• Uncrewed Vehicles

  French battle lab ready to test Avatar mini-drone sharpshooter

  14th October 2022

  Experiments with Avatar are a chance for France to prepare for the certification of armed UAVs.

• Air Warfare

  Rafael and Hensoldt to go after German Typhoon EW ambitions

  20th October 2022

  Rafael and Hensoldt's existing capabilities could support the German Air Force's decision to adopt the Eurofighter as an electronic attack platform with IOC in 2028.

• Land Warfare

  Indian Army wheels out additional protected vehicles

  27th October 2022

  India is inducting additional M4 4x4 protected mobility vehicles, while new variants of the WhAP are planned.

• Defence Notes

  AUSA 2022: Iron Beam reaches a wider audience

  13th October 2022

  The Iron Beam laser for air and missile defence made its US show debut at AUSA 2022 and it was also presented to representatives of 24 militaries at a recent conference in Israel.

• Defence Notes

  Israel's Rafael buys UK defence firm Pearson Engineering in strategic expansion

  28th September 2022

  The acquisition of Pearson Engineering by Israeli firm Rafael could see UK manufacturing of the Trophy active protection system for the Challenger 3 MBT — but how well does the deal sit with the UK government's defence industrial strategy?

• Land Warfare

  Philippines inducts first SPYDER air defence systems

  9th November 2022

  The Philippine Air Force has suddenly got more capable thanks to the introduction of the SPYDER air defence system, plus another C295W has been added to the transport fleet.

• Defence Notes

  Rafael eyes US production of Ice Breaker

  3rd August 2022

  If Rafael can seal a production partnership in the US for Ice Breaker, Israel could use Foreign Military Financing to buy the missile rather than dipping into its own defence budget.

• Naval Warfare

  Euronaval 2022: DSIT showcases torpedo defence system designed for surface vessels

  19th October 2022

  DSIT and its parent company Rafael have joined forces to offer what they call a comprehensive torpedo defence system.

• Land Warfare

  How OMFV competitors are innovating to secure US Army contract

  21st November 2022

  The Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) contenders' proposals include advanced weapons systems, artificial intelligence sensors and situational awareness in addition to hybrid electric transmission, enhanced mobility and open architecture.

• Land Warfare

  Australian Boxers ready to fight after IOC awarded

  18th October 2022

  Rheinmetall has not delivered any Australian-assembled Boxers yet, but IOC has been declared for the first 25 examples manufactured in Germany.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2022: GDLS eyes RCV programme with TRX Breacher

  10th October 2022

  Resulting from a partnership with Pearson Engineering, the GDLS TRX Breacher is designed for obstacle removal with a plough and robotic arm. It is designed to support army objectives for an RCV executing dangerous missions.

• Naval Warfare

  Philippines receives its first two Shaldag craft from Israel

  7th September 2022

  The first two of nine Shaldag fast attack craft have reached Philippine shores.

• Land Warfare

  Spain’s Dragon gains its claws with successful Spike integration

  29th June 2022

  Escribano and PAP Tecnos have demonstrated the successful integration of the Spike missile in the Guardian 30 RWS, which will equip Spain’s future 8x8 Dragon vehicle.

• Defence Notes

  Ukraine conflict prompts precision strike and artillery shift in the Baltics

  5th August 2022

  The Baltic states are fine-tuning their pre-war defence procurement plans following lessons learned from the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, with a renewed focus on long-range and precision fire capabilities.

• Land Warfare

  Farnborough 2022: Babcock partners with Rafael for UK land ground-based air defence programme

  22nd July 2022

  Babcock and Rafael have joined forces to provide C2 solutions for a GBAD programme in the UK.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Vilkas [Lithuania - Second Batch]

  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 - 8x8

  Vilkas [Lithuania - Additional Units]

  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 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions (Forecast) [Germany]

  Programme Background Three Systems In April 2023, Germany reportedly ordered three different loitering munition systems to further assess their suitability for use by the German Armed ...

• 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 ...

