• Defence Notes

  AUKUS countries look to Pillar 2 as Pillar 1 progresses

  4th December 2023

  Australia, UK and US to collaborate on maritime autonomy, AI, cyber, hypersonics, quantum and undersea warfare, as Australian officers graduate from US Nuclear Power School.

• Air Warfare

  DSEI 2023: Tekever to open new UK site, hints at scaled-up MALE UAV project

  14th September 2023

  Tekever has unveiled its plans to expand in the UK market by establishing a new facility at West Wales Airport in Aberporth, and has also revealed first details of a new large UAV project.

• Defence Notes

  How UAE defence giant EDGE Group plans to double its exports

  24th April 2024

  The UAE defence conglomerate has put an aggressive strategy in place to increase its share of exports while navigating the growing gap between East and West.

• Air Warfare

  Sky high diplomacy: Saudi Arabia's fighter jet puzzle entangles Eurofighter, Rafale and global alliances

  16th January 2024

  Saudi Arabia faces a juncture in aerial diplomacy as Germany's approval of a potential Eurofighter Typhoon deal introduces fresh possibilities and uncertainties, prompting the kingdom to weigh the Eurofighter against the appealing alternative of the Dassault Rafale.

• Naval Warfare

  Navantia offers new corvette design to Australia

  8th November 2023

  Industry contenders have been lining up their offerings for a potential new ‘Tier 2’ surface combatant for the Royal Australian Navy at the Indo-Pacific Maritime exhibition in Sydney.

• Naval Warfare

  Can a new operational profile fix Canada's submarine problem?

  20th September 2023

  The four Victoria-class diesel-electric attack submarines (SSKs) of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) are in the midst of an evolution into a new operations and maintenance regime. Shephard investigates whether this will solve the navy's recurring issues with having only one boat (or even none) operational for long periods.

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2023: Why the US Army is spending billions on modernising training facilities in Europe

  24th November 2023

  The US Army is investing in the modernisation of its Grafenwoehr base and training area in Germany, which hosts the 7th Army Training Command, and provides extensive facilities for live training and interoperability with allied forces.

• Air Warfare

  Croatia officially receives first Dassault Rafale fighter jet

  3rd October 2023

  The official handover of the first Dassault Rafale B jet is a key development in a deal involving 12 aircraft for Croatia. This marks the start of a transition from Croatia's Soviet-era MiG-21 fighters and legacy aircraft.

• Naval Warfare

  Solution offered for US Navy’s nuclear submarine availability problem

  5th September 2023

  Bartlett Maritime Corporation (BMC) has published a plan that offers a solution to the US Navy’s availability crisis with its Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs).

• Air Warfare

  Northrop Grumman opens new hypersonic propulsion facility

  7th August 2023

  Northrop Grumman has opened a hypersonic capability centre (HCC) in Elkton, Maryland, to produce advanced propulsion solutions that can power hypersonic missiles beyond Mach 5, the company announced on 3 August.

• Naval Warfare

  DSEI 2023: Can the Royal Navy's submarine fleet handle the pressure?

  12th September 2023

  The third and final instalment of Shephard’s focus on the UK Royal Navy (RN) examines the state of the submarine force. The SSN fleet is still in transition as the last Trafalgar-class boats retire and Astute-class boats struggles to get into service, and pressure on Vanguard-class SSBNs is increasing as the Dreadnought successor project gets under way following long delays.

• Land Warfare

  Plasan North America nets $300 million JLTV A2 subcontract

  19th July 2023

  Plasan North America will partner with AM General as a subcontractor for the JLTV A2 programme. AM General is contracted to make over 20,000 vehicles and almost 10,000 trailers.

• Naval Warfare

  Is the end in sight for Canada’s painful Joint Support Ship procurement journey?

  1st November 2023

  The launch of the second of two new Joint Support Ships for the Royal Canadian Navy has represented steps forward on a project that has suffered huge delays due to supply chain issues and the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Canada's DND.

• 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

  Additional life-extension for Canada’s Kingston-class OPVs considered

  28th August 2023

  The Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN’s) 12 Kingston-class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), ships which are already being improved, could receive an additional life extension upgrade package.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Additional OPVs (2-3) [Philippines]

  Following the delivery of OCEA's OPV 270, BRP Gabriela Silang (8301), to the Philippine Coast Guard in 2020, the service are planning to acquire a further two OPVs ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Additional OPVs (2-3) [Philippines]

  Following the delivery of OCEA's OPV 270, BRP Gabriela Silang (8301), to the Philippine Coast Guard in 2020, the service are planning to acquire a further two OPVs ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Navio Polivalente Logistico (NAVPOL) (Portugal)

  The Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa announced plans for a locally constructed multipurpose ship for the Portuguese Navy in July 2018. The ship is to be ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Navio Polivalente Logistico (NAVPOL) (Portugal)

  The Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa announced plans for a locally constructed multipurpose ship for the Portuguese Navy in July 2018. The ship is to be ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  A-29 [Nigeria]

  Earlier on 3 August 2017, the US State Department announced that it has approved a possible FMS of 12 A-29 Super Tucanos to Nigeria for ...

