• Land Warfare

  BAE and Rheinmetall enter tank battle

  23rd December 2016

  BAE Systems and Rheinmetall have both been selected to start the competitive assessment phase for the Challenger 2 Life Extension Programme (CR2 LEP), it was …

• Digital Battlespace

  Israeli company enters DIRCM arena

  22nd December 2016

  Israeli company Bird Aerosystems is close to inking a deal with its first customer for a newly-developed self-protection kit that shields an aircraft from heat-seeking …

• Training

  Boeing, Saab complete first T-X flight

  22nd December 2016

  The first flight of the aircraft under development by Boeing and Saab for the US Air Force's (USAF's) T-X advanced pilot training programme has been completed, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Kazakhstan takes delivery of Mi-35Ms

  22nd December 2016

  The Kazakhstan Air and Defence Force took on strength in the first half of December with four Mil Mi-35M attack helicopters added to its fleet. …

• Naval Warfare

  Bulgaria set to issue RFP for two patrol ships

  21st December 2016

  The Bulgarian Navy has signaled its readiness to issue a Request for Proposal (RfP) for the procurement of two new patrol ships, but the government …

• Defence Helicopter

  Solutions to stand the heat

  21st December 2016

  Two companies that provide on board solutions for civil and military helicopters are confident that, with recent acquisitions combined with new products, the Middle East …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Qinetiq targets Meggitt in latest acquisition

  21st December 2016

  In a bid to expand its global reach UK based company Qinetiq has announced the acquisition of Meggitt Target Systems for the sum of £57.5 …

• Defence Helicopter

  Everett to provide UK medevac services

  20th December 2016

  Everett Aviation will provide helicopter medical evacuation (medevac) services to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK) …

• Defence Notes

  Fourth Astute class boat named

  20th December 2016

  The fourth submarine of the Royal Navy’s Astute class has been officially named Audacious during a ceremony at BAE Systems’ Submarines site in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. …

• Land Warfare

  Ukraine’s tank revival

  19th December 2016

  Ukraine’s tank industry reports a significant growth in business in 2016 based on work in both the domestic and export markets. This includes upgrade work …

• Land Warfare

  Finland to decide on Korean artillery

  19th December 2016

  Finland is moving towards the acquisition of new self-propelled artillery howitzers, with a decision expected early in 2017. The Nordic country has plans to buy …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  India speeding up Predator buy

  16th December 2016

  India is pursuing plans to buy high-altitude, long endurance UAVs from the US to meet the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance requirements of its navy and …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell Helicopter, PGZ sign LoI

  16th December 2016

  Bell Helicopter and Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) based on Poland’s Kruk helicopter programme. The government of Poland is …

• Defence Notes

  Analysis: Saudi Arabia - A close customer (part 2 - air)

  14th December 2016

  As we have already seen in Part 1 – Land, the close defence relationship between Saudi Arabia's ruling House of Saud and Western governments is …

• Defence Notes

  Saudi and UAE driving GCC defence

  14th December 2016

  The two military heavyweights of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are driving defence procurement in the region with recent increases …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BTR-MDM Rakushka

  Programme Background Since 2016, 11 battalion sets of BTR-MDMs are known to have been delivered to units of the VDV in addition to 12 platforms ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BMD-4M

  Programme Background Since 2017, 11 battalion sets of the BMD-4M have been delivered to units of the VDV in addition to 27 located at the ...

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

  Wolverine / Honeybadger [US]

  Programme Background During the Modern Day Marine (MDM) exhibition, held in Washington between 10-12 May 2022, XTEND announced it would supply hundreds of Wolverine platforms ...

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

  Embarked VTOL UAV [South Korea]

  Background VTOL Development In January 2024, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that it would commence development of a VTOL-capable rotary-wing UAV to be ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) (Tranche 2) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  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 organic, ...

• Loitering munitions

  Harop [Azerbaijan]

  Programme Background According to a December 2020 report by the Centre for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), Azerbaijan acquired an estimated 50 Harop loitering munitions ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  UH-60M Black Hawk [Mexico]

  Programme Background In April 2016, Mexico finalised an order for seven additional UH-60M platforms. At the time of procurement, the Mexican Air Force already had ...

