• Special Operations

  Japan highlights SOF capabilities

  22nd January 2018

  The Japan Ground-Self Defense Force’s (JGSDF) Special Forces Group (SFG) conducted a capability demonstration in front of both the Japanese and Australian prime ministers on …

• Defence Notes

  UK unprepared for Russia threat

  22nd January 2018

  Britain would struggle to match Russian military capabilities on the battlefield and risks falling further behind potential adversaries without more investment, the British Army head …

• Naval Warfare

  ADECS 2018: Taiwan pursues indigenous submarines

  23rd January 2018

  The Republic of China Navy (ROCN) launched its Indigenous Defence Submarine (IDS) programme in 2016, the goal being to build eight submarines within a decade. …

• Defence Notes

  US Navy commanders face negligent homicide charges

  17th January 2018

  The commanders of two US Navy ships involved in collisions that left 17 sailors dead face charges including negligent homicide and dereliction of duty, the …

• Naval Warfare

  ADECS 2018: India’s silent arm progresses…slowly

  24th January 2018

  Having initiated its 30-year submarine-building plan two decades ago to raise operational and indigenous construction capabilities, modernisation of the Indian Navy (IN) underwater fleet has …

• Land Warfare

  Canada trials SRM-encased artillery shells

  18th January 2018

  The Canadian Army's research and development arm is trialling artillery shells encased in structural reactive materials (SRM) rather than conventional steel. The new shells are …

• Naval Warfare

  G&C to support functional design of MMSC

  15th January 2018

  Gibbs & Cox (G&C;) has received a contract from Lockheed Martin to support the functional design of Saudi Arabia's Multi-Mission Surface Combatant (MMSC), the company …

• Defence Notes

  Airbus fined $127 million over Taiwan missile dispute

  15th January 2018

  Airbus announced on 13 January that it had been fined $127 million for a dispute dating from 1992 over missile sales to Taiwan by the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Ten dead in Colombia military helicopter crash

  16th January 2018

  Ten people were killed when a military helicopter crashed in a remote area of northwestern Colombia on 16 January, the military said. The Russian-made MI-17 …

• Digital Battlespace

  ADECS 2018: Chinese EW capabilities roll inexorably onwards

  23rd January 2018

  The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is on the verge of commissioning its seventh intelligence collection vessel. The Type 815A spy ship was launched at …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Airbus, Naval Group collaborate on RUAV project

  17th January 2018

  Airbus Helicopters and Naval Group have been contracted by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) to develop technologies for the integration of a rotary-wing UAV …

• Defence Helicopter

  National Guards of Ukraine take upgraded helicopters

  19th January 2018

  The National Guards of Ukraine (NGU) took on strength its first two Mi-2MSBs at the Motor Sich plant in Zaporozhya. The ceremony for the handover …

• Special Operations

  Composite Command for Belgium, Denmark and Netherlands SOF

  19th January 2018

  A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the generation of the Composite Special Operations Component Command (C-SOCC) by Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands is, pending political …

• Defence Notes

  Netanyahu to lead trade task force to India

  10th January 2018

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take 130 businessmen with him to India for trade talks which will also cover defence sales, a senior Israeli …

• Land Warfare

  Russia returns heavy-calibre artillery to service

  12th January 2018

  The Russian military has begun taking most of its heavy-calibre artillery systems out of storage, with the process starting in the second half of 2017 …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Kingston Class Replacement [Canada]

  Under the second pillar of its shipbuilding strategy, Ottawa is seeking a replacement for its Kingston-class OPVs. The programme is still in the very early stages of project ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Kingston Class Replacement [Canada]

  Under the second pillar of its shipbuilding strategy, Ottawa is seeking a replacement for its Kingston-class OPVs. The programme is still in the very early stages of project ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Continental Defence Corvette [Canada]

  Under the second pillar of its shipbuilding strategy, Ottawa is seeking a replacement for its Kingston-class OPVs. The identified successor programme has been named the ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Continental Defence Corvette [Canada]

  Under the second pillar of its shipbuilding strategy, Ottawa is seeking a replacement for its Kingston-class OPVs. The identified successor programme has been named the ...

• Corvettes

  Continental Defence Corvette [Canada]

  Background Initial requirements Under the second pillar of its shipbuilding strategy, Canada is seeking to procure an undisclosed number of small vessels (below 1000t). Part ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) [Canada]

  Background Programme inception The Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) Joint Unmanned Surveillance and Target Acquisition System (JUSTAS) project was established to procure a UAS for the ...

• Submarines: conventional/attack

  Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP) [Canada]

  Background Requirements The Royal Canadian Navy currently operates four second-hand Victoria-class SSKs. They were purchased from the UK in the late 1990s and re-commissioned into ...

• Loitering munitions

  Warmate [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Ukraine placed an order for an undisclosed number of Warmate systems in 2017. Shepherd believes units acquired in this order later were utilised ...

