• Land Warfare

  MSPO 2022: PGZ and Hyundai Rotem deepen partnership with new MoU

  8th September 2022

  An MoU signed at MSPO 2022 between PGZ and Hyundai Rotem covers industrial cooperation on the K2 MBT, as well as the next-generation K3 MBT and other South Korean platforms.

• Land Warfare

  British Army progresses with Boxer and Challenger 3 while Ajax’s fate remains uncertain

  21st September 2022

  The UK has been increasing efforts to improve the British Army's armoured fleet and has been progressing with the Boxer and Challenger 3 programmes — but Ajax casts a long shadow.

• Defence Notes

  External crises may prompt revision of Integrated Review, Command Paper (Opinion)

  26th September 2022

  While the Integrated Review was broadly correct in some of its assumptions, events in Ukraine have challenged the thinking behind cuts to UK capability.

• Land Warfare

  GDLS bets on innovative capabilities in USMC ARV competition

  12th August 2022

  GDLS is working on a prototype that will be equipped with an advanced electronic architecture and enhanced C4/UAS, AI, robotic and communication features.

• Digital Battlespace

  The technologies that will define the future battlefield (podcast)

  5th August 2022

  In this bonus episode of the Shephard Defence Podcast, we bring you the third episode from the latest series of the Five Eyes Connectivity podcast.

• Digital Battlespace

  Clavister to provide cyber-secure SATCOM to Sweden

  24th August 2022

  Under the PoC deal, Clavister will provide specialised cyber security technology for the Swedish MoD for the monitoring of satellite communication anomalies.

• Defence Notes

  BAE Systems invests in next-gen 155mm ammunition

  4th August 2022

  BAE Systems is developing next-generation 155mm ammunition technology with a range of base and fuze options for land and naval applications

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UK to accelerate heavy lift UAS technology development

  15th August 2022

  The UK has released new details about how it intends on examining heavy lift class UAS platforms and technologies.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  XV Patrick Blackett opens up broad range of experimentation possibilities, says RN

  12th August 2022

  The RN will push 'hard' to operate the optionally crewed experimental vessel XV Patrick Blackett as an autonomous platform.

• Land Warfare

  Clavister awarded European Defence Fund research project for UGV technologies

  4th August 2022

  Under the Convoy Operations with Manned-unManneD Systems (COMMANDS) project, Clavister will receive around €530,000 of EDF funding.

• Defence Notes

  DARPA picks Canadian firm for AI-based modelling research project

  15th July 2022

  The Automating Scientific Knowledge Extraction and Modeling programme seeks to harness AI for decision-making.

• Naval Warfare

  Delays hit Finland’s Squadron 2020 corvette project

  27th September 2022

  Finland's naval modernisation effort faces delays as its new corvette programme moves to the right.

• Training

  Farnborough 2022: Live exercises to move virtual very soon, says BAE Systems

  26th July 2022

  VRAI joins BAE Systems to further develop a single synthetic environment for multi-domain training in a virtual environment.

• Digital Battlespace

  BAE Systems to maintain Artisan radar and CMS aboard Brazilian Navy flagship

  26th July 2022

  BAE Systems is to maintain the CMS and Artisan 3D naval surveillance radar aboard the Brazilian Navy flagship NAM Atlantico.

• Digital Battlespace

  Armies need to build more trust in AI, experts say

  5th July 2022

  A newly published paper suggests that to fully harness the potential of AI, militaries need to change the way they think about trust and machine-human collaboration.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Skyborg [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Intention Skyborg is one of three USAF Vanguard programs outlined in the Air Force Science and Technology 2030 initiative. The program intends ...

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

  FPV Drones [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Ukraine FPV Drones On 5 April 2024, the Lithuanian MoD announced it would purchase around 3,000 Lithuanian-made FPV drones to give to Ukraine ...

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

  FPV Drones [Moldova]

  Programme Background Lithuanian Drones Lithuania's Minister of National Defense, Laurynas Kasciunas, announced that Lithuian-produced thermal night vision devices and FPV drones had begun being delivered to Moldova during ...

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

  FPV Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Lithuania]

  Programme Background 3000 FPV Drones On 5 April 2024, the Lithuanian MoD announced it would purchase around 3,000 Lithuanian-made FPV drones to give to Ukraine to ...

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

  V-Bat 128 (Brazil)

  Programme Background On 7 February 2022, Sheild AI announced on its website that it had signed a contract with VSK Tactical which included the 'purchase of [the] V-Bat ...

