• Air Warfare

  US signals continued maintenance of Greek F-16 engines

  14th January 2022

  The Greek government has requested parts and services under the FMS programme to support follow-on depot-level maintenance and sustainment of F100-PW-229 aircraft engines.

• Air Warfare

  USAF kickstarts E-3G AWACS replacement effort

  11th February 2022

  The USAF has stepped up efforts to replace a fleet of Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft.

• Defence Notes

  What clues might China and Taiwan take from the Ukraine war? (Opinion)

  29th April 2022

  Like it or not, the Russian invasion of Ukraine holds important lessons in Asia for an aggressive China and a defensive Taiwan.

• Air Warfare

  BAE Systems achieves two F-35 Lightning II milestones

  11th February 2022

  BAE Systems achieved two major F-35 production milestones with delivery of vehicle management computers and active inceptor systems.

• Defence Notes

  Will time and politics dilute NATO spending pledges? (Opinion)

  25th April 2022

  For all the assertive rhetoric by NATO member states about increasing defence spending in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine, it will not, in the short term at least, translate into a meaningful uplift in capability on the ground.

• Defence Notes

  WDS 2022: Saudis gain industrial workshare on THAAD programme

  7th March 2022

  Agreements between GAMI and Lockheed Martin will see production in Saudi Arabia of THAAD interceptor launchers and canisters.

• Military Logistics

  Singapore Airshow 2022: Boeing to apply data-driven logistics in South Korea

  15th February 2022

  A performance-based logistics approach should ensure operational readiness and reduce operator costs for the South Korean F-15K, CH-47D and B-737 AEW&C fleets, says Boeing.

• Defence Notes

  India tests MRSAM and other missiles

  1st April 2022

  India has an active missile programme, working both with the Israelis and developing ballistic missiles indigenously.

• Land Warfare

  Swiss to field retractable Cobra mortars in 2024

  15th March 2022

  Swiss Army artillery units will be equipped from 2024 with the latest RUAG Defence 120mm Cobra smoothbore recoiling mortar system on a modified GDELS-Mowag Piranha IV 8x8 APC.

• Defence Notes

  Russian equipment losses underline hardy Ukrainian resistance

  25th February 2022

  Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it has been met with a level of resistance powerful enough to destroy a wide range of equipment from helicopters and fighter jets to armoured vehicles.

• Air Warfare

  Norwegian F-16 fighters fly their last mission

  7th January 2022

  Norway has retired its fleet of F-16 fighter jets, which have been in service since 1980, as its new F-35s join the country's air force.

• Air Warfare

  DSA 2022: TAI affirms commitment to Malaysia even if bids fail

  30th March 2022

  Even if it is unsuccessful in bids for MALE UAV and light combat/trainer aircraft programmes, Turkish Aerospace (TAI) executives confirmed to Shephard that the company aims to build ‘long-term relationships’ in Malaysia.

• Digital Battlespace

  USMC turns to Raytheon for more AESA radars

  14th December 2021

  Upgraded radars for Hornets include gallium nitride semiconductors and phased-array technology.

• Defence Notes

  New US sanctions hit 48 Russian defence companies

  28th March 2022

  A new package of sanctions imposed by the US affects Russian manufacturers of unmanned and communication systems, missiles, ammunition, helicopters, aircraft and imaging equipment.

• Defence Notes

  Russia has ‘reasonable sufficiency’ to ride out Western sanctions on military components, says expert

  17th March 2022

  Dr Richard Connelly, director of the Eastern Advisory Group and RUSI Associate Fellow, suggests that sanctions placed on Russia's defence industry and a ban on the transfer of critical components for equipment production, imposed following Moscow's decision to invade Ukraine, are less impactful than the US might expect.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• 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 ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V [Türkiye]

  Programme Background Requirement Turkish Air Force ordered 100 F-35A aircraft as a partner nation, however, the country was removed from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme ...

