• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Replicator drone programme enters second year facing uncertainties and challenges

  20th August 2024

  To date, it is unclear to what extent the effort advanced. In order to progress, it also needs to address issues related to budget, doctrine and integration.

• Naval Warfare

  Anti-drone directed energy weapons continue to evolve at sea

  7th November 2024

  Defence companies have been accelerating the roll out of directed energy weapon systems to counter the growing importance of drones in modern maritime warfare.

• Training

  Cubic tailors mortar simulator for the US Army

  24th December 2024

  The company’s mortar trainer received improvements based on soldier’s feedback.

• Land Warfare

  Israel’s Elbit Systems riding high and reports almost a billion dollars in orders to close 2024

  23rd December 2024

  Elbit Systems has signed another US$967 million in orders in the past three months after reporting its land revenues increased by 24% for 3Q2024 compared to 3Q 2023 thanks to increasing ammunition and munition sales in Israel.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Russia reaches new monthly record for Lancet use in Ukraine

  2nd July 2024

  The aggressor’s armed forces have adapted Lancet to Ukrainian conditions via iterative developments accompanied by a significant expansion in production capacity

• Land Warfare

  US Special Operations to get Hero-120SF loitering munitions

  5th June 2024

  Unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2019, Hero-120 is a loitering munition system fitted with a 4.5kg warhead. In June 2021, the US Marine Corps announced the HERO-120 had been selected for its Organic Precision Fire Mounted (OPF-M) programme.

• Land Warfare

  Iron Fist ordered for more CV90 IFVs

  8th August 2024

  The Iron Fist Active Protection System (APS) is already in service on BAE Systems Hägglunds CV90 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and is being used on Israeli vehicles conducting operations in Gaza.

• Air Warfare

  UAVs for Ukraine: Europe is willing to spend

  4th March 2025

  Despite President Donald Trump’s suspension of military aid to Ukraine, Shephard Defence Insight data suggests that in relation to UAVs, Europe and its non-US NATO allies are more than willing to fill any spending vacuum and are already contributing more than twice as much as the US.

• Defence Notes

  How temporary funding could affect the US military’s critical acquisition programmes

  25th September 2024

  Operating under continuing resolutions would affect Patriot, Virginia-class, Columbia-class and B-21 programmes.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Singapore Airshow 2024: Interest in Rafael’s Spike FireFly has increased after combat use in Gaza

  21st February 2024

  The Spike FireFly saw operational use in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2023 which has led to increased interest in the loitering munition.

• 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

  Lockheed Martin close to deploying JAGM in CUAS missions

  25th March 2025

  The company plans to conduct counter-drone demonstrations with JAGM this year.

• Air Warfare

  Turkey scales back F-16 deal while US shifts position on F-35s, minister claims

  28th November 2024

  Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler gave updates on the country’s F-16 and Eurofighter acquisitions in Parliament, while signalling the US could reinstate Turkey into its F-35 programme.

• Land Warfare

  Canadian tech firm makes promise to increase precision and longevity of weapons

  14th November 2024

  Supplied by Paradigm Shift, EPVD technology has undergone trials with the US and Canadian services.

• Land Warfare

  Northrop Grumman partners with Hanwha Defense Australia to add Bushmaster gun to Redback IFV

  5th June 2024

  First unveiled in scale model in 2018, the AS21 Redback is a tracked infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) selected for the Australian Army's Land 400 Phase 3. It has been based on the K21 IFV hull used by the South Korean Army.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition 1 [Taiwan]

  Programme Background 2023 At Taichung in March 2023, NCSIST unveiled the loitering munition. The munition showed the country's focus on asymmetric capabilities to defend itself ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions [Estonia]

  Programme Background Framework Agreement On 6 December 2024, the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) announced a tender for a framework agreement on loitering munitions for ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Aerial Munitions (LAM) [India]

  Programme Background Kadet Defence Systems announced in May 2024 that 50 of its Loitering Aerial Munitions (LAM) drones would be delivered to the Indian Armed ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions [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 such ...

• Loitering munitions

  Hero-30 [Italy]

  Programme Background Italian Budget As revealed by the Italian MoD's Multi-Year Defence Programme Document for 2021-2023, a new procurement programme to acquire a loitering munition ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition PODS [UK]

  Programme Background PODS As the Royal Navy states, Persistent Operational Deployment Systems (PODS) are "interchangeable modules that can be fitted to the surface fleet. Similar in ...

