• Land Warfare

  Rheinmetall completes qualification rounds for new kinetic tank ammo

  8th October 2024

  The company was commissioned to provide qualification samples of the new ammunition to the German Defence Forces and the British Army.

• Air Warfare

  China unveils new military kit and demonstrates technological prowess

  9th December 2024

  From the J-35A twin-engine fighter and the CH-7 stealth surveillance platform, to the Smart-configuration Support UAV and JARI-USV-A unmanned surface vessel, China has been showcasing its ability to project military power through recent technological innovations.

• Naval Warfare

  New anti-mine technology delivered to French and Royal Norwegian navies

  11th February 2025

  Thales and Patria are among the companies to have supplied European navies with systems to combat the growing sea mine threat.

• Land Warfare

  Timelines set for British Army vehicle replacement effort

  18th September 2024

  Previous efforts to replace the British Army’s light vehicles have failed and the process to buy replacements has now been set targets on a reasonably tight deadline.

• Land Warfare

  South Korean defence industry demonstrates its tech prowess

  6th November 2024

  Shephard takes a deep dive into the latest developments in the South Korean defence sector as the country arms itself to deal with current and future threats.

• Land Warfare

  General Motors completes first version of next-gen 4x4 military vehicle

  22nd October 2024

  GM has unveiled its “Next Generation” 4x4 military vehicle, a technology demonstrator based on the Chevrolet Silverado ZR2, featuring commercial components, a flexible design and advanced weapon systems.

• Land Warfare

  Australia announces programme developments on eve of land warfare conference

  10th September 2024

  Australia’s Land Forces 2024 International Land Defence Exposition takes place in Melbourne this week with the government making announcements on land programmes and Supacat unveiling a new vehicle.

• Land Warfare

  US Army orders 40 AMPVs under $184 million contract

  14th October 2024

  BAE Systems’ Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) was developed in response to a US Army requirement for a platform to replace M113s. The latest order is in addition to a full-rate production contract.

• Training

  What is preventing the US Pentagon from succeeding in multi-domain scenarios?

  28th October 2024

  Outstanding issues to be addressed include improving doctrine, increasing the number of joint exercises and better integrating capabilities across the services.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2024 preview: Vehicles to take centre stage as competitions heat up

  3rd October 2024

  The Association of the US Army’s flagship conference and exhibition, the largest defence trade show in the US, returns on 14 October presenting one of the few chances for companies to publicly put their platforms to an audience of US decision-makers. Shephard takes a look at what’s in store for 2024.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2024: Red Cat unveils Black Widow as development continues on Arachnid UAS family

  15th October 2024

  Red Cat has provided updates on its Arachnid family of UAS systems during AUSA this year, including potential launch dates for Black Widow, Fang and Trichon.

• Defence Notes

  What the future holds for Ukraine and NATO under a Trump administration

  12th November 2024

  Although Trump’s geopolitics policy for Europe remains unclear, defence analysts from the US and Europe predict how his incoming administration would attempt to handle critical issues on the continent.

• Land Warfare

  S-MET competitors outline bids

  8th October 2024

  The US Army’s Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport Increment II (S-MET II) is a follow-on from S-MET Increment I (S-MET I) and will provide a larger and more capable vehicle.

• Air Warfare

  Paris Air Show 2025: Airbus and France sign framework agreement for VSR-700

  17th June 2025

  The framework agreement is for the future acquisition of the system under the French Navy’s SDAM programme. The agreement also paves the way for cooperation with other nations via government-to-government agreements.

• Land Warfare

  Jackal 3 in full-scale production as 53 more are ordered by British Army

  19th September 2024

  Babcock will build an additional 53 High Mobility Transporter (HMT) Jackal 3s for the British Army in partnership with Supacat.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Medium Range Precision Strike (MRPS) [UK]

  Programme Background Prior Information Notice (PIN) On 21 October 2024, the MoD published a PIN in collaboration with the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S;). The notice ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35C Carrier Variant (CV) Future Procurement

  US Navy has ordered 118 F-35C aircraft until FY2020, the remaining 121 fighters will be acquired at a rate of 21-28 per year between FY2021 ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Phoenix Ghost (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (21 April 2022) Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, on 21 April 2022, President Biden announced an $800 ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Land 121 Phase 4 (Hawkei PMV-L)

  Programme Background Three suppliers were originally down-selected to meet the Land 121 Phase 4 requirement: Thales Australia, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and Force Protection ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• Tanks

  Main Battle Tank Upgrade [Australia]

  Programme Background Between 2006 and 2007, the Australian Army received 59 M1A1 AIM SA Abrams MBTs under Project Land 907 Phase 1. These vehicles were planned to ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Land Mobility Programme (Light Mobility Vehicle) [UK]

  This programme briefly introduces the wider Land Mobility Programme and then focuses on the Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) programme. Information on the LPM and MPM can ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F Chinook-Saudi Arabia- Contracted

  The helicopters will increase the Royal Saudi Land Forces Aviation Command's interoperability with the US and advance the development of the country's heavy-lift helicopter capability.

