• Defence Notes

  NATO kicks off tech refresh project

  27th April 2017

  NATO has embarked on a major technology refresh project, with the agency briefing industry representatives on bids that will be launched in September.Agency officials briefed …

• Land Warfare

  Latvia, Austria sign howitzer agreement

  4th May 2017

  Latvia has signed an agreement with Austria for the purchase of type M109A5Oe self-propelled howitzers, the Latvian Ministry of Defence announced on 27 April.The agreement …

• Defence Helicopter

  Greece requests CH-47D helicopters

  3rd May 2017

  The US State Department is considering a potential $80 million foreign military sale of CH-47D helicopters to Greece, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced on …

• Land Warfare

  Piranha IFV in Bulgarian Army demo

  4th May 2017

  General Dynamics European Land Systems has demonstrated the Piranha 8x8 wheeled infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) to the Bulgarian Army, the company announced on 28 April.The …

• Training

  ITEC 2017: C-130J training requirements emerge

  8th May 2017

  In February, Germany and France signed an agreement at a NATO Ministers meeting in Brussels to create a joint air transport unit to operate the …

• Digital Battlespace

  German battle managers line up

  2nd May 2017

  The German Army's next-generation communications and battle management system (BMS) solutions must be capable of providing the armed forces with IP-based and continuous information, a …

• Land Warfare

  French Scorpion gets moving

  2nd May 2017

  The French arms procurement agency, the DGA, has awarded a contract for its first installment of vehicles under the Scorpion programme. A temporary business group …

• Digital Battlespace

  Germany selects Saab self-protection pods

  13th April 2017

  The German Air Force has selected the enhanced Saab BOZ-101 self-protection system, the company announced on 11 April.Saab received the order for 29 units of …

• Special Operations

  ​North Korea shows its SOF hand

  19th April 2017

  The international special operations community has reacted to North Korea's very public 'show of force' of its Unit 525 special operations forces (SOF) during an …

• Training

  CAE to train NATO E-3A AWACS aircrew

  4th April 2017

  CAE has won a contract from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) to provide training services, including instructors, for the NATO E-3A Airborne Warning …

• Defence Helicopter

  Quad A 2017: Fresh life breathed into UH-60L

  19th April 2017

  The US Army's programme to upgrade its legacy UH-60L Black Hawks with a new digital cockpit is proceeding apace, following the first flight of the …

• Land Warfare

  Estonia calls for NATO air defence deployment

  3rd April 2017

  Estonia has said it would welcome the deployment of advanced NATO air defence assets within its territory, including long-range Patriot missile systems from the US, …

• Digital Battlespace

  SEA to upgrade Royal Navy's ANPS

  11th April 2017

  SEA will upgrade the Royal Navy's Ambient Noise Prediction System (ANPS) under a contract from the UK Ministry of Defence announced on 10 April.The ANPS …

• Special Operations

  USSOCOM seeks advanced sniper rifle

  7th April 2017

  US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has officially expressed interest in the Advanced Sniper Rifle (ASR) competition, which aims at procuring a multi-calibre precision rifle for …

• Land Warfare

  Milipol Asia 2017: Up-gunning Asian security forces

  5th April 2017

  Asian snipers and counterterrorism forces are arming themselves differently to meet modern threats and environments, several armament vendors highlighted at the Milipol Asia-Pacific 2017 exhibition …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BMD-4M

  Programme Background Since 2017, 11 battalion sets of the BMD-4M have been delivered to units of the VDV in addition to 27 located at the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BTR-MDM Rakushka

  Programme Background Since 2016, 11 battalion sets of BTR-MDMs are known to have been delivered to units of the VDV in addition to 12 platforms ...

• Tanks

  2S25 Sprut-SDM1

  Programme Background The Sprut-SDM1 is an upgraded version of the Sprut-SD, a mere 30 of which were produced for the VDV between 2006 and 2010 ...

• Destroyers

  Maya Class (27DDG) (1-2) [Japan]

  Programme Background The 27DD Maya class destroyers were previously known as the Improved Atago class because they are an addition to the existing two Atago-class destroyers that have entered service. ...

• AEW&C

  Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (1-6) [NATO]

  Programme Background NATO’s E-3A AWACS fleet is set to retire in 2035, after 50 years of service. To plan for the required follow-on capability, NATO's ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (1-6) [NATO]

  NATO is estimated to procure up to 18 AEW aircraft under the Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) programme to replace the current E-3 Sentry fleet when ...

