• Digital Battlespace

  Second Global Xpress satellite goes live

  4th November 2015

  Commercial satellite company Inmarsat is making waves in the military satellite world with its second Global Xpress (GX) satellite going live on 3 November. The …

• Digital Battlespace

  Africa SATCOMs restricted

  6th November 2015

  African nations have a fundamental issue with ground infrastructure that is holding the region back from full SATCOM capabilities. While SATCOMs, commercial or military, can offer …

• Digital Battlespace

  Future Skynet options revealed

  3rd November 2015

  The UK is working on its future beyond line of sight (FBLOS) satellite capability to follow on the Skynet 5 constellation. A contract with Airbus …

• Digital Battlespace

  Canada expands Arctic satellites

  5th November 2015

  Canada is expecting to release a Request for Proposal (RfP) in June 2016 for its Tactical Narrowband SATCOM (TNS) requirement. The requirement is for an Arctic …

• Military Logistics

  US looks to increase MRTT usage

  2nd November 2015

  With many its allies now deploying A330 aerial refuelling aircraft to the Middle East and its own next-generation KC-46A tanker still two years away, the …

• Digital Battlespace

  AUSA 2015: GATR aids military satcom (video)

  15th October 2015

  GATR Technologies made its new inflatable 4 meter-class communications hub the centrepiece of its presence at AUSA 2015 in Washington DC  Larry Lowe, GATR vice …

• Digital Battlespace

  TCI to supply VSATs to US Army

  16th October 2015

  TeleCommunication Systems (TCS) will provide Micro Satellite (Microsat) Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) to the US Army under a delivery order announced on 14 October. …

• Digital Battlespace

  RNZAF seeks SATCOM for Orions

  2nd October 2015

  Plans to buy a new commercial SATCOM system for the New Zealand Air Force's (NZAF's) six P-3K2 Orion maritime patrol aircraft have taken a step forward. New Zealand’s …

• Naval Warfare

  Raytheon demonstrates Tomahawk re-targeting

  6th October 2015

  The Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile has successfully demonstrated new capabilities in a test conducted by the US Navy and Raytheon, the company announced on …

• Digital Battlespace

  DSEI 2015: SlingShot moves to aviation

  9th September 2015

  Spectra Group will launch an aviation version of its already in-service SlingShot beyond line of sight (BLOS) communications system at DSEi in London.  The company …

• Defence Helicopter

  Rockwell Collins to provide CRH avionics

  15th September 2015

  Sikorsky has selected Rockwell Collins to supply avionics for its Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) programme, Rockwell Collins announced on 14 September. Under the contract, the …

• Land Warfare

  PLA expands Type 09 family

  7th September 2015

  China boasted that 84% of the equipment participating in its military parade in Tiananmen Square on 3 September had never been publicly seen before. Among …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UAVs cruise Tiananmen Square

  4th September 2015

  Amidst China’s spectacular military parade in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, were three types of UAV serving in various services of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop-led team outlines WGS proposal

  31st August 2015

  A Northrop Grumman-led team has submitted a proposal to the Australian government for utilisation of the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) system. The team also includes …

• Digital Battlespace

  Raytheon bags comms testing deal

  13th August 2015

  Raytheon has been awarded a contract for the certification and testing of an upgrade to the AN/ARC-231 Multi-Mode Communications System by the US Army, the …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Dominator XP [Thailand]

  Programme Background Purchase As reported by Shephard, in September 2023, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) inducted three Dominator XPs. The RTAF purchased the trio ...

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

  MALE Combat Drones [Thailand]

  Programme Background Roadmap In February 2024, the RTAF unveiled its White Paper 2024. Incorporating lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel-Hamas War, and other events ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F Chinook (Singapore)

  Programme Background In July 2020, photos have emerged on the internet of the first Boeing CH-47F Chinook destined for the Republic of Singapore Air Force ...

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

  Anka-S (Second Batch) [Turkey]

  Programme Background First Batch Based on comments by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Turkish media in 2018, Shephard believes that Türkiye acquired 26 Anka-S drones ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  New Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (NWJFAC) (India)

  Programme Background Requirements The Indian Navy is seeking replacements for a large proportion of its 19 46-49m-long waterjet-powered fast attack craft, several of which are approaching ...

• Military UAS - small

  Mini RPAS (High Altitude)

  Programme Background The Indian Army has initiated several tenders aiming to procure micro UAVs, but there has been little progress in following through with these ...

