capable of executing distinct battlefield roles and challenging the efficacy of current anti-drone defences such as the UK’s Dragonfire laser system.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force F-16 fitted with IVEWS approaches flight tests

  18th July 2024

  Trials conducted at the US Air Force J-PRIMES enabled the solution to reach the skies in a couple of weeks.

• Land Warfare

  Rafael tests on upgraded Trophy APS prove successful

  25th October 2024

  The Israeli manufacturer has upgraded its active protection system to further protect armoured vehicles from attacks from armed drones and loitering weapon systems.

• Land Warfare

  What to expect from Eurosatory 2024

  11th June 2024

  Paris’s biennial defence showcase will return with a heavy focus on AI, helicopters and UAS systems, as more than 60,000 visitors get ready to descend on the French capital.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Edge Autonomy showcases advanced UAVs for SOF (video)

  8th May 2024

  Edge Autonomy has highlighted its advanced, silent electric propulsion and extended UAS endurance with propane fuel cells, designed to support SOF with crucial sensing and close air support capabilities.

• Air Warfare

  CF-18 Hornet Extension Project achieves initial operational capability

  7th October 2024

  The project extension continues to address the capability gap in the Canadian Armed Forces to meet its fighter aircraft commitments for both NORAD and NATO.

• Air Warfare

  Japan cleared for more KC-46A aerial refuelling aircraft under $4.1 billion deal

  16th September 2024

  Japan ordered two KC-46A tanker aircraft under an FMS contract with the US Air Force awarded in December 2017. The deal was increased to six tankers with subsequent orders. Japan has now been approved for up to nine more aircraft.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2024: Rafael expanding Iron Beam family and launches production of large version

  15th October 2024

  Rafael Advanced Defence Systems’ Iron Beam laser for air, UAS and missile defence made its debut at AUSA 2022 and the company is now sweating its investment in the asset to provide protection at different levels.

• Air Warfare

  Bulgaria’s first F-16 Block 70 takes flight

  29th October 2024

  Bulgaria has ordered a total of 16 F-16 Block 70 fighters, which will be delivered in two batches. Deliveries for the first lot are anticipated to commence in 2025.

• Air Warfare

  L3 Technologies awarded $587 million contract for next stage of new Growler jammer

  11th September 2024

  The Next Generation Jammer-Low Band (NGJ-LB) is part of a larger NGJ system that will augment and ultimately replace the legacy ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System on the EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft.

• Land Warfare

  Lithuania turns to Saab and Kongsberg to improve air defences

  4th October 2024

  Lithuania has placed a second order for Mobile Short-Range Air Defence (MSHORAD) systems and expects to begin receiving systems from its first order next year.

• Naval Warfare

  Second Belgian mine counter-measure ship launched

  3rd July 2024

  Twelve new Mine Countermeasures Vessels (MCMVs) are being built to replace the Tripartite-class MCMV. The programme is a joint Dutch-Belgian procurement and a contract was awarded to Belgium Naval Robotics (BNR) in 2019.

• Air Warfare

  Long-range radar handed over to US Missile Defence Agency

  3rd May 2024

  Lockheed Martin delivered 10 antenna panels for its Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) to Clear, Alaska in 2020. The system will be used by the Missile Defence Agency (MDA) as part of its layered defence strategy against ballistic missiles.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  ISTAR UAS project (Canada)

  Programme Background Objective The Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) main significant UAV project is the RCN Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Unmanned Aircraft System (RCN ...

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

  Flexible Tactical Uncrewed Air System (FTUAS) [UK]

  Programme Background Tender Notice & Timeline On 25 May 2021, the MoD published a tender notice for the urgent acquisition of a UAS and ancillaries under ...

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

  RQ-4 Global Hawk (Japan)

  Programme Background Selection & Contract AwardIn 2015, Northrop Grumman's RQ-4 Global Hawk UAS and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft were selected by Japan to ...

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

  DEF129 Nano UAS [Australia]

  Programme Background DEF129 The Australian Ground Service has combined various army procurement efforts under the DEF129 programme to increase the abundance and proliferation of UAVs ...

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

  RQ-4 Global Hawk (South Korea)

  Programme Background Requirments Seoul required UAS assets to help monitor its neighbour to the north and, increasingly, Chinese activities in waters and in the air near ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Aeromobila A Pilotaggio Remoto (Mini) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirement Released on 5 August 2021, the Italian MoD's Multi-Year Defence Programme Document for 2021-2023 announced a programme aimed at acquiring a mini-UAS capable ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  IAR-99 Replacement (Romania)

  On 29 August 2017, Leonardo announced that the IAR-99 trainer technology demonstrator (TD) will be fitted with company's Vixen 500E AESA radar. The Vixen 500E AESA ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Aeromobila A Pilotaggio Remoto (Micro) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirement Released on 5 August 2021, the Italian MoD's Multi-Year Defence Programme Document for 2021-2023 announced a programme aimed at acquiring a micro-UAS capable ...

