• Naval Warfare

  BAE Systems to upgrade Mk 45 control systems on Anzac-class frigates

  9th January 2024

  BAE Systems has been refreshing the Mk 45 guns on the Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac-class frigates for more than a decade and a new contract will take it to Mod 4 standard.

• Air Warfare

  Altius 700 air-launched UAV completes first successful flight demonstration

  5th January 2024

  The Altius 700 was developed as an air vehicle solution to address the size, weight and power requirements in the approved May 2020 Launched Effects Abbreviated Capabilities Development Document and has marked a further development of the Altius 600.

• Air Warfare

  Will air forces in the Middle East look to new sources for advanced equipment?

  29th December 2023

  Amid a tense strategic situation and the absence of advanced indigenous products, Gulf Cooperation Council states have come to be regarded as a priority export destination for most new air, land or sea systems.

• Land Warfare

  US increases investments in mortar production capacities

  20th September 2023

  The US Army and companies of the defence industrial base have been expanding and upgrading their facilities as well as improving capabilities to produce mortar systems and rounds.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2023: More firepower for M5 Ripsaw RCV

  10th October 2023

  Textron Systems’ M5 Ripsaw RCV has undergone a series of optimisations as revealed at AUSA 2023 in Washington DC.

• Air Warfare

  Insight: How will the US Navy keep its EA-18G Growler EW aircraft flying until 2046?

  14th September 2023

  The carrier-based EA-18G Growler entered service in 2010 and is intended to remain in service until 2046. Shephard Defence Insight analyses the key operational technologies on the aircraft and the upgrade path needed to keep it flying and effective for another two decades.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Ocius expands Bluebottle USV capabilities

  10th November 2023

  A growing number of uncrewed systems have been on show at Sydney's Indo-Pacific Maritime exhibition with a select few currently being trialled to see if they can enhance the Royal Australian Navy's surveillance levels.

• Naval Warfare

  MBDA receives three Sea Viper contracts

  21st January 2024

  The new Sea Viper Evolution (SVE) system foresees the use of the Aster 30 B1 missile, the latest addition to the Aster family and an upgrade to Sea Viper’s primary sensor, the Sampson Multi-Function Radar (MFR).

• Training

  BAE Systems pioneers AI learning environment while Hadean wins army simulations contract

  2nd February 2024

  Obrizum and BAE Systems will pioneer a bespoke digital learning environment, while Hadean has been selected to enhance British Army simulations with AI-driven solution.

• Land Warfare

  World Defense Show 2024: MARSS reacts to current events in Middle East and books RADiRguard sale

  5th February 2024

  MARSS, a UK-based technology company, has been gaining a stronger foothold in the CUAS field which has boomed in the past few years.

• Defence Helicopter

  Industry awarded new contracts for Australian and US Apache attack helicopter work

  1st September 2023

  Longbow LLC and Lockheed Martin have received new contracts to supply Longbow fire control radars to Australia, and refurbish US Army Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (TADS/PNVS) equipment. Both systems equip the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.

• Air Warfare

  Electronic warfare system prototype for US Super Hornets to be built by Raytheon

  20th December 2023

  The new electronic warfare system prototype developed by Raytheon could replace the existing defensive electronic countermeasure and radar warning receiver systems equipped on the US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets.

• Defence Notes

  US Army seeks 'fundamental transformation' to face future threats

  25th September 2023

  ‘The army is really undergoing its most fundamental transformation in 40 years. We are moving away from the system that we designed in the 80s’, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth has claimed,

• Air Warfare

  US approves $2 billion Black Hawk sale for Greece

  19th December 2023

  The proposed sale of UH-60M Black Haws will replace Greece’s ageing multi-role helicopter fleet with a more reliable platform.

• Land Warfare

  Raytheon to build microwave antenna system to defeat airborne threats

  21st December 2023

  Raytheon will build two systems for the US Navy and US Air Force as part of the DARPA Directed Energy Front-line Electromagnetic Neutralization and Defeat (DEFEND) programme.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams [Poland]

  Programme Background Requirement Since the early 2010s Poland wanted to upgrade its Soviet-era tank fleet due to modernisation requirements, the need to increase interoperability with NATO ...

