• Training

  I/ITSEC 2016: US gears up for red air adversary procurements

  21st November 2016

  The US Air Force and US Navy are both due to issue requirement documents in January for the provision of live red air aggressor training …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2016: US Air Force addresses critical pilot shortage

  21st November 2016

  The impasse between the US Congress and the White House that led to sequestration and forced the US Air Force to reduce training and stand …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2016: JTAC sim finds target

  21st November 2016

  Following its success in securing a contract on the US Air Force’s Joint Terminal Control Training and Rehearsal System (JTC TRS) programme, Virginia-based QuantaDyn is …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2016: Looking ahead to this year's show (video)

  21st November 2016

  In November the simulation and training industry will once again gather in Orlando, Florida, for the industry's largest exhibition, I/ITSEC.  The show will once again …

• Defence Helicopter

  Afghanistan to shift to US-built helicopters

  21st November 2016

  The Afghan Air Force (AAF), under guidance and funding from the US Department of Defense (DoD), will shift from Russian-built helicopters to ones manufactured in …

• Land Warfare

  Thai army invents eucalyptus tank armour

  20th November 2016

  The Royal Thai Army has invented multipurpose armour made from eucalyptus wood for its M60A3 main battle tanks (MBT) to improve their protection against anti-tank …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AeroVironment unveils Quantix UAS

  18th November 2016

  AeroVironment has introduced a new UAS aimed at the commercial market called Quantix, the company announced on 14 November. The system is capable of operator-in-the-loop …

• Naval Warfare

  DHS approves C-27J next phase

  18th November 2016

  The US Coast Guard’s Medium Range Surveillance (MRS) Aircraft programme has reached a new milestone, with the Department of Homeland Security clearing the programme to …

• Defence Notes

  EU baby steps to defence cooperation

  18th November 2016

  The glacial pace of security and defence policy development in the EU edged forwards this week. Plans are afoot to ensure that the EU is …

• Land Warfare

  First Hawkei vehicles handed over to ADF

  18th November 2016

  The first batch of ten Hawkei protected vehicles has now been handed over to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) by Thales. The Australian government announced …

• Defence Notes

  Defence companies move pieces around Asian chessboard

  18th November 2016

  For logistical reasons, Northrop Grumman recently decided to consolidate its administrative office in Taipei with its regional office in Singapore.  ‘Our current manager [Antonio Chow] …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop wins OPC C4ISR contract

  17th November 2016

  Eastern Shipbuilding Group has awarded a contract to Northrop Grumman to design C4ISR and machinery control systems (MCS) for the US Coast Guard's Offshore Patrol …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UK nears end of Protector road

  17th November 2016

  The acquisition by the UK of the next generation Certifiable Predator B (CPB), which will be known as Protector when in service, has moved a …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Rustom II takes maiden flight

  17th November 2016

  Although long delayed, the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out the maiden flight of the Rustom II medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAV on 16 …

• Special Operations

  US SOCOM manpack delay continues

  16th November 2016

  Plans to procure an on-the-move satellite communications capability for US Special Forces have been pushed back. The Request for Proposal for the Next-Generation Man Pack …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  MQ-1 Gray Eagle [US Army]

  Background Required Quantity Although the US Army first envisioned a requirement for 132 MQ-1C Gray Eagles, the US Army's Army Acquisition Objective (AAO) was increased ...

• Main battle tanks

  NGCV: DLP

  Programme Background Requirement The DLP is one of five vehicle families being developed for the US Army's NGCV programme. Expanded to include five programmes in ...

• AGMV 1.1

  Programme Background The US Army has been seeking a lightweight, air-droppable, high mobility vehicle since as early as 2014, when it initiated its Ultra Light ...

