• Air Warfare

  L3Harris begins work on South Korean AEW&C aircraft, eyes further international opportunities

  18th February 2026

  The company remains upbeat about its Indo-Pacific and European prospects, with its AERIS X system onboard a Bombardier 6500 proving an attractive option for air forces’ growing AEW&C needs.

• Air Warfare

  Singapore Airshow 2026: APAC countries explore fleet upgrade and expansion opportunities

  22nd January 2026

  Ahead of the Singapore Airshow 2026, opportunities for defence firms to upgrade or replace ageing aircraft remain strong, with tactical transport, combat aircraft and maritime patrol aircraft at the top of potential procurement lists.

• Naval Warfare

  Asia-Pacific emerges as the largest export market for US-made USVs

  12th August 2026

  Asian customers have placed one of the largest known international purchases of US-built uncrewed surface vessels, highlighting accelerating regional demand for autonomous maritime capabilities and distributed naval operations.

• Air Warfare

  July drone digest: Sovereign production takes centre stage at Farnborough

  30th July 2026

  Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) 2026 revealed the growing scale of the UK’s uncrewed ambitions, with companies showcasing new CCA, autonomous wingmen and surveillance drones, while sovereign production emerged as a key factor for multiple programmes.

• Naval Warfare

  From the Baltic to the Gulf: where USV procurement is heading next

  30th September 2026

  Saildrone’s new Copenhagen base is one sign of a larger shift, as navies globally turn to uncrewed vessels for surveillance and mine clearance.

• Land Warfare

  US Marine Corps provides US$900 million for prototypes as vehicle refresh motors on

  10th April 2026

  General Dynamics Land Systems and Textron Systems are competing to replace the US Marine Corps’ fleet of light armoured vehicles. The companies have been awarded contracts to provide prototypes of three different vehicle variants.

• Land Warfare

  MAAF to test Britain’s shift from armour to distributed lethality in Estonia

  10th September 2026

  The bilateral agreement between the UK and Estonia comes as both countries explore how dispersed troops, drones, digital targeting, anti-tank weapons and increasingly long-range fires can complement the combat mass traditionally provided by heavy armour.

• Naval Warfare

  AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise

  3rd June 2026

  The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.

• Naval Warfare

  Industry agreements point to growing interest in Danish hybrid fleet concept

  26th August 2026

  Babcock’s new Danish industry agreements have reignited debate over whether Copenhagen is edging towards a hybrid fleet blending crewed frigates with autonomous systems.

• Land Warfare

  AI-enhanced combat radios: how to turn comms networks into an EW advantage

  11th May 2026

  Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming defence communications, boosting situational awareness and electronic warfare (EW) capabilities across the battlespace. Bittium’s new partnership with MarshallAI will significantly enhance networked technology, turning radios into cutting-edge sensors with a range of applications.

• Air Warfare

  World Defense Show 2026: Airbus details A400M upgrade as second Indonesia aircraft delivery looms

  16th February 2026

  With the A400M set for a capability upgrade, Airbus officials are bullish about the aircraft and its market potential for both new and existing customers with the improvements geared towards meeting future requirements.

• Air Warfare

  How uncrewed rotary platforms are shaping approaches to contested logistics

  19th March 2026

  Defence industry primes are working on an array of different platforms to meet the growing need for rotary uncrewed aerial vehicles to carry out future logistics missions.

• Land Warfare

  Raytheon unveils land version of the Next Generation Jammer

  20th April 2026

  The ground-based NGJ is designed to work as an “invisible shield” to protect land structures and assets. Shephard spoke with Raytheon to find out more.

• Defence Notes

  NATO signs agreements worth billions of dollars on missiles, air defence and aircraft

  9th July 2026

  Announcements on aircraft deals and agreements for trans-alliance cooperation to boost the production and purchase of weapons and equipment were key takeaways from this week’s NATO summit.

• Land Warfare

  World Defense Show 2026: DOK-ING working on MV-8 variants and reveals specs ahead of Eurosatory

  12th February 2026

  The Croatian company began the development of the MV-8 modular uncrewed platform in the early 2020s. Specifications for the vehicle were revealed to Shephard at World Defense Show 2026.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Multirole Underwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) [Italy]

  In June 2024, during a presentation provided at the NATO Maritime Security Centre of Excellence (MARSEC COE), the Italian Navy detailed the new capabilities it ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Multirole Underwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) [Italy]

  In June 2024, during a presentation provided at the NATO Maritime Security Centre of Excellence (MARSEC COE), the Italian Navy detailed the new capabilities it ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Multirole Underwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) [Italy]

  Programme background Requirements According to the presentation provided by the Italian Navy, the MultiroleUnderwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) will:operate a wide range of uncrewed systems, ...

• Maritime patrol

  C295 MPA [Angola]

  Programme Background Requirement Angola uses a mix of Dornier Do-28s, A-29s and EMB-312 Tucanos for maritime surveillance duties. The country's dedicated maritime patrol capability was ...

