• Defence Notes

  Pentagon chief Mattis reduced to carrying out orders he dislikes

  27th June 2018

  From housing undocumented migrants to scrapping joint exercises with South Korea or setting up a new Space Force - US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, one-time …

• Naval Warfare

  Vard to build Norwegian coast guard vessels

  27th June 2018

  Fincantieri’s subsidiary Vard Holdings has signed a contract with the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) for the construction of three coast guard vessels, Fincantieri announced …

• Defence Notes

  Greek coalition partner vows to block Macedonia deal

  3rd July 2018

  The head of Greece's junior coalition partner on 3 July vowed to block a disputed name deal with neighbouring Macedonia, questioning the government's legitimacy to …

• Digital Battlespace

  Rheinmetall to upgrade Canadian MASS

  22nd June 2018

  Rheinmetall has received a follow-on contract from the Canadian military to upgrade the Multi Ammunition Softkill System (MASS) installed on the navy's Halifax-class frigates, the …

• Defence Notes

  Germany warns US against trade war

  4th July 2018

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned US President Donald Trump on 4 July against unleashing an all-out trade war after he threatened to impose steep tariffs …

• Defence Notes

  Trump forcing Europe to deepen defence integration

  21st June 2018

  Uncertainty over US President Donald Trump's commitment to the NATO alliance requires European nations to bolster efforts to forge a common defence policy, France's Defence …

• Digital Battlespace

  US Navy's newest Warfighting Development Centre prioritises expert growth

  25th June 2018

  The new US Naval Information Warfighting Development Centre (NIWDC) has seen significant progress in its efforts to train subject matter experts in the domain, making …

• Military Logistics

  Seaspan cuts steel for first JSS

  20th June 2018

  Seaspan has begun construction of the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) future Joint Support Ships (JSS) at its Vancouver shipyard, the Canadian Department of National Defence …

• Land Warfare

  Poland reconsiders mine laying vehicle programme

  29th June 2018

  The Polish Armament Inspectorate could once again press the restart button on plans to acquire mine laying vehicles (Pojazd Minowania Narzutowego, PMN) due to lack …

• Naval Warfare

  Aerojet Rocketdyne awarded torpedo work

  15th June 2018

  Aerojet Rocketdyne has received a $2.6 million Phase I contract from the Office of Naval Research to develop a prototype torpedo propulsion system under its …

• Defence Notes

  New Zealand to reset defence posture, says defence minister

  19th June 2018

  New Zealand is expected to focus its defence policy towards the Pacific and reassess its defence procurement plans under new proposals from Defence Minister Ron …

• Military Logistics

  LiquidPiston to continue developing 30kW X4 engine

  22nd June 2018

  LiquidPiston has received an additional $2.5 million funding from DARPA to continue development of its 30kW X4 rotary diesel engine prototype, the company announced on …

• Military Logistics

  Marines seek improved collapsible fuel tanks

  27th June 2018

  The United States Marine Corps Program Manager for Engineer Systems (PM ES), Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) has released a request for information (RFI) seeking …

• Defence Notes

  Singapore outlines procurements for 2020 and beyond

  2nd July 2018

  Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has outlined its equipment requirements to ensure the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) remain lethal beyond 2020-30. Defence Minister Ng Eng …

• Defence Notes

  Despite rows, EU-US defence ties still strong

  21st June 2018

  NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on 21 June acknowledged the ‘real’ disagreements between Europe and the US but insisted the trans-Atlantic bond on defence and …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Wing Loong I-D [Eygpt]

  Programme Background Context According to SIPRI, 10 Wing Loong I UAVs were acquired from China in 2016, with deliveries occurring from 2016 to 2018. The Chinese Sohu newspaper reported that ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  San Antonio LPD 17 Flight I [USN]

  The LPD 17 Flight I ships are the first flight of the San Antonio-class Landing Platform Docks (LPD). Procured between FY1996 and FY2017, the vessels ...

• Tanks

  Arjun Mark-II

  Programme Background While original plans envisioned the production of up to 250 Arjun Mk IIs, the programme's many delays have prompted the Indian Army to ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  PKX-B Batch II (9-22) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Contracts Award On 24 November 2022, HJ Heavy Industries was awarded a contract worth KRW212 billion ($160 million) to build four PKX-B Batch-II ...

• Tanks

  Al-Khalid-I

  Programme Background Pakistan operates a vast fleet of Chinese and Ukrainian MBTs primarily aimed at deterring regional rivals such as India. In order to build ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  PKX-B Batch II (1-4) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Contracts Award On 24 November 2022, HJ Heavy Industries was awarded a contract worth KRW212 billion ($160 million) to build four PKX-B Batch-II fast attack ...

