• Training

  I/ITSEC 2023: Climate change – how military training will need to adapt

  25th November 2023

  How climate change poses various challenges and risks to defence training, readiness and infrastructure.

• Air Warfare

  Teal snags USAF deal for sUAS and sets sights on Ukraine and domestic market

  10th August 2023

  UAV manufacturer Teal Drones believes the market is opening up for its Teal 2 quadcopter sUAS in the US and in Europe as approved status is confirmed for the system in the former and strong interest from the latter, particularly in Ukraine where it expects to begin shipping the Teal 2s this year.

• Defence Notes

  US Congress to cut budget of hypersonic programmes

  12th July 2023

  The House Appropriations Committee’s proposal would affect the US Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) and the US Air Force’s Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) efforts.

• Air Warfare

  Ukraine lessons: is bringing an attack helicopter to a missile fight too dangerous?

  15th September 2023

  According to multiple OSINT sources, Russian forces have lost possibly as many as 200 rotary-wing aircraft since February 2022. Some of these occurred in early high-profile operations, but most have been attrition casualties during the ongoing fighting. Shephard analyses the nature of these losses, and what lessons NATO attack helicopter operators should draw.

• Land Warfare

  K9 Self-Propelled Howitzer : Delivering a Capability Growth Pathway: Now; Next; Future.

  28th August 2023

  At the heart of Hanwha Aerospace’s global success is the innovative way it delivers military capability solutions, with a forward vision around capability sustainment and spiral development

• Defence Helicopter

  UK MoD stands firm: ‘No change in New Medium Helicopter numbers’

  24th July 2023

  'There has been no change to the advertised requirement of up to 44 platforms' for the UK New Medium Helicopter programme that is set to replace the UK's Puma and other helicopter fleets, the ministry has said.

• Air Warfare

  New material could be used for hypersonic missile radomes, MBDA

  18th July 2023

  European missile-maker MBDA has developed a new ceramic material called Nimas B1, which is highly resistant and suitable for radomes used in hypersonic and supersonic missiles.

• Training

  Self-help or off-the-shelf – when does developing your own simulator make sense?

  1st August 2023

  Buy simulators commercially or build your own? That is the dilemma facing some countries when it comes to expanding their training capability.

• Defence Notes

  Lawmakers to provide nearly $700 million in extra funds for US Army ground vehicle programmes

  16th June 2023

  The House Armed Services Committee has proposed allocating additional resources to the Abrams, Stryker, Bradley and PIM programmes and reducing the budget of the OMFV effort.

• Land Warfare

  Senate wants $532 million boost for modernising US Abrams tank fleet

  1st August 2023

  The extra funds will enable the upgrading of 53 tanks on top of the 34 included in the US Army's FY2024 budget request.

• Land Warfare

  Australia embarks upon a massive restructure of army

  3rd October 2023

  In response to strategic circumstances, the Australian Army is in for a massive overhaul and redistribution of units and equipment.

• Defence Notes

  Ukraine and Taiwan? What the US will spend Biden's extra 40.1 billion defence dollars on

  23rd August 2023

  The additional budget proposal addresses critical needs for emergency funding for the Pentagon, partners and allies.

• Naval Warfare

  Anzac-class frigate to test-fire Sea Ceptor in New Zealand's first naval missile launch in seven years

  15th August 2023

  HMNZS Te Mana is conduct a five-month deployment to test all the new equipment it received during the recent Frigate Systems Upgrade (FSU) project, including a first missile firing since 2016.

• Air Warfare

  Paris Air Show: Turgis & Gaillard debut new UAV – the Aarok

  19th June 2023

  At Paris Air Show, France’s Turgis & Gaillard showcased a new UAV, the Aarok, which it says will make its first flight before the end of the year.

• Air Warfare

  Elbit Systems to equip Philippine maritime patrol aircraft

  11th July 2023

  The Israeli company will integrate maritime patrol mission systems onto an ATR 72 turboprop for the Philippine Air Force.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Frigates

  De Zeven Provinciën Class Replacement/LC Frigates [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Replacements The De Zeven Provinciën-class air defence and command platforms, which are in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN), are expected to be ...

• Transport

  C-130J-30 [Philippines]

  Programme Background Requirement The PAF relies on an older fleet of C-130s obtained secondhand. In fact, the last time the Philippines purchased brand-new Hercules was ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A400M-Forecast (Indonesia)

  Programme Background The TNI-AU currently relies on 17 Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules and L-100-30 aircraft, including five C-130Hs transferred from Australia. Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) is ...

• ISR/special mission, Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Q02 (Qatar)

  Programme Background Reiner developed the Q01 jointly with the Emirate of Qatar, primarily for the Qatar Armed Forces. It was introduced at the ILA Berlin Air ...

