• Digital Battlespace

  India reissues SIGINT aircraft request

  31st July 2017

  India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) released an RfI in late July to procure five twin-engine aircraft for signal intelligence (SIGINT) and communication jamming (COMJAM) roles …

• Training

  Kondopoga performs training tasks

  18th July 2017

  Russia’s Kola All-Arms Flotilla’s Kondopoga amphibious ship has successfully performed training and combat tasks in the Barents Sea ranges, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced …

• Land Warfare

  Vietnam orders T-90 tanks from Russia

  25th July 2017

  Vietnam has ordered 64 T-90S/SK main battle tanks (MBT) from Russia, the culmination of months of speculation as the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) sought to …

• Defence Notes

  PLA celebrates anniversary with new kit

  31st July 2017

  China celebrated the 90th anniversary of the formation of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with a massive military parade at the Zhurihe Combined Tactics Training …

• Defence Helicopter

  Indian Sea Kings riddled with problems

  28th July 2017

  The Indian Navy’s (IN) ageing UH-3H Sea Kings are riddled with deficiencies that have compromised their availability for missions, the country’s top auditor has revealed.  …

• Digital Battlespace

  USAF squadron takes control of WGS-9

  25th July 2017

  The US Air Force’s (USAF) 4th Space Operations Squadron (4 SOPS) has taken over the operational control of the ninth Wideband Global SATCOM satellite (WGS-9), …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Afghanistan forces to gain additional ScanEagles

  26th July 2017

  Additional ScanEagle UAS will be heading to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) following a $19.6 million award from the US Department of Defence. The new …

• Naval Warfare

  Fallon cuts first steel for HMS Glasgow (video)

  21st July 2017

  Shephard spoke to UK defence secretary Michael Fallon following the steel cutting of the first Type 26, HMS Glasgow. To be known as the City …

• Training

  ASDOT team crumbles

  20th July 2017

  Following on from the Cobham Special Missions announcement of 14 July that it had teamed with Draken International for the UK’s Air Support to Defence …

• Defence Helicopter

  On display at RIAT (video)

  17th July 2017

  Shephard editors Grant Turnbull and Helen Haxell take a look at the flight line at RIAT 2017 and talk through some of the key platforms that …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Orion UAV shown for first time

  27th July 2017

  The first Russian-made MALE class UAV, for a wide variety of military applications, was revealed at MAKS 2017 aerospace & defence exhibition near Moscow on …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UAV demonstrator Sagitta makes maiden flight

  20th July 2017

  Airbus Defence and Space has for the first time flown its Sagitta UAS technology demonstrator, the company announced on 18 July. Sagitta flew autonomously for around …

• Defence Notes

  Typhoon in Brimstone live firing

  19th July 2017

  MBDA’s Brimstone air-to-surface missile has been fired from a Eurofighter Typhoon for the first time.The integration of the weapon is part of the Phase 3 …

• Training

  Inzpire to support Protector RPAS training development

  21st July 2017

  Inzpire will provide subject matter expertise to support the development of training for the Royal Air Force’s future Protector UAS. The company announced a contract …

• Training

  ASDOT gains pace

  17th July 2017

  The UK’s Air Support to Defence Operational Training (ASDOT) requirement has been ratcheted up following the declaration that Cobham Special Missions had signed a teaming …

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]

  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 of ...

• 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

  UAVs (Ukraine Aid) [Norway]

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

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  HIMARS [Sweden]

  Programme Background Following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sweden began a process of military modernisation, in line with trends across much of Europe.  The ...

• 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 ...

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

  Larger UAVs [Estonia]

  Background 2026-2029 Defence Investment On 30 July 2025, the Republic of Estonia’s Minister of Defence, Hanno Pevkur, announced the approval of a development plan allocating more ...

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

  5,000 Latvian UAVs (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 ...

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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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

  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 ...

• 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. ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  DM73

  The 120mm × 570 armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS) DM73 is a kinetic-energy (KE) round with an enhanced propulsion unit. It is produced by Rheinmetall ...

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

  Cetus Lite

  The Cetus Lite is a fixed-wing UAV from Abris Design Group. The company describes the aircraft as a mobile system that is hand-launched. It is ...

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

  Cetus Plus

  The Cetus Plus is a fixed-wing UAV from Abris Design Group.  The manufacturer describes it as a universal UAV designed to perform various tasks like photo ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Beetle

  The Beetle is a rotary-wing octocopter from Abris Design Group. According to the manufacturer, the UAV provides photo and video ISTAR and signal relay for first-person ...

• 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 ...

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

  Linza 3.0

  The Linza 3.0 is a rotary-wing UAV from Quantum Frontline Industries (QFI), a German-Ukrainian joint venture from Quantum Systems and Frontline Robotics. The UAV was first delivered ...

• 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 ...

• Main battle tanks

  Type 10

  Mitsubishi developed the 120mm-armed Type 10 MBT to meet the requirements of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and publicly revealed a prototype in February 2008. ...

• 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 ...