• Tanks

  Al-Khalid-II

  Programme Background Pakistan operates a vast fleet of Chinese and Ukrainian MBTs primarily aimed at deterring regional rivals such as India. In order to build ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  PKX-B Batch II (5-8) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Contracts Award On 24 November 2022, HJ Heavy Industries was awarded a contract worth KRW 212 billion ($160 million) to build four PKX-B ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  Fast Interceptor Craft - Indigenous (FIC-I) (India)

  Programme Background Requirements The craft are required to have a length of 13-17m, a sustained speed of 45kt, a range of at least 200nm at 15kt, ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  New Exploration and Escort Helicopter (NEES) (Phase II) [Italy]

  Programme Background Phase I In 2017, the Italian government signed a contract with Leonardo to replace its fleet of AW129 Mangusta attack helicopters with the ...

• Submarines: conventional, attack

  KSS-III (Boats 1-3) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Timeline The new KSS-III Dosan Ahn Chang-Ho-class submarines for the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) are a significant advance on the earlier KSS-II ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  RQ-4 Global Hawk (Japan)

  Programme Background Selection & Contract AwardIn 2015, Northrop Grumman's RQ-4 Global Hawk UAS and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft were selected by Japan to ...

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

  Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase II) [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 ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase II) [USA]

  In 2018, the US Army selected the FLIR Systems Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System (PRS) for Phase I of its Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) programme. ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase II) [USA]

  In 2018, the US Army selected the FLIR Systems Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System (PRS) for Phase I of its Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) programme. ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Subsystems: software

  SWORD

  The SWORD is a high-level, automated war-game solution for training, analysis and planning. Developed in close relation with armies worldwide, the SWORD immerses brigade and ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  TAOS

  In Tactical Aircraft Online Services (TAOS), live Aero L-29 jets are flown by experienced combat pilots alongside a wingman flying a ground-based flight simulator, controlled ...

• Land: fire support simulators

  FIDex

  Fidelity has merged the technology of its JTAC and IDF product lines. It released FIDex (Fidelity Extreme) at I/ITSEC 2011 with its first demo of ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators, Land: tactical engagement simulators

  VBS Blue IG

  At I/ITSEC 2017, Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim) unveiled a new simulation technology to help international militaries train for operations. VBS Blue IG, an upgrade from the ...

• Subsystems: visual

  EP-8100

  At I/ITSEC 2015, Collins Aerospace (formerly Rockwell Collins) unveiled its EP-8100 image generation system, which is driven by real-time, simulation-specific graphics cards and software. It ...

• Subsystems: visual

  WholeEarth Synthetic Environment

  Rockwell Collins unveiled its enhanced synthetic training environment, WholeEarth, at I/ITSEC 2015 and the official release occurred in May 2016. The high-resolution complete Earth database ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  ULV MicroVSAT

  Ultra I&C;'s ULV MicroVSAT is a tri-band, lightweight SATCOM terminal that emphasises portability. First introduced in 2022, the modem-agnostic system supports WGS, Intelsat Flex, Inmarsat GX ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  Cockerill i-X

  The Cockerill i-X is a wheeled armoured vehicle designed as a light armoured platform with a modular turret for intercepting enemy forces. John Cockerill Defense unveiled the new ...

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

  ALTIUS-600 / ALTIUS-600M

  Part of the ALTIUS family, the ALTIUS-600 is an air-launched, tube-integrated UAV that Area-I has designed to conduct ISR, SIGINT collection and electronic warfare missions.  At AUSA 2022, Anduril ...

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

  Wing Loong I

  Designed by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the Wing Loong I is the first member of the ...

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

  Skylark I-LEX

  The Skylark I-LEX is a mini-UAV manufactured by Elbit Systems.  Unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2015, the UAV is designed for ISR operations. It enables ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  Pinaka

  The Pinaka 214mm MRL was developed indigenously by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from 1986 to meet the Indian Army's requirement for an ...

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

  Anka-I

  Anka-I is a SIGINT/COMINT variant of Turkey’s Anka-S and is operated by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization. The COMINT capability allows operators to track, geolocate and ...

• Air: aerial targets

  QF-16 FSAT

  The QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) is an optionally piloted supersonic aerial target developed to replace the QF-4 in USAF service. Retired F-16 fighters are ...

• Air: mission management systems

  I-C2F

  The Integrated Command and Control Framework (I-C2F) provides an end-to-end C2 architecture delivering J1-J9 functionality across the joint battlespace. As well as C2 messaging and ...