• Minehunters

  Awaji Class (1-4) [Japan]

  Programme Background Two Awaji class mine countermeasures vessels (MCMV) were ordered from the Japanese shipyard Japan Marine United (JMU) for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) initially. ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Aerostar [Mexico]

  Methodology Unit cost Based on the UAV’s MTOW and the Defence Insight database, Shephard estimates the aircraft’s 2026 gross and flyaway unit costs are $1.95 million and $1.58 million, respectively. Based ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Ejder Yalçın (Batch 1) [Qatar]

  Background In the face of deteriorating relations with some of its neighbours in the Gulf, Qatar has forged closer defence ties with Turkey. This has ...

• OPVs

  Inlay Class (second OPV)

  Programme Background The Inlay class originally consists of a single OPV in service with the Myanmar Navy. However, a second Inlay-class OPV has been reported under construction since ...

• OPVs

  Cyprus Second Sa'ar 62 OPV

  Programme BackgroundThe Republic of Cyrus' Ministry of Defence placed an order with Israel Shipyards for its first Sa'ar 62  OPV in December 2015 in a project valued ...

• Military UAS - small

  HUSAR (2023 Order) [Germany]

  Programme Background First Order In 2015, the German Army launched the HUSAR programme to identify a replacement for its Airbus Defence & Space KZO and ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6, APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Pars III [Oman]

  Background In 2015, Oman signed a $500 million contract with FNSS for 172 Pars III vehicles in both the 8x8 (145) and 6x6 (27) configurations, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Corvettes

  Corvette Borealis 105

  The Corvette Borealis 105 is a concept corvette designed by Saab. It is intended for the Canadian Continental Defence (CDC) programme. The design was first ...

• OPVs

  Vigilance OPV

  At CANSEC 2023, Vard Marine, partnering with Heddle Shipyards, Thales Canada, SH Defence and Fincantieri under the Team Vigilance banner, pitched an OPV design for ...

• Corvettes

  Vigilance 100

  The Vigilance 100 is a developmental corvette designed by Vard Marine. First unveiled at CANSEC 2025, it is part of the Team Vigilance proposal to the ...

• Corvettes

  Vard 7 105 Continental Defence Corvette

  The Vard 7 105 Continental Defence Corvette is a concept vessel designed by Vard Marine as part of the Vigilance bid for the Royal Canadian ...

• Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  Scorpion 2

  Scorpion 2 is a man-portable, non-ITAR remote controlled improvised explosive device (RCIED) jammer, designed to deliver a hybrid, full-spectrum system and threat-band coverage protection for ...

• Military - UUVs

  HUGIN Edge

  The HUGIN Edge is an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) developed by Kongsberg. The platform is intended for defence, commercial and scientific missions, including mine countermeasures, ...

• Air: helicopter radar, Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar, Air: UAS radar

  PicoSAR

  The PicoSAR is a compact multi-mode Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) surveillance radar manufactured by Leonardo. Due to its lightweight, it is a suitable system for ...

• EW test systems, Air: chaff/flare/decoy systems

  CAST-easy

  RUAG unveiled the Countermeasure Advanced System Test Equipment (CAST-easy) in 2017 earmarking it for the Panavia Tornado series of combat aircraft. The 2017 announcement stated ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  Drone Deterrence System

  First unveiled at the LIMA 2017 exhibition by Mitsubishi Electric, the Drone Deterrence System began to be developed in 2014 and made its first sale in ...

• Individual assault/anti-tank weapons

  Fletcher

  Arnold Defense, which has produced more than 1.1 million 2.75in/70mm rocket launchers for airborne applications since 1961, unveiled the Fletcher 2.75in/70mm Weapon System at the September ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  FJ33-5A

  The FJ33-5A is a turbofan engine manufactured by Williams. The engine achieved EASA certification in April 2017, and is used onboard the XQ-58 Valkyrie UAV. 

• Minehunters

  Kormoran II Class

  Three Kormoran II-class minehunters were budgeted for the Polish Navy in 2011, and a contract was placed for a prototype in 2013, with the first ...

• OPVs

  La Confiance Class (PLG)

  The La Confiance-class, also known as the Guyanese Light Patrol Vessel (PLG), in service with the French Navy, was designed by Bureau Mauric and built ...

• Submachine guns

  FN SCAR-SC

  FN Herstal unveiled the 5.56mm FN SCAR-SC (Subcompact Carbine), the newest member of the SCAR (SOF Combat Assault Rifle) family originally developed for the US ...

• Self-propelled guns

  MGS-25 Aleksandar

  Yugoimport-SDPR unveiled the MGS-25 Aleksandar 155mm/52cal wheeled  SPH at the Partner defence exhibition in July 2017, which builds on the company's experience producing the Nora ...