• Naval Warfare

  RFA Argus heads for ​Baltic Protector 2019

  11th June 2019

  RFA Argus has deployed for Baltic Protector 2019 with Royal Marine helicopter squadrons embarked as part of a Royal Navy amphibious task force.The deployment, led …

• Special Operations

  US Army Psychological Operations achieves grade recognition

  18th June 2019

  Reflective of their recognized contribution to special operations, Soldiers from the US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) Psychological Operations Regiment …

• Defence Helicopter

  South Korea reboots naval helicopter tender

  22nd May 2019

  The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) in South Korea reissued an RfP on 2 May in its pursuit of obtaining 12 additional naval helicopters for …

• Naval Warfare

  China rebukes US over warship sail-by in Taiwan Strait

  23rd May 2019

  China said on 23 May that it had lodged a protest with Washington after two US warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait amid rising tensions …

• Land Warfare

  South Korea restarts K2 tank production

  30th May 2019

  Hyundai Rotem, South Korea’s sole MBT manufacturer, is restarting production of its 56t K2 tank after a two-year hiatus.

• Naval Warfare

  Korea requests SM-2 Block IIIB standard missiles

  22nd May 2019

  The US State Department has made a determination approving a potential foreign military sale of SM-2 Block IIIB standard missiles to the Republic of Korea, …

• Training

  Exercise Bell Buoy 19 trains MTOs

  30th May 2019

  More than 60 maritime trade operations (MTO) officers from ten navies have participated in the 2019 edition of the annual exercise Bell Buoy, the Royal …

• Naval Warfare

  USCG receives William Hart FRC

  29th May 2019

  The US Coast Guard (USCG) received its 34th Fast Response Cutter (FRC), William Hart, in Key West, Florida, on 23 May. This will be the …

• Naval Warfare

  First Philippine frigate launched

  28th May 2019

  The Philippine Navy’s (PN) most modern warship, the future BRP Jose Rizal, was launched in Ulsan by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) before a high-ranking PN …

• Land Warfare

  Insight: A tale of three programmes, Rheinmetall's Lynx KF41

  24th May 2019

  Deep in Lower Saxony in north Germany at the Rheinmetall Unterlüss site, company officials at Rheinmetall Landsystems stressed the multi-domain operational context in which the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  2019 AlphaPilot teams announced

  28th May 2019

  Lockheed Martin and Drone Racing League (DRL) have announced the nine teams that have been accepted into the 2019 AlphaPilot Innovation Challenge. The teams have …

• Defence Notes

  N. Korea tested rocket launchers and 'tactical guided weapons'

  7th May 2019

  North Korea's state media said 5 May that leader Kim Jong Un had overseen a rocket and tactical guided weapons test, after the drill on …

• Military Logistics

  USNS Fall River arrives in Thailand

  22nd May 2019

  US Navy expeditionary fast transport ship, USNS Fall River, has arrived in Sattahip, Thailand, for the final mission stop of Pacific Partnership 2019, the US …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia 2019: RAAF's Poseidon story continues with Japan deployment

  11th May 2019

  The Asia-Pacific region, with its geographical variety and rapidly developing military seascape, continues to see strong demand for maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft in order …

• Digital Battlespace

  Thailand to upgrade T-50TH trainers

  29th May 2019

  The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is upgrading its T-50TH Golden Eagle trainer jet fleet. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) won a contract to upgrade 12 …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Maritime patrol

  P-8 Poseidon [South Korea]

  Programme Background South Korea is facing an imminent submarine threat from North Korea. The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) is operating an aging fleet of P-3C ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Cheongwang [South Korea]

  Background South Korea will produce the Laser-Based Anti-Aircraft Weapon Block-I (Cheongwang) for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. The laser weapons will be deployed and ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  Cheongung Block II [South Korea]

  Background South Korea launched a plan to convert its Cheongung-I systems to the M-SAM Block II configuration. It was announced in July 2025 that it ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  Cheongung Block III [South Korea]

  Background South Korea's Defense Project Promotion Committee approved the basic strategy for the development of M-SAM Block III (Cheongung Block III). The system will modernise South Korea's ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  L-SAM-II Prototype [South Korea]

  Background In June 2025, it was announced that South Korea had awarded a $144 million contract with Hanwha Aerospace to develop a prototype for the L-SAM-II high-altitude surface-to-air missile ...

