• Land Warfare

  US Army orders more upgraded Bradleys as transformation threatens other programmes

  3rd December 2025

  Compared to previous versions of the vehicle, the Bradley M2A4 upgrade includes an uprated suspension, a more powerful engine, an independent commander’s sight, a more capable electronic architecture and improved networking capabilities.

• Air Warfare

  Can emergent suppliers of fighter aircraft crack Middle East markets?

  9th January 2026

  The 2025 Dubai Airshow saw several aspiring suppliers of combat aircraft to the region’s air forces parade their wares in the sky and on the ground. Shephard’s Edward Hunt explores their chance of success in the Middle East.

• Land Warfare

  South American MBTs: upgrades and payload modernisation could shape procurement paths

  8th June 2026

  While South American geopolitics are complicated, the likelihood of inter-state warfare is low, calling into question the future of the venerable main battle tank.

• Land Warfare

  Thales Storm 2 counter-drone system being evaluated by potential customers

  13th March 2026

  The attack drone threat from first-person view uncrewed aerial systems has been highlighted by recent conflicts and Thales has adapted its Storm 2 counter-improvised explosive device jammer to provide protection.

• Land Warfare

  Eurosatory 2026: AM General’s Hawkeye gains traction as JLTV A2 targets 2027 FRP

  17th June 2026

  AM General’s Hawkeye adds a howitzer to a light vehicle as the company highlights strong interest in the system following an order from Kosovo, with demonstrations scheduled for a dozen countries.

• Land Warfare

  SpearUAV to deliver 1,000 loitering munitions to extend armoured vehicle capability

  4th May 2026

  The company's Multi Canister Launcher can deploy its Viper system from multiple military platforms, boosting operational flexibility.

• Air Warfare

  Denmark bolsters Arctic security with $4.2 billion spend, procures 16 additional F-35s

  14th October 2025

  While the F-35s will help strengthen Denmark’s NATO contribution, other equipment such as a maritime patrol aircraft and additional drones were listed to further boost its Arctic defence capabilities.

• Air Warfare

  What will the replacement of A-10s by F-35s mean for the US Air Force?

  9th March 2026

  The USAF plans to phase out its 162 in-operation A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthogs by the end of FY2026, replacing them with F-35As which will bring a leap in capabilities in terms of lethality, survivability and speed.

• Naval Warfare

  SOF Week 2026: US Navy USV completes record eight-day autonomous mission

  16th May 2026

  The MARTAC T38 Devil Ray USV has set a new endurance benchmark as the US Navy pushes deeper into autonomous maritime warfare.

• Naval Warfare

  Singapore christens first Victory-class multi-role combat vessel

  21st October 2025

  The new mothership’s modular design ensures it meets the navy’s needs for future situations in both war and peace.

• Air Warfare

  Helsing targets European market with new CA-1 combat drone

  26th September 2025

  The UCAV, designed by Helsing’s subsidiary Grob Aircraft, will start ground tests in the coming months and is aiming to have a production-ready version by 2029.

• Air Warfare

  Saab Gripen E/F: the multirole fighter that’s seeing a resurgence (updated 2026)

  14th April 2026

  The single-engine multirole fighter jet is seeing heightened demand with a sizeable orderbook and expanding export potential, as Shephard summarises the aircraft’s latest orders and developments.

• Land Warfare

  Eurosatory 2026: French SCORPION programme rolls on and shows export potential

  12th June 2026

  The SCORPION programme will replace the French Army’s legacy medium and light vehicles and see the overhaul of the Leclerc main battle tank.

• Defence Notes

  Raytheon fast-tracks AIM-9X Sidewinder production targeting 2,500 missiles a year by 2027

  3rd July 2026

  RTX Raytheon is accelerating production of the AIM-9X Sidewinder, aiming to reach 2,500 missiles annually by late 2027 while strengthening its supply chain following two US Navy major contracts worth more than $2.2 billion.

• Air Warfare

  Rapid APKWS integration sparks “strong” demand from Typhoon customers

  24th June 2026

  The recent operational use and success of the APKWS laser-guidance kit on the UK RAF's Typhoons has driven demand from other Eurofighter customers for integration of the system on their own combat aircraft fleet, according to BAE Systems.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Warmate (2017) [Poland]

  Background Order In November 2017, Poland ordered 100 sets of Warmate loitering munitions, each consisting of ten platforms, for a reported 100 million Polish Zloty ($26.49 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker (Sergeant Stout) [USA]

  Background As part of the Army Transformation Initiative, the US DoD is fundamentally reorganising the structure of the US Army. As part of this all Infantry Brigade ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Combat General Purpose Vehicle [Netherlands]

  Programme Background The Dutch military is currently modernising its armoured vehicle fleet. The Combat General Purpose Vehicle (CGPV) programme is one of several procurement programmes currently ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (December 2024) [USA]

  Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June 2020. ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (November 2025) [USA]

  Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June 2020. ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (September 2024) [USA]

  Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June 2020. ...