• OPVs

  Viana do Castelo-class (Batch II - NPO3S) [Portugal]

  Programme Background Requirements The Viana do Castelo class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) are used for maritime patrol and surveillance, fisheries protection, SAR, anti-drug and anti-arms trafficking, illegal ...

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

  Camcopter S-100 [Greece]

  Programme Background Trails A 2 August 2021 Schiebel press release announced the company had demonstrated the Camcopter S-100's capabilities to the Hellenic Navy. The UAV was ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Navio Polivalente Logistico (NAVPOL) (Portugal)

  Programme Background Requirements The NAVPOL is expected to feature a flexible and modular LPD design capable of amphibious operations and HADR tasks. Timeline The plans for ...

• OPVs

  Additional OPVs (2-3) [Philippines]

  Programme Background The Philippine Coast Guard has set its sights on having a fleet of five new OPVs in its quest to sustain monitoring of ...

• Maritime patrol

  Maritime Patrol Aircraft (Singapore)

  Programme Background Deployed from Changi West airbase, and jointly operated by the RSAF and Republic of Singapore Navy, the ageing Fokker 50 fleet is primarily ...

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

  Anka-S (Nigeria)

  Programme Background Domestic Production Possibility As reported by TurDef, a defence news outlet focussing on Turkey, in March 2023, İsmail Yusuf Abba, Nigeria's ambassador to Ankara, stated at ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Manoeuvrable Boats (1-3) [Japan]

  Programme Background Requirements According to the 2022 Defence Buildup Programme, Japan will procure new manoeuvrable boats for the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF). The boats ...

• Frigates

  Daegu Class (FFX Batch II) [South Korea]

  Programme Background The Incheon and Daegu classes are part of a re-capitalisation effort to replace the older Pohang-class corvettes and Ulsan-class frigates with a new FFX class ...

• Submarines nuclear, ballistic missile

  Type 096

  Programme Background The Type 096 SSBNs are expected to operate alongside the PLANs Type 094 Jin-class submarines which entered service between 2007 and 2020. These ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  LAV Replacement [Japan]

  Programme Background The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) received 1,937 Light Armoured Vehicles (LAVs) from Komatsu between 2001 and ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• CESA

  The CESA (Centre d’Essais et de Services sur les Systèmes Autonomes) UAV test centre is a collaboration between the Bordeaux TechnoWest technopole, DSAC (Directions de ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  RF-300H

  The Falcon III RF-300H is Harris’s next-generation Falcon radio. The manpack solution was first presented at the AFCEA West conference on 21 February 2017. The ...

• OPVs

  Kingston Class

  The Kingston-class undertakes a minehunter and coastal patrol roles with the Royal Canadian Navy. A total of 12 were built by Halifax Shipyards and commissioned ...

• Sea: procedural training

  IMAT

  DAS supports the development and deployment of the Interactive Multisensor Analysis Training (IMAT) system for the US Navy, used at navy schoolhouse and training centres, ...

• Fighter - electronic warfare

  Tornado ECR EW

  The Panavia Tornado Electronic Combat Reconnaissance Aircraft (ECR) is a twin-engine, multi-role combat aircraft developed and manufactured jointly by the governments and industry bases of Italy, ...

• Naval guns

  RPK-8/ RBU-6000

  RPK-8, also known as Zapad (West), is a rocket launcher system designated to provide protection against surface ships, enemy submarines and torpedoes. At the core ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 1

  The Leopard 1 was developed from 1956-65 to meet the requirement of the West Germany Army for a new MBT to replace the US-supplied M47s ...

• Submachine guns

  MP5

  The MP5 is one of the most prolific 9mm SMGs in production, with more than 100 variants developed to meet the requirements of military, paramilitary ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  UH-60 Black Hawk Training Devices

  FlightSafety offers UH-60A/L pilot training on their Black Hawk Level D simulator at West Palm Beach, Florida. The UH-60A/L pilot training features the company’s exclusive ...

• Patrol boats

  RPB 33

  The RPB 33 offshore patrol boat from France's Raidco Marine is designed for the use of naval forces to enhance maritime surveillance capabilities. This new ...

• Land: fire control systems

  Fieldguard

  Fieldguard is an active all-weather fire control system used to improve the accuracy of field artillery and multiple rocket launchers. Originally developed by Oerlikon Contraves ...

• Helicopter engines

  T58

  The T58 is a US turboshaft helicopter engine. Development commenced with a 1953 USN requirement for a helicopter turboshaft to weigh under 180kg while delivering ...

• OPVs

  OPV 190 MKII

  The OCEA OPV 190 MKII is descended from the OCEA OPVs range. This multipurpose vessel is designed for law enforcement and surveillance operations, anti-smuggling and illegal ...

• OPVs

  Viana do Castelo Class

  The Viana do Castelo class currently consists of four OPVs in service with the Portuguese Navy. The vessels entered service between 2011 and 2019, while ...

• Submarines: conventional, attack

  Santa Cruz (TR 1700) Class

  The Santa Cruz-class diesel-electric submarines were built for the Argentine Navy by Thyssen Nordseewerke. Six submarines based on the TR 1700 type were planned for ...