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

  Loyal Wingan [Japan]

  Programme Background Drone Appetite Released in December 2022, the Defence Building Program (DBP) called on the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) to replace some human assets with uncrewed ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Replicator 1 [US]

  Programme Background Announcement & Requirement In late August 2023, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks announced the Replicator programme, an effort to galvanise an industry which ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Mi2 Challenge [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The USN wants a UAV to be flown in austere environments without dedicated launch or recovery equipment; since it would be launched ...

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

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [USAF]

  Programme Background Requirements The programme's requirements are based on the USAF's belief that it requires mass to compete effectively with an adversary in symmetrical warfare. However, ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirements According to the UK MoD's March 2021 Defence Command Paper, entitled 'Defence in a Competitive Age', the RN will invest in six ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The OMFV programme is the latest of several attempts to develop a Bradley replacement.  Designed to be capable of operating with or without ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV-30 PRTV (USA)

  Programme Background The Armoured Combat Vehicle (ACV) programme is intended to provide a replacement for the USMC's fleet of Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7 (AAV7) tracked ...

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

  Loyal Wingman (Forecast) [Sweden]

  Programme Background Konceptet Framtidens Stridsflyg (KFS) In May 2024, Saab revealed the initial details of Sweden's Konceptet Framtidens Stridsflyg (KFS), translating to a future fighter aircraft ...

• Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  ARV (USMC)

  Programme Background The ARV constitutes one component of a wider USMC effort to develop an interconnected network of manned and unmanned platforms more suited 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 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Viper 10

  The Viper 10 is a rotary-wing first-person view (FPV) drone from Baltic Viper. The loitering munition quadcopter has a 4kg payload, a reinforced communication system, and ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  Hivemind

  Developed by Shield AI, Hivemind is an ecosystem of tightly integrated AI software tools and interfaces that leverages several factors to deliver  intelligent and resilient autonomy ...

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

  Netra 5

  Launched at Aero India 2025, the Netra 5 is a rotary-wing UAV manufactured by ideaForge. It can host a 900g EO/IR camera and drop a ...

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

  GA-10FPV-AI

  The GA-10FPV-AI is a Lithuanian FPV quadcopter drone manufactured by Granta Autonomy. The drone can carry a 3kg payload and operate in GNSS-denied environments. In September 2024, Granta Autonomy ...

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

  TETTRON TM-450

  The Tettron TM-450 is a micro rotary-wing UAV manufactured by Thunder Tiger. The primary mission of the drone is to provide short-range reconnaissance (SRR), particularly ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  INTeACT

  Developed by BAE Systems, INTeACT is a next-generation combat management system for surface vessels with a dedicated software development kit (SDK). Notably, it includes AI-powered ...

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

  UAS Concept 1

  In July 2022, BAE Systems revealed two UAV concepts. The UAS Concept 1 is described as a small, versatile aircraft designed to augment existing forces ...

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

  Jump 20-X

  Unveiled at IDEX 2025, the Jump 20-X is an advancement of AeroVironment's Jump 20 UAV. It is a small (Group 3), fixed-wing, VTOL-capable aircraft with a heavy-fuel ...

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

  Nova 2

  The Nova 2 is a rotary-wing UAV designed by Sheild AI. The platform features Level 5 autonomy, allowing it to autonomously traverse complex domains without an operator's ...

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

  UAS Concept 2 / Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP)

  In July 2022, BAE Systems revealed two UAV concepts, one later being branded Concept 2, or the Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP), at DSEI 2023.  Signage near ...

• Military UGVs

  Robotics Technology Demonstrator

  BAE Systems unveiled its Robotics Technology Demonstrator (RTD) at the AUSA exhibition in 2019. Designed to meet the requirements of the US Army's Robotic Combat ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Inquisithor

  Shephard saw the Inquisithor at DSA 2024. It is a quadcopter UAV from ProLab Engineering. It is highly customisable and can be changed to a user's requirements ...

• Air: aerial targets, Loitering munitions

  Super Simsek

  The Super Simsek (Süper Şimşek) is an improved version of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) training drone turned loitering munition.  The drone has reconfigurable payload options ...

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

  V-Bat (Family)

  The V-Bat is a fixed-wing UAV from Shield UAV, which features a patented ducted fan design. It is designed explicitly for runway and equipment-independent launch ...

• Land: vehicle surveillance/target acquisition systems

  TKN-AI

  TKN-AI is a commander’s periscope intended for guiding a vehicle, and battlefield observation and target acquisition by day and night. It is compatible with T-62, ...