• Defence Notes

  GDA 2017: The threat from Houthi missiles (analysis)

  12th December 2017

  A bewilderingly rapid series of events have rocked the Middle East recently as the smouldering Iran-Saudi Arabia rivalry threatened to turn hot.  This is especially …

• Land Warfare

  China to deliver Thai VN1s next year

  13th November 2017

  The Royal Thai Army (RTA) will receive its first batch of 34 VN1 8x8 IFVs from Norinco next year, and it has plan to procures …

• Land Warfare

  Ukraine shores up SHORAD

  8th November 2017

  Ukraine's land forces are looking at ways to beef up their Short-Range Air Defence (SHORAD) capabilities following combat experiences in the country's civil war in …

• Land Warfare

  Bangladesh issues requirement for 4x4 LAV

  20th November 2017

  The Bangladesh Army is seeking a new 4x4 light armoured vehicle (LAV) in several variants, according to an RfP document issued by the Directorate General …

• Land Warfare

  D&S 2017: Ukraine showcases amphibious APC (video)

  7th November 2017

  The Ukrainian defence holding group, Ukroboronprom, showcased its amphibious APC at Defense and Security 2017 as it targets the Thai marine requirement. Speaking to Shephard, Yuriy …

• Land Warfare

  Ukraine civil war spawns new BTR-4 variant

  30th October 2017

  Lessons learnt from Ukraine's bloody civil war in the east has influenced the development of yet another variant of the BTR-4 wheeled 8x8 IFV, which …

• Naval Warfare

  Ukrainian coast guard to bolster fleet

  1st November 2017

  Ukraine will purchase up to 25 new high-speed patrol boats for the National Coast Guard as part of Project Jura, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of …

• Land Warfare

  D&S 2017: Black Widow gives birth to water baby

  7th November 2017

  Two years ago the Defence Technology Institute (DTI), a division of the Thai Ministry of Defence, displayed a prototype of its Black Widow Spider 8x8 …

• Military Logistics

  D&S 2017: China to build maintenance centre in Thailand

  2nd November 2017

  China is moving forward with plans to build a repair and maintenance centre in Thailand, following October’s delivery of VT4 main battle tanks. This will …

• Special Operations

  NATO SOF prepare to counter an invasion

  31st October 2017

  A NATO special operations exercise conducted in September across eastern Europe was aimed at extending interoperability amongst participating force elements in overcoming both conventional and …

• Digital Battlespace

  Ukraine buys more Turkish radios

  20th October 2017

  Ukraine has boosted its cooperation with Turkish industry for the supply of tactical communications equipment, with the country's land forces contracting electronic specialists Aselsan for additional …

• Defence Notes

  AUSA 2017: Ukraine shows military might via US partnerships

  9th October 2017

  The Ukrainian defence industry has grown in strength since Russia's invasion in 2014, military and industry officials noted at an AUSA 2017 press conference in …

• Military Logistics

  AUSA 2017: Ukraine highlights logistics shortfall

  11th October 2017

  Representatives from Ukraine’s defence industry have credited logistics problems for many of their 2014 losses against the Russian Federation. Speaking at AUSA, the representatives identified …

• Land Warfare

  AM General receives new HMMWV orders

  3rd October 2017

  AM General has received new High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) orders worth $550 million for vehicles and parts, the company announced on 28 September. …

• Land Warfare

  Ukraine-Polish consortium signs new agreement

  26th September 2017

  Ukroboronprom companies SpetsTechnoExport and Artem Holding have signed an agreement with Poland's WB Electronics to produce R-27-R1 guided medium-range air-to-air missiles for the Polish Air …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Akinci [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Two Export Contracts In January 2022, the Daily Sabah reported that Baykar had "recently" signed its first export contract for the Akinci. Haluk Bayraktar ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 600 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background $300 Million USAI (1 April 2022) On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine following ...

• Patrol boats

  FPB 98 (Ukraine)

  Programme Background The international competition had been launched in the Spring of 2018 by the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior for the reinforcement of the State ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Phoenix Ghost (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (21 April 2022) Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, on 21 April 2022, President Biden announced an $800 ...

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

  RQ-35 Heidrun (Ukraine Aid) [Germany]

  Programme Background Delivered Units On 19 April 2022, Oryx reported that Denmark had given Ukraine 25 Sky-Watch's Heidrun mini-UAV units as aid following Russia's invasion ...

