• Defence Notes

  US Pentagon to reduce investments in main acquisition programmes over FY2025

  12th March 2024

  The DoD requested nearly US$850 billion to fund operations over the next fiscal year. Despite the amount being 1% higher than the FY2024 budget request, it has not covered the 3% inflation rate, which could impact the DoD’s main programmes in the medium and long term.

• Naval Warfare

  How adverse weather conditions affect autonomous USV navigation

  14th June 2024

  Significant advancements and ongoing challenges in the development of autonomous navigation for uncrewed systems have highlighted the complex interplay between human oversight and technological capability.

• Air Warfare

  Slovenia secures second C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft

  23rd November 2023

  A new agreement between Leonardo, the Italian government and Slovenia has marked the procurement of a second C-27J Spartan medium tactical transport aircraft for Slovenia, following an earlier deal signed in March 2022.

• Naval Warfare

  World Defense Show 2024: First NiDAR CUAS set for combat ships

  6th February 2024

  NiDAR has already been operational on M/V Asterix, a naval auxiliary ship to the Royal Canadian Navy, marking the first time the system was put to use on a NATO-associated vessel.

• Air Warfare

  Czech Republic seals $6.6 billion F-35 deal amid Gripen lease uncertainty

  1st February 2024

  The Czech Republic has solidified its defence stance with a historic F-35 procurement deal, yet unresolved talks have hinted at lingering considerations over potential Gripen lease extensions.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  India’s pursuit of UAVs fuels domestic innovation and industrial growth

  27th June 2024

  In response to escalating border tensions and the need for enhanced surveillance capabilities, the Indian Army is ramping up its drone acquisitions, reflecting the growing importance of unmanned systems in modern defence strategies.

• Air Warfare

  Singapore Airshow 2024: Saab receives Gripen simulator display for Thailand and Brazil

  15th February 2024

  The delivered display systems will be integrated into the Gripen simulators of the Royal Thai Air Force and the Brazilian Air Force.

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2023: MSI Defence Systems announces new mobile counter-UAS solution

  15th September 2023

  At DSEI 2023, MSI Defence Systems showcased the latest iteration of its Terrahawk Paladin VSHORAD C-UAS system, featuring radar and optical sensors and a 30mm Bushmaster autocannon. The company is working on a mobile version mounted on a 6x6 truck.

• Air Warfare

  V-22 Osprey cleared for flight but cause of fatal crash not disclosed

  12th March 2024

  V-22s have been cleared for flight three months after a fatal crash which led to a grounding but processes involved in the clearance mean it will be weeks or even months before full operations return.

• Defence Notes

  US Congress prepares $4 billion package to fund Iron Dome and Arrow 3 for Israel

  8th July 2024

  US representatives plan to allocate resources from the FY2025 defence and foreign operations budget to support the improvement of Jerusalem’s missile-defence architecture.

• Defence Notes

  World Defense Show 2024: The show’s second iteration adapts to a changing world

  13th February 2024

  Saudi Arabia’s welcomed the return of the World Defense Show with the event’s heavy focus on vehicles and CUS systems reflecting ongoing conflicts and the priorities of many national programmes.

• Air Warfare

  Offsets could be the clincher in Thai fighter competition

  19th July 2024

  The 'Thai Air Force White Paper 2024', released on 29 February, promised the procurement would take place from FY2025–34, to allow retirement of late-1980s-era F-16s of 102 Squadron based at Korat by 2028.

• Land Warfare

  Teledyne FLIR introduces next-gen thermal weapon sight

  25th January 2024

  ThermoSight HISS-HD was engineered to enable snipers and machine gun crews to detect, identify and engage targets more than 2,200 meters away with accuracy.

• Digital Battlespace

  British Army’s ISR commander warns of new challenges facing defence forces

  22nd April 2024

  The race between using ISR and resisting the use of it by enemies has accelerated, leading to new methods and systems being required, according to the British Army’s lead on its ISR efforts.

• Air Warfare

  Preparing for mass deployments and improving aircraft fleet among US Air Force priorities for FY2025

  5th February 2024

  The branch’s main concerns for FY2025 will include integrating systems and equipment, improving software, cyber capabilities and aircraft fleet, and preparing for mass deployments.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  ISTAR UAS project (Canada)

  Programme Background Objective The Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) main significant UAV project is the RCN Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Unmanned Aircraft System (RCN ...

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

  Mini Reconnaissance Drones [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Planned Purchases On 14 September 2022, the Lithuanian MoD announced in a short statement on Twitter, now X, that it had begun organising ...

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

  General-Purpose UAS [Australia]

  Programme Background Banned As reported by Shephard in August 2023, in the past, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) used commercial UAS from companies such as DJI for ...

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

  Small Reconnaissance Drones [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Planned Purchases On 14 September 2022, the Lithuanian MoD announced in a short statement on Twitter, now X, that it had begun organising ...