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

  Orbiter 3 [Greece]

  Programme Background On 17 April 2023, Aeronautics announced a contract to supply "dozens." of Orbiter 3 UAVs to the Greek MoD. The agreement was part ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Project Land 400 Phase 3 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement: 2015 RfI The Land 400 Phase 3 programme will procure a new tracked IFV to replace the Australian Army's legacy fleet of ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Hunter [Singapore - Contracted]

  Programme Background Development of the Hunter began in 2006 and was assisted by Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA). At least five variants of the platform ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Hunter IFV [Singapore - Forecast]

  Programme Background Development of the Hunter began in 2006 and was assisted by Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA). At least five variants of the platform ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• Special operations vehicles

  Death Adder RTV 2

  Programme Background The 2nd Commando Regiment currently operates an RTV designed and manufactured by Australia's Bale Defence. These were delivered between 2014 and 2015. Intended ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Land 400 Phase 2 - Boxer CRV (Australia)

  Programme Background History The Land 400 Phase 2 programme will procure a replacement for the ASLAV, a derivative of the General Dynamics Land Systems Light Armoured Vehicle ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants)

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• Special operations vehicles

  Death Adder RTV 2 (Options)

  Programme Background The 2nd Commando Regiment currently operates an RTV designed and manufactured by Australia's Bale Defence. These were delivered between 2014 and 2015. Intended ...

• Fighter - electronic warfare

  Jamming and Escort Electronic Attack Aircraft (luWES) [Germany]

  Programme Background According to earlier reports, Berlin had earlier decided to procure 15 EA-18G Growlers over the Eurofighter Typhoon ECR concept, which is expected to be ...

• Loitering munitions

  Echelon 1: Ground Organic Precision Strike Systems (GOPSS) [USSOCOM]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has made loitering capabilities a priority in its efforts to support counter-violent extremist organization (C-VEO) operations ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Individual assault/anti-tank weapons

  Spike SR

  Part of Rafael's Spike missile family, the fire-and-forget, man-portable Spike Short Range (SR) EO-guided missile system has operational capabilities in all weather conditions. Although the ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Spike LR2

  The Spike LR2 (NT-S) is Rafael’s fifth generation of the Spike missile and is backwards-compatible with existing Spike launchers.  Two warheads have been developed: a ...

• Multipurpose missiles

  Spike ER

  The Spike ER is a fourth-generation, multipurpose missile fitted with EO charge-coupled device/imaging IR sensors for operation during the day, night and in adverse weather. ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons, Multipurpose missiles

  Spike MR/LR

  The Spike MR and Spike LR share the same command launch unit, thermal sight, tripod and missile technology. The fire-and-forget missile is equipped with an ...

• Towed rocket launchers

  SPARC

  Rafael unveiled the SPARC, a 360° remote-controlled towed launcher for its Spike non-line-of-sight (NLOS) missile, at the September 2015 DSEI exhibition in London. Spike NLOS ...

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

  Spike Firefly

  Spike FireFly is a loitering munition developed jointly by Rafael and the Israeli MoD. It is designated as Maoz by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). The Spike ...

• Military - USVs

  Protector

  The Protector, having been in use since 2004, was the first USV to enter operational service. It is fitted with several subsystems that include; a radar, ...

• Multipurpose missiles

  Spike ER2

  The Spike ER2 (Extended Range) is a multipurpose missile that can be fired from ground-based, airborne or naval platforms at a range of surface targets, ...

• Land: RWS

  Samson MK I

  Formerly known as the Remote Controlled Weapon Station-30 (RCWS-30), the Samson MK I is a dual-axis gyro-stabilised unmanned turret developed by Rafael to meet the ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Freccia

  The Freccia 8x8 was developed by CIO to meet an Italian Army requirement for an IFV derived from the 105mm-armed Centauro cavalry vehicle to equip ...

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

  Golden Eagle HS

  The Golden Eagle HS (Heavy Strike) is a rotary-wing UAV that can be armed with Rafael's powerful Spike SR and LR2 missiles, providing ground troops with anti-armour ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer CRV

  In March 2018, the Australian DoD announced that it had selected the Rheinmetall Boxer CRV, a further development of the ARTEC 8x8 Boxer APC, to meet ...

• Land: RWS

  Samson Mk II/ Samson 30

  The Samson Mk II (now referred to as the Samson 30) was unveiled in 2012 as a replacement for the original Samson uncrewed turret. Like ...

• Multipurpose missiles

  Spike NLOS

  The Spike NLOS (non-line-of-sight) is a multi-purpose, EO missile system with a real-time wireless data link capable of attacking targets at ranges up to 25km.  ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Hunter

  ST Engineering began the development of the tracked Next-Generation Armoured Fighting Vehicle (NGAFV) in 2006 as a replacement for the Singapore Army's fleet of approximately ...