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

  Camcopter Project (Thailand)

  Programme Background Batch One In November 2019, as reported by Shephard, Schiebel was awarded a TBH600 million ($18.76 million) contract from the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  LCU Replacement [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Requirements The Netherlands currently operates five landing craft utility (LCU) MKII vessels which are due to be replaced in 2031. In October, De Haas ...

• Military UAS - small

  Indonesia MSI ScanEagle

  Programme Background The US first offered the Indonesia Military (TNI) a grant under Foreign Military Financing (FMF) that covered ScanEagle UAVs and the upgrade of ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  LCVPs Replacement [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Requirements The Dutch Marine Corps needs to replace 12 Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP) from 2025. The current LCVPs will reach the end ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  LPDs/OPVs Replacement Programme [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Requirements The RNLN will need to replace the ageing LPDs Rotterdam and Johan de Witt when the vessels' service lives come to an ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A400M (Indonesia)

  Programme Background The TNI-AU currently relies on 17 Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules and L-100-30 aircraft, including five C-130Hs transferred from Australia. Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) is ...

• Maritime patrol

  Maritime Patrol Aircraft [Malaysia]

  Programme Background In June 2019, The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) has confirmed to Shephard that the government has given approval for the service to prepare ...

• Trainer

  Future Aircrew Training Program (Fixed-wing Aircraft Procurement) - Canada

  Programme Background The new procurement will result in one contract covering all the requirements, including maintenance and infrastructure services. Training services are currently provided through ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Announced at the NATO Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels in June 2023, Ukraine formally signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation in the Procurement and Operation ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Phoenix Ghost (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (21 April 2022) Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, on 21 April 2022, President Biden announced an $800 ...

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

  Loyal Wingman (Forecast) [Germany]

  Programme Background Need Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, stated in Jue 2024 that the "German Air Force has expressed a clear need for ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: range systems and targets

  Digital Modular Shoot House

  Turnkey custom-designed Digital Modular Shoot Houses can be provided to meet an organisation’s requirement for a close-quarters live-fire facility. The house provides a platform to ...

• Land: range systems and targets

  MATCH

  The Modular Armored Tactical Combat House (MATCH) is a live-fire 360° ballistically safe shoot house designed to teach and practise close-quarter urban battle skills such ...

• Land: infantry weapon simulators

  LST

  The Live-Fire System Trainer (LST) is an add-on option to Laser Shot military training systems. Its live-fire camera tracks replicate thermal heat signatures of ball ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  RC

  The RC family comprises compact multi-mode radars of modular construction aimed at combat aircraft and advanced trainers, developed from the Mirage 2000-5’s RDY radar. The ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  USAF F-16 ATD– JHMCS

  L3Harris Technologies has provided its simulated Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) and Advanced Helmet Mounted Display (AHMD) on the USAF’s F-16 Aircrew Training Device programme. ...

• Land: infantry weapon simulators

  EST 2000

  The Engagement Skills Trainer (EST) 2000 – described as the US Army’s only validated marksmanship trainer – teaches individual marksmanship skills, squad-level collective defence and ...

• Subsystems: software

  Judgmental Training Software

  The Judgmental Training Software (JTS) is Laser Shot’s latest advancement in firearms training technology. It provides judgemental training through the use of interactive, HD video ...

• Land: range systems and targets

  Infantry Shoot Back System

  Saab's Infantry Shoot Back System is a laser-based automated friend-or-foe target system for use in MOUT and open terrain training areas. Soldiers armed with a ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  Combat Training Range Instrumentation

  Combat training range instrumentation systems are meant for live-fire, force-on-force and constructive combat training ranges. GD OTS provides systems for dismounted and mounted player tracking and ...

• Ground control stations

  Ground Control Station (GCS)

  Aertec Solutions GCS station has been designed with in-house technology and allows for various types of unmanned vehicles to be controlled from the system.

• Land: fire support simulators

  Advanced Howitzer Simulator

  The Advanced Howitzer Simulator is a virtual self-propelled howitzer simulator for the entire crew, which provides training of operational and degraded modes, including direct fire, ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  SOVERON D

  Formerly known as SVFuA, SOVERON D is a software-defined radio designed for vehicular applications. Cleared for communications up to the NATO SECRET level, it can house ...

• EW test systems

  EMC Test Facility

  ECS has a custom-built semi anechoic chamber used for in-house product development and pre-compliance testing which is available to hire to outside organisations. The chamber ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  RP-25 Sapfir 25

  The RP-25 Sapfir 25 is a look-down/shoot-down radar for the MiG-25PD interceptor of late-1970s vintage, developed as a replacement for the RP-25 that was compromised ...

• Submachine guns

  FN P90

  FN Herstal introduced the FN P90 PDW in 1990 to fire its 5.7x28mm cartridge. Both were developed with the aim of providing a more efficient ...