• Air Warfare

  Avenger UAS controlled in flight using Link 16

  1st November 2024

  The flight test formed part of a larger programme of work to provide mission autonomy software to integrate, data links and other advanced mission systems onto the Avenger UAS.

• Naval Warfare

  Latest Arleigh Burke destroyer commissioned

  14th November 2024

  The vessel, DDG 122, will be named after enlisted marine John Basilone.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Dedrone’s latest uncrewed solutions offers “complete CUAS DTI-M kill chain”

  25th June 2024

  DedroneOnTheMove, which integrates advanced sensor-fusion and mitigation technologies, was showcased at Eurosatory 2024 and has been designed for deployment to enhance airspace security in high-risk environments.

• Naval Warfare

  New US Navy batteries are deemed submarine-safe

  13th November 2024

  The use of Passive Propagation Technology significantly reduces the risk of Lithium-ion batteries for use in torpedo tube launched AUVs.

• Naval Warfare

  Belgium and the Netherlands sign up for BAE Systems’ naval gun

  4th November 2024

  The Bofors 40Mk4, a compact and lightweight naval gun system, has been designed for anti-aircraft and anti-surface warfare operations to act against air, land and sea-based threats.

• Training

  First RAAF pilot completes Ghost Bat training

  23rd August 2024

  Designed as a multirole system to escort crewed aircraft, the MQ-28A Ghost Bat began development in 2013 and took its first flight in February 2021. The training of the first military pilot is a major milestone.

• Land Warfare

  British Army receives first 20 of 500 Rheinmetall HX trucks as part of $356 million order

  16th December 2024

  The vehicles were delivered to 7 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps based in Dalton Barracks and all 500 will be fielded before the end of September 2025.

• Land Warfare

  Operational Moog Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform makes debut outside US

  20th January 2025

  Moog’s Reconfigurable Integrated-weapons Platform (RIwP) is being displayed integrated onto a Supacat High Mobility Transporter (HMT) which in service with the British Army.

• Air Warfare

  First Triton welcomed into RAAF service

  1st August 2024

  Northrop Grumman successfully completed the first flight of Australia’s MQ-4C Triton uncrewed aircraft at its Palmdale facility in 2023.

• Land Warfare

  The Lego Principle: Falcon Shield, RiwP and the growth of modularity in land defence

  10th October 2024

  Shephard spoke to Leonardo about its Falcon Shield system and Moog about its Reconfigurable Integrated weapons Platform (RIwP) at DVD 2024, and discovered the trend in land defence was towards modularity.

• Land Warfare

  How are SATCOM solutions changing the Net-Centric Battlefield?

  10th June 2024

  Digital transformation in the military ecosystem continues to shape the future of the military communications market.

• Digital Battlespace

  China’s AI developments in electronic surveillance extends to battlefield

  8th March 2024

  ‘Nowhere to hide’ as Chinese progress in AI-enabled surveillance technological has enabled it to identify and suppress enemy communications systems.

• Naval Warfare

  Malaysian frigate completes detailed design work long after deadline

  17th October 2024

  The KD Maharaja Lela, first proposed in 2014, is still not scheduled to be commissioned by the Royal Malaysian Navy until 2026.

• Training

  Australia’s ‘Top Gun’ exercise in Top End reaches unprecedented scale in face of Chinese military build up

  24th July 2024

  Fast-jet exercise focuses on interoperability and cooperation between allies amid growing regional security concerns in the Asia-Pacific region.

• Naval Warfare

  Thales and FEBUS Optics unite to protect critical undersea infrastructure

  8th November 2024

  The marriage of two branches of undersea technical expertise is expected to bring saleable results for both companies.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Long-Endurance UAV [US AFRICOM]

  Programme Background Ageing MQ-9A Reapers In November 2022, Shephard reported that GA-ASI would continue supporting contractor SMX with its MQ-9A after winning a $2.3 billion task ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  HH-60W - Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH)

  According to the FY2021 Base funding, the HH-60W helicopter unit cost is $43.2 million. The HH-60W will be capable of employment day or night, in ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Pakistan]

  Programme Background Requirement Following a 2019 skirmish with India, Pakistan placed newfound importance on EW and ISR, primarily due to the significant advantage gained during that ...

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

  Long-Range Drones [Norway]

  Background Andøya Ambition On 3 April 2023, the Norwegian MoD released a statement confirming its plans for Andøya, the northernmost island in its Vesterålen archipelago. In addition to ...