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

  Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Project [UK]

  Programme Background Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Project The British Army launched the RAS project to provide the "direction required to exploit emerging technologies to ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (September 2025) [USA]

  Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June 2020. ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  6x6 APC [Philippines]

  Programme Background Programme Background The Philippine Army has identified an urgent need for new wheeled APCs, after the Battle of Marawi exposed shortcomings in its ...

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

  Mini-UAVs [Czech Republic]

  Background Tactical UCAV Halted The effort to acquire mini-UAVs is directly linked to the Czech MoD's now-delayed procurement programme for tactical or MALE drones, such as the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 (Batch 1) [Slovakia]

  Background Requirements The Slovakian Armed Forces are currently lumbered with an ageing inventory of legacy platforms that are not interoperable with its allies and do ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 (Batch 2) [Slovakia]

  Background Requirements The Slovakian Armed Forces are currently lumbered with an ageing inventory of legacy platforms that are not interoperable with its allies and do ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer [Portugal]

  Programme Background The Portuguese Army currently operates a medium mechanised brigade equipped with the M113 as its primary APC. However, they are increasingly outdated and ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  5,000 Latvian UAVs (Ukraine Aid) [Latvia]

  Background Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG) In January 2024, the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG), a multi-nation organisation that coordinates military aid for Ukraine, established a drone ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6, MPVs - 4x4

  Mbombe 6 [Ecuador]

  Background In November 2022, the Ecuadorian Army confirmed it had placed an order with Elbit for 137 armoured vehicles required for military combat operations against terrorist ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Major networking projects

  Army BCT Modernisation Program Increment 1

  The US Army brigade combat team (BCT) modernisation strategy will build a mix of mobile, networked BCTs that can gain leverage from mobility, protection, information ...

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

  Aerosonde Mk 4.8 HQ FTUAS

  From the Texton family of Aerosonde UAS, the Aerosonde Mk 4.8 Hybrid Quad (HQ) FTUAS is a tactical drone purpose-built to meet the US Army's Future Vertical Lift ...

• Short Range Missile Defence Systems: 0 to 20 km range

  Initial Maneuver - SHORAD

  Unveiled at AUSA 2019, Initial Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) is a multipurpose platform, based on the Stryker IFV, which moves and maneuvers in ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  CATS CTC

  The CATS Combat Training Centre (CTC) trains armed forces in simulated opposition. Features: direct-fire weapon effect simulation with laser engagement systems; area weapon effect simulation ...

• Construction vehicles

  HMEE

  The JCB High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE) was originally designed to support the US Army’s Stryker brigade combat teams and has been proven on operations ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  M1150 ABV

  The M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) project, launched by the USMC in 2002, is a joint programme to meet the requirements of both the US ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  JAB

  The US Army is leading the Joint Assault Bridge (JAB) project to replace legacy M60A1-based bridge launchers in service with itself and USMC with an M1-based ...

• Land: C2 simulators

  Collective Combat Training

  Thales offers a global simulation and training approach that links together various simulators to perform the full spectrum of military operations (offence, defence, stability and ...

• Land: battle management systems

  FüInfoSys Heer

  FüInfoSys Heer (Army Command and Control Information System) is the first common, integrated and mobile system of its kind in the German Army. It is ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  GAMER Deployable CTC

  Saab’s GAMER Deployable Combat Training Center (CTC) is an instrumented training system, enabling a military to train on home bases and deploy worldwide for training ...

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

  RQ-7 Shadow 200

  The Shadow 200, designated RQ-7B by the US Army, is flown by the army brigade combat teams and combat aviation brigades along with the UAV ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle

  The tracked M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV), developed in parallel with the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), equips reconnaissance units within the US ...

• Subsystems: software

  Simulation-based Embedded Training Software Package

  This software package is installed in the Stryker Interim Armoured Vehicle (IAV), supporting US Army brigade combat team training requirements. It has been in service ...

• Land: COMINT and ELINT systems

  EWPMT

  Raytheon’s Electronic Warfare Planning and Management Tool (EWPMT) is a US Army programme which began in 2014, designed to support electronic warfare officers and provide ...

• Land: battle management systems

  Combat-NG

  Combat-NG is an artillery fire control and C4I system designed for deployment from platform to brigade level, managing various aspects of operation. The system is ...