• Air Warfare

  FIA 2026: Honeywell Aerospace targets expansion following June spin-off

  24th July 2026

  Honeywell Aerospace charted its growth strategy as a standalone company, with CEO Jim Currier pointing to record defence budgets and a $19 billion backlog as drivers of expansion.

• Air Warfare

  Industry makes strides on CCA programme as USAF makes nearly $1 billion funding request

  21st April 2026

  Anduril’s YFQ-44A has successfully undergone USAF experimental testing for Increment 1, while an engine has officially been selected for Northrop Grumman’s YFQ-48A – a potential candidate for Increment 2 of the air force’s CCA programme.

• Land Warfare

  Rheinmetall’s Lynx XM30 to go to “shakedown testing” ahead of its delivery to the US Army

  8th May 2026

  The first Lynx XM30 platforms are in the final stages of construction and integration, to be handed over to the US Army in the coming months. Shephard caught up with Rheinmetall to find out more about the programme's progress.

• Land Warfare

  US Precision Strike Missile makes combat debut in Operation Epic Fury

  4th March 2026

  CENTCOM confirmed that PrSMs have been deployed in the offensive against Iran, bringing what it called “an unrivalled deep strike capability”.

• Naval Warfare

  How the Anduril-HHI autonomous ship plan fits in with the US Navy’s MASC programme

  18th November 2025

  The new modular vessel is expected to be developed for both commercial and defence use, with a heavy focus on production speed and mission flexibility.

• Air Warfare

  UK MoD awards Leonardo with £1 billion New Medium Helicopter contract

  2nd March 2026

  The £1 billion contract has secured jobs at Leonardo’s Yeovil site and will provide the British forces with 23 new medium-lift helicopters.

• Land Warfare

  India’s drone industry ambitions accelerate with Xtend technology transfer deal

  16th April 2026

  The localised production of interceptor and tactical drones further strengthens India-Israel industrial alignment and could position India for future cooperation opportunities.

• Air Warfare

  Eurosatory 2026: First public flight of Teledyne FLIR Black Recon reconnaissance system

  16th June 2026

  The drone took flight as undisclosed European customers are testing the system. Defence Insight highlights the Nordic region and existing Black Hornet users as potential early customers amid growing demand for micro-UAVs.

• Land Warfare

  World Defense Show 2026: MARSS displays new Nation Shield air defence C2 system

  10th February 2026

  Nation Shield is the latest iteration of the MARSS C2 system and is designed to provide C2 further forward along with more capable air defence.

• Land Warfare

  “A staggering rate of change”: how experience combating IEDs is being applied to the C-UAS arena

  10th June 2026

  The scale of the current escalation in drone attacks is fuelling demand for C-UAS technology that must address a rapidly evolving and expanding threat. Against this background, important lessons can be learned from the battle against IEDs, with networked responses and dispersed capabilities essential to deliver enduring protection.

• Land Warfare

  Levelling up – how autonomous fire control tackles unmanned lethality head-on

  6th November 2025

  As autonomous weapon systems proliferate, it is now essential to use the same core technologies to counteract and neutralise them.

• Air Warfare

  UK vows to accelerate Lyra programme for Ukraine as defence industry eyes opportunities

  23rd March 2026

  Project Nightfall and Project Octopus both fall under the Lyra programme, with UK industry working to develop and deliver additional missiles and drones to help bolster Ukraine’s warfighting capabilities against Russia.

• Air Warfare

  With a wave of upgrades, the MQ-9B is ready for high-tech warfare

  1st July 2026

  The modern battlefield is evolving rapidly — threats range from stealthy cruise missiles to coordinated drone swarms. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is meeting these challenges head-on with a series of transformative upgrades to its MQ-9B SkyGuardian® and maritime SeaGuardian® remotely piloted aircraft.

• Air Warfare

  British Army’s Project Corvus selection highlights new era of drone sovereignty

  28th July 2026

  The UK’s choice of the Tekever AR5 for Project Corvus reflects a wider shift in military drone procurement towards solutions that centre on sovereignty and domestic production, moving away from overseas reliance.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force prepares to test uncrewed F-16 VISTA in challenging scenarios

  8th January 2026

  Th mission systems upgrade of the X-62 VISTA variant of the F-16 will allow the air force to evaluate the jet in more demanding environments.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Medium UGVs

  Engineer Autonomous Breaching Capability (EABC)

  Background The US Army is currently evaluating the use of UGVs in a variety of support roles. The EABC is intended to provide US Army ...

• Medium UGVs

  Mission Master (RPV Sprial 2) [UK]

  Background First announced in April 2017 and referred to in early MOD documents as the ‘last mile resupply’ initiative, the British Army is reportedly evaluating ...

• Medium UGVs

  Mission Master (RPV Sprial 3) [UK]

  Background First announced in April 2017 and referred to in early MOD documents as the ‘last mile resupply’ initiative, the British Army is reportedly evaluating ...

• Medium UGVs

  Medium Modular Equipment Transport Trailer (M-METT) [USA]

  Background Whilst there are many medium UGV programmes developing concepts for last-mile resupply problems, the US Army's M-METT programme aims to provide an uncrewed logistics ...

