• Land Warfare

  US approves more than $650 million in possible Foreign Military Sales to Ukraine

  29th July 2025

  The possible sales focus on maintenance and sustainment for a variety of equipment used by the Ukrainian armed forces, notably air defence equipment, MIM-23 Hawk missiles, M109 howitzers and Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs).

• Air Warfare

  The potential impact of US tariffs on the F-35A

  20th October 2025

  The Trump administration’s proposed tariffs have raised questions on the desirability and feasibility of the F-35A for key US allies including Canada and Switzerland. With combined orders amounting to 126 units, both nations undertook reviews of their ongoing fighter programmes.

• Air Warfare

  Airbus Helicopters sees defence portfolio’s “strong momentum” continue into 2026

  28th January 2026

  The aerospace company’s 2025 performance figures revealed significant orders from various European armed forces and a boost in demand for its uncrewed offerings.

• Defence Notes

  Australia’s Exercise Talisman Sabre concludes after a series of firsts

  14th August 2025

  More than 40,000 military personnel from 19 participating nations took part in the 11th iteration of the biennial Exercise Talisman Sabre multi-domain event which was held across Australia and in Papua New Guinea.

• Air Warfare

  DSEI 2025: BAE Systems FalconWorks and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to collaborate on new UAV range

  9th September 2025

  The uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) will start off in the electronic warfare space, according to the companies, to support existing crewed frontline platforms, with many major details still to be disclosed.

• Defence Notes

  Elbit Systems awarded $2.3 billion contract as results soar

  18th November 2025

  The company’s order backlog as of 30 September totalled $25.2 billion and more than a third of this is scheduled to be fulfilled before the end of 2026.

• Air Warfare

  FCAS programme to launch Phase 2 by mid-2026, say French officials

  22nd May 2025

  Developed by France, Spain and Germany, the European 6th-generation combat air programme is progressing apace with new milestones expected by next year after delays to the programme.

• Special Operations

  Why artificial intelligence has secured its place in special forces’ operations

  31st May 2025

  The diverse use cases of Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been turning it into a critical tool for Special Operations Forces (SOF).

• Land Warfare

  Milrem THeMIS robot tests weapon firing to beyond one kilometre

  13th August 2025

  The Milrem Robotics Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System (THeMIS) uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) has seen extensive service in Ukraine with an additional six ordered for Ukraine in May.

• Land Warfare

  Netherlands to get step change in air defence capability with FFG ACSV selection

  21st January 2026

  FFG’s tracked Armoured Combat Support Vehicle will form the backbone of the Netherlands’ new low-level air defences, Shephard has learned, with scope for further fleet expansion beyond the initial order.

• Land Warfare

  Leonardo acquires Iveco Defence in $1.9 billion deal

  31st July 2025

  The acquisition will help consolidate Leonardo’s position in the European land defence sector, aiding it in efforts to boost its domain “interoperability vision”, according to Leonardo’s CEO.

• Naval Warfare

  Japan to nationally assemble ESSM Block 2 missiles

  24th June 2025

  RTX Raytheon will supply missile kits, parts and components to Mitsubishi Electric Corporation for the production of Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles Block 2.

• Land Warfare

  Companies and militaries look to artificial intelligence to improve support of equipment

  22nd August 2025

  Companies are turning to rapidly advancing technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML) to to reduce maintenance times and costs and increase operational hours and tempo.

• Land Warfare

  "The next industrial revolution": Pearson Engineering embraces autonomy and robotics

  1st September 2025

  In Conversation: Shephard’s Gerrard Cowan talks to Pearson Engineering group chief executive officer Ian Bell about how the company is turning to new technologies to provide critical protection and mobility for troops on the front line.

• Defence Notes

  As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues

  6th January 2026

  The UK’s defence spending commitments remain uncertain as the government’s Defence Investment Plan, which had been due by the end of 2025, is yet to be published.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Warmate (2017) [Poland]

  Background Order In November 2017, Poland ordered 100 sets of Warmate loitering munitions, each consisting of ten platforms, for a reported 100 million Polish Zloty ($26.49 ...