• Data links

  Data links | Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (1-6) [NATO]

  NATO is estimated to procure up to 18 AEW aircraft under the Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) programme to replace the current E-3 Sentry fleet when ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (1-6) [NATO]

  NATO is estimated to procure up to 18 AEW aircraft under the Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) programme to replace the current E-3 Sentry fleet when ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (1-6) [NATO]

  NATO is estimated to procure up to 18 AEW aircraft under the Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) programme to replace the current E-3 Sentry fleet when ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Small VTOL UAV (Denmark)

  Programme Background 2020 Tender In January 2018, Denmark's three main political parties signed the Danish Defence Agreement, a cross-party defence white paper covering the period ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Greece)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Italy)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

• ISR/special mission

  EC-37B Compass Call [USAF]

  Programme Background Requirement The retirement of the EF-111A in 1990 left the USAF largely out of the operational and tactical level radar jamming business. Lockheed Martin ...

• Fighter - multirole

  MiG-35 (Russia)

  The MiG-35 is a new-generation derivative of the twin-engine MiG-29 (NATO code-name ‘Fulcrum’) featuring multi-role combat capabilities, significantly reworked airframe and a vastly expanded arsenal ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Multirole Underwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) [Italy]

  In June 2024, during a presentation provided at the NATO Maritime Security Centre of Excellence (MARSEC COE), the Italian Navy detailed the new capabilities it ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Major networking projects

  Ballistic Missile Defence

  In early 2010, NATO acquired the first phase of an initial theatre ballistic missile defence capability to protect alliance forces. 

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BMD-2

  Between 1,000 and 2,000 BMD-2 (Boevaya Mashina Desantnaya - Airborne Combat Vehicle) amphibious IFVs were produced for the Soviet Airborne Forces (VDV) by the Volgograd ...

• Deployable/static missile systems

  Aegis Ashore

  Aegis Ashore is the first operational land-based version of the Aegis Combat System originally developed by Lockheed Martin for the US Navy's Ballistic Missile Defence ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BMD-4M

  The BMD-4M is based on the BMD-4, which has been in the Russian Army's airborne forces (VDV) service since 2004. It was developed to provide an ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BMD-1

  The Volgograd Tractor Plant (now known as the Volgograd Machine-Building Company) developed the BMD-1 amphibious IFV specifically to meet the requirements of the Soviet Union's ...

• Land: battle management systems

  BMD-Flex

  BMD-Flex is a modular C2 software system for integrated air and missile defence. Built on T-Core, BMD-Flex’s features and functions can be tailored, ranging from ...

• Sea: naval surveillance radar

  Smart-L MM/N

  The Thales Smart-L MM/N is an AESA D-band next-generation Long Range Multi-Mission Radar for Air and Space Surveillance and Ballistic Missile Detection. It is based ...

• Land: manned turrets

  Bereg

  KBP developed the Bereg one-person turret (referred to as a ‘combat module’ in Russia) to provide an upgrade option for the Russian-designed BMD-series airborne IFV ...

• Land: manned turrets

  Bakhcha

  The Bakhcha is the latest version of the two-man turret originally developed for the BMP-3 tracked IFV, which entered Soviet Army service in 1987.  It ...

• Cannons

  2A70

  The 2A70 is a 100mm cannon that has been designed to equip infantry fighting vehicles, including the BMP-3, BMP-3F and the BMD-4M.

• Major networking projects

  NATO SATCOM

  Leonardo has been awarded a turnkey contract to rationalise and upgrade NATO’s SATCOM systems and associated infrastructure. The company will design, build, test, commission and ...

• Major networking projects

  NATO DCIS

  Airbus is delivering the NATO Deployable Communication and Information System (DCIS). The project represents a major upgrade in the capability of NATO Response Forces (NRF) ...

• Land: RWS

  Qimek NATO

  Rheinmetall's RWS family includes the Qimek single-weapon RWS and the Nanuk dual-weapon RWS. The Qimek NATO combines full stabilisation, long-range day/night all-weather sights and a ...

• Land: RWS

  Nanuk NATO

  Rheinmetall's RWS family includes the Qimek single-weapon RWS and the Nanuk dual-weapon RWS, which was introduced in 2008. The Nanuk NATO combines full stabilisation, long-range ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  ZBD-03/VN10

  The ZBD-03 (initially referred to as the ZLC2000) is an air-droppable tracked infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) designed to support airborne assault operations. Although it shares many ...