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

  Drone40 (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background In August 2022, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a think tank, held a podcast with Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, in which ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Land 400 Phase 2 - Boxer CRV [Australia]

  Programme Background History The Land 400 Phase 2 programme will procure a replacement for the ASLAV, a derivative of the General Dynamics Land Systems Light Armoured Vehicle ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A4 [Czech Republic]

  Programme Background  The Czech Republic currently operates a small fleet of T-72s, which, while undergoing upgrades and life extension programmes, are increasingly obsolete. In October ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel - Medium (Project Land 8710 Phase 1A) [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirements Australia has set out requirements for a fleet of up to 18 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels - Medium (LMV-M) with the release of ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Second Hand SSNs [Australia]

  Programme Background Timeline In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Main battle tanks

  Viatura Blindada de Combate-Carro de Combate (VBC-CC) [Brazil]

  Programme Background Several key technical requirements have been outlined by the Brazilian MoD. Among the most important are that the platform should weigh less than ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  Programme Background AUKUS Australia announced on 16 September 2021 that the contract with Naval Group signed in 2016 had been cancelled. Although not a surprising ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A1 Abrams (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Australia has been amongst the various Western allies providing Ukraine with military aid. Prior ...

• 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 helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R [Spain]

  Programme Background On 16 March 2022, the US State Department approved an FMS to Spain for eight MH-60R helicopters and associated equipment and weaponry for $950 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Carl-Gustaf M3

  The Carl-Gustaf M3 is the third generation of the 84mm shoulder-fired recoilless antitank gun, first fielded by the Swedish Army in 1946. Since then, it ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1/M1A1 Abrams

  The 105mm-armed M1 Abrams tracked MBT was introduced into US Army service in 1980 as a replacement for the 105mm-armed M60 MBT. In April 1991, ...

• S-64 Helitanker Fire-fighting Equipment

  Erickson's 10,031l tank for the S-64 helitanker drops water, retardant or foam mix at a rate of around 95l/h. Microprocessor-controlled tank doors offer eight individual ...

• Naval: RF, IR and acoustic decoys

  Nulka

  The Nulka is an active anti-ship missile decoy originally conceived in Australia, and developed under a joint Australian-US programme. BAE Systems Australia is prime contractor, while ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition

  The Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition (NGVA) is a family of ammunition being developed by the US Army's Armaments Center and manufactured by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP)

  The M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) is a 120mm tank round developed by Northrop Grumman Defence Systems. Various customers, including Bahrain, Israel, and the US, use the tank ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3

  The M1A2 System Enhancement Package 3 (M1A2 SEPv3, also known as M1A2C) is the latest production-standard variant of the Abrams MBT. Designed primarily to address ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  CVTESS

  Saab's Combat Vehicle Tactical Engagement Simulation System (CVTESS) is a laser-based simulator which supports every version of the Abrams Main Battle Tank and the Bradley ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  AUKUS SSN

  The AUKUS-SSN will be the submarine design resulting from the AUKUS trilateral pact between Australia, the US and the UK. Expected to incorporate technology from ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Spike LR2

  The Spike LR2 (also known as NT-S) is Rafael's fifth-generation anti-tank guided missile system. It is a long-range, multi-purpose, multi-platform weapon designed for infantry, armored ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  HATS

  In October 2014, the Australian government approved a A$700 million (US$530 million) contract award to Boeing Defence Australia, teamed with Thales Australia, to provide the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  AS21 Redback

  First unveiled in scale model form at the Land Forces 2018 exhibition, the AS21 Redback is a tracked IFV developed to meet the Australian Army's Land ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  FGM-148 Javelin

  The FGM-148 Javelin is a man-portable, fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system developed by the Lockheed Martin-Raytheon Javelin Joint Venture. Key features include fire-and-forget imaging ...

• Guided munitions

  M-712 Copperhead

  The M-712 Copperhead is 155mm artillery projectile that is guided to it's target via a laser guidance system. It was the first smart artillery round ever ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  ATGL-H

  The ATGL-H is an improved derivative of the Russian SPG-9 tripod-mounted, man-portable 73mm recoilless gun manufactured by Arsenal. It fires fin-stabilised, rocket-assisted HE and HEAT ...