• Loitering munitions

  Small-Sized Suicide Drones [South Korea]

  Programme Background Drone Ambition As reported by Shephard, South Korea has ambitions to possess a large arsenal of drones. In May 2024, the presidential office ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  RQ-4 Global Hawk [South Korea]

  Background Requirments Seoul required UAS assets to help monitor its neighbour to the north and, increasingly, Chinese activities in waters and in the air near ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions (Special Mission Brigade) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Drone Ambition As reported by Shephard, South Korea has ambitions to possess a large arsenal of drones. In May 2024, the presidential office ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-X III Phase II (F-35) [South Korea]

  Programme Background On 14 September 2014, South Korea signed an FMS contract under the first phase of F-X III programme to supply 40 F-35As for ...

• CUAS - interceptors

  P-1 Sun C-UAS [Japan]

  Background In June 2026, Japan announced plans to install interceptor drone systems by 2027 at radar sites, bases, vessels, and other critical locations, joining a global ...

• Frigates

  Daegu Class (FFX Batch II) [South Korea]

  Programme Background The Incheon and Daegu classes are part of a re-capitalisation effort to replace the older Pohang-class corvettes and Ulsan-class frigates with a new FFX class ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  KAAV II

  Programme Background The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) operates one Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship and has launched another to support provide operational lift for the ROKMC. ...

• AEW&C

  AEW&C Aircraft [South Korea]

  Programme Background Requirement The requirement was initially reported in 2016 when it was noted as being part of a long-term development plan, however, reports from ...

• OPVs

  Taepyungyang Class (15) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Timeline The South Korean Coast Guard (KGC) currently operates 13 Taepyungyang-class large patrol vessels, also referred to as offshore patrol vessels (OPV), but ...

• Destroyers

  Joint Strike Ship [South Korea]

  Programme Background Requirements The third element of South Korea's "Three Axis System" - a complex of measures designed to track, detect, and eliminate an adversary’s ballistic missiles and ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Surface-to-surface missiles

  Hwasong-7 (Nodong-1)

  The Hwasong-7 is a North Korean tactical ballistic missile based on the Hwasong-6. It has the NATO reporting name Scud D. It was designed with ...

• CUAS - interceptors

  Drone Killer

  The Uconsystem Drone Killer was unveiled in October 2015 and was developed in response to a UAV threat from North Korea, which saw four North ...

• Surface-to-surface missiles

  Hwasong-6

  The Hwasong-6 is a North Korean tactical ballistic missile based on the Hwasong-5, which itself is based on the Soviet R-17 Elbrus. Its NATO reporting ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  Gumdoksuri Class (PKX-A)

  The Gumdoksuri-class fast attack craft, also known as the PKX-A-class, was designed to replace the Republic of Korea Navy's ageing fleet of Sea Dolphin-class vessels ...

• Artillery rockets

  K33

  K33 is a 130 mm unguided artillery rocket developed by South Korean Hanwha for the K136 Kooryong MLRS and currently in use with the K239 ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Saetbyol-4

  North Korea unveiled two drones at the Weapons and Equipment Exhibition 2023 in Pyongyang on 2 August  One drone, which appears to be called the Saetbyol-4, ...

• Destroyers

  Sejong the Great Class (KDX-III/HDD-10000) Batch 1

  The Sejong the Great-class destroyers were built for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) as the third iteration of its KDX continuous destroyer construction programme ...

• Light UGVs

  SCOBOT 200

  The SCOBOT 200 is a larger, two-tracked version of the SCOBOT 100 (see separate entry). It can be used for EOD tasks. It was tested ...

• Destroyers

  Maya Class (27DD)

  The Maya-class (27DD) destroyers are the latest in a long line of modern destroyer classes for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Well aware of ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Saetlbyol-9

  North Korea unveiled two drones at the 2023 Weapons and Equipment Exhibition in Pyongyang on 2 August 2023. One drone, the Saetlbyol-9, or Morning Star-9,  ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Cheongwang

  The Anti-Aircraft Laser Weapon System, Block-I (Cheongwang) is a laser weapon system developed by Hanwha Aerospace. The system can strike small drones and multicopters at ...

• Corvettes

  Hainan Class (Type 037)

  The Hainan-class (Type 037) class is a range of corvette-sized vessels, mostly in service with the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, which cover a range ...

• Frigates

  Krivak Class

  The Krivak-class (Project 1135) frigates first entered service in 1970 and various types of the class have entered service, particularly the Indian Navy's Talwar-class (see ...

• Anti-ship missiles

  HY-2/C-201

  The HY-2/C-201, NATO reporting name CSS-C-3 Seersucker, is a Chinese liquid-fuel rocket-powered anti-ship cruise missile developed as an evolution of the earlier HY-1 missile. The ...

• Anti-ship missiles

  SSM-700K Haeseong (C-Star)

  The SSM-700K Haeseong, also known as the C-Star, is a surface-launched, anti-ship cruise missile. It was designed as a replacement for the Hae Ryong anti-ship ...