• Air Warfare

  First EPAWSS-equipped F-15E Strike Eagles arrive in the UK

  23rd January 2025

  The F-15 Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System programme has achieved its first major milestone after 11 years of development, with two jets arriving at RAF Lakenheath.

• Naval Warfare

  Japan introduces new landing craft classes to transport army equipment

  12th November 2024

  Japan’s new Nihonbare-class landing craft has highlighted Tokyo’s strategic moves to secure its archipelagic regions. Their introduction could be of interest to Australia as it develops its own amphibious capabilities.

• Naval Warfare

  Russian spy ship Yantar monitored in English Channel

  23rd January 2025

  The vessel returned just months after loitering over UK critical undersea infrastructure.

• Naval Warfare

  Swedish Navy boosts submarine fleet navigation with ECPINS deal

  6th December 2024

  The agreement between OSI Maritime Systems and the Royal Swedish Navy covers the nation’s entire underwater fleet.

• Naval Warfare

  UK’s Royal Navy trials autonomous mine hunting capability

  13th December 2024

  The trial tested the Apollo uncrewed mine counter measures vessel in challenging Scottish waters to ensure its resilience.

• Naval Warfare

  Anti-drone directed energy weapons continue to evolve at sea

  7th November 2024

  Defence companies have been accelerating the roll out of directed energy weapon systems to counter the growing importance of drones in modern maritime warfare.

• Naval Warfare

  Royal New Zealand Navy to reactivate OPV while awaiting fleet modernisation

  17th February 2025

  HMNZS Otago will perform the duties of the written-off HMNZS Manawanui until an upcoming renewal process is completed.

• Land Warfare

  Israel brings down drones using a laser, claiming operational first

  29th May 2025

  The announced successful deployment of a prototype laser foreshadows Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ plans to begin rolling out versions of its Iron Beam laser, beginning later this year.

• Air Warfare

  China’s modernisation could “gradually erode” US advantage, says IISS

  13th February 2025

  China’s growing capabilities, such as newly unveiled combat aircraft designs and ongoing J-20 aircraft production, were noted as examples of the country's rapid modernisation efforts and military reforms.

• Land Warfare

  Thales targets requirements with Xtraim digital weapon sight and reveals that thousands have already been sold

  23rd January 2025

  The sight can be used by soldiers wearing night-vision goggles if required and has an all-in-one architecture that combines conventional red-dot and thermal imaging technologies.

• Land Warfare

  German MARS III tests Kongsberg NSM

  27th May 2025

  Germany is looking to expand its artillery capability and like other countries is looking to improved costal defence.

• Land Warfare

  British Army and UK Royal Navy new counter-drone soft-kill systems near fielding

  13th January 2025

  Ongoing military operations in Europe and the Middle East have accelerated the development of a variety of systems to defeat uncrewed aerial systems (UAS).

• Naval Warfare

  STM to build logistics support vessels for Portuguese Navy

  18th December 2024

  The contract marks the first time the Turkish shipbuilder will build vessels for a NATO member state.

• Defence Notes

  UK Chancellor commits £2 billion to make the country a “defence industrial superpower”

  26th March 2025

  Rachel Reeves announced port upgrades, protected budgets for innovation and investment in novel technologies.

• Air Warfare

  Airbus delivers two H225M Caracals to France

  17th January 2025

  The Airbus rotorcraft will replace the French Air Force’s Puma helicopters, following the initial contract signing in 2021.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light attack, Trainer

  PC-21 (Project Air 5428) [Australia]

  The new PTS, including aircraft, flight training simulators and learning environments is being acquired from a single capability contractor, Team 21, which consists of Lockheed ...

• Transport, Transport/tanker aircraft

  Project Air 7404 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement Australia is thinking ahead to an enlarged transport fleet to replace the current C-130Js. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was the second ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (Project Air 6000 Phase 2A/B) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) took delivery of 18 F-35A aircraft as of March 2020 and the remaining aircraft are expected to ...

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

  Loyal Wingman [Australia]

  Background Older Efforts On 23 April 2021, the US State Department's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) approval announcement revealed that Australia had requested to buy up ...