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

  T-150 (Ukraine)

  Programme Background Virtual Address On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. On 3 May 2022, the UK's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, virtually addressed the Ukrainian ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 (Aid & Discounted Units) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Pre Invasion Units The Ukrainian Army purchased 12 TB2 units in January 2019 for a reported $69 million. Deliveries began in June 2019, ...

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

  UX11 (Ukraine Aid) [France]

  Programme Background First Batch On 6 September 2023, Sébastien Lecornu, the French Minister of Defence, announced Delair was providing Ukraine with more than 150 drones. ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Announced at the NATO Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels in June 2023, Ukraine formally signed a Joint Declaration on Cooperation in the Procurement and Operation ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 300 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (16 March 2022 & 13 April 2022) On 16 March 2022, President Biden announced $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine through ...

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

  FPV Drones [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Ukraine FPV Drones On 5 April 2024, the Lithuanian MoD announced it would purchase around 3,000 Lithuanian-made FPV drones to give to Ukraine ...

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

  One 150 (Luxembourg)

  Programme Background According to information obtained by Army Recognition from the Luxembourg Ministry of Defense, the country has delivered six One 150 UAVs to Ukraine ...

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

  Latvian Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Latvia]

  Programme 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 ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background In April 2024, while in Lviv, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles announced a new AU$100 million military assistance package for Ukraine. This reaffirms ...

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

  GA-ASI Drone [Ukraine]

  Programme Background MQ-9A Reaper - April 2022 On 13 April 2022, Forbes reported that Ukraine was talking with GA-ASI to acquire the MQ-9A Reaper. Ukrainian officials ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  Shpak

  Shpak is a mini rotary wing, FPV style, UAV manufactured by RSI Europe. Primarily designed to carry explosives, the drone was developed to help Ukraine ...

• Tanks

  T-80UD

  The 125mm-armed T-80UD MBT is a variant of the T-80 which was in production in Ukraine when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. An ...

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

  Supercam S350/S350F

  The Supercam S350/S350F is a mini fixed-wing that Supercam Unmanned Systems Group manufactures. The Russian UAV features a modular design and has been primarily designed ...

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

  Pro

  The Pro VTOL is a fixed-wing UAV from DeltaQuad. It is available in three models, the Map, View and Cargo variants, which primarily impact the attached payload. ...

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

  REX

  The REX is an in-development Ukrainian mini-attack drone. It can hold and subsequently drop various munitions weighing up to 10kg and can locate, fix, track, ...

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

  Observer-S

  The Observer-S is a UAV produced by Def C of the Intecracy Group in Ukraine. Its main purpose is aerial survey and reconnaissance. It is ...

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

  Astero

  Manufactured by Nordic Wing, the Astero is a fixed-wing mini UAV designed for ISR missions. The drone is equipped with a NightHawk 2 camera. In the ...

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

  Black Hornet 3

  The Black Hornet 3 is the next generation of the PD-100 Black Hornet, the world's smallest nano-UAS. This new model of the Black Hornet provides ...

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

  Patriot R2

  The new-generation Patriot R2 UAS is used for military and civil/commercial applications and provides reconnaissance support. It was designed in response to fighting that occurred ...

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

  UX11 / OSKAR

  The UX11 is a fixed-wing UAV designed for survey-grade photogrammetry, geographic information system and construction. The Opportunity Strike Kinetics Aircraft Ruggedised (OSKAR) is a loitering munition ...

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

  Spectator M/M1

  The Spectator is a Ukrainian UAV series jointly developed by OJSC Meridian, a subsidiary of Ukroboronprom, and the National Technical University of Ukraine (KPI). The Spectator M1 is the ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  SURA HMTDS

  SURA is a helmet-mounted display system produced in Ukraine. Notably, it offers off-boresight acquisition capability to pilots and can cue the aircraft's sensor systems using ...

• Aircraft carriers

  Liaoning (Type 001)

  Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, is a refurbished cold war-era aircraft carrier that was commissioned in 2012. The ship is a former Soviet Navy aircraft ...

• Air-to-air missiles

  Vympel R-27

  The Vympel R-27 (NATO reporting name AA-10 Alamo) is a Soviet air-to-air missile. It remains in service with the Russian Air Force and is also ...

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

  Mini 2

  The Mini 2 is a micro rotary-wing drone from DJI. It features a 3-axis gimbaled 12MP camera for photographs and 4k/30fps for video capture. Shephard believes ...