• Naval Warfare

  Audacious sets out for home base

  7th April 2020

  HMS Audacious, the fourth of seven Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) for the Royal Navy, departed the BAE Systems facility at Barrow-in-Furness on 6 April, en route to …

• Defence Notes

  Modly steps down as acting US Navy Secretary

  8th April 2020

  Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly has submitted his resignation to US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. The US Department of Defense (DoD) confirmed …

• Naval Warfare

  Coronavirus lacerates Thai naval spending

  21st April 2020

  The COVID-19 outbreak has now struck down the annual budget of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), which is being slashed by a third. In total, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  FTUAS competitors take heart from US Army adjustments

  29th April 2020

  The US Army has approved Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) competitors to video test flights and associated acceptance procedures of their respective systems, as an alternative …

• Defence Notes

  Thales outlines measures to limit COVID-19 impact

  7th April 2020

  Thales has outlined a series of measures it intends to take in order to mitigate the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak on its business. …

• Naval Warfare

  USS Delaware joins USN fleet

  6th April 2020

  The USN commissioned USS Delaware (SSN-791) on 4 April, welcoming it as the 18th Virginia-class attack submarine in the fleet. The vessel has been designed …

• Defence Notes

  US fixed-wing programmes look to rise above crisis

  1st May 2020

  Substantial investment by the US DoD in major fighter jet and tanker aircraft programmes — combined with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis — has put …

• Defence Notes

  Czech Army cancels Bahna 2020 event

  3rd April 2020

  The Czech Army has cancelled the 31st Bahna event, which was scheduled to take place on 20 June at Brdy Military Area. The decision was …

• Defence Notes

  Russia will not postpone spring draft over coronavirus fears

  23rd March 2020

  The Russian Armed Forces is proceeding with its spring draft between 1 April and 15 July, despite the ongoing global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Defence minister …

• Defence Notes

  Virus left Q1 performance unaffected, says BAE Systems

  3rd April 2020

  BAE Systems has claimed there was ‘no material impact’ on its financial performance as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in Q1 2020. Although …

• Defence Helicopter

  Wildcat Helicopters to aid UK COVID-19 operations

  30th March 2020

  The British Army has deployed three Leonardo AW159 Wildcat Helicopters to support the national effort to help coronavirus patients. Aircraft from the Army Air Corps …

• Defence Notes

  Boeing temporarily suspends production in Philadelphia

  3rd April 2020

  Boeing will suspend production at its Ridley Township facilities near Philadelphia to reduce the risks posed by the worsening COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. In a statement …

• Defence Notes

  South America takes on coronavirus

  25th March 2020

  South America’s defence sector has increased its efforts in the regional fight against the global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. In Colombia, the Science and Technology Corporation …

• Training

  Belarus goes ahead with Defender-Europe 20 counter exercise

  24th March 2020

  Belarus has announced plans to go ahead with a number of military exercises which are intended as a countermeasure against NATO’s Defender-Europe 20 drill. In …

• Defence Notes

  USS Theodore Roosevelt crew test positive for COVID-19

  25th March 2020

  Three crew members aboard the USN’s Nimitz-class USS Theodore Roosevelt have tested positive for coronavirus and have been evacuated from the ship. The aircraft carrier …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Transport

  C-27J - Peru

  Additionally, Peruvian Army is also considering C-27Js to replace its two aging AN-32Bs in service (see separate entry). However, Shephard understands that the coronavirus pandemic ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  JLTV [Lithuania - Contracted]

  The Lithuanian JLTV order includes several options including ballistic armour kits, Boomerang III acoustic detection systems, M153 Protector II Common Remotely-Operated Weapon Stations (CROWS) and ...

• Submarines nuclear, ballistic missile

  Arihant Class (1-4) [India]

  The Arihant began life in 1990 as an Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) demonstrator programme. Arihant was laid down in 1997, launched in July 2009 and ...

• Tanks

  Peru T-55 MBT Replacement

  Programme Background Peru received 280 T-55 MBTs from the Soviet Union during the 1970s. Despite their age, these tanks continue to see service, alongside even ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  Portugal VTLB

  Programme Background The Portuguese Army planned to allocate funds for the procurement of 167 VTLBs during the Military Programming Law running from 2015 until 2026. ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Pacha Kuyuchix (New 8x8 Armoured Vehicle) [Peru - Forecast]

  entry.Programme Background The Peruvian Army is reliant upon a range of ageing 4x4 APCs, including the UR-416, Type 6614 and Type 6616, all of which ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Vilkas [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Lithuania's Boxers are manufactured by the ARTEC production lines in Germany and the Netherlands. KMW is responsible for producing 56 of the vehicles ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  PMC KAAV (Second Batch)

  Programme Background Prior to taking delivery of the KAAV, the PMC did not possess an amphibious assault vehicle. While it had previously received Landing Vehicle, ...

