• Land Warfare

  US Marine Corps orders ACV-30 test vehicles with Kongsberg remote weapons station

  16th August 2022

  A full-rate production decision from the USMC for the ACV-30 may follow a period of testing.

• Land Warfare

  Harnessing the power of laser energy to shoot drones out of the sky (Studio)

  21st July 2022

  Raytheon Technologies' High-Energy Laser system acquires, tracks, targets and defeats mortars and large drones in complex swarming scenarios.

• Air Warfare

  Boeing keeps Australian Chinooks flying, and excitedly awaits Apaches

  7th October 2022

  Boeing Defence Australia is heavily involved in helicopter maintenance in Australia, and that will only accelerate when Apaches are introduced.

• Defence Notes

  Hanwha Group is set to expand into naval shipbuilding

  5th October 2022

  Hanwha is broadening its portfolio, with a bid to take a controlling stake in shipbuilder DSME likely to proceed.

• Defence Notes

  Embraer completes C-390/KC-390 firefighting flight tests

  6th September 2022

  The Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System will eventually be certified for installation aboard Embraer tanker aircraft ordered by Brazil, Hungary and Portugal.

• Air Warfare

  KAI floats MC-X transport and carrier-based KF-21N concepts

  23rd September 2022

  Buoyed by successes on the international market, South Korean aerospace firm KAI aims high with new transport aircraft and carrier-borne fighter ideas.

• Defence Notes

  AUSA 2022: General Micro Systems introduces new modular open distributed computing architecture products

  10th October 2022

  Centralised computing systems are giving way to more modular and scalable architectures, according to General Micro Systems.

• Naval Warfare

  Black Sea drone attack reaffirms threat to naval vessels

  2nd November 2022

  A naval expert tells Shephard the Ukrainian attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet assets, as reported, fits into a long tradition of weaker navies seeking to find ways to counter more powerful opponents.

• Digital Battlespace

  IAI continues Asian push with counter-UAS deal

  5th September 2022

  IAI is providing ‘several dozen’ DroneGuard ComJam systems to an unnamed Asian customer.

• Air Warfare

  US Marine Corps to receive spare parts for Reapers

  13th September 2022

  Aircraft and ground control station spares are necessary for successful operation of USMC Reapers, says DoD.

• Digital Battlespace

  AeroVironment releases Puma VNS for GPS-contested drone navigation

  16th September 2022

  Puma 2 AE and Puma AE 3 operators will be able to fly their drones even if no GPS is available.

• Digital Battlespace

  Drone Guard: The Complete C-sUAV Solution (Sponsored)

  3rd October 2022

  The proliferation of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (sUAV), whether specifically designed and equipped for military use, or adaptations of readily available commercial models, places a heavy burden on those responsible for countering them.

• Digital Battlespace

  Inmarsat clinches Commercial Broadband Satellite Program work

  12th September 2022

  Inmarsat will provide military C-, Ku-, Ka- and X-band satellite services for mobile and fixed transceivers.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  IDS, XTEND seek Italian impact for UAS and C-UAS technologies

  22nd July 2022

  XTEND and IDS are targeting the Italian market with a JV focusing on advanced solutions for urban warfare and tactical mission capabilities.

• Land Warfare

  Tests begin for first new French SOF patrol vehicles

  14th September 2022

  French special forces have begun testing the first pair of production 6x6 VOS-APP patrol vehicles that will succeed the VLRA, which has been in service since the 1970s.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Medium Range Reconnaissance (MRR) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) Programme The RPUAS programme will provide the battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an organic, on-demand ...

• Transport

  C-27J [Azerbaijan]

  Programme Background The Azerbaijani Air Force signed a contract with Leonardo in June 2023 to procure the C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft. This move is ...

• Tanks

  NGCV: DLP

  Programme Background Requirement The DLP is one of five vehicle families being developed for the US Army's NGCV programme. Expanded to include five programmes in ...

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

  General-Purpose UAS [Australia]

  Programme Background Banned As reported by Shephard in August 2023, in the past, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) used commercial UAS from companies such as DJI for ...

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

  Mini Reconnaissance Drones [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Planned Purchases On 14 September 2022, the Lithuanian MoD announced in a short statement on Twitter, now X, that it had begun organising ...

