• Defence Notes

  BAE Systems grows DI unit with purchase of Eurostep

  1st November 2023

  BAE Systems and Swedish data sharing company Eurostep have been co-operating on projects for a number of years and the deal will help the development of the UK company’s digital asset management suite PropheSEA.

• Naval Warfare

  India to speed up acquisition of further aircraft carrier

  28th September 2023

  India's first domestically built aircraft carrier was massively late by six years, but the country thinks it can do better with the next ship.

• Naval Warfare

  DSEI 2023: Kongsberg Maritime unveils new Mission Bay Handling System

  14th September 2023

  Kongsberg Maritime unveiled its new Mission Bay Handling System at DSEI 2023 and has signed a contract to supply Kamewa waterjets for 17 Jurmo-class landing craft for the Finnish Navy.

• Naval Warfare

  Corvette collaboration – how Europe is pooling skills and funds in a time of need

  13th September 2023

  When it comes to security, NATO tends to make the headlines more often than the EU. Yet since the war in Ukraine broke out, there has been a quiet but determined strengthening of purely European defence. And it starts with budgets.

• Training

  Collins Aerospace to deliver full-rate production for US Navy air combat training

  30th May 2023

  The air-to-air and air-to-ground Tactical Combat Training System aims to replace the US Navy's legacy equipment.

• Naval Warfare

  Insight: Gowind 2500 corvette enjoys strong export business despite Romanian rejection

  5th September 2023

  France's Naval Group's Gowind 2500 corvette, designed for multiple naval missions, has gained popularity worldwide. Shephard Defence Insight provides detailed analysis of its export contracts, armament and technical specifications.

• Land Warfare

  Australia orders more Bushmaster 4x4 vehicles from Thales in vital orderbook boost

  18th May 2023

  Australia has ordered dozens more Bushmaster vehicles to replenish army stocks, providing a much-needed boost to the manufacturer's backlog.

• Naval Warfare

  DSEI 2023: Orbit unveils multi-purpose terminals for naval SATCOM

  6th September 2023

  Orbit Communications Systems is unveiling its Multi-Purpose Terminals (MPT) for SATCOM communication on uncrewed surface vehicles and small vessels at DSEi, describing them as ‘compact systems that provide uninterrupted connectivity and comply with industry standards’.

• Digital Battlespace

  NATO adopts high-data-rate waveform for tactical communications

  23rd November 2023

  NATO member countries can now access to the ESSOR HDR Base Waveform which can offer secure and high-speed tactical communications.

• Defence Notes

  US Army seeks 'fundamental transformation' to face future threats

  25th September 2023

  ‘The army is really undergoing its most fundamental transformation in 40 years. We are moving away from the system that we designed in the 80s’, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth has claimed,

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UMS Skeldar and Ultra Maritime unveil anti-submarine warfare solution at DSEI 2023

  12th September 2023

  The new ASW platform allows for the deployment of sonobuoys via a rotary-wing UAS, enhancing capabilities to track potentially hostile submarines.

• Defence Notes

  Can the US overcome Russian and Chinese nuclear capabilities?

  10th April 2024

  Washington’s ageing inventory and the pace Moscow and Beijing have been modernising their capabilities put in check the US Nuclear deterrence.

• Naval Warfare

  L3Harris Technologies awarded $212 million contract for Royal Australian Navy's maritime underwater tracking ranges

  20th September 2023

  L3Harris Technologies has been awarded a contract valued at A$328 million ($212 million) for the delivery of new Maritime Underwater Tracking Ranges (MUTR) to the Royal Australian Navy as part of SEA1350 Phase 3.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Saildrone to produce USVs in Australia from 2024

  13th November 2023

  The use of long-duration Uncrewed Surface Vehicles for maritime surveillance and monitoring has become part of the fleet inventory as navies try to reduce the level of effort required to gather intelligence on areas of interest.

• Naval Warfare

  DSEI 2023: Griffon Hoverwork unveils Wyvern LCAC hovercraft

  18th September 2023

  Griffon Hoverwork has announced development of a new hovercraft – the Wyvern Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), representing a solution for rapid amphibious transport.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  MQ-8C Fire Scout (USA)

  Programme Background Timeline According to the Naval Air Systems Command, having first ordered the MQ-8B in 2009, the UAV has become a pillar of the ...

• AEW&C

  E-2D - USA

  The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) is an all-weather, twin engine, carrier-based, Airborne Command, Control and Surveillance aircraft designed to extend task force defense perimeters. The ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawk (India)

  Programme Background On 25 February 2020, a letter of acceptance for 24 MH-60Rs, worth approximately $2.12 billion, was signed by India and the US in Delhi. ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  New Coastal Ranger Commando Vessels [Norway]

  Programme Background Requirements According to Naval News, the Norwegian Coastal Ranger Commando is seeking to acquire an undisclosed number of new fast attack/interceptor craft. The ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The FVL-MS programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft utilised ...

