• Defence Helicopter

  DSEI 2017: Sea Venom firing well on all cylinders

  7th September 2017

  European missile manufacturer MBDA is continuing its Sea Venom anti-ship missile trials and Shephard has learnt that all firings so far have been successful.  The first …

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2017: Stryker strikes back (video)

  11th October 2017

  General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) displayed two variants of its Stryker vehicle at AUSA 2017, one equipped with a short-range air defence system and the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Yastreb-AV radar nears completion

  11th October 2017

  The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that the development of the prototype Yastreb-AV radar system is nearing completion.The radar is being designed to …

• Naval Warfare

  Bahrain requests fast patrol boats

  13th September 2017

  The US State Department has made a determination approving a potential foreign military sale of 35m fast patrol boats to Bahrain, the Defense Security Cooperation …

• Defence Helicopter

  Singapore’s Apaches celebrate 15 years

  12th October 2017

  Fifteen years after their rollout in 2002, the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) AH-64D Apache Longbows are still innovating and picking up new capabilities …

• Naval Warfare

  Analysis: France dominates naval deliveries

  22nd September 2017

  Naval Group has delivered the first Gowind 2500 corvette to Egypt, representing the latest step in a long-term programme by the country in renewing its …

• Special Operations

  SOCOM searches for hidden chambers

  19th October 2017

  The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) is to conduct a feasibility study to identify a handheld hidden chamber detection technology to support sensitive site exploitation …

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2017: Skyhunter ready for US Army (video)

  10th October 2017

  Raytheon is showcasing its US variant of the Israeli Iron Dome missile defence solution, known as the Skyhunter, to the US Army at AUSA 2017.  …

• Defence Helicopter

  Triumph extends support for MD 530F

  12th October 2017

  Triumph Group has extended its support work with MD Helicopters (MDHI) for the delivery of armed MD 530F scout attack helicopters to the US Army, …

• Defence Notes

  AUSA 2017: US Army readies for ‘significant restructure’

  9th October 2017

  Senior US Army leaders have laid out six key priorities it will focus on in order to ensure the force is capable of winning future …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Australian award puts wind in Bluebottle’s sail

  9th October 2017

  For development progress of its Bluebottle persistent USV to date, Ocius Technology received on 4 October the Defence SME Innovation Grant. This was one of …

• Defence Helicopter

  DSEI 2017: European military helicopter review (video)

  8th September 2017

  Across Europe militaries have received a wide range of helicopters to bolster their fleets for different missions this year. Shephard  takes a closer look at orders …

• Training

  Saab to assemble Ajax turret trainers

  11th October 2017

  Saab has been sub-contracted by Lockheed Martin UK to assemble 16 Ajax virtual crew turret trainers for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) programme, the …

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2017: BAE showcases SHORAD for Bradley (video)

  9th October 2017

  BAE System has brought its concept of the Bradley IFV equipped with its maneuver short range air defence (M-SHORAD) solution. Shephard spoke with Mark Signorelli, deputy and VP …

• Digital Battlespace

  BAE ups aircraft cyber defences

  12th October 2017

  BAE Systems is developing cyber defence capabilities to help aircraft detect and mitigate cyber attacks in real time, the company announced on 9 October. The …

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 ...

• 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 ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT Follow-On [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 ...

• Main battle 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 ...

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

  Penguin C VTOL [Croatia]

  Background Announcment Redwire Corporation announced on 12 November 2025 that its wholly owned subsidiary, Edge Autonomy, had been contracted to deliver the Penguin C VTOL ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

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

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

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

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

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

  Capa-X

  The Capa-X is a VTOL-capable fixed-wing drone from Survey Copter, a subsidiary of Airbus. The drone has been linked with France's Système de Drone Tactique Léger (SDTL) ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  Tryzub Laser

  Ukraine's Tryzub (Trident) laser was revealed during the European Defence Industry: Prospects for Cooperation with the Ukrainian Defence Industry conference in 2025. Video footage from ...

• 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 ...