• Air Warfare

  US Air Force takes delivery of laser weapons

  15th June 2023

  Raytheon Technologies have delivered the fourth combat-ready laser weapon to the USAF.

• Naval Warfare

  US and UK contract Kratos for Submarine Ballistic Missile Reentry Systems material testing

  6th June 2023

  The US and UK have contracted Kratos Southern Research Engineering Division (SRE) for thermo-mechanical, high-heat, high-sheer re-entry material testing worth up to almost $47 million.

• Digital Battlespace

  The Unseen Solution: Rugged, Reliable Optics in the Modern Battlespace (Studio)

  9th August 2023

  Optical solutions are crucial for effective situational awareness. As militaries prepare for the combined joint all-domain command and control (CJADC2) future, Raytheon ELCAN is embracing innovation to ensure its customers see faster and farther to make decisions faster in the data-driven battlespace.

• Air Warfare

  Lockheed calls for ‘forward-looking approach’ on F-35 engine at Paris Air Show

  22nd June 2023

  Lockheed Martin emphasises the need for more power and cooling, suggesting a potential requirement for an Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) performance-related improvement, a programme that was recently revived by the House Armed Services Committee.

• Land Warfare

  Insight: Why the CV90 infantry fighting vehicle is making a clean sweep of Nordic markets

  19th September 2023

  Shephard Defence Insight explores the evolution of BAE Systems Hägglunds’ CV90 IFV from its inception in the late 1980s to the latest CV90 MkIV, detailing the order history and upgrade packages of its ten European customers.

• Land Warfare

  New Turkish 81mm mortar system ready for production after seven years in development

  20th April 2023

  Saver Advanced Defense Technologies has unveiled a new 81mm breech-loading mortar design with a novel trigger firing mode.

• Defence Notes

  The centre of gravity of ‘Axis of Evil 2.0’ shifts eastwards (Opinion)

  14th September 2023

  Russia might be at the tip of the spear in terms of authoritarian aggression, but it has plenty of backers in the shape of countries like China, Iran and North Korea. Others, like India, try to duplicitously sit on the fence.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SOF Week: Teledyne FLIR unveils voice command capability for Black Hornet 3

  7th May 2023

  The voice command upgrade to the Black Hornet 3 aims to reduce the cognitive burden of end users and satisfies emerging demand signals from special operations forces.

• Land Warfare

  EDA begins study into adaptive materials for armoured vehicle camouflage

  28th June 2023

  Six European Defence Agency member states are joining efforts under the ASCALS project to develop new solutions and application processes to better conceal combat vehicles on the battlefield.

• Air Warfare

  Lockheed Martin takes $172 million contract modification for F-35 Block 4 jets

  17th April 2023

  Lockheed Martin secures $172.1 million contract modification to increase manufacturing capacity and retrofit F-35 aircraft with advanced hardware and system modifications.

• Naval Warfare

  MBDA, Italian Navy detail development of Teseo Mk2/E missile

  8th June 2023

  The new missile, which incorporates land-attack capabilities, is the latest evolution of the Otomat/Teseo anti-ship weapon family and is set to replace the legacy Mk2/A version in service with the Italian Navy.

• Land Warfare

  SOF Week: How augmented reality is reshaping night vision capabilities

  8th May 2023

  Augmented Reality (AR) can improve the situational awareness of soldiers and enhance protection by enabling faster target location and identification.

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2023: Egypt takes COTS route for protected vehicles

  24th February 2023

  The Temsah-4 armoured vehicle is based on a Mercedes-Benz chassis to reduce through-life costs and features scalable protection levels.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Trillium brings artificial intelligence capability to UAV imaging sensors

  1st May 2023

  Trillium Engineering has announced a partnership with AI developer SightX to bring the latter's processing capabilities into the company's range of ISR payloads for UAS.

• Digital Battlespace

  Lockheed Martin multirole satellite passes testing milestone

  22nd April 2023

  Lockheed Martin's LM 400 mid-sized satellite has successfully completed electromagnetic interference and compatibility testing. This ensures that signals from the satellite bus components will not …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - micro

  NX70 Microdrone (Third Batch)

  Programme Background The French Army procured the NX70 to meet an urgent operational requirement for a small UAS that could provide short-range ISR for dismounted ...

• Military UAS - micro

  NX70 Microdrone (First Batch)

  Programme Background The French Army procured the NX70 to meet an urgent operational requirement for a small UAS that could provide short-range ISR for dismounted ...

• Military UAS - micro

  NX70 Microdrone (Second Batch)

  Programme Background The French Army procured the NX70 to meet an urgent operational requirement for a small UAS that could provide short-range ISR for dismounted ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  OC-135B Replacement (USAF- Cancelled)

  Programme Background The modification and Treaty Certification works include Digital Visual Imaging System kits, design and development for mission system integration (structural design, interphone communications systems, ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | FPV Drones [Moldova]

  In mid-2024, Lithuania's Minister of National Defense stated that Moldova had acquired and received the first deliveries of Lithuanian-made FPV drones and thermal night vision ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | FPV Drones [Moldova]

  In mid-2024, Lithuania's Minister of National Defense stated that Moldova had acquired and received the first deliveries of Lithuanian-made FPV drones and thermal night vision ...

