• Naval Warfare

  BAE, Leonardo partner on precision-guided munitions

  3rd July 2017

  BAE Systems and Leonardo are partnering to develop new precision-guided munitions for use with large-calibre weapon systems, BAE Systems announced on 28 June. The programme …

• Training

  RAAF upgraded Hawks begin training

  7th July 2017

  The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has commenced flights on the upgraded Hawk Advanced Jet Traineraircraft, with the Initial Operating Capability for the Lead-In Fighter …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DARPA completes phase one of FLA programme

  5th July 2017

  The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has completed phase one of its Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) programme following a series of obstacle-course flight tests …

• Defence Notes

  Rejoice, but bad news awaits for Type 26?

  3rd July 2017

  Seemingly timing the release to coincide with the Sunday papers, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 2 July that it had awarded BAE …

• Training

  Qinetiq to upgrade UK MoD Hebrides radars

  6th July 2017

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Qinetiq have announced a joint invest of £16.8m for two new BAE Systems tracking radars at MoD Hebrides, Qinetiq announced …

• Defence Helicopter

  Paris Air Show: Striker II from testbed to head

  28th June 2017

  BAE Systems showcased for the first time a new modified version of its Striker II Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) at Paris Air Show last week. …

• Naval Warfare

  DCNS’s F21 torpedo enters final development phase

  26th June 2017

  DCNS’s F21 torpedo has entered into its final development phase following the completion of a qualification round of firing off the Var coast in France, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Diminished returns for UK equipment

  7th July 2017

  A reduction in platform numbers is a recurring theme in the UK Armed Forces Equipment and Formations publication, with the headline loss being a 37% …

• Naval Warfare

  HMS Brocklesby to return to operations early

  21st June 2017

  The Royal Navy’s mine countermeasure vessel HMS Brocklesby will return to the navy’s surface fleet four months earlier than scheduled following completion of upkeep work …

• Land Warfare

  Land 400 begins air transport trials

  20th June 2017

  Australia's defence procurement project, LAND 400 Phase 2, has commenced air transportability trials, the Australian Department of Defence announced on 19 June. LAND 400 Phase 2 …

• Defence Helicopter

  US Navy orders APKWS rockets

  14th June 2017

  BAE Systems has received a $180.5 million contract from the US Navy to continue producing Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) laser-guided rockets, the company …

• Training

  BAE Systems flies Advanced Hawk aircraft

  12th June 2017

  BAE Systems has successfully completed the first flight of its Advanced Hawk concept demonstrator aircraft at its facility in Warton, Lancashire, the company announced on 7 …

• Digital Battlespace

  Australia to improve space-based ISR capabilities

  20th June 2017

  The Australian government is investing A$500 million ($380.78 million) to improve the country’s space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, the Department of Defence announced …

• Defence Helicopter

  Paris Air Show: Malaysia outlines its shopping list

  19th June 2017

  As the global aerospace industry descends on Paris for the biennial aviation spectacle, the chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) has revealed the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  BAE Systems receives DARPA contracts

  9th June 2017

  BAE Systems has received two contracts from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop technology that will enable compact UAS to conduct multiple mission …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Skyborg [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Intention Skyborg is one of three USAF Vanguard programs outlined in the Air Force Science and Technology 2030 initiative. The program intends ...

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

  FPV Drones [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Ukraine FPV Drones On 5 April 2024, the Lithuanian MoD announced it would purchase around 3,000 Lithuanian-made FPV drones to give to Ukraine ...

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

  FPV Drones [Moldova]

  Programme Background Lithuanian Drones Lithuania's Minister of National Defense, Laurynas Kasciunas, announced that Lithuanian-produced thermal night vision devices and FPV drones had begun being delivered to Moldova during ...

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

  FPV Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Lithuania]

  Programme Background 3000 FPV Drones On 5 April 2024, the Lithuanian MoD announced it would purchase around 3,000 Lithuanian-made FPV drones to give to Ukraine to ...

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

  V-Bat [Netherlands]

  Background Contract Award On 9 July 2025, Shield AI announced that the Netherlands MoD had acquired eight V-Bat, specifically the V-Bat 400, aircraft to enhance the maritime intelligence, surveillance ...

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

  V-Bat 128 (Brazil)

  Programme Background On 7 February 2022, Sheild AI announced on its website that it had signed a contract with VSK Tactical which included the 'purchase of [the] V-Bat ...

