• Defence Notes

  Off-ramps for China? Sorry, that ship has sailed (Opinion)

  20th October 2022

  The US in particular has got itself into a difficult position because politicians and military leaders continually appeased China and the burgeoning PLA.

• 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 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.

• 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

  US to receive more CH-53K simulators

  23rd August 2022

  The new Sikorsky CH-53K Containerised Flight Training Device will increase training volume and allow marines to practice flights, maintenance and sustainment scenarios.

• 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.

• 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.

• Defence Notes

  Iron Dome put to live-fire test by US Marine Corps

  18th July 2022

  A Rafael Iron Dome launcher and Tamir interceptor missile have been successfully deployed in a live-fire test by the US Marine Corps.

• Land Warfare

  US Army places major artillery fuze order

  28th July 2022

  The US Army has placed an order worth more than $533 million for the M782 Multi-Option Artillery Fuze.

• Training

  US Navy to receive extra King Stallion flight training device

  11th July 2022

  Sikorsky is providing a CH-53K containerised flight training device based on LRIP Lot 4 configuration.

• Training

  US training provider receives five-year F-5E/F Tiger II block upgrade deal

  5th July 2022

  Five-year IDIQ contract includes the conversion of 22 ex-Swiss Tiger II aircraft and a block upgrade of eight existing aircraft in the Tactical Air Support fleet.

• Defence Helicopter

  Northrop Grumman to explore potential new avionics for Venom and Viper

  5th July 2022

  New IDIQ deal for Northrop Grumman opens up potential avenues to improve avionics on AH-1Z and UH-1Y attack helicopters.

• Naval Warfare

  Farnborough 2022: Germany, Japan, Australia interested in Raytheon AN/SPY-6 radars

  21st July 2022

  Raytheon Missiles & Defense is holding talks with Japan to potentially equip its future ships with its AN/SPY-6 radars

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Navy negotiating Naval Strike Missile purchase

  11th July 2022

  Shephard understands the UK Royal Navy is negotiating a purchase of the Naval Strike Missile to fill a surface lethality gap created by the imminent retirement of the Harpoon Block 1C missile in 2023.

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 ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV Future Procurement (USMC) [US]

  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 - 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 ...

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

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

  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 their ...

• 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 ...

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

  Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Unmanned Expeditionary (MUX) (Increment 2) [USMC]

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

• 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 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV (US - USMC)

  Programme Background The Armored Combat Vehicle (ACV) programme is intended to provide a replacement for the USMC's fleet of Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7 (AAV7) tracked ...

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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• EO/IR systems

  NTS/NTSA

  The Night Targeting System (NTS) was a joint Israeli Air Force and United States Marine Corps (USMC) program to provide AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters with ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...