• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Eurosatory 2018: First autonomous flight for VSR700 imminent

  14th June 2018

  Airbus Helicopters is moving ahead with its VSR700 project with the first fully autonomous flight test scheduled for 2018, the company told Shephard at Eurosatory …

• Defence Helicopter

  Nigeria takes its second pair of Hinds

  11th May 2018

  The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has taken delivery of two more Russian Helicopters Mi-35 Hind newly-built, night-capable attack helicopters.The aircraft were airlifted to Makurda Air …

• Special Operations

  International SOF Warrior Competition concludes

  9th May 2018

  Special operations units from around the world competed in the latest iteration of the annual Warrior Competition at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training …

• Digital Battlespace

  US Army completes LTLM II airborne testing

  8th June 2018

  The US Army has completed the final phases of airborne testing for the Laser Target Locator Module (LTLM II). The ruggedised LTLM II is designed …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  MQ-4C Triton welcomed into US Navy fleet

  7th June 2018

  The US Navy has officially commenced operations with the MQ-4C Triton UAS. A ceremony welcoming the UAS into service was held on 31 May at …

• Naval Warfare

  USS Ronald Reagan enters sea trials

  15th May 2018

  The US Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan, has departed Yokosuka, Japan, for sea trials after successful completion of a two-day fast cruise, the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Germany acquires Puma UAS

  9th May 2018

  The German Navy has acquired AeroVironment’s Puma UAS with Mantis i45 sensor, AeroVironment announced on 7 May. AeroVironment partnered with Germany's ESG to fulfill the …

• Defence Notes

  Australia gives defence budget a moderate lift

  10th May 2018

  Australia announced its defence budget for FY2018/19 on 8 May, with the total amounting to A$36.4 billion ($27.2 billion). This figure is in line with …

• Defence Notes

  UK jet expert held over 'Chinese plot for military secrets'

  14th June 2018

  British police confirmed on 14 June they had arrested a man under the Official Secrets Act amid reports of a feared Chinese plot against F-35B …

• Digital Battlespace

  EW Europe 2018: Preparing for radar 'war modes'

  4th June 2018

  For pilots and crew, survival in the air is increasingly reliant on the ability to use electronic warfare tactics and technology to avoid and counter the …

• Special Operations

  SOCOM outlines maritime capabilities demonstration

  15th June 2018

  United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has outlined an upcoming technical experimentation (TE) activity focused on SOF maritime surface systems. The research and development opportunity …

• Digital Battlespace

  Thales, CarteNav to develop new ISR solution

  4th June 2018

  Thales and PAL Aerospace’s subsidiary CarteNav Solutions will collaborate on the development of a new airborne ISR solution to support counter-piracy, border disputes and migration …

• Defence Notes

  Israeli strikes used 28 planes, 70 missiles: Russia

  10th May 2018

  Israel's strikes on Syria saw 28 planes take part in raids with a total of around 70 missiles fired, the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) …

• Defence Notes

  Heavy fighting as Taliban attack western Afghan city

  15th May 2018

  Afghan aircraft on 15 May bombed Taliban positions in the western city of Farah after the insurgents launched a major attempt to capture the provincial …

• Military Logistics

  GE Aviation to upgrade KC-135’s IDAR

  31st May 2018

  GE Aviation has received a contract to upgrade the Integrated Data Acquisition Recorder (IDAR) on the US Air Force’s KC-135 fleet, the company announced on …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  JAS 39E/F Gripen (Brazil)

  In 2016, Gripen’s Project and Development Center was opened in Sao Paulo to allow Sweedish and Brazillian engineers to work together in the Gripen development ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-130H Replacement [Sweden]

  Programme Background Requirements Sweden has five C-130H aircraft (designated Tp-84) and one KC-130H. Two C-130Es bought in the 1960s have retired, but the six H ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-390 (Brazil)

  Programme Background Requirement The aircraft deliveries were scheduled to start by the end of 2016 and continue over a period of ten years. However,  the first ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Army Aviation Project [Brazil]

  Programme Background Brazilian Investment As reported by Shephard, in August 2023, the Brazilian government disclosed its plans to invest BRL 52.8 billion ($10.6 billion) in new military ...

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

  Hermes 900 [Brazil]

  Programme Background First Batch (2014) In 2014, Elbit reported supplying the Hermes 900 to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The drone is called the RQ-900 in ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Polar Support Vessel [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirements In June 2020, the Brazilian Navy released a Request for Proposal (RfP) to procure a new Antarctic vessel to be manufactured in Brazil. The ...

