• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Clouds gather over SDAM rotary-wing drone programme for French Navy

  3rd August 2022

  Is time running out for the SDAM programme to prove its utility to French decision-makers?

• Land Warfare

  Can the US meet the international demand for HIMARS?

  9th August 2022

  The performance of the M142 HIMARS in Ukraine has led to increased interest in this platform, but it has also raised questions about the capacity of the US to satisfy international demand in the short term.

• Training

  VR Group provides ground sims for Hungarian L-39NG

  9th September 2022

  Aero Vodochody and VR Group will supply the Hungarian Air Force with a full training system for the L-39NG jets.

• Naval Warfare

  Wisdom of Solomons? Shifting power dynamics in the Indo-Pacific

  5th September 2022

  While Pacific island nations may be small, including maritime zones, they constitute 15% of the world’s surface, and crucially they carry weight in international institutions such as the UN. Considering these factors, the Solomon Islands’ growing relationship with China is geopolitically significant.

• Defence Notes

  News and views from the 2022 Farnborough International Airshow (podcast)

  22nd July 2022

  The Shephard Media news team report from the sidelines of the 2022 Farnborough International Airshow.

• Training

  Germany receives robotic models of Russian tanks

  18th August 2022

  Training tanks produced by GaardTech are equipped with a combination of active and passive equipment that allows for realistic live fire training against static and moving objects.

• Land Warfare

  British Boxer MIVs to get more powerful engines

  3rd August 2022

  British Army Boxer MIVs will be equipped with more powerful engines after Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) and WFEL selected Rolls-Royce Solutions UK to supply MTU 8v 199 TS21 engines.

• Naval Warfare

  Kraken partners with Thales to further develop K50 craft

  4th August 2022

  Kraken Technology Group has signed an MoU with Thales for the ongoing development and provision of bespoke systems for the Kraken K50 craft.

• Training

  Farnborough 2022: Stirling Dynamics to supply F-35 sim stick and throttle

  21st July 2022

  The company will begin the production of F-35 sim parts immediately and plans to deliver within six months.

• Naval Warfare

  Estonia, Finland plan to throw noose around Russian Baltic fleet

  15th August 2022

  A move by Estonia and Finland to integrate their respective coastal defence systems would turn the Gulf of Finland into an ‘internal sea’ for NATO.

• Defence Notes

  Farnborough 2022: L3Harris reaffirms focus on optimising UK C4ISR

  22nd July 2022

  The aerospace and defence technology provider is ready to support the UK land, air and naval forces with communication and digitisation technologies in the coming years.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  TB2 makes inroads south of the Sahara

  7th July 2022

  African appetite for armed UAVs is reflected in the first visual evidence of TB2 procurement in Djibouti and Ethiopia.

• Land Warfare

  Eurosatory 2022: John Cockerill brings i-X to Europe with VR shooter system

  14th June 2022

  The lightweight vehicle will support an AI-based VR-based shooter system that will provide the operator with a 360-degree vision, target locking and target recognition capabilities.

• Land Warfare

  Germany introduces ASUL C-UAS system for field protection

  25th August 2022

  Germany has introduced ASUL, a stationary C-UAS capability which can locate, classify, identify and engage small UAS weighing up to 25kg.

• Naval Warfare

  Next-generation UK attack submarine may be fully collaborative AUKUS design, Defence Secretary says

  1st September 2022

  A 'collaborative sub' design with AUKUS partners is a future option for the UK, according to Ben Wallace.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  San Antonio LPD 17 Flight I [USN]

  The LPD 17 Flight I ships are the first flight of the San Antonio-class Landing Platform Docks (LPD). Procured between FY1996 and FY2017, the vessels ...

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

  Wing Loong I [Eygpt]

  Programme Background SIPRI According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 2016, Eygpt ordered around 10 Wing Loong I aircraft from China, which were ...

• Tanks

  Arjun Mark-II

  Programme Background While original plans envisioned the production of up to 250 Arjun Mk IIs, the programme's many delays have prompted the Indian Army to ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  PKX-B Batch II (13-22) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Contracts Award On 24 November 2022, HJ Heavy Industries was awarded a contract worth KRW212 billion ($160 million) to build four PKX-B Batch-II ...

• Tanks

  Al-Khalid-I

  Programme Background Pakistan operates a vast fleet of Chinese and Ukrainian MBTs primarily aimed at deterring regional rivals such as India. In order to build ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  PKX-B Batch II (9-12) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Contracts Award On 24 November 2022, HJ Heavy Industries was awarded a contract worth KRW212 billion ($160 million) to build four PKX-B Batch-II ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  PKX-B Batch II (1-4) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Contracts Award On 24 November 2022, HJ Heavy Industries was awarded a contract worth KRW212 billion ($160 million) to build four PKX-B Batch-II fast attack ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  PKX-B Batch II (5-8) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Contracts Award On 24 November 2022, HJ Heavy Industries was awarded a contract worth KRW 212 billion ($160 million) to build four PKX-B ...

