• Air Warfare

  New material could be used for hypersonic missile radomes, MBDA

  18th July 2023

  European missile-maker MBDA has developed a new ceramic material called Nimas B1, which is highly resistant and suitable for radomes used in hypersonic and supersonic missiles.

• Naval Warfare

  Anadolu showcases Turkiye's indigenous endeavours, but will its drone carrier concept take off?

  20th April 2023

  In April, Turkey commissioned TCG Anadolu, the country's future drone-carrying amphibious assault ship, highlighting the capabilities of its indigenous defence industry.

• Naval Warfare

  Fleet support vessels are approved for the Indian Navy

  22nd August 2023

  India is set to proceed with the construction of five indigenously built replenishment vessels.

• Land Warfare

  David's Sling completes new test of capability

  10th July 2023

  The David’s Sling Weapon System (DSWS) is designed to defend against rockets, missiles and crewed or uncrewed aircraft and has completed testing of expanded capability.

• Naval Warfare

  DSEI 2023: Has the Royal Navy cut back its support vessel fleet too far?

  11th September 2023

  This second in Shephard’s three-part series examining the state of the UK RN analyses the fleet of support ships. These important vessels sustain naval forces at sea for long durations and at vast distances, but cuts to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's fleet have left crucial ships retired or sold, prompting concerns for future missions.

• Naval Warfare

  Saab's C718 expeditionary submarine offered for Dutch Navy's sea denial capability

  3rd August 2023

  Swedish shipbuilder Saab Kockums is offering a new expeditionary submarine design as a contender for the Dutch MoD’s Walrus Submarine Replacement Programme.

• Defence Helicopter

  Argentina shops for new helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft

  14th July 2023

  While Argentina’s combat aviation fleet remains weak, the armed forces are acquiring new search and rescue (SAR) helicopters and a fixed-wing surveillance aircraft with SAR capabilities.

• Land Warfare

  India's Ashok Leyland wins $97.5 million deal for trucks

  17th July 2023

  Ashok Leyland, the largest logistics vehicle supplier to the Indian Army, has won significant defence contracts worth INR800 crore for the Field Artillery Tractor (FAT 4x4) and Gun Towing Vehicle (GTV 6x6).

• Naval Warfare

  Insight: Gowind 2500 corvette enjoys strong export business despite Romanian rejection

  5th September 2023

  France's Naval Group's Gowind 2500 corvette, designed for multiple naval missions, has gained popularity worldwide. Shephard Defence Insight provides detailed analysis of its export contracts, armament and technical specifications.

• Naval Warfare

  India gifts missile corvette to Vietnam amidst deepening ties

  17th July 2023

  Cementing the two countries' defence partnership, India has donated a second-hand warship to Vietnam.

• Air Warfare

  Teal Drones boosted by order for more by USAF Security Forces and ID certification from FAA

  23rd August 2023

  Teal Drones has had its order book for USAF Security Forces doubled, and its Teal 2 UAS has received Remote ID certification. The latter meaning the platform can provide identification and location information, a requirement for operation in US airspace from next month.

• Digital Battlespace

  Israel Aerospace Industries successfully launches Singapore's DS-SAR radar satellite

  31st July 2023

  The DS-SAR radar satellite, developed and produced by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), was successfully launched into space on a PSLV-C56 rocket from the launch site SDSC SHAR Sriharikota, India.

• Naval Warfare

  Exclusive: Royal Navy Second Sea Lord on ships, the defence command paper, and the future Indo-Pacific presence

  5th May 2023

  The UK Royal Navy’s Second Sea Lord VAdm Martin Connell said it shouldn’t be a surprise that adjustments must be made ahead of a hotly anticipated new Defence Command Paper and praised the progress made by HMS Tamar and Spey in reinforcing the UK’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific.

• Digital Battlespace

  Aselsan to exhibit YILDIRIM-100 DIRCM for helicopters at IDEF 2023

  24th July 2023

  Aselsan has unveiled a new Directional Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM) system, the YILDIRIM-100.

• Digital Battlespace

  EU Commission invites tenders for new satellite constellation with military applications

  27th March 2023

  The European Commission has launched an invitation tender for a contract to implement the EU satellite constellation dubbed IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite).

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Black Hornet 3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Programme Background Russo-Ukraine War Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UAVs have proved vital to the country's defence. Consequently, as in this programme, the ...

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

  FPV Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Statement of Intent On 14 June 2024, the Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries Serhiy Boyev, Minister of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umerov and the Minister ...