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

  AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) [US]

  Programme Background Aims & Timeline As stated by DARPA, the ANCILLARY programme aims to develop and fly an X-plane that will provide a "leap-ahead" in long-endurance, ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  Portugal VTLB

  Programme Background The Portuguese Army planned to allocate funds for the procurement of 167 VTLBs during the Military Programming Law running from 2015 until 2026. ...

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

  Akinci [Turkey]

  Programme Background Unveiling & Testing Unveiled at TEKOFEST Istanbul Aviation, Space and Technology Festival in September 2019, the Akinci completed its first flight in December 2019. In June 2021, ...

• 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 - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  DTIF GUARD (Ireland)

  Programme Background The Problem As stated by the project's website, Ireland is the "softest target in EU for smugglers" due to its 3171km of coastline, ...

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

  MQ-9B SkyGuardian - Forecasted Units (Belgium)

  Programme Background Strategic Vision 2030  In 2016, the Belgian MoD published its Strategic Vision 2030 report. In this, it highlighted the need for MALE reconnaissance drones ...

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

  MQ-9B SkyGuardian (Belgium)

  Programme Background Contract On 26 March 2019, the US State Department announced that it had approved a possible FMS of four MQ-9B SkyGuardians for an estimated cost ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer MIV [UK]

  Programme Background History The UK MoD announced in March 2018 that it would re-join the Boxer programme and pursue a sole-source acquisition of the 8x8 ...

• Military UAS - small

  Heavy Lift Capability (UASHLC) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirement & Objective The RN identified a requirement to acquire an RPAS to transport cargo and supplies between ships and personnel. When mature, it ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• UAS: communication systems

  Aviator UAV 200

  Cobham’s UAV 200 is a satcom solution designed to enhance a tactical UAV’s performance, range and payload flexibility in a number of applications.This including SAR, ...

• USV-450

  The SeaRobotics USV-450 is a lightweight USV designed for survey/surveillance, hydrographic data-gathering and general-purpose sensor transport. 

• Military - USVs

  USV-550

  The USV-550 can be used for shallow-water survey/surveillance, hydrographic data-gathering, general-purpose sensor transport and small ROV deployment. 

• UAS: communication systems

  BlackRay 1000

  The BlackRay 1000 is a ruggedised two-way SATCOM terminal for the UAV market with built-in modem and ACU. It is customisable to meet most UAS ...

• Military - USVs

  USV-11000

  The SeaRobotics USV-11000 is a long-endurance USV that can be used for military and civil missions. This includes coastal/offshore survey, hydrographic data-gathering, harbour security/surveillance, ROV ...

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

  Shadow M2

  The Shadow M2 builds on the Shadow 200, but has greater endurance and payload capability, quieter and more reliable propulsion and an optional SATCOM capability ...

• UAS: communication systems

  LAISR ULW

  Developed by Inmarsat Government, the Lightweight Airborne ISR System - Ultra Lightweight (LAISR ULW) is an L-Band SATCOM terminal providing beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) connectivity for SWaP-constrained ...

• Maritime patrol, Trainer

  DA42 MPP Pandion

  The DA42 MultiPurpose Platform (MPP) Pandion is a lightweight MPA, designed to carry out various missions, including coastal surveillance, training, anti-piracy, oil spill detection and ...

• UAS: communication systems

  Airborne Broadband SATCOM

  ViaSat’s airborne SATCOM services offer worldwide access and a range of service levels, providing connectivity and performance options tailored to meet a variety of needs. ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  ELK-1882T NC2

  Produced by Elta Systems (a subsidiary of IAI), ELK-1882T NC2 SATCOM terminals provide secure BLOS communications for fighter and special mission aircraft. The terminals utilise software-defined ...

• Land: battle management systems

  SCC Titan

  The server-based Situational Command and Control (SCC) Titan system is broken down into an HQ and a field-ready tactical satellite package, both designed to offer ...

• Military - USVs

  USV-5700

  The USV-5700, which is also designated USV 5.7, is a catamaran that can be used for military and civil missions. This includes coastal/offshore survey, hydrographic ...

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

  Integrator ER

  The Integrator Extended Range (ER) is a multi-mission modular small-UAV manufactured by Insitu. A variant of the Integrator, the ER is differentiated by its SATCOM BLOS communications ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  RF-7800B-VU104

  This land mobile broadband global area network (BGAN) SATCOM terminal provides a tactical radio network capability within the Falcon III multi-band radio family. The RF-7800B-VU104 ...

• Military - USVs

  USV-Collapsible

  The USV-Collapsible can be used for surveying, hydrographic data-gathering, harbour security/surveillance and general-purpose sensor transport. It can also be collapsed into a small shipping crate ...