• Land Warfare

  Kongsberg demos new Protector RS2 Prototype

  3rd November 2023

  Norway’s Kongsberg shows of its lightest RWS to date, as the company continues to support Ukrainian forces, while also eyeing moves into Latin American markets

• Air Warfare

  CH-47 Chinook: why the timeless helicopter design is still a heavy-lift contender on the modern battlefield

  25th September 2023

  From its emergence as a ground-breaking design in the 1950s to its widespread deployment in diverse operations worldwide, the Chinook continues to leave an indelible mark on the aviation landscape. Shephard sums up the latest developments and tells you everything you need to know about the workhorse of many armies and air forces in the 2020s.

• 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.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  First flights of Rattler Supersonic Target prove successful

  20th March 2024

  The US Department of Defense (DoD), along with QinetiQ, successfully conducted the first flights of the Rattler Supersonic Target MkI marking a significant advance in supersonic target technology.

• Land Warfare

  BAE Systems coalition aims to bring barrel manufacture back to UK

  12th December 2023

  The UK’s Mobile Fires Platform (MFP) requirement will replace the country’s three-decade-old AS90 howitzers and has three bidders already in place.

• Naval Warfare

  US government seeks an additional US$55 billion to support Israel and Ukraine

  9th November 2023

  The Biden administration plans to supply a US$44.4 billion defence package to Kyiv and a $10.6 billion to Jerusalem to address the critical security needs of both countries.

• Air Warfare

  Norway joins air defence coalition in support of Ukraine

  7th March 2024

  Norway’s proactive involvement in supporting Ukraine’s air defence and other initiative stood in contrast to the broader trend of diminishing military aid pledges.

• Defence Notes

  US Army seeks innovative new battlefield roles for drones

  13th September 2023

  The US Army recently tested deployment of UAS to identify casualties on the battlefield and in disaster response scenarios. Drones were used to assess the vital signs of wounded soldiers from the sky.

• Defence Notes

  European NATO countries reach average defence spending requirement and renew Ukrainian support

  15th February 2024

  NATO Defence Ministers met on 15 February to discuss how to further strengthen the alliance’s deterrence and defence followed by a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council.

• Training

  Preparations begin for German deployment exercise to its eastern border

  9th November 2023

  Blue Lightning has been described as a test for forces facing a possible Article 4 case of NATO under which ‘the territorial integrity … or security of one of the partners is threatened’.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UK’s EW UAS-jammer set for field testing

  16th May 2024

  The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) will be able to impact targets such as UAS up to 1km away by beaming radio waves to disrupt or damage critical electronic components.

• Land Warfare

  GDLS to unveil Mission Command on the Move variant of Stryker at AUSA 2024

  10th October 2024

  The company added improvements to the platform in order to enable it to hide in plain sight.

• Air Warfare

  US Marine Corps completes second XQ-58A Valkyrie flight test

  29th February 2024

  Originally designed by Kratos for the USAF, the XQ-58A will serve as a vital testbed for emerging technologies and capabilities of the US Marine Corps.

• Land Warfare

  Norway to provide more NASAMs to Ukraine

  9th February 2024

  If approved by the Norwegian Parliament, a proposal to supply additional National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) units to Ukraine would represent Norway’s fourth such donation of the systems.

• Training

  Australia’s exercise tempo increases as it looks east for national defence

  7th October 2024

  The Australian Government has focused heavily on the defence of its north-west coast, with plans to move its attack helicopters to the area, as well as base its maritime patrol assets in the region.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  MQ-1 Gray Eagle [US Army]

  Programme Background Required Quantity Although the US Army first envisioned a requirement for 132 MQ-1C Gray Eagles, the US Army's Army Acquisition Objective (AAO) was ...

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

  Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) Warrior [India]

  Programme Background Make In India The 'Make In India' is an initiative by the Indian government to grow the domestic manufacturing industry. In the context ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8, APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Bulldog FV432 Mk 3 Replacement [UK]

  Programme Background Requirement Serving in several iterations since 1963, the FV432 Mk3 'Bulldog' remains operational and deployed as command vehicles, ambulances, and recovery vehicles within the British Army. Although ...

• Military UAS - small

  Black Hornet 3 PRS (UK)

  Programme Background The British Army operated approximately 160 first-generation Black Hornet PD-100 nano UAS between 2013 and 2017, when the decision was made to retire ...