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

  MQ-25 Stingray (Selected) [USA]

  Programme Background Initial Requirments - Unmanned Carrier Launch Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) Despite the abovementioned goal, the programme did not begin with this in ...

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

  MQ-25 Stingray (Contracted) [USA]

  Programme Background Initial Requirments -  Unmanned Carrier Launch Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) Despite the abovementioned goal, the programme did not begin with this in mind. ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  F-5E/F Adversary Trainer US Navy

  The F-5N is a single seat, dual engine supersonic land based fighter. It is designed to a service life of 9000 flight hours. The aircraft ...

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

  Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS (BWUAS) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Goal The Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS (BWUAS) programme stems from the Military Sealift Command and Fleet Forces Command identifying, in 2018, a ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System - AHTS (TH-57 Replacement)

  Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single engine 407GXi. ...

• Trainer

  Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS)/T-45 Replacement [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy’s (USN) Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) programme is intended to replace the troubled T-45 Goshhawk trainer. The June 2024 RFI includes ...

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

  MQ-4 Triton (Announced/Contracted) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The MQ-4C Triton programme, developed under the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) programme, required an uncrewed system to provide persistent real-time intelligence, surveillance ...

• Frigates

  Constellation Class Frigates Procurement [Greece]

  Programme Background Requirements The Hellenic Navy (HN) seeks to modernize its Fleet by 2032 with second-hand and newly built ships. The main goal is to ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Anti-ship missiles, Surface-to-surface missiles

  Naval Strike Missile (NSM)

  The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is a subsonic, sea-skimming, anti-ship and land-attack missile. The original name was the Nytt sjømålsmissil, but this was later dropped ...

• Land: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Low Band Transmitter

  The Low Band Transmitter-Antenna Group (LBT-AG), developed by Cobham, has been in production since 2005. The LBT is designed to protect strike aircraft, ships and ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

  The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet was developed to perform naval strike missions for the USN. The primary mission for the F/A-18E/F is a strike fighter that ...

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

  MQ-8B Fire Scout

  The MQ-8B Fire Scout is a rotary-wing UAV that provides situational awareness and precision targeting support for the US Armed Forces. The MQ-8B Fire Scout, ...

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

  MQ-8C Fire Scout

  The MQ-8C is a newer version of the Fire Scout and is based on a Bell 407 commercial helicopter. It offers a greater range, endurance and ...

• Anti-ship missiles

  AGM-119B Penguin Mk 2

  The Norwegian AGM-119 ('Penguin') is a third-generation, all-digital ASM system, with a 360° open firing arc at all times and fully autonomous and passive during ...

• Frigates

  Hunter Class Guided Missile Frigate

  During Indo Pacific 2023, BAE Systems Australia unveiled a Guided Missile variant of the Hunter-class frigate (ASW). Compared to the baseline ASW configuration, the proposed ...

• Frigates

  Independence Class (LCS)

  The USN’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) programme was originally envisaged to be 50 ships, which would provide a coastal platform that would take over from ...

• Submarines: conventional, attack

  Type 212CD

  Norway is to get four new Type 212CD ‘common design’ submarines to replace the existing Ula-class SSKs after it selected German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems ...

• Destroyers

  Zumwalt Class

  The DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class is formed by a series of next-generation multi-role destroyers 21st century. They were designed to host the latest in sensors and weapons ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  SCOTT

  The Synthetic Cognition for Operational Team Training (SCOTT) system was developed for the USN to train teamwork and communication skills for E-2C flight crews interfacing ...

• Air: aerial targets

  GQM-163A Coyote SSST

  The GQM-163A Coyote Supersonic Sea Skimming Target (SSST) was developed for the USN to emulate two-stage anti-ship cruise missiles in support of air defence weapon/combat ...

• Trainer

  Saab 340 trainer

  The Saab 340 trainer aircraft is based on the Saab 340 regional airliner. It is used by the USN for pilot training. The aircraft replaced ...

• Military - UUVs

  Bluefin-HAUV

  The Bluefin Hovering AUV (HAUV) is a two-man system used for ship hull and infrastructure inspection, port and harbour security and MCM. Operators are able ...

• Air: helicopter radar, Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar, Air: surveillance radar

  AN/APS-147

  The AN/APS-147 is a multi-mode maritime inverse synthetic aperture radar for the Sikorsky MH-60R. It provides target imaging, small target/periscope detection and long-range surveillance, as ...