• Defence Notes

  US Air Force inches closer to hypersonic capability

  9th December 2022

  The US Air Force’s first hypersonic weapon is scheduled to be operational from the B-52 in the autumn of 2023.

• Air Warfare

  Indian Army fast-tracks the acquisition of hundreds of UAVs

  27th October 2022

  Three different RfPs in close succession reveal the Indian Army's desperation to get UAVs into the hands of soldiers.

• Land Warfare

  Sweden contracts BAE to develop new CV90 variants

  17th November 2022

  Sweden has contracted BAE Systems to develop Forward Maintenance and Combat Engineer variants of the CV90 armoured vehicle.

• Defence Notes

  Multi-domain integration: Is Britain ready for the future?

  2nd November 2022

  Multi-domain integration and the importance of novel approaches were the main motifs of DSEI 2021. The UK Strategic Command reiterated the theme outlined in the Integrated Review: more is not always better. Can the UK compensate for the loss of numbers and capabilities?

• Air Warfare

  AUSA 2022: MAG Aerospace and L3Harris propose converted commercial bizjet for US Army airborne ISR

  13th October 2022

  Converted Bombardier Global Express 6500s would close an ISR gap for the US Army in the Indo-Pacific region.

• Land Warfare

  India seeks new sniper rifles with restricted RfP

  2nd November 2022

  India's requirement for nearly 5,000 sniper rifles has moved forward with the issue of a restricted RfP to local vendors.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2022: BAE Systems awaits AMPV full-rate production award in Q1 2023

  13th October 2022

  BAE Systems has already delivered over 160 AMPVs in two contracts, and it expects a significant new award in early 2023.

• Digital Battlespace

  Raytheon advances development of a solution for the US Army’s TITAN programme

  25th October 2022

  Raytheon has reached the second stage of the TITAN prototyping phase and is working on software development to gather information from multiple sensors.

• Land Warfare

  Canada buys Aimpoint fire control system for Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles

  10th November 2022

  The Canadian Army will receive an undisclosed quantity of Aimpoint FCS13-RE fire control systems and thermal sites for integration with its Carl Gustaf weapon systems.

• Land Warfare

  India tries to spool up artillery production, but bottlenecks remain

  21st October 2022

  The DRDO showed an updated 155mm truck-mounted howitzer at DefExpo 2022, and India will also export its Pinaka to Armenia.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2022: US Army awards another IMBITR order for Thales

  13th October 2022

  Thales continues to contribute to the US Army’s Leader Radio Program.

• Land Warfare

  China displays a bewildering array of air defence systems at Zhuhai

  24th November 2022

  There is no let-up in the continuous stream of advanced air defence systems rolling out from Chinese companies and state-owned factories.

• Land Warfare

  And then there were three: Brazil halves the field of VBC Cav-MSR contenders

  11th October 2022

  Canadian, Chinese and Italian bidders line up for the next phase of the Brazilian wheeled armoured vehicle programme.

• Land Warfare

  Rheinmetall Lynx aims for more customers

  8th December 2022

  With production now under way for launch customer Hungary, Rheinmetall is targeting a number of new market opportunities for its Lynx infantry fighting vehicle, including requirements in Greece and Italy.

• Defence Notes

  ‘Balloongate’ lays bare Chinese hypocrisy over military surveillance (Opinion)

  13th February 2023

  China pretends that it does not spy on others. The recent balloon saga showed up that it not only conducts surveillance of multiple countries, but that it is willing to violate their airspace to do so.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  Titan-B

  Programme Background Colombia is understood to have a requirement for as many as 100 APCs capable of carrying up to 20 troops and protecting their ...

• 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

  Titan-C

  Programme Background Colombia is understood to have a requirement for as many as 100 APCs capable of carrying up to 20 troops and protecting their ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Colombia M113A3

  Programme Background The Colombian Army currently operates 54 M113A1 and M113A2 APCs, which are divided among two mechanised infantry battalions and a training school. Known ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  Surplus M1117 Guardian ASV (Colombia)

  Programme Background The Colombian Army has requested surplus M1117s to assist with counter-insurgency and counter-narcotics operations. Due to a lack of armoured vehicles suitable for ...

• Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  PETEF - Light Tactical Vehicles

  The Colombian MoD has not outlined how many new patrol vehicles will be needed to equip all seven of the light cavalry groups, nor how ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  Secure Personnel Transport Vehicle (Colombia - Forecast)

  Programme Background Colombia is understood to have a requirement for as many as 100 APCs capable of carrying up to 20 troops and protecting their ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  PETEF - LAV III (Colombia)

  Programme Background Since the replacement of the M113 is understood to be a priority for the Colombian Army, it is anticipated that a contract could ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  Secure Personnel Transport Vehicle (Colombia - Announced)

  Programme Background Colombia is understood to have a requirement for as many as 100 APCs capable of carrying up to 20 troops and protecting their ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Coelum (Colombia)

  Programme Background Testing Colombian Aeronautical Industry Cooperation (CIAC) was working on a project called Dron Coelum X-001. In late 2020, the CIAC tested a redesigned prototype of the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  PETEF - Tracked IFV

  Since a programme to procure a tracked IFV has yet to be launched by the Colombian Army, it is unclear how many tracked IFVs could ...

• Tanks

  PETEF - MBT

  The Colombian Army has evaluated several offers for MBT platforms in the past, though none of these have progressed to the formal contract stage. For ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Kfir Replacement (Colombia)

  Programme Background In May 2021, budget constraints prompted new Colombian finance minister José Manuel Restrepo (in post since 3 May) to place on indefinite hold ...

• Frigates

  Plataforma Estratégica de Superficie (PES) - Frigate Acquisition Programme [Colombia]

  Programme Background The replacement of the existing ageing Almirante Padilla-class frigates was first initiated in 2015. The predecessors, built by Germany's Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) have been in service ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Type 206/209 Replacement (PLOTEOS) [Colombia]

  The 2042 "Plan de Desarrollo Naval" (Naval Development Plan) outlines the intention to procure four new SSKs for the Colombian Navy. Saab, Navantia and Naval ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  Titan

  Blindex developed the Titan series of APCs to provide the Colombian Army with an affordable means of transporting large numbers of troops for internal security ...

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

  Quimbaya X-003

  The Quimbaya X-003 is a Colombian fixed-wing UAV designed and developed by the Colombian Aeronautical Industry Corporation (CIAC). Reportedly, following evaluation tests in late 2023, ...

• Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  M1117 Guardian ASV

  In December 1995, the US Army selected a design based on the Textron ASV 150 to provide the military police with a vehicle that combined ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Coelum

  Manufactured by Corporación de la Industria Aeronáutica Colombiana (CIAC), the Coelum is a mini UAV that is fitted with a 40x zoom EO/IR camera payload for ISR missions.  The ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  PRC-710

  The PRC-710 is a VHF/FM voice and data handheld radio with COMSEC and ECCM capabilities. Designed in response to emerging combat requirements, the PRC-710 is ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  LPR 40 MKII

  The LPR acts as a command boat for the group of tactical riverine combat boats operated by the Colombian Marine Corps. It is equipped with ...

• EO/IR systems, Sea: optronic masts and periscopes

  SERO 250

  The SERO 250 is a compact submarine periscope that can be installed in both new-build and upgraded boats. Little or no structural modifications are required ...

• Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  SCTV

  The Survivable Combat Tactical Vehicle (SCTV), developed by Textron Marine & Land Systems and Granite Tactical Vehicles, is an upgrade solution for the AM General ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Airmor

  Airmor is an autonomous modular countermeasure SPS designed for helicopters and transport aircraft. Airmor’s core components are IMI’s management control unit (MCU), which processes information ...

• OPVs

  OPV 93C

  The OPV 93C is an offshore patrol vessel designed and developed by Cotecmar. The Colombian Navy ordered one platform in November 2022 and one in ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 500

  The MD 500 is a single-engine light helicopter derived from the Hughes OH-6A Cayuse developed for the US Army in the early 1960s and the ...

• Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  SandCat

  The 4x4 SandCat family of vehicles was designed by Israeli armour specialist Plasan Sasa in 2005 for a range of military, special operations, homeland security, ...

• Submarines: conventional, attack

  Type 209/1200

  The Type 209/1200 diesel-electric submarine is a variant of the Type 209 submarine designed by the German company Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft exclusively for the export market. ...

• Naval guns

  OTO Strales/Davide

  The OTO Strales represents the second iteration of the OTO 76/62mm Super Rapido gun from Leonardo. The weapon, which is in service with the Italian ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  EMB-312 Tucano

  The EMB-312 Tucano (Brazilian designation T-27) is a trainer and light attack aircraft developed by Embraer to meet the training requirements of the Brazilian Air ...