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

  Multidomian Micro Drones [USSOCOM]

  Background Special Notice On 14 November 2024, a Special Notice was released that informed the industry that the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was looking for ...

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

  MQ-9B SkyGuardian [Denmark]

  Programme Background Arctic Capability Package In February 2021, Denmark published the Arctic Capability package, a commitment to invest in new technologies, particularly uncrewed systems, to improve ...

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

  V-Bat 128 [Canada]

  Programme Background Requirement Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) was seeking a platform for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) that would significantly expand its surveillance range ...

• ISR/special mission

  ISTAR Aircraft (South Korea)

  Programme Background South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration stated that Seoul is planning to procure additional aircraft to minimize potential surveillance gaps amid growing security ...

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

  M Solar-X [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 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Long Range One-way Platforms [US]

  Solicitation In October 2024, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) released a solicitation for long-range, one-way platforms. The DIU noted recent conflicts highlighted the asymmetric impact of low-cost, ...

• OPVs

  Next-Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (1-12) [Japan]

  Programme Background Requirements The primary role of the OPVs will be ISR and patrol. The armament will be limited. One of the key features is a reduced ...

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

  Seeker 400 - First Batch (UAE)

  Programme Background The UAE has a long history of transactions with Denel Dynamics. The country has been purchasing various Seeker systems from as far back ...

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

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) (Increment 2) [USAF]

  Background Requirements The baseline requirements for Increment 2 of the CCA effort are similar to Increment 1, which is covered in a separate entry on Defence ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  NH90 NFH-Italy

  Programme Background  The Italian Navy has taken delivery of its first NH90 NFH helicopter in Full Operational Capability (or Step B) configuration in November 2013. ...

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

  CH-4 (First Batch) [Pakistan]

  Programme Background First Batch According to the Pakistan Exim Trade Info website, five aircraft were delivered to the country on 15 January 2021. According to a ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  Caihong

  The Caihong (Rainbow), also known as the Cai Hong or CH, is a solar-powered HALE platform designed for near-space flight. It is suitable for military ...

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

  Morning Star

  Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s Morning Star is a quasi-satellite, near-space, solar-powered platform. It is designed for both military and civilian applications, including reconnaissance, navigation ...

• FL-3

  The FL-3 is a planned solar-powered, long-endurance, near-space platform with an 85,300ft ceiling. Speculated future uses include communication, ground observation, meteorological monitoring and operation as ...

• ISR/special mission, Maritime patrol

  A320neo M3A

  Currently under development by Airbus, the A320 M3A is the Maritime Patrol version of the civilian A320neo aircraft. The aircraft can be fitted with a wide ...

• Space: radar systems

  SARah

  SARah is the planned follow-on system for the SAR-Lupe radar satellite constellation operated by the German Armed Forces. In 2013, it was announced that OHB ...

• Major networking projects

  EAC

  The NATO Communications and Information Agency awarded ACTIA Sodielec a contract in June 2013 to provide NATO with an Extended Advanced SATCOM Network Monitoring and ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Vocality Pro Series

  The Pro Series includes the V25, V50, V150 and V20. These are designed to be used in a central communications hub or as part of ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish Maritime

  The FlyingFish Maritime SIGINT system is one of several derivatives of the FlyingFish Airborne Satellite Monitoring System developed by Horizon Technologies. Designed to be mounted ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish

  FlyingFish is an Airborne Satellite Monitoring System designed to detect and intercept SATCOM from airborne ISR platforms. As a passive system, it cannot be detected ...

• Guided munitions

  GP155B

  The GP155B is a 155mm artillery round developed by Norinco. The GP155B integrates satellite-based guidance systems that are compatible with both the Chinese Beidou Navigation ...

• Data links

  Space CDL

  The Space Common Data Link (CDL) system provides a wideband data link capability adaptable to a variety of space-based applications. It consists of separate transmitter ...

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

  ULTRA

  The Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft (ULTRA) is a fixed-wing drone from DZYNE Technologies.  It is described as a long-endurance, GPS-harded intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform with full ...

• Naval: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish Naval

  The FlyingFish Naval SIGINT system is one of several derivatives of the FlyingFish Airborne Satellite Monitoring System (ASMS) developed by Horizon Technologies. Whereas the original ...

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

  Pelican / Rumrunner

  The Pelican Cargo is an electric cargo-carrying drone from Pyka. Powered by four electric motors, the Pelican can carry 400lb of cargo in its 70 ...