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

  ISTAR UAS project [Canada]

  Programme Background Objective The Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) main significant UAV project is the RCN Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Unmanned Aircraft System (RCN ...

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

  Small Reconnaissance Drones [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Planned Purchases On 14 September 2022, the Lithuanian MoD announced in a short statement on Twitter, now X, that it had begun organising ...

• Destroyers

  Next-Generation Large Surface Combatants (LSC) - DDG(X) [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy (USN) is acknowledging a need to move away from the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer design, which is slowly outgrowing. Flight III ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Data links

  Data links | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• OPVs

  Harry DeWolf Class (AOPS) Coast Guard (7-8) [Canada]

  Programme Background Requirements The new vessels will replace the CCGS Leonard J Cowley, an ice-strengthened fisheries patrol vessel that entered service in 1984 and CCGS Cygnus, ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Multirole Underwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirements According to the presentation provided by the Italian Navy, the MultiroleUnderwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) will:operate a wide range of uncrewed systems, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Counter-UAS systems

  MEHEL 2.0

  The Mobile Expeditionary High-Energy Laser (MEHEL) is a C-UAS-capable vehicle that employs directed energy to neutralise targets. MEHEL 2.0 was first seen at AUSA 2016, ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  DroneDefender

  DroneDefender is a directed-energy UAS countermeasure that disrupts the adversary's control of the aircraft, neutralising it so that no remote action (including detonation) can occur, ...

• OPVs

  PPA/MultiPurpose Combat Ship (MPCS) EVO

  The PPA/MultiPurpose Combat Ship (MPCS) EVO is an enhanced version of the Thaon di Revel-class PPAs unveiled at Euronaval 2024. The PPA/MPCS EVO retains the core platform ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Howler C-UAS

  Developed by Raytheon, the Howler is a counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS), which includes a Ku-band Radio Frequency Sensor (KuRFS), a command-and-control system, and a Coyote ...

• Naval guns, Land: RWS

  DragonFire

  Dragonfire is a new laser weapon system built for the UK MoD, receiving £30 million of funding in early 2017. The design of the gun ...

• Military - USVs

  C-Enduro

  C-Enduro is a long-endurance platform used to safely and cost-effectively collect data at sea. Built to operate in all marine environments, C-Enduro uses energy-harvesting technology ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Drone Dome

  Drone Dome is made up of three main components: RADA Electronic Industries' RPS-42 radar; Controp's MEOS observation; and Netline's C-Guard RD and NetSense subsystems for ...

• Destroyers

  Flight III Destroyer

  During Indo Pacific 2023, Navantia Australia unveiled a 10200t destroyer design. Dubbed as Flight III Destroyer, the Spanish shipbuilder is pitching the ship for the ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range, Self-propelled missile systems

  Multi-Mission Launcher

  The Multi-Mission Launcher (MML) was developed by the U.S. Army's Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) as part of the Indirect Fire ...

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

  MK4-RX

  Manufactured by Chartis Federal, the MK4-RX is a small cargo-carrying UAV that can autonomously deliver up to 45lbs of cargo over a range of 17.5k. The quadcopter ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Silent Falcon

  The Silent Falcon is a solar-electric sUAS with long-endurance capabilities for extended-range missions. The UAS can be used for commercial and military applications. The entire ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  C-UAS Solution

  The C-UAS Solution uses goniometry, radar technologies and various sensors to detect and remove UAS from the air. So far, the solution has been proven effective against ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming, Air: chaff, flare and decoy systems

  ADM-141A/B/C TALD/ITALD

  Israel Military Industries’ ADM-141A/B/C Tactical Air Launched Decoy (TALD) and Improved TALD is in service with the US Navy, and possibly with the Israeli Air ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Airfence 5.0

  Airfence 5.0 is a C-UAS RF technology released by Sensofusion. It is designed to protect airports, personnel, prisons and private companies from rogue UAS in ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Cobham C-UAS

  Unveiled at the AUVSI 2017 trade show in Dallas, Texas, the Cobham C-UAS primarily consists of wideband omnidirectional, directional helix (single- or dual-band), directional flat ...