• Air Warfare

  F-35A makes second CENTCOM deployment as IOT&E progresses

  16th March 2020

  Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighters of the USAF have been deployed, for the second time, to the US Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility …

• Training

  COVID-19 hits training and simulation

  30th March 2020

  With ITEC 2020 now postponed until 1-3 September and companies in the defence and aerospace sector having called a halt to employee travel, COVID-19 is …

• Air Warfare

  Japan charts course for new F-X fighter

  16th March 2020

  As its fleet of F-2A and F-2B fighters ages, Japan continues to consider plans and potential partners for an indigenous next-generation fighter that is due …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UAVOS and KACST announce new Saker-1B MALE UAS

  4th March 2020

  UAVOS has teamed up with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in Saudi Arabia to develop the Saker-1B MALE UAS. The two companies …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  IAI fixes its gaze on ground robotics

  27th March 2020

  Increasingly, planners with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) aim to shield soldiers from danger if an unmanned system is a very capable replacement ­– or …

• Training

  VT MAK updates VR software

  11th March 2020

  MAK Technologies (also known as VT MAK) has released two new software updates for its VR-Forces and VR-Engage products, after the company won two major contracts. VR-Forces is a …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  GA-ASI successfully ground tests ALCoS

  25th February 2020

  General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA‑ASI) has successfully ground tested its Airborne Laser Communication System (ALCoS), the company announced on 20 February. ALCoS successfully established a …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman to develop PTS rapid prototype

  25th February 2020

  Northrop Grumman is to develop a Protected Tactical SATCOM (PTS) rapid prototype payload for the US Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center. The payload …

• Land Warfare

  Brazilian Army tests system to manage Guarani vehicles

  17th March 2020

  The Brazilian Army is improving the situational awareness of the 6x6 Guarani VBTP through an indigenously developed system that will manage these platforms: the Proteus-SGP. In early …

• Land Warfare

  TP Group to aid Morpheus

  2nd March 2020

  The UK MoD has awarded Cheshire-based services and engineering business TP Group a £5 million ($6.45 million) contract, with a £1 million six-month option, to …

• Digital Battlespace

  Dstl to fund AI in warship damage control research programme

  3rd March 2020

  The Defence and Science Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has awarded a £1m research contract to Frazer-Nash, Decision Lab and Survivability to take part in the ‘Intelligent …

• Naval Warfare

  UK shipyards prepare for COVID-19 virus

  18th March 2020

  As the COVID-19 virus continues to influence businesses across Europe, naval shipbuilders are having to determine how to react to and prepare for a worsening …

• Defence Notes

  Short UK defence review timetable draws criticism

  11th March 2020

  Experts appearing before the UK Defence Select Committee have suggested that the government is mistaken to plan to complete new national spending and defence reviews …

• Digital Battlespace

  Japan wins order for Philippine air surveillance radars

  11th March 2020

  Japanese firm Mitsubishi Electric was issued a notice of award by the Philippines on 4 March to supply four radars to complete air surveillance coverage …

• Air Warfare

  Australian, UK F-35 Reprogramming Lab opens

  26th February 2020

  The Australian and UK F-35 Reprogramming Laboratory has opened at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The Reprogramming Laboratory is a joint partnership between Australia …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - MALE

  Dominator XP [Thailand]

  Programme Background Purchase As reported by Shephard, in September 2023, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) inducted three Dominator XPs. The RTAF purchased the trio ...

• Loitering munitions

  Project Brakestop [UK]

  Background Information notice On 25 September 2024, the UK MoD published a prior information notice for Project Brakestop, informing industry of the upcoming competition. Requirements ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F Chinook (Singapore)

  Programme Background In July 2020, photos have emerged on the internet of the first Boeing CH-47F Chinook destined for the Republic of Singapore Air Force ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Predator [Italy]

  Background  The MQ-1C fleet was retired in December 2022 after more than 31,000 flight hours and over 3,800 sorties. ISTAR activities have since been carried ...

• Loitering munitions

  Project Instigator [UK]

  Background Prior Information Notice (PIN) On 21 October 2024, the MoD published a PIN in collaboration with the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S;). The notice announced ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Microwave DEW [Singapore]

  Background In response to the growing threat from autonomous and fibre-optically guided drones, Singapore has signed a contract with Leonardo's US-based subsidiary Epirus to develop ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-9B SkyGuardian (US)

  Programme Background On 6 March 2023, GA-ASI announced that the Air Force Special Operations Command (ASFOC) had contracted three MQ-9B SkyGaurdians, making it the first US customer of the ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Project Corvus [UK]

  Background Retirement and replacement In November 2024, speaking in the House of Commons, Defence Secretary John Healey stated that the WK 450 Watchkeeper was to be ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat [Poland]

  Background Maritime environment The June 2026 contract for the V-Bat procurement follows the platform’s demonstrated success in the Russo-Ukrainian war. The UAVs will operate from Polish ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Mi-28NE Night Hunter

  Algerian military's follow-up order suggests that the country is satisfied with the Mi-28NE Night Hunters' performance in operational conditions in the desert environment featuring sandstorms ...