• Military helicopters - attack, Military helicopters - multirole

  Mi-35M Replacement (Brazil)

  Programme Background The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) High Command sprung a surprise on 10 February 2022 when it issued a document stating that its fleet ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  VBC Cav-MSR (Brazil)

  Programme Background Purpose The Brazilian Army's mechanised cavalry regiments are believed to operate approximately 400 EE-9 Cascavel 6x6 fire support vehicles manufactured by the now-defunct ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  A-29 Philippines

  Programme Background The aircraft will be deployed for close air support (CAS), light attack, surveillance, air-to-air interception and counterinsurgency (COIN) missions. On three previous occasions ...

• APCs/IFVs - 4x4

  JLTV (Brazil - 1st Batch)

  Programme Background Under its PROADSUMUS programme, the Brazilian Marine Corps is procuring new equipment to support its deployment in expeditionary operations. One of the new ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  VBTP-MR Guarani

  Programme Background Part of the Brazilian Army's New Armoured Wheeled Vehicle Family (NFBR), the VBTP-MR platform is to be manufactured in several versions including standard ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | QX-2 (Forecast) [Brazilian Marine Corps]

  In August 2023, EDGE Group announced that it hosted a four-day Brazilian Marine Corps delegation. The tour was focused on, among other things, autonomous systems and ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | QX-2 (Forecast) [Brazilian Marine Corps]

  In August 2023, EDGE Group announced that it hosted a four-day Brazilian Marine Corps delegation. The tour was focused on, among other things, autonomous systems and ...

• Submarines: conventional, attack

  Submarines Procurement Programme [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirements Since 2014, Romania has seen a significant increase in its defence budget, which has allowed for more room to procure modern platforms. One ...

• Frigates

  Tamandaré Class Programme (1-4) [Brazil]

  Programme Background Timeline The Brazilian defence ministry is in the process of procuring four multi-role corvettes based on the German MEKO A100 design for the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• 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 ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  TPTS

  Tactical Procedures Training Simulators (TPTS), operating with SWARM software, can be used to provide most core training elements to pilots or offload training tasks from ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M

  The medium-weight, 11t-class H225M (formerly known as the EC725) is the latest military Super Puma/Cougar family member.  Technical features include a modular design of mechanical ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  Grifo-346

  The Grifo-346 is a combat aircraft X-band radar covering +/-60° in azimuth and elevation and a weight under one kilogram. It can track up to ...

• Trainer, Transport

  EMB-121 Xingu

  The EMB-121 Xingu is a twin-turboprop light transport and advanced multi-engine trainer aircraft developed by Embraer based on the EMB-110 Bandeirante. Its maiden flight was ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  H125M

  The H125M (formerly the AS550 B3e Fennec) is a military version of the civil H125. The helicopter has a reduced radar signature due to the use ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-390/C-390 Millennium

  The KC-390 is a high-wing, twin-turbofan, T-tail design intended to meet the needs of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) for a tanker/transport aircraft. Developed and ...

• Land: battle management systems

  Arkhe Mission & Combat

  Launched in 2017, Atech's Arkhe Mission & Combat solutions offer a variety of solutions enabling operator to conduct missions from planning to execution and debriefing. It ...

• Fighter - multirole

  JAS 39E/F Gripen

  The Saab JAS 39E/F Gripen is a multirole fighter aircraft developed from earlier Gripen models and the Gripen NG. The latest version was selected by Brazil ...

• Fighter - air superiority

  F-5E/F Tiger II

  The F-5E (single-seat)/F (twin-seat) Tiger II is an air superiority fighter developed by Northrop Grumman based on the original F-5 Freedom Fighter. Production of the ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  EMB-314 Super Tucano

  The EMB-314 (also designated A-29) Super Tucano turboprop aircraft includes single- and two-seat variants. The former is designed for light attack and COIN missions, while ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming, Air: Electronic Attack - Pod

  Sky Shield

  The Sky Shield RF pod  jammer can perform simultaneous jamming against multiple, diverse threats and can equip both small and large platforms. Simultaneous jamming is ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Saber M60

  The Saber M60 is a low-altitude air-defence radar developed by the Brazilian Army's CTEx (Army Technology Centre) in collaboration with Bradar, part of Embraer Defence ...

• Guided munitions

  SMKB

  The Smart-MK-Bomb, or the SMKB, is a precision guidance kit designed to turn Mk 82 and Mk 83 bombs into guided munitions.

• Simulator Support Services

  Elbit Systems provides simulator support services such as contractor logistics support, training, manuals and spare parts. The latest integrated data environment is employed for visibility ...