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

  ISR Drones (Second Batch) (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background First Batch On 20 March 2024, Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, announced that, following a 19 March Ukraine Defense Contact ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Latvian Drones (2025) (Ukraine Aid) [Latvia]

  Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG) In January 2024, the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG), a multi-nation organisation that coordinates military aid for Ukraine, established a ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Germany]

  Programme Background Germany has operated the domestically produced Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Leopard 2 since its inception in the 1970s. Spanning now eight versions, the Leopard 2A8 is the ...

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

  GA-ASI Drone [Ukraine]

  Programme Background MQ-9A Reaper - April 2022 On 13 April 2022, Forbes reported that Ukraine was talking with GA-ASI to acquire the MQ-9A Reaper. Ukrainian officials ...

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

  Vector / Scorpion (Contracted) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Previous Orders & Donations On 29 March 2022, the US Embassy in Warsaw announced that Quantum Systems had donated an unknown quantity of ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 [Sweden]

  Programme Background As the domestic manufacturer and original operator of the CV90 IFV, Sweden has had a continuous fleet of CV90s in service since the ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 600 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background $300 Million USAI (1 April 2022) On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine following ...

• Loitering munitions

  One-Way Attack Drones (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background 2024/2025 Military Aid Package On 12 January 2024, the UK government announced it would provide Ukraine with £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) in military ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 300 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (16 March 2022 & 13 April 2022) On 16 March 2022, President Biden announced $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine through ...

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

  Latvian Drones (2024) (Ukraine Aid) [Latvia]

  Background Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG) In January 2024, the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG), a multi-nation organisation that coordinates military aid for Ukraine, established a drone ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Norway]

  Programme Background September 2024 On 3 September 2024, the Norwegian government announced that "Ukraine will get more drones donated to their frontline, and more air ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  Programme Background  In February 2025, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste Simon Harris highlighted Irelands need to procure a new combat fighter jet to combat ...

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

  Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase I) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) provides short-range day and night ISR to US Army units at the squad, platoon and other small ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Akash-NG missile

  The Akash-NG (New Generation) missile is an advanced surface-to-air missile system developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to enhance the country's air ...

• Core systems: cameras and IR detectors

  Ophir 26-105mm f/1.6 LWIR continuous zoom

  Ophir's plethora of IR optics includes a wide range of long-range zoom lenses for every application. Ophir's budget range has been extended to include a ...

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

  Vespa-15

  The Vespa-15 is a first-person view (FPV) rotary-wing UAV manufactured by a Ukrainian company.  In May 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Ukraine announced it ...

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

  Kazhan

  The E620 Kazhan is a Ukrainian-made rotary-wing attack drone. It is available in hexacopter and quadcopter configurations and can drop 60mm, 82mm, and 120mm mortar shells. ...

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

  Black Hornet 3

  The Black Hornet 3 is the next generation of the PD-100 Black Hornet, the world's smallest nano-UAS. This new model of the Black Hornet provides ...

• Infrastructure - shelters/accommodation

  Alpha/Omega

  Alpha and Omega are multipurpose frame tents that require minimal maintenance and can be used in extreme climatic conditions. The Omega is more spacious and ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  CB90

  Combatboat (Stridsbåt) 90 (CB90) is a class of small, rapid attack boats designed for raiding and inshore/nearshore coastal protection operations or deploying up to 20 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - micro

  Corvo PPDS

  The Corvo Precision Payload Delivery Systems (PPDS) is a micro fixed-wing drone constructed from cardboard. It is a low-cost, single-use drone for delivering supplies and equipment ...

• EO/IR systems

  USG-212

  Described as a plug-and-play turnkey solution, the USG-212 is an EO/IR camera gimbal from Ukrspecsystems. It appears to be out of production. The gimbal has ...

• Short Range Missile Defence Systems: 0 to 20 km range

  MIM-23 Hawk

  The MIM-23 HAWK (Homing All the Way Killer) is an American medium-range surface-to-air missile system developed by Raytheon in the 1950s to provide mobile air ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  Storm Shadow/SCALP EG

  The Storm Shadow is an air-launched cruise missile developed by France, Italy and the UK. It is known as the Storm Shadow in the UK ...

• Land: air defence radar, Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  TRML-4D

  The TRML-4D is a multi-functional surveillance and target acquisition radar system developed by Hensoldt. It is the latest C-band (NATO G-band) TRS-4D radar family member, ...

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

  Vampire

  The Vampire is a hexacopter drone developed by the Ukrainian company Skyfall. It can carry and drop various types of ammunition on the enemy. In ...

• EO/IR systems

  NightHawk2-UZ

  The NightHawk2-UZ is a dual EO-IR stabilised camera turret from NextVision designed for long-range observation applications that demand low weight. The 350g sensor's IR camera has a 1280x720p ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  HIMARS

  Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control developed the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher to provide the US and allied armies with a ...