• 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 ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Horizon 2 - Multirole Fighter Programme [Philippines]

  Programme Background Requirement The Philippines wants a fighter able to perform score missions such as air-to-air combat, air-to-ground tasks and reconnaissance, including over water. It ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Project Halcon I [Spain]

  Programme Background The Spanish Air Force began requirements assessments, although potential suppliers including Boeing (F/A-18E/F), Lockheed Martin (F-35), Airbus-BAE-Leonardo (Eurofighter Typhoon) are already engaged with ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Multi Role Combat Aircraft [Bangladesh]

  Programme Background The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) continues its quest to acquire a new multirole combat aircraft. Under the country’s Forces Goal 2030 plan, which ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-15SA Saudi Arabia

  The aircraft deal includes 170 APG-63(v)3 AESA radar sets, 193 F-110-GE-129 Improved Performance Engines, 100 M61 Vulcan Cannons, 338 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems amongst ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V (9-16) [Bulgaria]

  Programme Background In April 2022, the US State Department approved a potential FMS worth $1.673 million to procure eight F-16Vs to Bulgaria. The aircraft are ...

• Fighter - multirole

  H-X Fighter Programme (Finland)

  Programme Background In June 2020, Finnish MoD announced that the Hornet fleet life extension programme is neither cost-effective solution nor sufficient in terms of Finland’s ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Denmark

  Denmark joined the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program in 2002 during the System Development and Demonstration phase and has influenced technical elements of the ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) [Japan]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that GCAP's Japanese, British and Italian components are tracked in separate entries. Programme Timeline 2020: The Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency of Japan issued ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Project Quadriga [Germany]

  Programme Background Under Project Quadriga, Berlin is seeking a replacement for its 33 Typhoon Tranche 1. Furthermore, Germany is offering its Tranche 1 fleet to ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)

  Programme Background Five prototypes will be manufactured for developmental tests. Indian Air Force will buy 36 AMCA Mark-I aircraft from 2029-30. The Mark-I configuration will ...

• 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 ...

• Frigates

  FFX Batch III - 1 [South Korea]

  Programme Background The new Chungnam-class (FFX Batch III) will consist of six new improved anti-aircraft detection vessels to replace the ageing escort and patrol ships ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-83 SABR

  The AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) is an active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire control radar being developed by Northrop Grumman using its own ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V Block 70/72

  The F-16 Block 70/72, also referred to as the F-16V, is a fourth-generation multirole fighter aircraft. It is the latest version of Lockheed Martin's F-16 ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  Raven ES-05

  The Raven ES-05 is an AESA fire-control radar developed by Leonardo in close collaboration with Saab for the Gripen E/F. It features a repositionable AESA ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-81

  AN/APG-81 is operating in the X-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire control radar designed by Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems for the F-35 “Lightning” all-weather ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-63(V)2

  The AN/APG-63(V)2 is a significant radar upgrade for the U.S. Air Force F-15C aircraft. This upgrade replaces the mechanically-scanned antenna (MSA) with an AESA antenna,  ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-82(V)1

  The AN/APG-82(V)1 is an X-band active electronically scanned array radar system that combines the AN/APG-79 processor with the AESA antenna of the AN/APG-63(V)3. The system ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-68

  The AN/APG-68 is a pulse-Doppler radar with increased range, modes, and resolution compared to the APG-66 radar. The F-16C/D Block 25 was the first Fighting ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  USAF F-16 Training System

  L3Harris Technologies is supporting approximately 180 F-16 pilot and maintenance trainers as part of the USAF’s F-16 Training System. Programme contract options extend through 2019. ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16C/D Block 25, 30/32, 40/42

  The F-16C/D ('C' one-seat, 'D' two-seat designation) is the second generation of the F-16 Fighting Falcon family. The production of the F-16C/D began in 1983 with ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16C/D Block 50/52/52+

  A member of the F-16 Fighting Falcon family, the F-16C/D Block 50/52 ('C' single-seat, 'D' dual-seat) is a third-generation multirole fighter that was rolled out ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-76

  The AN/APG-76 is a Ku-band multimode radar system providing high-resolution synthetic aperture radar capabilities with moving target indicator overlays. The system was developed primarily for ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-79

  The AN/APG-79 is an agile beam radar with a solid-state digital array that scans at nearly the speed of light, enabling detection and tracking of ...

• Air: Displays

  F-16 Center Pedestal Display

  Produced by Elbit Systems of America, the F-16 Center Pedestal Display (CPD) provides a high-resolution colour display that replaces several legacy instruments on F-16 aircraft. 

• Air: air combat simulators

  Air Combat Training

  Boeing has experience in delivering training for fixed-wing air combat platforms including F-15C/E, F-16, F/A-18E/F, EA-18G, F-22 and MV/CV-22.

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-63(V)3

  The AN/APG-63(V)3 is the latest advancement Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) upgrade of the APG-63 radar family, initially fielded on the F-15C/D Eagle. Evolving from the ...