• Air Warfare

  DSEI 2023: Striker II helmet programme for Typhoon fighter jet gets £40 million boost

  13th September 2023

  This development contract for the Striker II helmet system aims to enhance the capabilities of the Eurofighter Typhoon fleet, providing advanced technology and improved operational effectiveness.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSEI 2023: BAE Systems and QinetiQ ink UAS partnership

  13th September 2023

  The initial phase of the collaboration involves testing BAE Systems' autonomous mission management system on both companies' UAS.

• Air Warfare

  Insight: Is the Bayraktar TB2 UAV living up to expectations?

  15th September 2023

  Sold to well over 20 countries and combat-proven in Nagorno-Karabakh, Ukraine and elsewhere, the Bayraktar TB2 has been an export success for its Turkish manufacturer. Shephard Defence Insight analyses the aircraft's design and capabilities and reviews in depth who is buying it and why.

• Land Warfare

  Lockheed Martin successfully tests next-generation artillery rocket

  4th September 2023

  Lockheed Martin has demonstrated the extended range and precision of its next-generation Extended-Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (ER GMLRS) rocket in a successful flight test, bringing it closer to fielding for the US Army.

• Air Warfare

  PLA shows off new UCAV, while CH-5 achieves sale to Iraq

  27th September 2023

  China's aerospace industry continues to develop and sell advanced UAVs both at home and on the international market and has displayed UCAVs at the China Helicopter Exhibition in Tianjin.

• Training

  Royal Air Force begins training instructors on Protector UAV simulator in the US

  31st August 2023

  Personnel from the RAF's 54 Squadron are currently undertaking the first Instructor Operating Course (IOC) on Protector simulators at the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) Flight Test & Training Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

• Training

  Military Training Technology Report 2023: Part-Task Trainers

  1st September 2023

  How part-task trainers can deliver unique outcomes for armed forces

• Training

  Smaller nations under threat – finding the right training focus

  2nd August 2023

  It is inevitable that a country’s military training policy will be driven by its situation in the world, and also by its society.

• Training

  Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 is unprecedented in its scale and scope

  25th July 2023

  Australia has never before seen anything like the scale of this year's Exercise Talisman Sabre.

• Training

  Leonardo ups the ante on M345 trainer jet pitch to Slovakia

  6th September 2023

  Leonardo has cemented partnerships with Slovak defence companies LOTN, VRM and Slavia Production Systems in an effort to bolster a proposal to supply its M345 jet trainer to Slovakia as the country's air force transitions to an F-16 fighter fleet.

• Land Warfare

  Nothing Goes Unseen: Raytheon’s LTAMDS Radar Enhances Situational Awareness Amidst Increasing Aerial Threats (Studio)

  13th November 2023

  Never before have air defenders contended with such complex, rapid and varied threats in the air environment. Raytheon’s LTAMDS radar is the system they need for this ever-changing threatscape.

• Land Warfare

  As the Ukraine war passes the 18-month mark, how are NATO’s factories meeting the artillery challenge?

  18th September 2023

  NATO is rapidly increasing its supply of equipment to Ukraine in a number of key areas including tube artillery and, crucially, its ammunition. Shephard analyses how the alliance's members are stepping up to this challenge after years of industrial neglect.

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2023: Allen-Vanguard extends electronic countermeasure support work in Somalia

  8th September 2023

  Allen-Vanguard has extended its electronic countermeasures support to Somalia with an 18-month contract extension for its field service representative (FSR) team.

• Training

  First US Air Force T-7 Red Hawk jet trainer poised to be delivered

  19th September 2023

  Boeing has completed crucial inspections of the T-7 Red Hawk, and five development aircraft are set to be delivered to the US Air Force, with hopes of completion by year-end. Despite setbacks, the programme is moving ahead, with further testing and detailed plans to replace the ageing T-38 Talon fleet.

• Training

  War may enter new phase as US outlines plans to train Ukrainians to operate F-16 jets

  25th August 2023

  The US has outlined plans to provide training to Ukrainian pilots and ground support personnel for F-16 fighter jets, taking Ukraine's war against invading Russian forces to the next level in the medium term.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light attack, Trainer

  Hürkuş-C Advanced Armed Trainer (Turkey)

  The Hurjet-C development programme funding was included in the Hurkus-B procurement contract awarded by  the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defence Industries in December 2013.  The Hurjet will ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  IAR-99 Replacement (Romania)

  On 29 August 2017, Leonardo announced that the IAR-99 trainer technology demonstrator (TD) will be fitted with company's Vixen 500E AESA radar. The Vixen 500E AESA ...

• Loitering munitions

  Nyan OWE [UK]

  Background Transparency Notice On 13 February 2026, the UK MOD published a transparency notice concerning OWE Nyan, specifically, the procurement of OWE drones for operational ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Kuwait]

  Background Contract Award On 18 January 2023, Baykar announced signing a $370 million export contract with Kuwait for the Bayraktar TB2. According to the announcement, ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System - AHTS (TH-57 Replacement)

  Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single engine 407GXi. ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F -Kenya

  Crew transition training took place at the MD Helicopters headquarters in Mesa, Arizona, with field service support, armament, and gunnery training scheduled to occur at ...

