• Defence Notes

  Analysis: Can the Afghan war be privately run?

  22nd September 2017

  The Trump administration's decision to continue the American-led war in Afghanistan has raised renewed expectations that the American government and its Afghan allies could expand …

• Digital Battlespace

  AUSA 2017: US Army tests MANET counter-UAS solution

  3rd October 2017

  Radio manufacturer Rajant Corporation has disclosed details of a Mobile Ad Hoc Networking (MANET) counter-UAS solution currently undergoing evaluation with the US Army’s Program Manager for …

• Military Logistics

  RFA Tiderace arrives for customisation

  29th September 2017

  The second of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s new Tide-class support ships, RFA Tiderace, has arrived in Cornwall, UK, where it will undergo customisation, the UK …

• Land Warfare

  Irish Army exercises with RBS 70 NG

  29th September 2017

  The Irish Army has completed a series of live-firings of the RBS 70 and RBS 70 NG MANPAD missile system, Saab announced on 25 September. …

• Digital Battlespace

  AUSA 2017: Resurgence of the HF radio

  2nd October 2017

  As military users look to High Frequency (HF) radio technology to support operations in SATCOM denied areas, radio manufacturer Harris will soon deliver its 1,000th …

• Naval Warfare

  ST Marine launches fifth Singaporean LMV

  27th September 2017

  Singapore Technologies Marine has successfully launched the fifth Littoral Mission Vessel (LMV), Indomitable, designed and built for the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). ST Marine …

• Land Warfare

  MSPO 2017: Rafael pushes Trophy in Eastern Europe

  3rd September 2017

  As Russia continues to modernise its land capabilities and pose a potential threat to the region, countries in the Eastern Europe are looking at boosting …

• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA 2017: All eyes on Cayuse Warriors next home

  2nd October 2017

  With 30 MD Helicopters MD 530F Cayuse Warriors earmarked to be in Kabul by next year, further aircraft are expected to be delivered to other …

• Special Operations

  Germany special forces acquire​ Black Hornet nano UAS

  27th September 2017

  The German Army’s Special Forces Command, also known as Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK), is set to benefit from additional ISR assets following the procurement of nano …

• Military Logistics

  Sopka-2 radar complex to enter serve

  25th September 2017

  The Eastern Military District (EMD) of the Russian armed forces will begin operating a new radar complex in the Zabaikalsky Krai from 2018, the Russian …

• Naval Warfare

  Canadian Surface Combatant RFP deadline set

  27th September 2017

  The submission deadline for Request for Proposals (RFP) for the design of the Canadian Surface Combatant fleet has been set for 17 November, 2017.Bidders for …

• Naval Warfare

  Pacific 2017: Lacroix to pack a greater wallop

  3rd October 2017

  Lacroix announced at the Pacific International Maritime Exposition in Sydney that it had formally acquired the naval business assets of Wallop Defence Systems in the …

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2017: US Army vehicle budget 'deeply stretched'

  4th October 2017

  With the US Army running a 1980s-vintage amoured vehicle fleet, the service is concentrating efforts on major upgrades as well as how platforms such as …

• 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 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Pacific 2017: Schiebel and Skeldar spar in Australia

  6th October 2017

  Australia is shaping up as a battleground for suppliers of rotary-winged UAVs as the country’s military eyes future acquisitions. Two top contenders are Schiebel and …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT (1-9) [NATO]

  Programme Background Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT Follow-On (NATO)

  Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that the EDA ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawks [Norway]

  Programme Background NH90 NFH cancellation  The Norwegian government announced the termination of the NH90 NFH helicopter contract for 14 NH90s with NHIndustries in June 2022. Seahawk Acquisition ...

• Tanks

  New MBT [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Tanks

  M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Greece)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

  Programme Background Request for Information (RfI) In September 2022, the Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) launched a request for information in preparation for a possible ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Italy)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

• Maritime patrol

  MAWS/PATMAR [France]

  Programme Background In 2017, Germany and France announced that they would be working towards developing an MPA to replace their current fleets in service. The ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Bidders and Suppliers The Leopard 2A8, the latest in the Leopard family, was selected by the Royal Dutch Army as per announcements in ...

• 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 UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton - Germany (Cancelled)

  Programme Background Germany requested to buy four MQ-4C Triton HALE UAVs from Northrop Grumman. On 5 April 2018, the US State Department announced that it ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [France]

  Programme Background Requirements The European Patrol Corvette (EPC) is one of the new PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defence and Security) projects. PESCO was established ...

• AEW&C

  Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (1-6) [NATO]

  Programme Background NATO’s E-3A AWACS fleet is set to retire in 2035, after 50 years of service. To plan for the required follow-on capability, NATO's ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirements The 2021-2023 Documento Programmatico Pluriennale (DPP) - a multi-year defence planning document from the Italian MoD - includes a plan to acquire eight "Patrol Ships", ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: air defence radar

  APIS

  APIS is a passive high-resolution primary radar system developed by Indra. It is the first passive system in the world capable of offering images using ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  AE50R

  The AE50R is an aviation gasoline single rotary engine with an output of 40.4kW. The engine is certified according to European Aviation Safety Agency Part ...

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

  LOTUS

  The LOTUS, Low Observable Tactical Unnamed System, is a tactical UAV especially designed for border patrol ISR operations.  The development of the project is funded by ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Mistral 3

  The Mistral 3 is the latest member of the Mistral family of very short-range surface-to-air missiles. It entered service in 2018 and has been chosen ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2H

  Safran Helicopter Engines received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) engine type certification for its Arriel 2H engine, installed in the Avicopter AC312E, in April 2018. ...

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

  AR5

  First announced in October 2012, the AR5 is a MALE UAS designed for SAR, surveillance and maritime patrol missions. The AR5 can be flown manually or commanded ...

• Trainer

  Gabriel-TP

  Gabriel-TP is a low-wing, two-seat tandem trainer aircraft aimed at both military and civilian customers. It is certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in ...

• Air: NVGs

  PNL-3M Orlik

  PNL-3M are high-performance, lightweight, passive stereoscopic NVGs for helicopter crew members. Certification by European Aviation Safety Agency also enables civilian use. The device can be ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCH 170

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCH 170 is a fixed-wing loitering munition from MBDA. Similar in design to the Switchblade 300, the catapult launched system ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Standard 3

  Jointly developed by ATR and Thales, The Standard 3 avionics suite has been specifically designed for ATR-600 aircraft. It offers the pilot user-friendly interface, along ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCX 50

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCX 50 is a rotary-wing loitering munition from MBDA.  According to reports, the RCX 50 is designed to support ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  DroneGun

  DroneGun enables controlled management of an adversarial UAS, causing no damage to the UAV or surrounding area. It either forces the drone to perform a ...

• Military - USVs

  NOMARS

  The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) is a US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) effort to develop a first-of-its-kind large uncrewed surface vessel.

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  Trident 100TD2

  The Trident 100TD2 is a compression-ignition engine that is capable of operating on various types of heavy fuel. It is claimed to offer up to ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...