• ISR/special mission

  King Air 350ER -Canada

  Programme Background Canadian Special Forces was looking to procure ISR aircraft to support their missions both overseas and domestically.  There were few Canadian suppliers to sell ...

• ISR/special mission

  King Air 350ER ISR - Kuwait

  Feb 2018: The US State Department has approved an estimated $259m potential foreign military sale of King Air 350ER intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft ...

• Special operations vehicles

  Neton VLOE

  Programme Background The VLOE will replace several variants of the VLOE Lathar (a SOF vehicles based on the Nissan Patrol ML-6 COTS chassis) currently in ...

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

  FPV Drones [Moldova]

  Programme Background Lithuanian Drones Lithuania's Minister of National Defense, Laurynas Kasciunas, announced that Lithuian-produced thermal night vision devices and FPV drones had begun being delivered to Moldova during ...

• 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 ...

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

  DEF129 Nano UAS [Australia]

  Programme Background DEF129 The Australian Ground Service has combined various army procurement efforts under the DEF129 programme to increase the abundance and proliferation of UAVs ...

• Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  VBMT Rec Multirole Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle

  Technical Requirements The Brazilian Army released two documents outlining the technical and operational requirements for the VBMT Rec in early 2020. These elucidate a number ...

• Tanks

  Viatura Blindada de Combate-Carro de Combate (VBC-CC) [Brazil]

  Programme Background Several key technical requirements have been outlined by the Brazilian MoD. Among the most important are that the platform should weigh less than ...

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

  Artillery Mini-UAV (India)

  Programme Background Mass of Requests In October 2022, the Indian Army released a flurry of RfIs for various UAVs, showing its desperation to get UAVs ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• EO/IR systems

  USG-261T

  The USG-261T is a night-view, light-weight mini camera gimbal designed for small fixed-wing and multirotor platforms. It has a thermal imaging camera to capture videos in ...

• Land: handheld NV devices

  Vipir-2S+

  Vipir-2S+ is a lightweight, military-standard, handheld thermal sight designed for medium-range surveillance and target observation. Vipir-2S+ utilises uncooled thermal imaging technology. 

• Land: handheld NV devices

  Alice HH

  The Alice HH is an uncooled handheld thermal imaging camera based on a high-resolution focal plane, using uncooled IR technology with no need for cryo-cooling ...

• Core systems: cameras and IR detectors

  Piranha ZTI

  The Piranha ZTI is an uncooled thermal imaging camera. The lens features anti-reflective coatings throughout and a diamond-line carbon coating on the external surface.

• Core systems: cameras and IR detectors

  Juniper

  The Juniper is a miniature, uncooled, wide-FOV thermal imaging camera which can be integrated into miniature UAVs, small robotic vehicles, small maritime EO payloads and ...

• Land: handheld NV devices

  U3061i

  The U3061i is an uncooled thermal imaging camera used for individual soldier observation. Its detection range is 2.5km for personnel and up to 14km for ships. ...

• Core systems: cameras and IR detectors

  CamSight

  CamSight is a family of lightweight, compact core cameras to be integrated into complex optronic systems equipping UAV, UGV, and UGS systems. The CamSight optronic modules ...

• EO/IR systems

  SPARROW SR-HD

  The SPARROW SR-HD is a thermal imaging camera for versatile applications such as intelligence gathering, surveillance, and long-range control systems.  This uncooled infrared system operates ...

• Land: vehicle surveillance/target acquisition systems

  STAWS

  The Surveillance Target Acquisition and Weapon Aiming Sight (STAWS) provides 24-hour all-weather surveillance and target acquisition. It is an integrated, passive, multispectral sighting system utilising ...

• Core systems: cameras and IR detectors

  Atom

  Atom is a high-resolution IR camera core, available based on uncooled microbolometer IR detectors of either 1,024x768 or 640x480px. The cores can be integrated into ...

• EO/IR systems

  MicroPOP

  IAI has upgraded the Micro Plug-In Optronic Payload (Micropop). It is an observation payload designed for integration on small UAVs and UGVs. The MicroPOP is ...

• EO/IR systems

  Micro-STAMP

  The MICRO-STAMP is an ultra-small EO/IR payload. It features an uncooled IR thermal imaging camera, a high-resolution TV CMOS camera and a dual FOV uncooled IR detector. It ...

• Weapon sights for night use (thermal imaging)

  ZiR-60

  The ZiR-60 thermal imaging attachment is designed to be used with day optical sights mounted on sniper weapons, to convert them into functional thermal sights ...

• EO/IR systems

  Denizgözü Martı

  The Denizgözü Martı is an Electro-Optical Reconnaissance and Surveillance System designed for marine applications. Its main components include an uncooled LWIR thermal imaging sensor, a ...

• Core systems: cameras and IR detectors

  EyeR Core VA

  The EyeR Core VA is a longwave infrared (LWIR) platform which is equipped with Opgal's imagine-processing capabilities. The thermal imaging core supports advanced algorithms, allowing ...