• Digital Battlespace

  Australian ISREW aircraft confirmed

  8th January 2016

  Australia has confirmed it is acquiring two Gulfstream G550 business jets for conversion into intelligence-gathering and electronic warfare platforms. Responding to queries from Shephard, an …

• Defence Helicopter

  France orders more NH90 TTHs

  8th January 2016

  The French Army Aviation has opted to increase its NH90 tactical troop helicopter (TTH) helicopter fleet to 74 units, with a new order for six …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop to support GPS/INS work

  7th January 2016

  The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded a contract to Northrop Grumman to support its embedded Global Positioning System (GPS)/Inertial Navigation System (INS) Pre-Phase 1 …

• Digital Battlespace

  Philippines hunts for C4ISTAR and radars

  7th January 2016

  The Philippines military is in the market for new ‘command-and-control and radar systems’, Manila announced on 4 January. A news piece on the website of …

• Defence Helicopter

  Russia confirms Egyptian Ka-52 order

  4th January 2016

  Russian Helicopters has acknowledged for the first time the existence of a contract for 46 Ka-52 coaxial rotor attack helicopters for Egypt. Alexander Mikheev, director …

• Defence Helicopter

  Royal Navy says SAR-onara

  4th January 2016

  The Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm has officially ended its role in UK search and rescue (SAR) operations, concluding nearly 60 years of service. The …

• Naval Warfare

  Choppy waters for LCS

  29th December 2015

  The survivability and lethality of the US Navy’s troubled Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) programme has again been called into question in a GAO report released …

• Defence Helicopter

  France orders more Tiger HAD helicopters

  24th December 2015

  The French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) has awarded a contract to Airbus Helicopters to supply seven additional Tiger HAD attack helicopters, the company announced on …

• Land Warfare

  BAE Systems to supply AAV7A1 to Brazil

  22nd December 2015

  BAE Systems will deliver 23 upgraded Assault Amphibious Vehicles (AAV7A1) to the Brazilian Marine Corps under an $82 million contract announced on 21 December. The …

• Defence Notes

  PLA plans core restructuring

  22nd December 2015

  China's President Xi Jinping has launched an ambitious restructuring of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with the force to be progressively reformed by 2020. A …

• Military Logistics

  Saab to overhaul Swedish corvettes

  21st December 2015

  The Swedish Defence Material Administration has awarded a contract to Saab for the yearly overhaul and modification of the Swedish navy’s two Stockholm-class corvettes, the …

• Land Warfare

  Germany orders more Boxer vehicles

  21st December 2015

  Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) joint venture Artec will supply Germany with additional Boxer armoured fighting vehicles under a $516 million order announced on 18 …

• Land Warfare

  Nexter set for ammo boom

  21st December 2015

  Nexter Group’s newly enlarged ammunition business is expected to achieve sales of nearly €750m in 2015, a 50% increase from last year. Officials disclosed their results …

• Land Warfare

  Boxer beats rivals in Lithuania

  18th December 2015

  The Lithuanian Ministry of Defence (MoD) is currently in negotiations with German consortium ARTEC for the proposed purchase of 8x8 Boxer infantry fighting vehicles. If …

• Defence Notes

  Philippines boosts defence spending

  18th December 2015

  The Philippine Congress gave the Department of National Defence (DND) a shot in the arm with a 9.2% increase for the 2016 defence budget. The …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Kingston Class Replacement [Canada]

  Under the second pillar of its shipbuilding strategy, Ottawa is seeking a replacement for its Kingston-class OPVs. The programme is still in the very early stages of project ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Kingston Class Replacement [Canada]

  Under the second pillar of its shipbuilding strategy, Ottawa is seeking a replacement for its Kingston-class OPVs. The programme is still in the very early stages of project ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Continental Defence Corvette [Canada]

  Under the second pillar of its shipbuilding strategy, Ottawa is seeking a replacement for its Kingston-class OPVs. The identified successor programme has been named the ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Continental Defence Corvette [Canada]

  Under the second pillar of its shipbuilding strategy, Ottawa is seeking a replacement for its Kingston-class OPVs. The identified successor programme has been named the ...

• Corvettes

  Continental Defence Corvette [Canada]

  Background Initial requirements Under the second pillar of its shipbuilding strategy, Canada is seeking to procure an undisclosed number of small vessels (below 1000t). Part ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) [Canada]

  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 the ...

• Submarines: conventional/attack

  Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP) [Canada]

  Background Requirements The Royal Canadian Navy currently operates four second-hand Victoria-class SSKs. They were purchased from the UK in the late 1990s and re-commissioned into ...

• Loitering munitions

  Warmate [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Ukraine placed an order for an undisclosed number of Warmate systems in 2017. Shepherd believes units acquired in this order later were utilised ...