• Tanks

  Malaysia Additional MBTs

  Programme Background Malaysia currently operates a fleet of 48 PT-91M Pendekar MBTs that it received from Poland between 2007 and 2010. These are the only ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  DN-XI

  Programme Background The DN-XI is based upon the Sandcat tactical vehicle, originally designed by Plasan and marketed for a period by Oshkosh in the USA. ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Centauro II (Second Batch) [Italy]

  Programme Background The Italian Army has identified a need for a new 8x8 armoured vehicle armed with a 120 mm main gun to equip one ...

• Military UAS - small

  Small UAV (Colombia)

  Programme Background Many of the Colombian military's UAVs are operated by the Colombian Air Force, but the Colombian Army has also employed several different types ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  A200 (Peru)

  Programme Background The Peruvian Army has a requirement for 4x4 protected vehicles to replace up-armoured commercial pickup trucks used in operations against narcos and other ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Centauro II (Third-Batch) [Italy]

  Programme Background The Italian Army has identified a need for a new 8x8 armoured vehicle armed with a 120 mm main gun to equip one ...

• Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles, Special operations vehicles

  Żmija Long-Range Reconnaissance Vehicle

  Programme Background The Polish Army launched a tender to procure 118 Żmija Long Range Reconnaissance Vehicles (LRRVs) in March 2015. This programme is part of a ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Towed guns

  Dhanush

  India's state-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) developed the Dhanush 155 mm L/45 towed howitzer using technology transferred as part of a late 1980s deal for ...

• Tanks

  ASCOD MMBT

  GDELS unveiled the ASCOD Medium Main Battle Tank (MMBT), a 120mm-armed 42 tonne tank based on its tracked ASCOD IFV, at Eurosatory 2018.  The ASCOD MBBT ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  A200

  The A200 is a lightly armoured 4x4 vehicle based on a modified commercially available Toyota Land Cruiser 200 chassis. Capable of seating up to nine ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  AACE

  The Kunduz Amphibious Armoured Combat Earthmover (AACE) is an amphibious, tracked armoured engineer vehicle designed for the preparation of riverbanks during river-crossing operations. It is ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Superav Land

  The Superav Land 8x8 is a modular vehicle with a large diameter turret ring that can be adjusted to fit a wide variety of remote-controlled ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Pars III 8x8

  FNSS publicly launched the Pars III 6x6 and Pars III 8x8 vehicles, the latest generation of the Pars (Turkish for Anatolian Leopard) AFV family, at ...

• Trapper VT4

  A militarised version of the commercial Ford Everest 4x4 sports utility vehicle, the Trapper VT4 light all-terrain vehicle has been selected as the French Army's ...

• Short Range Missile Defence Systems: 0 to 20 km range

  Initial Maneuver - SHORAD

  Unveiled at AUSA 2019, Initial Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) is a multipurpose platform, based on the Stryker IFV, which moves and maneuvers in ...

• Tanks

  T-54M/M3

  Produced by Vietnam's state-owned Z153 plant, T-54M (formally T-54B cải tiến - "improved") is a major upgrade to the T-54 main battle tank, including a new fire control computer, an ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BMD-4M

  The BMD-4M is based on the BMD-4, which has been in the Russian Army's airborne forces (VDV) service since 2004. It was developed to provide an ...

• Tanks

  MPF Prototype

  In 1992, the US Army selected the M8 to meet its requirement for an air-transportable Armored Gun System, but the programme was cancelled for budgetary ...

• Tanks

  Centauro II

  The 8x8 Centauro II mobile gun system, developed to meet an Italian Army requirement, is the latest evolution of the Centauro AFV family.  Featuring a ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Mbombe 8

  Paramount unveiled the 8x8 member of its Mbombe family, the Mbombe 8, at the Kazakhstan Defence Expo on 2 June 2016.  Sharing more than 80% ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  TOS-2 Tosochka

  Russia unveiled the TOS-2 Tosochka MLRS at the 2020 Victory Day Parade. Like its TOS-1A predecessor, it is intended to neutralise and suppress enemy positions ...

• Submarines nuclear, ballistic missile

  Arihant Class

  India’s Arihant-class SSBN is significant because it is the first SSBN built by a country not a UN Security Council member. It is the result ...