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

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) [US Army]

  Background USMC First, Army Second In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial Resupply ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  AMPV [USA]

  Programme Background Platform Development The US Army initiated the AMPV programme to acquire a replacement for several variants of the M113 tracked APC, which has ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 2) [US Army]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was intended to ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract [US Army]

  Programme Background As of January 2021, the US DoD had signed 15 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 1) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker (Sergeant Stout) [USA]

  Programme Background As part of the Army Transformation Initiative the US DoD is fundamentally reorganising the structure of the US Army. As part of this all Infantry ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow On

  Programme Background In March 2019, Airbus stated that it expected orders from the US Army for between 12 and 15 UH-72A helicopters. In March 2020, ...

• Loitering munitions

  Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System (LMAMS) [US Army]

  Background First Contract In June 2011, the US awarded AeroVironment a $4.9 million series-production contract for the loitering munition, satisfying the US Army's Lethal Miniature ...

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

  Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) [Tranche 1] / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) (USA)

  Programme Background The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) Programme The RPUAS programme will provide the Battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Switchblade 300 (USA)

  Programme Background AeroVironment has been providing the Switchblade 300 loitering munition to the US Army under the long-standing Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile Systems (LMAMS) programme ...

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

  Group 4/5 UAV [US Army]

  Background Request for Information (RFI) On 5 June 2024, the American DoD published an RfI with an original response date of 19 July 2024. The ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  US Army Maneuver Support Vessel Light (MSVL)

  Programme BackgroundThe Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) or MSV(L) contract was awarded by the US Army to Vigor in 2017 and are being built to replace ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army AVCATT PDSS

  L3Harris Technologies is the prime contractor for the US Army’s Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT) Post Deployment Software Support (PDSS) programme. L3Harris Technologies is ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army Flight School XXI OFT/RCTD

  L3Harris Technologies is a major subcontractor to CSC on the US Army’s Flight School XXI (FSXXI) programme. L3Harris Technologies has built or is under contract ...

• Maritime patrol

  US-2

  The ShinMaywa US-2 is an amphibious short take-off and landing aircraft used primarily by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) for SAR. 

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  OH-58 Kiowa

  The single-engine OH-58 Kiowa, derived from the Bell 206, entered US Army service in 1969 as a light observation helicopter. More than 2,200 were built for ...

• Towed guns

  M198

  The US Army developed the M198 155mm towed howitzer from 1969 to replace the M114 155mm howitzer. From 1978, 1,600 weapons were built by Rock ...

• Towed mortars

  M120/M120A1

  The M120/M120A1 120 mm Towed Mortar System is a US-built version of the Soltam K6 mortar that was accepted into US Army service in 1990.

• Light tanks

  M10 Booker

  The US Army awarded General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) a contract worth US$1.14 billion to supply 96 light tanks under the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) ...

• JPT

  Designed for military applications, the Joint Platform Tablet (JPT) features a rugged design, including a military-grade aluminium case, dual-core processor, 128GB removable hard drive and ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72A/B Lakota

  In 2006, the US Army selected a version of the medium-sized, twin-engine H145, designated the UH-72A Lakota,  to meet its requirement for a new Light ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  M1150 ABV

  The M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) project, launched by the USMC in 2002, is a joint programme to meet the requirements of both the US ...

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

  RQ-7 Shadow 200

  The Shadow 200, designated RQ-7B by the US Army, is flown by the army brigade combat teams and combat aviation brigades along with the UAV ...

• REBS

  The Rapidly Emplaced Bridge System (REBS) is a 13m dry-gap bridge. It was designed by GDELS to meet a US Army requirement to provide a ...

• DSB

  WFEL was selected in 1996 to develop the M18 Dry Support Bridge (DSB) for the US Army. The company designed, manufactured and integrated the DSB ...

• Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  AN/PLQ-9 Thor-III

  Sierra Nevada’s AN/PLQ-9 Thor-III is the standard Counter Improvised Explosive Device (CIED) manpack system in service with the US Army and US Marine Corps (USMC). ...

• Individual grenade launchers

  M320 GLM

  The M320 Grenade Launcher Module (GLM) is a further development of the HK AG36 (see separate entry) to meet a US Army requirement. The M320 ...