• Defence Notes

  BFBS offers MiPlayer welfare solution to new markets

  29th November 2022

  Improving the welfare of personnel is critical to tackling recruitment and retention challenges.

• Naval Warfare

  Alliances form as Greece draws closer to corvette decision

  19th December 2022

  With Greece poised to decide on a solution to fulfil its corvette requirement, Naval Group and Fincantieri have forged alliances with local partners.

• Digital Battlespace

  US Air Force picks industry partner for next-gen signal processing research

  30th September 2022

  USAF-funded research will investigate high value-added signal processing algorithms, frameworks, and systems for electronic intelligence and related signal processing.

• Naval Warfare

  India inducts second stealth guided missile destroyer

  21st December 2022

  INS Mormugao will serve in the so-called 'sword arm' of the Indian Navy.

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2022: How the US Marine Corps' future vision will impact the training & simulation industry

  30th November 2022

  The US Marine Corps has used I/ITSEC to update customers on future training requirements.

• Land Warfare

  EU countries seek advanced ground combat capabilities

  15th December 2022

  In order to plug capability gaps highlighted by the war in Ukraine, European governments aim to invest in cutting-edge weapons and data management systems, artificial intelligence and next-generation armoured vehicles.

• Naval Warfare

  Brazil and Peru launch domestically built naval vessels

  16th December 2022

  Brazil's navy has received an additional patrol boat, while a second landing platform dock (LPD) has been launched in Peru.

• Training

  Four Steps to Demystifying MOD Security Expectations for Industry (Sponsored Whitepaper)

  14th March 2023

  Supply chain security is one of the MOD’s top priorities, as it should be for all its industry partners.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Five uncrewed developments that defined the domain in 2022

  27th December 2022

  Perhaps unsurprisingly, some of the most significant developments in the world of uncrewed systems have stemmed from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

• Naval Warfare

  First Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer embarks on first sea trials

  21st December 2022

  Builder’s sea trials have seen the AN/SPY-6 radar operating at sea for the first time.

• Air Warfare

  UPDATED: FCAS is ‘on the way to first flight’, says Airbus

  20th December 2022

  The Franco-German Future Combat Air System programme is moving onto Phase 1B, where Dassault, Airbus, Indra and Eumet will develop a demonstrator.

• Defence Notes

  All the news from I/ITSEC and talking seabed warfare

  9th December 2022

  The Shephard Media news team looks at all the developments in the military training and simulation world, and discovers the trends and challenges in seabed warfare.

• Naval Warfare

  UK commits to Aster missile upgrade

  12th December 2022

  The UK first announced plans to upgrade its Aster missiles in its 2021 Integrated Review.

• Digital Battlespace

  Poland moves on sovereign image intelligence with Airbus satellite deal

  9th January 2023

  Poland has contracted for two satellites to provide 30cm resolution image intelligence data with launch due in 2027.

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2022: CAE to create ‘data ecosystem’ in synthetic environment and rethink approach to innovation

  5th December 2022

  CAE believes the future of training technologies will be fundamentally driven by bringing different industries together and no single company can exist in a vacuum - an approach that defence should adopt too.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Bandit (US)

  Programme Background Goal As stated by Alyson Turri, the AFRL Bandit programme manager, the goal is to "develop an unmanned platform that looks like a fifth-generation ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Data links

  Data links | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Light Replenishment Oiler (T-AOL) [USN]

  The US Navy wants to procure a new class of medium-sized supply ships aimed at refuelling, rearming, and resupplying naval assets. The Navy’s proposed FY2025 budget requests $7.7 ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Light Replenishment Oiler (T-AOL) [USN]

  The US Navy wants to procure a new class of medium-sized supply ships aimed at refuelling, rearming, and resupplying naval assets. The Navy’s proposed FY2025 budget requests $7.7 ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Polar Support Vessel [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirements In June 2020, the Brazilian Navy released a Request for Proposal (RfP) to procure a new Antarctic vessel to be manufactured in Brazil. The ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Command Insertion Craft (CIC) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirements The Royal Navy is seeking a replacement for its fleet of LVPs Mk5 amphibious landing craft. The vessels entered service in the ...