• 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 ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Combat General Purpose Vehicle [Netherlands]

  Programme Background The Dutch military is currently modernising its armoured vehicle fleet. The Combat General Purpose Vehicle (CGPV) programme is one of several procurement programmes currently ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (November 2025) [USA]

  Programme Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (December 2024) [USA]

  Programme Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (September 2024) [USA]

  Programme Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Project [UK]

  Programme Background Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Project The British Army launched the RAS project to provide the "direction required to exploit emerging technologies to ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (September 2025) [USA]

  Programme Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 [Slovakia - Second Batch]

  Programme Background Requirements The Slovakian Armed Forces are currently lumbered with an ageing inventory of legacy platforms that are not interoperable with its allies and ...

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

  Mini-UAVs [Czech Republic]

  Background Tactical UCAV Halted The effort to acquire mini-UAVs is directly linked to the Czech MoD's now-delayed procurement programme for tactical or MALE drones, such as the ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  6x6 APC (Philippines)

  Programme Background The Philippine Army has identified an urgent need for new wheeled APCs, after the Battle of Marawi exposed shortcomings in its existing fleet ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 (Batch 1) [Slovakia]

  Programme Background Requirements The Slovakian Armed Forces are currently lumbered with an ageing inventory of legacy platforms that are not interoperable with its allies and ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer [Portugal]

  Programme Background The Portuguese Army currently operates a medium mechanised brigade equipped with the M113 as its primary APC. However, they are increasingly outdated and ...

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

  Latvian Drones (2024) (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 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6, MPVs - 4x4

  Armoured Vehicles (Ecuador)

  Programme Background In November 2022, the Ecuadorian Army confirmed it had placed an order with Elbit for 137 armoured vehicles required for military combat operations against ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Major networking projects

  Army BCT Modernisation Program Increment 1

  The US Army brigade combat team (BCT) modernisation strategy will build a mix of mobile, networked BCTs that can gain leverage from mobility, protection, information ...

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

  Aerosonde Mk 4.8 HQ FTUAS

  From the Texton family of Aerosonde UAS, the Aerosonde Mk 4.8 Hybrid Quad (HQ) FTUAS is a tactical drone purpose-built to meet the US Army's Future Vertical Lift ...

• Short Range Missile Defence Systems: 0 to 20 km range

  Initial Maneuver - SHORAD

  Unveiled at AUSA 2019, Initial Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) is a multipurpose platform, based on the Stryker IFV, which moves and maneuvers in ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  CATS CTC

  The CATS Combat Training Centre (CTC) trains armed forces in simulated opposition. Features: direct-fire weapon effect simulation with laser engagement systems; area weapon effect simulation ...

• Construction vehicles

  HMEE

  The JCB High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE) was originally designed to support the US Army’s Stryker brigade combat teams and has been proven on operations ...

• 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 ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  JAB

  The US Army is leading the Joint Assault Bridge (JAB) project to replace legacy M60A1-based bridge launchers in service with itself and USMC with an M1-based ...

• Land: C2 simulators

  Collective Combat Training

  Thales offers a global simulation and training approach that links together various simulators to perform the full spectrum of military operations (offence, defence, stability and ...

• Land: battle management systems

  FüInfoSys Heer

  FüInfoSys Heer (Army Command and Control Information System) is the first common, integrated and mobile system of its kind in the German Army. It is ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  GAMER Deployable CTC

  Saab’s GAMER Deployable Combat Training Center (CTC) is an instrumented training system, enabling a military to train on home bases and deploy worldwide for training ...

• 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 ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle

  The tracked M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV), developed in parallel with the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), equips reconnaissance units within the US ...

• Surface-to-surface missiles

  Iskander-M/E/K

  The Iskander-M (NATO reporting name: SS-26 'Stone') is a short-range ballistic missile. It was the second attempt by Russia to replace the Skud after its ...

• Subsystems: software

  Simulation-based Embedded Training Software Package

  This software package is installed in the Stryker Interim Armoured Vehicle (IAV), supporting US Army brigade combat team training requirements. It has been in service ...

• Land: COMINT and ELINT systems

  EWPMT

  Raytheon’s Electronic Warfare Planning and Management Tool (EWPMT) is a US Army programme which began in 2014, designed to support electronic warfare officers and provide ...