• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Insight: Unmanned uprising for the RAF

  28th March 2018

  As senior officials in the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) suggest that the balance between manned and unmanned platforms is shifting to the latter, a …

• Land Warfare

  Featured: Philippines eyes wheeled and tracked AFVs

  6th March 2018

  The Philippine Army told Shephard as far back as 2014 that it harboured ambitions to procure main battle tanks within the 2020-28 period. However, a …

• Defence Notes

  Israel Army given shoot orders ahead of Gaza border protest

  28th March 2018

  Israeli Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot has warned the army has been given authorisation to open fire ahead of mass protests on the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Japan, China enhance recon satellite coverage

  1st March 2018

  The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries launched an optical reconnaissance satellite into orbit aboard an H-IIA launch vehicle from the Tanegashima …

• Land Warfare

  DefExpo 2018: Is Indian artillery set to boom?

  12th April 2018

  Two locally developed artillery pieces – the ATAGS and Dhanush – participated in a live demonstration at the DefExpo 2018 exhibition in Chennai. Although they …

• Defence Notes

  US approves $1 billion in Saudi defence contracts

  23rd March 2018

  The US formally approved defence contracts totalling more than $1 billion with Saudi Arabia on 22 March, as the kingdom's crown prince continued his American …

• Defence Helicopter

  Choules conducts flight trials for CH-47F

  29th March 2018

  The Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN)  landing ship dock HMAS Choules has conducted first of class flight trials for the CH-47F Chinook helicopter, the RAN announced …

• Defence Notes

  State seeks massive budget cuts

  12th February 2018

  The US State Department published its budget proposal for 2019 calling for deep cuts, though Congress has already dismissed the idea as a non-starter. On …

• Defence Notes

  British Red Arrows jet crashes near air base

  20th March 2018

  A British military jet used in the Red Arrows aerobatic display team crashed on Tuesday at a base in Wales, the Ministry of Defence said. …

• Defence Notes

  Russian strikes kill 37 civilians in Ghouta

  23rd March 2018

  Russian air strikes killed 37 civilians in the Arbin area of the shrinking rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus overnight, the Syrian Observatory for …

• Digital Battlespace

  Doubts persist for laser-based ballistic missile defence

  21st March 2018

  Kinetic weapons are still the best option for intercepting ballistic missiles in their initial boost phase despite recent indications this could be performed by directed …

• Land Warfare

  L-3 Micreo Silvershield for ANDSF

  21st March 2018

  The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has awarded an order to L-3 Micreo to produce 13,000 Silvershield systems for the Afghanistan National Defence and Security …

• Digital Battlespace

  Singapore strengthens its cyber defences

  22nd February 2018

  Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) is continuing to bolster cyber defences as hackers becomes more innovative and persistent, the latter ranging from amateur hackers to …

• Defence Notes

  China's aircraft carrier sails by Taiwan as tensions rise

  21st March 2018

  Taiwan said on 21 March it had scrambled jets and sent ships to track the passage of a Chinese aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait, …

• Defence Notes

  Saudis intercept seven Yemen rebel missiles in deadly escalation

  26th March 2018

  Saudi forces intercepted seven Yemeni rebel missiles on 25 March, including over the capital Riyadh, in a deadly escalation on the eve of the third …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Black Hornet 3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Programme Background Russo-Ukraine War Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UAVs have proved vital to the country's defence. Consequently, as in this programme, the ...

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

  FPV Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Statement of Intent On 14 June 2024, the Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries Serhiy Boyev, Minister of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umerov and the Minister ...

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

  ISR Drones (Second Batch) (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background First Batch On 20 March 2024, Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, announced that, following a 19 March Ukraine Defense Contact ...

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

  Latvian Drones (2025) (Ukraine Aid) [Latvia]

  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 ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Germany]

  Programme Background Germany has operated the domestically produced Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Leopard 2 since its inception in the 1970s. Spanning now eight versions, the Leopard 2A8 is the ...

• 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 ...

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

  Vector / Scorpion (Contracted) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Previous Orders & Donations On 29 March 2022, the US Embassy in Warsaw announced that Quantum Systems had donated an unknown quantity of ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 [Sweden]

  Programme Background As the domestic manufacturer and original operator of the CV90 IFV, Sweden has had a continuous fleet of CV90s in service since the ...

• 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 ...

• Loitering munitions

  One-Way Attack Drones (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background 2024/2025 Military Aid Package On 12 January 2024, the UK government announced it would provide Ukraine with £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) in military ...

• 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 - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Latvian Drones (2024) (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 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Norway]

  Programme Background September 2024 On 3 September 2024, the Norwegian government announced that "Ukraine will get more drones donated to their frontline, and more air ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  Programme Background  In February 2025, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste Simon Harris highlighted Irelands need to procure a new combat fighter jet to combat ...

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

  Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase I) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) provides short-range day and night ISR to US Army units at the squad, platoon and other small ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Akash-NG missile

  The Akash-NG (New Generation) missile is an advanced surface-to-air missile system developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to enhance the country's air ...

• Core systems: cameras and IR detectors

  Ophir 26-105mm f/1.6 LWIR continuous zoom

  Ophir's plethora of IR optics includes a wide range of long-range zoom lenses for every application. Ophir's budget range has been extended to include a ...

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

  Vespa-15

  The Vespa-15 is a first-person view (FPV) rotary-wing UAV manufactured by a Ukrainian company.  In May 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Ukraine announced it ...

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

  Kazhan

  The E620 Kazhan is a Ukrainian-made rotary-wing attack drone. It is available in hexacopter and quadcopter configurations and can drop 60mm, 82mm, and 120mm mortar shells. ...

• 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 ...

• Infrastructure - shelters/accommodation

  Alpha/Omega

  Alpha and Omega are multipurpose frame tents that require minimal maintenance and can be used in extreme climatic conditions. The Omega is more spacious and ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  CB90

  Combatboat (Stridsbåt) 90 (CB90) is a class of small, rapid attack boats designed for raiding and inshore/nearshore coastal protection operations or deploying up to 20 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - micro

  Corvo PPDS

  The Corvo Precision Payload Delivery Systems (PPDS) is a micro fixed-wing drone constructed from cardboard. It is a low-cost, single-use drone for delivering supplies and equipment ...

• EO/IR systems

  USG-212

  Described as a plug-and-play turnkey solution, the USG-212 is an EO/IR camera gimbal from Ukrspecsystems. It appears to be out of production. The gimbal has ...

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

  MIM-23 Hawk

  The MIM-23 HAWK (Homing All the Way Killer) is an American medium-range surface-to-air missile system developed by Raytheon in the 1950s to provide mobile air ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  Storm Shadow/SCALP EG

  The Storm Shadow is an air-launched cruise missile developed by France, Italy and the UK. It is known as the Storm Shadow in the UK ...

• Land: air defence radar, Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  TRML-4D

  The TRML-4D is a multi-functional surveillance and target acquisition radar system developed by Hensoldt. It is the latest C-band (NATO G-band) TRS-4D radar family member, ...

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

  Vampire

  The Vampire is a hexacopter drone developed by the Ukrainian company Skyfall. It can carry and drop various types of ammunition on the enemy. In ...

• EO/IR systems

  NightHawk2-UZ

  The NightHawk2-UZ is a dual EO-IR stabilised camera turret from NextVision designed for long-range observation applications that demand low weight. The 350g sensor's IR camera has a 1280x720p ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  HIMARS

  Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control developed the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher to provide the US and allied armies with a ...