• Military UAS - small

  Bug Nano UAS (UK)

  Programme Background The British Army previously took delivery of 160 first-generation Black Hornet PD-100 nano UAS in 2013 to support operations in Afghanistan. After these ...

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

  Orbiter 3 (Croatia)

  Programme Background The Croatian government launched a competitive tender for the procurement of a short-range UAV in October 2017. Although the tender was opened on ...

• Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  Supacat HMT 400 & 600 (UK - Option)

  Programme Background Programme Requirements The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated in a Contract Notice that it had a requirement for at least 70 new HMT platforms ...

• Tanks

  NGCV: DLP

  Programme Background Requirement The DLP is one of five vehicle families being developed for the US Army's NGCV programme. Expanded to include five programmes in ...

• Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  AGMV 1.1

  Programme Background The US Army has been seeking a lightweight, air-droppable, high mobility vehicle since as early as 2014, when it initiated its Ultra Light ...

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

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) will provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It is intended to ...

• 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 - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) (Forecast) [US Army]

  Programme Background USMC In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, which had been specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Joint Tactical Autonomous ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  AMPV (USA)

  Programme Background The US Army initiated the AMPV programme to acquire a replacement for several variants of the M113 tracked APC, which has been in ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4, Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract (US Army)

  Programme Background As of January 2021, the US DoD had signed 15 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all ...

• Loitering munitions

  Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System (LMAMS) (Forecast) [US Army]

  Programme Background Contracted Units As covered in a separate programme entry, the US Army first procured AeroVironment's Switchblade 300 over a decade ago, beginning the service's ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/PRC-170

  The AN/PRC-170 Javelin is a single-channel, small-form-factor radio that supports TSM waveform. Produced by Thales, it provides voice and data communications across multipath and dynamic environments. ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - industry programmes

  Warrior Systems

  General Dynamics Mission Systems is prime contractor and system integrator for the US Army’s Warrior soldier systems, which include Air Warrior, Future Force Warrior, Land Warrior ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MUBC

  The Modular Universal Battery Charger (MUBC) is a scalable charging system for a range of military and commercial batteries. It provides for the addition of ...

• Land: battle management systems

  Joint Battle Command - Platform

  Joint Battle Command - Platform (JBC-P) is a networked mission command information system designed for the US Army and USMC. It can provide real-time blue ...

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

  InstantEye Mk-3 GEN4-HL

  Manufactured by InstantEye Robotics, the InstantEye Mk-3 GEN4-Heavy Lift (HL) is a rotary-wing UAV that has been selected in the US Army's Render Safe Sets, ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Shadowcat

  General Dynamics Shadowcat radio provides low-visibility communications in a small form factor package. Capable of forming mesh networks, it provides voice, video and data communications ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  OH-58D Kiowa Warrior

  The OH-58D Kiowa Warrior is a two-person, light scout helicopter with a day/night mast-mounted sight, glass cockpit and four-bladed rotor system. Following the retirement of ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Warrior

  The Warrior IFV entered service with the British Army in mid-1987. A total of 789 vehicles were delivered in IFV, infantry command, anti-tank, recovery, repair, ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F Cayuse Warrior

  An evolution of the OH-6 Cayuse light observation helicopter, the MD 530F was initially Federal Aviation Administration-certified in July 1985 as the Model 369FF. It ...

• Land: vehicle simulators

  Convoy/C-IED Training System

  Laser Shot’s Convoy/Counter IED Training System consists of an immersive training environment that places soldiers in high-fidelity, virtual scenarios in order to train on a ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - national programmes

  DANES

  Initial efforts to field a complete soldier system through the Danish Army Network-Enabled Soldier (DANES) concept were abandoned, following an evaluation of the US Land ...

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

  Falcon II Nyx

  The Falcon II Nyx is a rotary-wing drone from Wave Aerospace. It is in the US Army's Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE) programme. Primarily designed to operate in ...

• Land: NVGs

  AN/PSQ-20B ENVG

  The AN/PSQ-20B ENVG (Enhanced Night Vision Goggle) is a helmet-mounted dual-waveband monocular night vision system. As a fusion system that combines image intensification technology with ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Laser Warning Receivers

  AN/AVR-2B(V)

  UTC-ISR Systems' laser warning systems detect, prioritise in order of lethality and characterise laser rangefinders, laser designators and laser beam-riding missile threats. They are designed ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  OH-58 Kiowa

  The single-engine OH-58 Kiowa, derived from the Bell 206, entered US Army service in 1969 as a light observation helicopter. More than 2,200 were built for ...