• Data links

  Data links | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

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

  Project Vixen [UK]

  Programme Background Project Goal The Royal Navy uses Leonardo crewed Merlin (AW101) helicopters fitted with CROWSNEST pods to provide airborne early warning capabilities for carriers. An early ...

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

  Project Air 7003 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [USN]

  Programme Background Requirement The USN wants to acquire carrier-capable loyal wingman drones. These drones will have a high level of autonomy, allowing them to work alongside crewed ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (11-12) [Australia]

  Programme Background Austal was awarded a contract to build six 'Evolved'Cape-class patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on 1 May 2020 (see separate ...

• OPVs

  Arafura Class (Project SEA 1180) (1-6) [Australia]

  Programme Background Australia's new class of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), the Arafura-class, will replace the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) fleet of Armidale and Cape-class patrol ...

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

  MQ-28 Ghost Bat [Australia]

  Programme Background Goal As stated by the Head of Air Force Capability, Air Vice-Marshal Robert Denney, in March 2022, the Ghost Bat will be an "operational ...

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

  MQ-4C Triton (Option) [Australia]

  Programme Background Four Contracted Units In the summer of 2020, Northrop Grumman announced that the Australian Government provided $333 million for three MQ-4C Tritons and associated ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Australian Defence Force MRH90 Training

  As prime contractor for the ADF's MRH90 training programme, CAE has provided two MRH90 full-flight mission simulators (FFMS), training facilities and engineering and support services. ...

• Trainer

  King Air trainer

  Textron / Beechcraft King Air trainers are a family twin-engine aircraft based on King Air 90, 100, 200 and 350 utility aircraft. The King Air ...

• AMAS

  AMAS – Australian Minesweeping System – was developed with the assistance of the Defence Science & Technology Organisation and the Royal Australian Navy. It adopts ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  RAAF Hawk Mk 127 FMS

  Under subcontract to BAE Systems, CAE is designing and manufacturing three Hawk Mk 127 full-mission simulators (FMS) for the Royal Australian Air Force that will ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  NGJ

  Raytheon's Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) was selected by the USN in 2013 to replace the legacy ALQ-99 systems used on the EA-18G electronic attack aircraft. ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers

  AN/ALQ-210

  Lockheed Martin’s AN/ALQ-210 is an Electronic Support Measure (ESM) outfitting the Sikorsky MH-60R Romeo naval support helicopter. The manufacturer’s official literature says that the product ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Wanderer

  The Wanderer is a low-altitude, low-cost, long-endurance UAV produced in-house by the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) Jericho Disruptive Innovation Group and the Australian Government's Defense Science ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Air-5416 Project Echidna

  BAE Systems’ commenced its work on the Australian Department of Defence’s Air-5416 Project Echidna initiative in 2001. The rationale of the programme was to overhaul ...

• Light attack

  Hawk 200

  The Hawk 200 is a single-seat light attack iteration of the Hawk 100 (see separate entry) and Advanced Jet Trainer or AJT (see separate entry). ...

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

  MQ-28A Ghost Bat

  The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is a loyal wingman type MALE fixed-wing drone being developed by Boeing Defence Australia. Its development began in 2013 and took its first ...

• Maritime patrol

  Challenger 604

  Bombardier Challenger CL-604 MPAs are in service with the Royal Danish Air Force and the Korea Coast Guard. The first of three Danish aircraft entered ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  Predator Mission Trainer (PMT)

  The CAE Predator Mission Trainer (PMT) is an integrated platform that combines the features of CAE's UAS mission trainer with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Predator-specific ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  AN/ALR-2001

  BAE Systems’ AN/ALR-2001 Electronic Support Measure (ESM) is thought to be based on Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Elta Systems division’s EL/M-8382 ESM. The AN/ALR-2001 is ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition

  In July 2025, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) unveiled an as-yet-unamnned loitering munition that had been developed through collaboration between the RTAF’s Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Air ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Phantom 4 (Series)

  Designed for aerial photograph applications by DJI, the Phantom 4 series of UAVs includes the Phantom 4 Pro, Phantom 4 Pro V2.0, Phantom 4 Advanced ...