• Minehunters

  Awaji Class (1-4) [Japan]

  Programme Background Two Awaji class mine countermeasures vessels (MCMV) were ordered from the Japanese shipyard Japan Marine United (JMU) for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) initially. ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Aerostar [Mexico]

  Methodology Unit cost Based on the UAV’s MTOW and the Defence Insight database, Shephard estimates the aircraft’s 2026 gross and flyaway unit costs are $1.95 million and $1.58 million, respectively. Based ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Ejder Yalçın (Batch 1) [Qatar]

  Background In the face of deteriorating relations with some of its neighbours in the Gulf, Qatar has forged closer defence ties with Turkey. This has ...

• OPVs

  Inlay Class (second OPV)

  Programme Background The Inlay class originally consists of a single OPV in service with the Myanmar Navy. However, a second Inlay-class OPV has been reported under construction since ...

• OPVs

  Cyprus Second Sa'ar 62 OPV

  Programme BackgroundThe Republic of Cyrus' Ministry of Defence placed an order with Israel Shipyards for its first Sa'ar 62  OPV in December 2015 in a project valued ...

• Military UAS - small

  HUSAR (2023 Order) [Germany]

  Programme Background First Order In 2015, the German Army launched the HUSAR programme to identify a replacement for its Airbus Defence & Space KZO and ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6, APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Pars III [Oman]

  Background In 2015, Oman signed a $500 million contract with FNSS for 172 Pars III vehicles in both the 8x8 (145) and 6x6 (27) configurations, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Corvettes

  Corvette Borealis 105

  The Corvette Borealis 105 is a concept corvette designed by Saab. It is intended for the Canadian Continental Defence (CDC) programme. The design was first ...

• OPVs

  Vigilance OPV

  At CANSEC 2023, Vard Marine, partnering with Heddle Shipyards, Thales Canada, SH Defence and Fincantieri under the Team Vigilance banner, pitched an OPV design for ...

• Corvettes

  Vigilance 100

  The Vigilance 100 is a developmental corvette designed by Vard Marine. First unveiled at CANSEC 2025, it is part of the Team Vigilance proposal to the ...

• Corvettes

  Vard 7 105 Continental Defence Corvette

  The Vard 7 105 Continental Defence Corvette is a concept vessel designed by Vard Marine as part of the Vigilance bid for the Royal Canadian ...

• Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  Scorpion 2

  Scorpion 2 is a man-portable, non-ITAR remote controlled improvised explosive device (RCIED) jammer, designed to deliver a hybrid, full-spectrum system and threat-band coverage protection for ...

• Military - UUVs

  HUGIN Edge

  The HUGIN Edge is an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) developed by Kongsberg. The platform is intended for defence, commercial and scientific missions, including mine countermeasures, ...

• Air: helicopter radar, Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar, Air: UAS radar

  PicoSAR

  The PicoSAR is a compact multi-mode Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) surveillance radar manufactured by Leonardo. Due to its lightweight, it is a suitable system for ...

• EW test systems, Air: chaff/flare/decoy systems

  CAST-easy

  RUAG unveiled the Countermeasure Advanced System Test Equipment (CAST-easy) in 2017 earmarking it for the Panavia Tornado series of combat aircraft. The 2017 announcement stated ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  Drone Deterrence System

  First unveiled at the LIMA 2017 exhibition by Mitsubishi Electric, the Drone Deterrence System began to be developed in 2014 and made its first sale in ...

• Individual assault/anti-tank weapons

  Fletcher

  Arnold Defense, which has produced more than 1.1 million 2.75in/70mm rocket launchers for airborne applications since 1961, unveiled the Fletcher 2.75in/70mm Weapon System at the September ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  FJ33-5A

  The FJ33-5A is a turbofan engine manufactured by Williams. The engine achieved EASA certification in April 2017, and is used onboard the XQ-58 Valkyrie UAV. 

• Minehunters

  Kormoran II Class

  Three Kormoran II-class minehunters were budgeted for the Polish Navy in 2011, and a contract was placed for a prototype in 2013, with the first ...

• OPVs

  La Confiance Class (PLG)

  The La Confiance-class, also known as the Guyanese Light Patrol Vessel (PLG), in service with the French Navy, was designed by Bureau Mauric and built ...

• Submachine guns

  FN SCAR-SC

  FN Herstal unveiled the 5.56mm FN SCAR-SC (Subcompact Carbine), the newest member of the SCAR (SOF Combat Assault Rifle) family originally developed for the US ...

• Self-propelled guns

  MGS-25 Aleksandar

  Yugoimport-SDPR unveiled the MGS-25 Aleksandar 155mm/52cal wheeled  SPH at the Partner defence exhibition in July 2017, which builds on the company's experience producing the Nora ...