• Medium UGVs

  THeMIS [Netherlands and Estonia]

  Background The Estonian Armed Forces had already been operating the THeMIS UGV in Mali for a year at the time the programme was announced in ...

• Medium UGVs

  THeMIS [Spain]

  Background In taking delivery of the THeMIS UGV Spain became the 13th user of the system. Like many of the other customers it was acquired ...

• Medium UGVs

  THeMIS (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Background The programme will be managed by Milrem Robotics Netherlands in co-operation with VDL Defentec, which is establishing an assembly line at its Born facility. ...

• Medium UGVs

  THeMIS [UK]

  Background Milrem's THeMIS UGV is one of the most successful UGVs on the international market and like many militaries the British Army is looking to ...

• Medium UGVs

  THeMIS [Sweden]

  Programme Background Many countries have been acquiring small numbers of Milrem's THeMIS UGV since its success in the hands of Estonian Forces in Mali. The ...

• Medium UGVs

  New Zealand Experimental UGV [New Zealand]

  Programme Background In March 2026 New Zealand company SYOS announced that it had been contracted to supply the New Zealand Defence Forces with uncrewed land, ...

• Light UGVs

  X Series [UK]

  Background The UK is currently striving to better integrate UGVs into its armed forces. Whilst they are not yet in general use, the MoD has ...

• Medium UGVs

  Mission Master [Norway]

  Programme Background Developed by Rheinmetall Canada in 2021, the Mission Master XT is designed to tackle ice and snow, as well as sandy, rocky and ...

• Medium UGVs

  DSTL Medium UGV [UK]

  Background This programme was established to determine the future use of medium UGVs for logistical purposes in the British Army, although it was run by ...

• Medium UGVs

  Termit (Ukraine Aid) [Germany]

  Background The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the effectiveness of UGVs, especially in a logistics and support role. The Termit is a medium UGV that ...

• Medium UGVs

  Mission Master SP [Japan]

  Programme Background Japanese budget documentation from 2024 had pictured a medium-UGV similar in outline to the Mission Master SP, and in the 2025 budget ¥1.4 billion ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Medium UGVs

  Rook

  The Rook is a 6x6 multipurpose UGV developed by Elbit in partnership with Roboteam. Conceived to carry heavy payloads in a wide range of environments, the ...

• Medium UGVs

  Arion-SMET

  The Arion-SMET is a fully electric 6x6 multipurpose UGV developed and produced by Hanwha Defense. With a payload of 550kg, the UGV can travel for up ...

• Medium UGVs

  Rex Mk II

  The Rex Mk II is a UGV manufactured by Isreal Aerospace Industries (IAI). It is a multimission system designed to provide direct support to manoeuvring infantry ...

• Heavy UGVs

  Mission Master CXT

  Part of Rheinmetall's Mission Master family, The Mission Mater Compact Extreme Terrain, or Mission Master CXT, is a rugged UGV designed to transport heavy payloads ...

• Light UGVs

  Oto-TRP7-HS

  The Oto-TRP7-HS (Homeland Security) is a semi-autonomous, electric-powered, tracked UGV. It is designed to undertake a number of homeland security missions. 

• Heavy UGVs

  Shadow Rider

  Unveiled for the first time at IDEF 2019 and showcased with improvements at IDEF 2021, the Shadow Rider is a UGV developed and built by ...

• Medium UGVs

  Ermine UGV

  At Eurosatory 2024, Rheinmetall presented the Ermine family of tactical vehicles. The modular Ermine family currently consists of a UGV, a side-by-side buggy and a ...

• Medium UGVs

  Barkan

  The Barkan, or Barkan-2, is a Turkish UGV manufactured by Havelsan. A fully electric propulsion system powers the tracked, modular vehicle, which can be armed with a 7.62mm ...

• Medium UGVs

  Marker

  The Marker is a Russian UGV manufactured by Androidnaya Tekhnika. Development started in 2018, and the three-tonne UGV is now capable of supporting anti-tank missile systems, coaxial ...

• Medium UGVs

  Centurio

  At Eurosatory 2024, KNDS unveiled the Centurio family of 4x4 UGVs. Based on the Phobos UGV by SOGECLAIR, Centurio has been developed in the 2024-30 ...

• Medium UGVs

  Viking

  The Viking is a high-mobility 6x6 multipurpose UGV developed and produced by IDV Robotics. The UGV can be configured to perform different missions, from logistic ...

• Heavy UGVs

  Oshkosh Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV)

  The Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) is a tracked UGV developed by Oshkoshl in partnership with Pratt & Miller and QinetiQ. In September 2023, as part of ...

• Heavy UGVs

  Valkyrie

  The Valkyrie is a 6x6 UGV developed by the Spanish company SASCorp. It was unveiled for the first time at FINDEF 2021. The platform has reportedly ...

• Medium UGVs

  Titan UGV

  The Titan large UGV is a hybrid system built on the Milrem Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System (THeMIS) combined with QinetiQ North America's Tactical Robot Controller ...

• Light UGVs

  Quator/Quator XL

  Quator is a scout, observation, inspection and detection robot suitable for rapid-response scenarios. Quator XL builds on the transportation capabilities of the smaller version, weighing ...