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

  RQ-20 Puma (Belgium)

  Programme Background Requirement The Belgian MoD outlined plans to procure more mini and tactical UAS in its Strategic Vision for Defence published in 2016. According ...

• Military UAS - small

  Bug Nano UAS (UK)

  Programme Background The British Army previously took delivery of 160 first-generation Black Hornet PD-100 nano UAS in 2013 to support operations in Afghanistan. After these ...

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

  Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS (BWUAS) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Goal The Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS (BWUAS) programme stems from the Military Sealift Command and Fleet Forces Command identifying, in 2018, a ...

• Military UAS - small

  Puma 2 AE (Germany)

  Programme Background The Germany navy had an urgent requirement for three UAS required for reconnaissance and identification in maritime operations. A platform was required that ...

• AEW&C

  Airbus A330 AWACS (India)

  Programme Background India is planning to increase its AEW&C; capabilities with indigenous radar systems. IAF has requested to procure six Airbus 330 airliner to host ...

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

  Mini UAS [Spain]

  Programme Background Fuerza 35 Project This project is a Spanish Army initiative to create and maintain an effective force by forming flexible and cohesive operational ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  AW101-Norway

  AgustaWestland is also providing initial support and training services, including spares at each of the operating bases and aircrew training. It will then provide performance ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: air defence radar

  MPDR 12

  The MPDR 12 is a high-data-rate (60rpm) pulse-Doppler radar with good clutter rejection performance. Teamed on Gepard with a Siemens pulse-Doppler tracking and FCR. Used ...

• Sea: naval surveillance radar

  SPS-550K

  SPS-550K is a medium- to long-range 3D air and surface surveillance radar. It employs digital multi-beam forming, pulse-Doppler and medium pulse repetition frequency techniques to ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  Grifo S

  The Grifo-S fire control radar is the most powerful version of the Grifo radar family for combat aircraft, featuring a 560W air-cooled travelling-wave tube-based transmitter ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  N011

  The N011 is an updated version of the N001 for more advanced Su-27 family aircraft featuring both air-to-air and air-to-ground (terrain following/avoidance and mapping) modes ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  N019 Sapfir-29

  The N019 Sapfir-29 is a pulse-Doppler fire control radar with look-down/shoot-down capability developed for the MiG-29. Dedicated to air-to-air combat, it has three pulse repetition ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  RDI

  The RDI is an optimised pulse-Doppler radar installed on Mirage 2000B and C models used in the air superiority role. The slotted flat-plate antenna features ...

• Sea: naval surveillance radar

  MM/SPS-702

  Developed by Leonardo, MM/SPS-702 is an air and surface search radar. The SPS-702 features Moving Target Indicator (MTI),  Pulse Doppler Radar and IFF interrogator.

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  Kopyo

  The Kopyo is a multi-mode coherent pulse-Doppler radar aimed at the MiG-21 upgrade market. It uses a slotted flat-plate antenna and digital signal processing. Air-to-air ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  Zaslon AM

  Zaslon AM is a variant with upgraded data-processing systems for all in-service MiG-31s. 

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  NR-100

  The NR-100 is a man-portable pulse-Doppler radar designed to detect and track moving people and vehicles, providing targeting information for infantry weapons. 

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-66

  The AN/APG-66 is a coherent pulse-Doppler fire control radar originally developed for the F-16, now adapted to platforms including Hawk 200, PBN Defender, Skyhawk, T-39N and ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  N001

  The N001 is a mechanically scanned pulse-Doppler fire control radar associated with the Su-27, -30 and -33 fighters. The system features single-target engagement capability. 

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  Zaslon M

  Zaslon M is a further upgrade to the Zaslon series, including the addition of a larger 1.4m-diameter phased-array antenna. Performance is reported to be 50-100 ...

• Air: weather radar

  TWR-850/WXR-840/WXR-80

  The TWR-850/WXR-840/WXR-80 weather radar systems use Doppler-based turbulence and weather detection for faster analysis and a solid-state transmitter for optimum pulse width for different ranges ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  RP-100 Fara-1

  The RP-100 Fara-1 is a tripod-mounted, pulse-Doppler ground/coastal surveillance radar capable of detecting and tracking a variety of moving targets and cueing infantry weapons. Additionally, ...