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

  Company Level Small Uncrewed Aircraft System (SUAS) Directed Requirement (DR) [US Army]

  Programme Background Requirement The US Army approved the Co-Level SUAS DR acquisition in June 2023 to supply Brigade Combat Teams with an "immediate, commercially available capability" to ...

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

  Skeldar V-200 (ASW) [Canada]

  Programme Background Contract Award At Euronaval 2022, Shephard reported that UMS Skeldar and Ultra had been awarded a Phase 2 contract on 19 October to provide ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Replicator 2 [US]

  Programme Background 1.0 The Replicator programme is a US effort to field thousands of attritable, autonomous systems across multiple domains before the end of 2025 ...

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

  Medium Range Reconnaissance (MRR) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) Programme The RPUAS programme will provide the battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an organic, on-demand ...

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

  DEF129 Nano UAS [Australia]

  Programme Background DEF129 The Australian Ground Service has combined various army procurement efforts under the DEF129 programme to increase the abundance and proliferation of UAVs ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Aeromobila A Pilotaggio Remoto (Mini) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirement Released on 5 August 2021, the Italian MoD's Multi-Year Defence Programme Document for 2021-2023 announced a programme aimed at acquiring a mini-UAS capable ...

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

  Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) [Canada]

  Programme Background Programme Inception The Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) Joint Unmanned Surveillance and Target Acquisition System (JUSTAS) project was established to procure a UAS for ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4, Mine-protected vehicles

  CLRV

  Programme Background Requirement The Luxembourg MoD wants to replace the Luxembourg Army's fleet of 42 AM General M1151 HMMWV Up-Armoured (UA) and 48 KMW Dingo ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Aeromobila A Pilotaggio Remoto (Micro) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirement Released on 5 August 2021, the Italian MoD's Multi-Year Defence Programme Document for 2021-2023 announced a programme aimed at acquiring a micro-UAS capable ...

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

  RQ-20 Puma (Belgium)

  Programme Background Requirement The Belgian MoD outlined plans to procure more mini and tactical UAS in its Strategic Vision for Defence published in 2016. According ...

• Military UAS - small

  Bug Nano UAS (UK)

  Programme Background The British Army previously took delivery of 160 first-generation Black Hornet PD-100 nano UAS in 2013 to support operations in Afghanistan. After these ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Counter-UAS systems

  C-UAS Solution

  The C-UAS Solution uses goniometry, radar technologies and various sensors to detect and remove UAS from the air. So far, the solution has been proven effective against ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Airfence 5.0

  Airfence 5.0 is a C-UAS RF technology released by Sensofusion. It is designed to protect airports, personnel, prisons and private companies from rogue UAS in ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Howler C-UAS

  Developed by Raytheon, the Howler is a counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS), which includes a Ku-band Radio Frequency Sensor (KuRFS), a command-and-control system, and a Coyote ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Cobham C-UAS

  Unveiled at the AUVSI 2017 trade show in Dallas, Texas, the Cobham C-UAS primarily consists of wideband omnidirectional, directional helix (single- or dual-band), directional flat ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Skylock C-UAS

  Skylock, an Avnon Group company, has developed a C-UAS system that is intended to bring sensors, jammers and a laser effector into a single deployable ...

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

  Penguin C VTOL

  The Penguin C VTOL is the VTOL version of the Penguin C MIL Mk2; hence it is sometimes called the Penguin C Mk2 VTOL. Edge ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Pitbull C-UAS Jammer

  In June 2018, MyDefence launched the Pitbull wearable C-UAS solution, which utilises smart jamming to defeat enemy drones. Pitbull was developed to have a minimal ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  SkyTracker

  SkyTracker is a technology suite that detects, identifies, tracks and mitigates UAS threats. The system provides continuous 24h automated monitoring in all weather conditions. The ...

• Freya

  An easy-to-use system which requires minimal training, Freya can be operated in difficult situations and weather conditions, including strong winds and mountainous areas. A tracker ...

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

  ATLAS C4EYE

  The Advanced Technology Light Acquisition System (ATLAS) C4EYE is the smallest UAS developed by C-Astral Aerospace. Part of the Bramor family of UAS, the Atlas ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  C-UAS Operator Assist

  Operator Assist software contributes to force protection by utilising algorithms to detect and track objects in the air and on the ground. This increases the ...

• Deployable/static missile systems

  Falcon

  Unveiled at IDEX 2019, Falcon is a short-to-medium range ground-based air defence system, including C-RAM and C-UAS capabilities. The Falcon consists of Lockheed Martin's Skykeeper ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  X-MADIS

  The eXpeditionary Mobile Air Defense Integrated System (X-MADIS) is a portable, fully integrated C-UAS system for fixed site, mobile and on-the-move operations. Combining four all-threat ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  İhtar

  The İhtar anti-drone system consists of a radar, EO and jamming systems designed to counter mini-UAS and is available in fixed and deployable configurations. It ...

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

  Stream C

  Stream C is an updated version of the original Stream UAS developed by Threod Systems. Designed for military use, it can carry a multi-sensor package ...