• Transport

  VC-25B [USA]

  Background The modifications to the 747-8 aircraft will include an electrical power upgrade with dual Auxiliary Power Units that are usable in flight, a mission ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Mobile Strike Force Vehicle (Ukraine Aid) [USA]

  Programme background The US first provided Ukraine with the M1117 ASV in September 2022, when 250 vehicles were donated as part of a $400 million ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  VTLB [Portugal]

  Background The Portuguese Army planned to allocate funds for the procurement of 167 VTLBs during the Military Programming Law running from 2015 until 2026. These ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  New Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (NWJFAC) (1-31) [India]

  Programme Background Requirements The Indian Navy is seeking replacements for a large proportion of its 19 46-49m-long waterjet-powered fast attack craft, several of which are approaching ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Akinci [Turkey]

  Programme 2021 During a ceremony on 29 August 2021, attended by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish President, the Akinci officially entered the Turkish inventory. Four ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - small

  PL-5

  The PL is a Group 3 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capable UAV from EDGE Group. According to the company, it is engineered for persistent surveillance and ...

• Air: surveillance radar

  AN/APQ-181

  The AN/APQ-181 is a low-probability-of-intercept radar fitted to USAFNorthrop Grumman B-2 stealth bombers. During the B-2 Radar ModernizationProgram – completed in 2012 – the B-2’s legacy ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  CreoLand HP

  CreoLand HP is a 10W MANET radio designed for command centres, long-range applications, artillery and special forces units. Notably, it offers a data throughput of 100Mbps ...

• Military UAS - small

  Gogol-M

  The Gogol-M is a Ukrainian fixed-wing drone carrier, or mothership, from Strategy Force Solutions. The system can deliver two first-person view (FPV)-type attack drones to hit precision ...

• Military UAS - small

  DT-101

  The DT-101 is a small fixed-wing UAV from Deftech. The VTOL-capable platform features SATCOM with up to 10Mbs bandwidth capability. DefTech lists various payloads for ...

• Military UAS - small

  H10 Poseidon

  The H10 Poseidon, or H-10, is a fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV manufactured by Swamrly. Due to the UAV's electric propulsion system, small radar cross-section, lack of detachable thermal signature and ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - small

  Vandal

  Vandal is a next-generation, group II, low-signature UAS manufactured by AEVEX. The UAS is built for speed, precision, and survivability in denied environments and can ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  ARX

  Unveiled at Xponential 2024, the ARX is a fixed-wing drone developed by Tekever.  It features common electronics and software with other Tekever drones. Unlike those ...

• Military UAS - small

  DT-001

  The DT-001 is a tandem wing UCAV from Deftech. It can host a range of non-offensive payloads, such as IO/EO cameras and an airborne LIDAR. ...

• Loitering munitions

  Q-SLAM-100

  Unveiled at DSEI 2025, the Q-SLAM-100 is a man-portable loitering munition. Manufactured by Arquimea, the system is designed for medium-range missions with 120 minutes of flight autonomy ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Spider VTOL

  The Spider VTOL is a mini electrical fixed-wing UAV. Unlike traditional VTOL UAVs with dedicated motors, propellors and structural parts for performing take-off and landing, the Spider ...

• Military UAS - small

  Khronos

  The Khronos is a tethered, fully automated UAV for ISR missions in GPS/GNSS-denied and RF-denied environments. The drone's manufacturer, Elistair, stated that it could be deployed from a ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - small

  Disruptor

  Publicly unveiled at AUSA 2024, the Disruptor is a loitering munition and UAV manufactured by AEVEX Aerospace. The Group III aircraft utilises a pneumatic launcher ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/ARC-231 Skyfire

  The AN/ARC-231 Skyfire is an airborne VHF/UHF/LOS and DAMA SATCOM system. This system supports US DoD requirements for airborne, multi-band, multi-mission, secure anti-jam voice, data ...

• Data links

  MAQA Terminal 3.8m Flyaway Variant

  The Modular Aperture Quad-Band Antenna (MAQA) Terminal is designed to provide a ruggedised, mobile, quad-band SATCOM terminal that supports operations with the WGS constellation, legacy ...