• Tanks

  Al-Khalid-II

  Programme Background Pakistan operates a vast fleet of Chinese and Ukrainian MBTs primarily aimed at deterring regional rivals such as India. In order to build ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  Fast Interceptor Craft - Indigenous (FIC-I) (1-120) [India]

  Programme Background Requirements The craft are required to have a length of 13-17m, a sustained speed of 45kt, a range of at least 200nm at 15kt, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  RQ-4 Global Hawk (Japan)

  Programme Background Selection & Contract AwardIn 2015, Northrop Grumman's RQ-4 Global Hawk UAS and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft were selected by Japan to ...

• Submarines: conventional, attack

  KSS-III (Boats 1-3) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Timeline The new KSS-III Dosan Ahn Chang-Ho-class submarines for the Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) are a significant advance on the earlier KSS-II ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  New Exploration and Escort Helicopter (NEES) (Phase II) [Italy]

  Programme Background Phase I In 2017, the Italian government signed a contract with Leonardo to replace its fleet of AW129 Mangusta attack helicopters with the ...

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

  Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase II) [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

  Orlan-10 [Uzbekistan]

  Programme Background On 16 November 2023, Uzbekistan announced that the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, had ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Subsystems: software

  SWORD

  The SWORD is a high-level, automated war-game solution for training, analysis and planning. Developed in close relation with armies worldwide, the SWORD immerses brigade and ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  TAOS

  In Tactical Aircraft Online Services (TAOS), live Aero L-29 jets are flown by experienced combat pilots alongside a wingman flying a ground-based flight simulator, controlled ...

• Land: fire support simulators

  FIDex

  Fidelity has merged the technology of its JTAC and IDF product lines. It released FIDex (Fidelity Extreme) at I/ITSEC 2011 with its first demo of ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators, Land: tactical engagement simulators

  VBS Blue IG

  At I/ITSEC 2017, Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim) unveiled a new simulation technology to help international militaries train for operations. VBS Blue IG, an upgrade from the ...

• Subsystems: visual

  EP-8100

  At I/ITSEC 2015, Collins Aerospace (formerly Rockwell Collins) unveiled its EP-8100 image generation system, which is driven by real-time, simulation-specific graphics cards and software. It ...

• Subsystems: visual

  WholeEarth Synthetic Environment

  Rockwell Collins unveiled its enhanced synthetic training environment, WholeEarth, at I/ITSEC 2015 and the official release occurred in May 2016. The high-resolution complete Earth database ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  ULV MicroVSAT

  Ultra I&C;'s ULV MicroVSAT is a tri-band, lightweight SATCOM terminal that emphasises portability. First introduced in 2022, the modem-agnostic system supports WGS, Intelsat Flex, Inmarsat GX ...

• Air: helicopter radar, Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar, Air: UAS radar

  ELM-2022

  The ELM-2022, developed by IAI ELTA, is a maritime patrol radar family operating in the X-band designed for manned and unmanned, fixed- or rotary-wing airborne platforms. It is engineered for ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Cockerill i-X

  The Cockerill i-X is a wheeled armoured vehicle designed as a light armoured platform with a modular turret for intercepting enemy forces. John Cockerill Defense unveiled the new ...

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

  ALTIUS-600 / ALTIUS-600M

  Part of the ALTIUS family, the ALTIUS-600 is an air-launched, tube-integrated UAV that Area-I has designed to conduct ISR, SIGINT collection and electronic warfare missions.  At AUSA 2022, Anduril ...

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

  Wing Loong I

  Designed by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the Wing Loong I is the first member of the ...

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

  Skylark I-LEX

  The Skylark I-LEX is a mini-UAV manufactured by Elbit Systems.  Unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2015, the UAV is designed for ISR operations. It enables ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  Pinaka

  The Pinaka 214mm MRL was developed indigenously by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) from 1986 to meet the Indian Army's requirement for an ...

• Land: air defence radar

  MSSR-2000-I

  The MSSR 2000 I is a monopulse secondary surveillance radar system manufactured by Hensoldt. It is designed for military air surveillance applications and is capable ...

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

  Anka-I

  Anka-I is a SIGINT/COMINT variant of Turkey’s Anka-S and is operated by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization. The COMINT capability allows operators to track, geolocate and ...