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

  Naval Collaborative Combat Air Vehicle (N-CCAV) [India]

  Programme Background CATS Warrior The Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) is a planned, uncrewed and crewed family of aircraft in development by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Project Mosquito [UK]

  Programme Background Inception and Capabilities In 2019, in collaboration with the RAF, the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) released details of its new UAS ...

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

  High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) [Thailand]

  Programme Background Roadmap In February 2024, the RTAF unveiled its White Paper 2024. Incorporating lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel-Hamas War, and other events ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Air Launched Effects (ALE) [UK]

  Programme Background Acquisition Pipeline First published on 13 June 2022, the Acquisition Pipeline is a forward look at potential procurement activity undertaken by the UK MoD.  ...

• Aircraft carriers

  CVX (South Korea)

  Programme Background Requirements HHI was awarded a contract for the conceptual design of the LPX-II in October 2019. The project now aims to build a ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Hybrid Tiger

  Manufactured by the Naval Research Laboratory, the Hybrid Tiger is an electric UAV. As its name suggests, the platform features a hybrid power generation unit. ...

• Air: UAS radar

  RASAR

  The real-time, autonomous, synthetic aperture radar (RASAR) is a self-contained radar designed for installation under the wing of UAS for counter-IED and FOPEN (Foliage Penetration) missions. It is ...

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

  SA-400 Jackal

  The SA-400 Jackal is a heavy-payload-capability, long-endurance VTOL UAS that had its first flight in 2013. It is an optionally piloted vehicle, so it can ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Outlaw SeaHunter

  Outlaw UAVs are used by military and research agencies for training, testing, data collection and system development. In the 114-137kg maximum take-off weight class, SeaHunter ...

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

  ShadowHawk

  The ShadowHawk is a VTOL UAV that can be transported and launched/recovered within a small area. The ShadowHawk is able to maintain aerial surveillance at ...

• Air-launched ASW torpedoes, Ship-launched torpedoes

  Shyena/TAL

  Shyena, also known as TAL (The Advanced Light Torpedo), is an Indian lightweight anti-submarine torpedo developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (affiliated to ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - MLDS, Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  AN/AAQ-45

  Leonardo’s AN/AAQ-45 Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasures is designed to equip rotorcraft. The system is being installed on Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk medium-lift utility helicopters used ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Havoc

  Havoc is a MALE modular payload UAS designed for customers with varying missions and payload requirements. Features include tool-less assembly, rolling take-off and landing and ...

• Military - USVs

  MAST

  The Maritime Autonomy Surface Testbed (MAST) was developed by ASV Global and Roke Manor Research under funding from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. It ...

• Subsystems: software

  SWARM

  CHI Systems worked with Lockheed Martin on a programme for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to build software models that imitate human behaviour, and ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Bat

  Northrop Grumman is developing the Bat family of medium-altitude, multi-mission UAS. The company announced two variants of the UAS (3.7m and 4.3m) and a rotary-wing ...

• Light UGVs

  Dragon Runner

  The Dragon Runner UGV, manufactured by QinitiQ, has two versions: the Dragon Runner 10 (DR10) and the slightly larger Dragon Runner 20 (DR20). All Dragon ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  CLS-200

  The CLS-200 is part of the Yates Electrospace Corporation Silent Arrow family. It is a powered cargo-carrying one-use UAV, based on the company's GD-2000 glider.  In ...

• Light UGVs

  Jackal

  Launched in September 2014, Clearpath Robotics' Jackal is a small, portable, integrated and weatherproof UGV. It has been built on a metal chassis and has four wheels ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Skate

  The Skate is a small, man-packable VTOL UAV designed for performing short-range ISR at the tactical level. A thrust-vectoring system provides a near-VTOL capability, enabling ...