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

  Short Range/Short Endurance (SR/SE) [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16 Block 52 Pakistan

  Programme Background The 2016 FMS was proposed to the US Congress as a way to help increase Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counterterrorism operations. ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-1Z [Romania]

  The Romanian MoD has a long-standing requirement for new rotary platforms, including troop transport, supply and attack configurations. According to the the Military Strategy document, ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Tejas LCA - India Follow-On

  Indian Air Force is planning to buy a total of 140 Tejas LCA to equip seven squadrons. Between 2006 and 2016, India’s Defence Acquisition Council authorised ...

• Data links

  Data links | Tejas LCA - India Follow-On

  Indian Air Force is planning to buy a total of 140 Tejas LCA to equip seven squadrons. Between 2006 and 2016, India’s Defence Acquisition Council authorised ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Tejas LCA - India Follow-On

  Indian Air Force is planning to buy a total of 140 Tejas LCA to equip seven squadrons. Between 2006 and 2016, India’s Defence Acquisition Council authorised ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Tejas LCA - India Follow-On

  Indian Air Force is planning to buy a total of 140 Tejas LCA to equip seven squadrons. Between 2006 and 2016, India’s Defence Acquisition Council authorised ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Tejas LCA - India Follow-On

  Indian Air Force is planning to buy a total of 140 Tejas LCA to equip seven squadrons. Between 2006 and 2016, India’s Defence Acquisition Council authorised ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BTR-MDM

  The BTR-MDM Rakushka is an amphibious tracked armoured vehicle developed by Kurganmashzavod to meet the Russian Airborne Forces' (VDV) need for a new air-droppable APC. ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MDM-HF

  The MDM-3001, MDM-2201 and MDM-2501 multi-mode HF data modems provide single-tone (serial) HF data communications capability in accordance with the requirements of MIL-STD-188-110A (para 5.3). ...

• Data links

  Link 11 DTS

  The programmable Data Terminal Set (DTS) uses real-time processor architectures and signal processing algorithms. It is designed for controlled network operation in a Link 11 ...

• Data links

  MDM-2X02N

  The MDM-2X02N is a tactical data link modem that combines the functionalities of a Link 11 DTS and Link 22 signal processor controller (SPC) into ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MDM-Q9604

  Collins Aerospace’s MDM-Q9604 high-speed, high-data-rate HF modem is capable of transmitting data over a standard 3KHz single sideband at 9,600b/s or a 6kHz ISB at ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BMD-4M

  The BMD-4M is based on the BMD-4, which has been in the Russian Army's airborne forces (VDV) service since 2004. It was developed to provide an ...

• Military - USVs

  High-Speed Intercept Boat

  Poly Technologies displayed its High-Speed Intercept Boat at DSA in Malaysia in 2016. 

• MPVs - 4x4

  Bars-6

  Bogdan publicly unveiled the 7t Bars-6 (Panther) 4x4 light APC at IDEX 2015, and in July 2016, the company introduced an upgraded version ready for ...

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

  Mini UAV Fixed Wing I

  The Jordan Design and Development Bureau (JODDB) unveiled the hand-launched Mini UAS (also known as Mini UAV Fixed-Wing I) at SOFEX 2016, along with a wider family ...

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

  Mysterious Bee

  The Mysterious Bee hybrid, fixed-wing/quadcopter UAV was unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow 2016. It is designed to operate from ships, small islands, mountainous areas and ...

• Self-propelled mortars

  2S42 Lotos

  The 2S42 Lotos (Lotus) is a self-propelled artillery system that is being developed by Rostec subsidiary TsNIITochMash to replace the Russian VDV airborne forces' and ...

• Land: RWS

  Asgard RCT

  The Asgard RCT (Remote Control Turret) is the unmanned member of the Asgard 127 modular one-person turret family introduced in 2016. It is suitable for ...

• Military - USVs

  SeaFly-01

  The SeaFly-01 USV, developed by Beijing Sifang Automation, was showcased at the 11th Zhuhai Airshow in China in November 2016. It is designed for various ...

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

  Phoenix

  The Phoenix UAV is a delta-wing platform designed largely for civilian applications such as policing, border patrol, coast guard, fire-fighting and surveillance, as well as ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  VN2C

  The VN2C 6x6 armoured vehicle was introduced at the Zhuhai Airshow in November 2016. Aimed at the export market, it appears to be an updated version ...