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Project Land 400 Phase 3 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement: 2015 RfI The Land 400 Phase 3 programme will procure a new tracked IFV to replace the Australian Army's legacy fleet of ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  NH90 NFH-Germany - Awarded

  NH90 Sea Lions will take on a wide range of roles including search and rescue (SAR), maritime reconnaissance, special forces as well as personnel and ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F Chinook-Saudi Arabia

  In addition to this, the request includes M134D mini-Guns, aircraft survivability equipment, infrared signature suppression system, fast rope insertion extraction system, extended range fuel system, ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Land Mobility Programme (Light Protected Mobility) [UK]

  This programme briefly introduces the wider Land Mobility Programme and then focuses on the Light Protected Mobility (LPM) programme. Information on the LMV and MPM can ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Land Mobility Programme (Medium Protected Mobility) [UK]

  This programme briefly introduces the wider Land Mobility Programme and then focuses on the Medium Protected Mobility (MPM) programme. Information on the LMV and MPM can ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Project Land 2097 Phase 4 [Australia]

  Programme Background According to the RfI, under Project Land 2097 Phase 4, the selected helicopter must comprise a commercial or military off-the-shelf solution that is ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Trainer, Transport

  EMB-121 Xingu

  The EMB-121 Xingu is a twin-turboprop light transport and advanced multi-engine trainer aircraft developed by Embraer based on the EMB-110 Bandeirante. Its maiden flight was ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Hawkei

  Thales Australia developed the 4x4 Hawkei for the Australian Army's Land 121 Phase 4 Protected Mobility Vehicle – Light (PMV-L) project.  The prototype was unveiled in ...

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

  Aertos 121

  The Digital Aerolus Aertos 121 ducted-fan quadrotor UAV is an improved version of the Aertos 120 infrastructure inspection platform. It is designed as an asset for ...

• Towed mortars

  Soltam K6 120mm Lightweight Towed Mortar

  The Soltam K6 120mm Lightweight Towed Mortar has a maximum range of 7,200m using conventional unassisted bombs. The K6 was selected for US Army service ...

• Land Ops

  ESS Land Ops goggles provide eye protection and fog-resistance for ground troops and are authorised by the US Army for use over prescription eyewear. Land ...

• Land: air defence radar, Land: indirect fire location radar

  KRONOS Land

  KRONOS is a mobile multifunctional C-band radar system designed by Leonardo to support air and coastal defence tactical operations.  The system simultaneously performs surveillance, dedicated target ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - national programmes

  Land 125

  In 1994, Australia initiated Project Wundurra to develop an integrated soldier combat system, and by 2005 this had evolved into the multi-phase Land 125 programme ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  Land Ceptor

  MBDA Land Ceptor is a medium-to-long range ground-based air defence missile system based on the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) family of surface-to-air missiles developed ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Superav Land

  The Superav Land 8x8 is a modular vehicle with a large diameter turret ring that can be adjusted to fit a wide variety of remote-controlled ...

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

  ALADIN

  ALADIN is a miniature system consisting of a man-portable GCS and a hand-launched air vehicle with exchangeable sensor payloads.  The UAV, which can be operated ...

• Aertos 120

  The Digital Aerolus Aertos 120 is a light, ducted-fan UAV dedicated to safely conducted inspections in confined spaces such as buildings and tunnels. 

• Transport

  C-40 Clipper

  The USN began replacing its ageing fleet of 29 McDonnell Douglas C-9B Skytrain aircraft in 1997 with the C-40A Clipper, a military version of the ...

• Land: vehicle surveillance/target acquisition systems

  T-VIEW-Land

  The T-VIEW-Land is a lightweight EO/IR, gyro-stabilised sensor, installed on vehicles for day/night observation. It incorporates two cameras: a thermal imager and a colour charge-coupled ...

• Naval guns, Land: RWS

  Naval/Land Rogue

  The Land Rogue is an RWS developed by Reutech for installation on armoured vehicles. Capable of being armed with a 7.62mm machine gun, a 12.7mm ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  G-Wagon

  Mercedes-Benz G-Wagons are designed to meet specific military needs and have been in production since 1979. The vehicle comes in several variants, including 4x4 and 6x6 versions. ...