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

  Group Unmanned Isr DronE (GUIDE) [Netherlands]

  Background Competition On 14 March 2025, the Netherlands announced on the EU tendering website a competition sounding the future procurement of 514 UAVs for intelligence, surveillance, ...

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

  Loyal Wingan [Japan]

  Programme Background Drone Appetite Released in December 2022, the Defence Building Program (DBP) called on the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) to replace some human assets with uncrewed ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Replicator 1 [US]

  Programme Background Announcement & Requirement In late August 2023, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks announced the Replicator programme, an effort to galvanise an industry which ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Mi2 Challenge [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The USN wants a UAV to be flown in austere environments without dedicated launch or recovery equipment; since it would be launched ...

• Loitering munitions

  Artemis [US]

  Background Origin Artemis began in 2024 due to the US European Command and Indo-Pacific Command's demand for UAVs that met the following requirements. As part ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The OMFV programme is the latest of several attempts to develop a Bradley replacement.  Designed to be capable of operating with or without ...

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

  Air Launched Effect (ALE) [South Korea]

  Programme Background KF-21 Boramae Crewed Fighter The Republic of Korea's Air Force (ROKAF) plans to acquire the KF-21 Boramae fighter, replacing F-4E Phantom II and ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV-30 PRTV (USA)

  Programme Background The Armoured Combat Vehicle (ACV) programme is intended to provide a replacement for the USMC's fleet of Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7 (AAV7) tracked ...

• ARV (USMC)

  Programme Background The ARV constitutes one component of a wider USMC effort to develop an interconnected network of manned and unmanned platforms more suited to ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Viper 10

  The Viper 10 is a rotary-wing first-person view (FPV) drone from Baltic Viper. The loitering munition quadcopter has a 4kg payload, a reinforced communication system, and ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  Hivemind

  Developed by Shield AI, Hivemind is an ecosystem of tightly integrated AI software tools and interfaces that leverages several factors to deliver  intelligent and resilient autonomy ...

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

  Netra 5

  Launched at Aero India 2025, the Netra 5 is a rotary-wing UAV manufactured by ideaForge. It can host a 900g EO/IR camera and drop a ...

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

  GA-10FPV-AI

  The GA-10FPV-AI is a Lithuanian FPV quadcopter drone manufactured by Granta Autonomy. The drone can carry a 3kg payload and operate in GNSS-denied environments. In September 2024, Granta Autonomy ...

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

  TETTRON TM-450

  The Tettron TM-450 is a micro rotary-wing UAV manufactured by Thunder Tiger. The primary mission of the drone is to provide short-range reconnaissance (SRR), particularly ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  INTeACT

  Developed by BAE Systems, INTeACT is a next-generation combat management system for surface vessels with a dedicated software development kit (SDK). Notably, it includes AI-powered ...

• Loitering munitions

  FWD-LM01

  The FWD-LM01 is a loitering munition unveiled by Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace at the Paris Air Show 2025. The manufacturer states the drone is built for ...

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

  UAS Concept 1

  In July 2022, BAE Systems revealed two UAV concepts. The UAS Concept 1 is described as a small, versatile aircraft designed to augment existing forces ...

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

  Jump 20-X

  Unveiled at IDEX 2025, the Jump 20-X is an advancement of AeroVironment's Jump 20 UAV. It is a small (Group 3), fixed-wing, VTOL-capable aircraft with a heavy-fuel ...

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

  Nova 2

  The Nova 2 is a rotary-wing UAV designed by Sheild AI. The platform features Level 5 autonomy, allowing it to autonomously traverse complex domains without an operator's ...

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

  UAS Concept 2 / Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP)

  In July 2022, BAE Systems revealed two UAV concepts, one later being branded Concept 2, or the Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP), at DSEI 2023.  Signage near ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Cinder

  Dragoon Technology is a UAV being developed for the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)'s Artemis effort.  In May 2025, Teledyne FLIR announced it had teamed with Dragoon to offer ...

• Military UGVs

  Robotics Technology Demonstrator

  BAE Systems unveiled its Robotics Technology Demonstrator (RTD) at the AUSA exhibition in 2019. Designed to meet the requirements of the US Army's Robotic Combat ...

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

  Inquisithor

  Shephard saw the Inquisithor at DSA 2024. It is a quadcopter UAV from ProLab Engineering. It is highly customisable and can be changed to a user's requirements ...

• Air: aerial targets, Loitering munitions

  Super Simsek

  The Super Simsek (Süper Şimşek) is an improved version of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) training drone turned loitering munition.  The drone has reconfigurable payload options ...