• Maritime patrol

  Dornier 228 MPA - India

  Programme Background In October 2014, the Defence Acquisition Council of India approved RS.1850 core ($302 million) for the purchase of 12 Dornier 288 maritime surveillance ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Surveillance & Maritime Drones (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background 2024/2025 Military Aid Package On 12 January 2024, the UK government announced it would provide Ukraine with £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) in military ...

• Maritime patrol

  AVSIMAR (France)

  Background In November 2018, the French MoD announced that it awarded a contract for the detailed definition study of the future surveillance and maritime intervention ...

• ISR/special mission, Maritime patrol

  C295 MPAs/MSAs [Spain]

  Programme Background Required to replace Spain's existing P-3M Orion fleet set to reach OSD in the mid-late 2020s, Airbus' C295W has been selected as the replacement ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton [NATO]

  Background NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum During the July 2026 NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara, Türkiye, NATO announced that Denmark, Finland, Germany and Norway ...

• Maritime patrol

  Maritime Patrol Aircraft Procurement [Italy]

  Background Requirement history In an appearance before the Italian parliament’s Foreign and Defence Affairs Committee on 14 July 2022, Italian Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance (MROS) Ship [UK]

  Background Requirements The 2021 Defence Command Paper, Defence in a competitive age, outlined the plan to develop a new Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance (MROS) vessel to ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services [USN]

  In April 2026, AeroVironment (AV) and Shield AI announced that they had been selected to compete for a US$800 million task order to provide Contractor-Owned, ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services [USN]

  In April 2026, AeroVironment (AV) and Shield AI announced that they had been selected to compete for a US$800 million task order to provide Contractor-Owned, ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Multi-Mission Aircraft (1-14) [Canada]

  The objective of the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft project is to equip the Canadian Armed Forces with a long-range manned Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) and ...

• Data links

  Data links | Multi-Mission Aircraft (1-14) [Canada]

  The objective of the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft project is to equip the Canadian Armed Forces with a long-range manned Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) and ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  Blighter B400 Series Radars

  Blighter B400-series radars are long-range movement detection sensors for fixed and mobile surveillance applications. Modular construction provides azimuth e-scan angles from 90° for a single ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  Blighter Explorer Nexus

  In February 2017, Blighter Surveillance Systems announced the development of the Blighter Explorer Nexus, an integrated, battery-operated, man-portable radar/camera surveillance system designed for rapid deployment. ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar, Land: coastal surveillance radars

  A400 Series Radars

  The A400 is a series of electronic scanning, modular air security radars manufactured by Blighter Surveillance Systems. It is designed to provide reliable, slow and small ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  Orbiter

  Orbiter is a Ku band ground surveillance radar developed by Blighter. The system employs 15.7 to 17.2 GHz  E-scan Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) Doppler Ground ...

• Land: coastal surveillance radars

  Blighter C400

  The C400-series radar is a coastal surveillance and security radar manufactured by Blighter. The system is based on the company's B400 ground surveillance systems.  It ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  AUDS

  The Anti-UAV Defence System (AUDS) is designed to disrupt and neutralise UAVs engaged in hostile airborne surveillance and potentially malicious activity. The AUDS combines directional ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Surveillance Systems Integration

  HISS has designed and installed complete mission systems in 24 countries around the world. These include a range of rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, rugged ground ...

• Sea: sonar systems

  Sphere Passive Surveillance

  Sphere Passive Surveillance is an advanced, fully integrated sonar system designed to meet the mission requirements of modern conventional submarines. It was developed by ELAC Sonar.  The system is ...

• Land: vehicle surveillance/target acquisition systems

  Hawkeye Land Surveillance Systems

  Launched at DSEI 2015, the Chess Dynamics Hawkeye family of multi-sensor surveillance systems is designed to provide short- to extended-range optical surveillance and target acquisition ...

• Sea: weapon training

  IS Coastal Surveillance Simulator

  Image Soft unveiled its new IS Coastal Surveillance Simulator (IS CSS) at UDT Europe in May 2017. The IS CSS features simulated distance measurement and ...

• Land: air defence radar

  3D Primary Surveillance Radar

  The Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR) 3D is part of the Lanza family of 3D radar systems. It has been designed especially for airport and air ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  SR Hawk Ground Surveillance Radar

  The SR Hawk surveillance radar provides continuous 360° surveillance of the ground, ports and harbours and airspace. It detects personnel, land vehicles, marine vessels, avian ...

• EO/IR systems, Sea: ship surveillance and fire control systems

  Ship Surveillance and Fire Control

  L3 produces a range of IR systems with thermal sensitivity that meet naval specifications for surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition. They can be installed in ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  Retinar PTR Perimeter Surveillance Radar

  The Retinar PTR Perimeter Surveillance Radar is a medium-range radar system developed by the Turkish defence manufacturer Meteksan Savunma Sanayi. It is designed for the ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  Retinar OPUS Perimeter Surveillance Radar

  The Retinar OPUS Perimeter Surveillance Radar is a multifunctional surveillance system developed by the Turkish defence manufacturer Meteksan Savunma Sanayi. It's design is based on ...