• Loitering munitions

  Maritime Launched Effects (MLE) [US]

  Background Origin The loitering munition effort dates back to at least 2018 and was previously called Maritime Precision Engagement (MPE). The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) ...

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

  Replicator 2 [US]

  Programme Background 1.0 The Replicator programme was a US effort to field thousands of attritable, autonomous systems across multiple domains before the end of 2025 ...

• Trainer

  Joint Terminal Attack Controller (Project Air 6016)[Australia]

  Programme Background Requirements Project Air 6016 aims to deliver a sovereign training system to ensure the sustainable generation of sufficient and appropriately skilled Joint Terminal Attack ...

• Trainer

  Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS)/T-45 Replacement [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy’s (USN) Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) programme is intended to replace the troubled T-45 Goshhawk trainer. The June 2024 RFI includes ...

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

  Scorpio 500 [US]

  Background Contract Award In December 2024, XTEND was awarded a US$8.8 million contract by the US Department of Defense (DoD) for its Scorpio 500. As reported by ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V Block 70 (Bahrain)

  Programme Background In 2018, the US government awarded a $1.12 billion contract to Lockheed Martin to produce 16 F-16 Block 70 aircraft for Bahrain, which ...

• Fighter - naval

  Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighters (MRCBF) [India]

  Programme Background RFI / Requirments In January 2017, India issued an RFI for the procurement of 57 multirole naval fighters. The RFI for the Indian Navy ...

• Medium UGVs

  THeMIS (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background The programme will be managed by Milrem Robotics Netherlands in co-operation with VDL Defentec, which is establishing an assembly line at its Born ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  Super Galeb Replacement [Serbia]

  Programme Background Serbia is looking to replace their aged fleet of Super Galeb aircraft from Yugoslavia with a new trainer and light attack aircraft.  According ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: air defence simulators

  Live Training System for Air Defence

  Elbit Systems' Live Training System for Air Defence is integrated on various short- and medium-range air defence systems. The Live Training System provides networked and ...

• Land: range systems and targets

  Targets

  Meggitt deployable live-fire range targets can be installed on unimproved terrain with no special equipment required. Products include modular, mobile and stationary field range targets; ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  Live Training Systems-Range Instrumentation

  End-to-end, networked, live training communications systems providing live training range products, communications infrastructure and instrumented participant voice, video and data communications. These include range voice, ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  Field Artillery Training Systems

  The ICE Field Artillery Training Systems for the M109A6 Paladin and M270/M270A1 MLRS provides instrumented real-time data and performance monitoring during training and live-fire missions. ...

• Land: counter-IED simulators

  Large IED Trainer

  The Large IED Trainer can be integrated into a number of training scenarios including convoy roadside bombs, vehicle-borne IEDs, artillery/mortar impact, vehicle search and/or destruction, ...

• Land: counter-IED simulators

  High Impact Pipe Bomb Trainer

  The T50PB High Impact Pipe Bomb Trainer can be detonated using a wireless or wired command detonate module. Either compressed gas or CO2 can be ...

• Land: infantry weapon simulators

  PRISim Suite Live Fire Trainer

  The PRISim Suite Live Fire Trainer provides a training environment for military and law enforcement professionals to practise live firing at interactive video-based or CGI ...

• Land: range systems and targets

  Thermal Shot

  The Thermal Shot live-fire virtual targetry system enables immersive live-fire training throughout Laser Shot’s line of training platforms. Thermal Shot-equipped systems provide training on virtual ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  LCTS

  Designed for tactical combined arms force-on-force live training, the Live Combat Training System (LCTS) combines infantry and armoured vehicle laser suites, independent broadband communications and ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  Live Training Solutions

  Thales offers live training solutions for land and combined forces around the world. Thales Combat Training Centres are available for open and urban battlefields, and ...

• BCTC Operations and Management

  The Battle Command Training Center (BCTC) at Fort Lewis, Washington, is the US Army’s centre of excellence for Army Battle Command Systems training for Stryker ...

• Land: range systems and targets

  Range and Training Facilities

  Cubic designs and delivers training complexes incorporating indoor and outdoor shooting ranges and specialist facilities. Outdoor ranges include conventional gallery and open ranges as well ...

• Land: air defence simulators

  ADTS

  The Air Defense Training System (ADTS) is an LVC training package based on integrated technologies of IAI MLM. The ADTS allows pilots and air defence ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  CAE 700MR

  The CAE 700MR FTD is a full mission simulator platform for military helicopter-specific flight and mission training. It is a fixed-base system based on CAE's ...

• Land: range systems and targets

  Crosshair

  Powered by the Thermal Shot live-fire detection system, the Crosshair downrange virtual targetry system places life-sized, immersive scenario-based human targets at actual distances on outdoor ...