• Loitering munitions

  Mini-Harpy [Israeli Navy]

  Programme Background MADEX 2023 At MADEX 2023, IAI displayed the Mini-Harpy, dubbed the Green Dragon, loitering munition in a 12-system launcher mounted to an Israel Navy Sa'ar 6 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Harop [Israeli Navy]

  Programme Background MADEX 2023 At MADEX 2023, IAI displayed the Mini-Harpy, dubbed the Green Dragon, loitering munition in a 12-system launcher mounted to an Israel ...

• Loitering munitions

  Long-Range Attack Munition (LRAM) [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

• Loitering munitions

  KaGeM-V3 [Pakistan]

  Programme Background In August 2023, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) released a video showcasing the KaGeM V3, Akinci and other Baykar products. According to SavunmaSanayiSt, ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions [South Korea]

  Programme Background Drone Ambition As reported by Shephard, South Korea has ambitions to possess a large arsenal of drones. In May 2024, the presidential office ...

• Loitering munitions

  Organic Precision Fire - Light (OPF-L) [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. In May 2022, an annual ...

• Loitering munitions

  N-Raven / IRIX [Greece]

  Programme Background Unveiled during the Defence Exhibition Athens (DEFEA 2023) exhibition, IRIX is a Greek version of the N-Raven loitering munition developed by Paramount in ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions (Forecast) [Germany]

  Programme Background Three Systems In April 2023, Germany reportedly ordered three different loitering munition systems to further assess their suitability for use by the German Armed ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions [Spain]

  Programme Background Fuerza 35 Project This project is a Spanish Army initiative to create and maintain an effective force by forming flexible and cohesive operational organisations, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition 1

  In March 2023, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) unveiled a tube-launched loitering munition known as the Loitering Munition 1. Similar to the configuration ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition 2

  The so-called Loitering Munition 2 is an evolution of the Chien Hsiang. Manfuaucted by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST),,the system is ...

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

  Havoc

  The Havoc is an attack UAV manufactured by Astra Systems for long-range strikes and operations that require increased lethality. The Havoc comes in various variants: the ...

• Loitering munitions

  DEV-3

  The DEV-3 is an Armenian loitering munition manufactured by Davaro. Visually similar to Isreal Aerospace Industries' (IAI) Harop, the platform is fitted with a 10kg ...

• Loitering munitions

  Scalpel

  The Scalpel is a Russian loitering munition produced by Vostok Design Bureau. Similar in design to the Lancet-3, the munition is described as a multipurpose loitering munition ...

• Loitering munitions

  Harop

  The Harop, and the Maritime Harop variant, is a standoff loitering munition system manufactured by Isreal Aerospace Industries (IAI). Equipped with EO/IR seekers, the combat-proven platform ...

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

  Lanius

  The Lanius is a micro-UAV and loitering munition manufactured by Elbit Systems. It can conduct BLOS ISR and attack missions autonomously in complex environments, a capability ...

• Air: aerial targets

  Scrab II

  The SCRAB II is a twin-turbine drone used for air defence training, air-to-air weapons training and evaluation. Manufactured by SCR, it can host various payloads and, ...

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

  Hunter 2

  The Hunter 2 is a mini-UAV and loitering munition unveiled by EDGE subsidiary HALCON at the Dubai Airshow 2021. The platform is tube-launched and is ...

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

  Viper 300

  Viper 300 is a tube-launched loitering munition from SpearUAV. Part of the wider Viper family of drones, the loitering munition is designed to equip the dismounted soldier with ...

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

  Papydrone-1800

  The Papydrone-1800 is a low-cost loitering munition and UAV that is primarily constructed from cardboard. Manufactured by Peach, a Korean startup, the drone is designed to be ...

• Loitering munitions

  Mini Harpy

  The Mini-Harpy is a multi-purpose loitering munition manufactured by Isreal Aerospace Industries.  Equipped with an EO/IR camera payload and up to 8kg warhead, the loitering ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  HAASTA

  The HAASTA is a loitering munition and UAV revealed at MSPO 2023.  Designed by Łukasiewicz Institute of Aviation in collocation with Eurotech, the loitering munition is primarily designed ...

• Loitering munitions

  KYB

  The KYB, or Kub, is a loitering munition manufactured by the  Zala Aero Group.  The platform features a flying-wing design with a pusher propeller. It is designed to deliver ...

• Loitering munitions

  Kemankeş

  The Kemankeş, or Kemankes, is a loitering munition manufactured by Baykar.  Unveiled at Teknofest 2023, the turbojet-powered munition has been designed to be air-launched from several Baykar UAVs, ...