• Digital Battlespace

  Airbus and Northrop Grumman partner for UK military satellite comms programme

  23rd October 2023

  A new collaboration between the US and European aviation giants will attempt to unite the space interests of US, UK and European partners via the UK's SKYNET programme.

• Defence Notes

  Research paper points to a Russian ‘ghost navy’ providing logistical support

  19th October 2023

  Russia has been using commercial vessels to move military equipment to avoid controls, according to a report from NATO Defense College and RUSI.

• Naval Warfare

  Boeing completes Orca large UUV trials and moves to next stage

  4th August 2023

  Boeing has completed months of at-sea testing of its Orca extra-large uncrewed undersea vehicle (XLUUV), an activity which included a series of autonomous surface and submerged manoeuvres.

• Naval Warfare

  Upgrades to Holland-class OPVs pushed back a year

  6th October 2023

  The Royal Netherlands Navy’s (RNLN’s) four Holland-class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) will begin a mid-life upgrade (MLU) programme in 2025, a year later than planned.

• Digital Battlespace

  Redefining Modern Warfare: Multi-Domain Operations and the Shift to Integrated Communications across the Force (Studio)

  25th October 2023

  The multi-domain operations (MDO) concept is now a core focus for the US and its allies. The paradigm has significant implications for communications technology as militaries seek to integrate platforms and systems across different networked communications domains.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force XQ-58A Valkyrie completes AI-powered test flight

  4th August 2023

  Developed by the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the Valkyrie's AI and machine learning agents demonstrated their capability to solve tactically relevant challenges during airborne operations.

• Naval Warfare

  How the Canadian Surface Combatant programme can recover from COVID-19 delays

  23rd August 2023

  The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) is working with Irving Shipyard to manage the lingering impact of COVID-19 on the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) project.

• Digital Battlespace

  BAE Systems awarded contract from USN for next-generation interrogator

  27th July 2023

  BAE Systems has secured a $15 million contract from the USN to deliver its advanced digital interrogator for maritime vessels, enhancing situational awareness and reducing friendly fire incidents.

• Naval Warfare

  German Armed Forces successfully concludes laser weapon demonstrator trials

  22nd September 2023

  The German Armed Forces has successfully completed trials of the laser weapon demonstrator (LWD) at sea, proving its combat effectiveness against various targets in realistic operating conditions.

• Naval Warfare

  UPDATED: Damen and Thales to deliver ASW frigates for Belgium and Netherlands

  5th July 2023

  Damen and Thales have signed contracts to design, build, and deliver four new anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigates for Belgium and the Netherlands.

• Air Warfare

  Northrop Grumman demonstrates deep-sensing platform at EDGE 23

  29th August 2023

  Northrop Grumman successfully showcased its Deep-Sensing and Targeting (DSaT) platform at the US Army's Experimental Demonstration Gateway Event 2023 (EDGE 23) event.

• Land Warfare

  Sentient demonstrates AI-powered ViDAR sensor for Australia

  5th October 2023

  During the test ViDAR was focusing on using advanced deep learning and computer vision technology to efficiently detect, locate, and track small targets in complex environments.

• Training

  US marines and sailors engage in advanced training during Kuwait bilateral exercise

  11th October 2023

  The training focuses on sustaining and enhancing military capabilities, emphasising bilateral collaboration and sharing of tactics between US and Kuwaiti forces.

• Land Warfare

  Australia sees inexplicably steep price rise for additional HIMARS

  21st August 2023

  Questions need to be asked at the steep inflation, in the order of a magnitude of 2.5, that the US is asking for HIMARS.

• Defence Notes

  US Army seeks 'fundamental transformation' to face future threats

  25th September 2023

  ‘The army is really undergoing its most fundamental transformation in 40 years. We are moving away from the system that we designed in the 80s’, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth has claimed,

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-8C Fire Scout (USA)

  Programme Background Timeline According to the Naval Air Systems Command, having first ordered the MQ-8B in 2009, the UAV has become a pillar of the ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Global Fast Sealift [USN]

  Background Requirements At Sea Air Space 2026, Hanwha Ocean and Gibbs and Cox displayed the Global Fast Sealift concept design. The vessel is intended as a ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawk [India]

  Background 2020 MoU On 25 February 2020, a letter of acceptance for 24 MH-60Rs, worth approximately $2.12 billion, was signed by India and the US in ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-25 Stingray (16-76) [USN]

  Background Initial requirements The programme looked different when it began. In 2013, the USN awarded four Preliminary Design Review (PDR) contracts to Boeing, General Atomics, ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The FVL-MS programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft utilised ...

• AEW&C

  E-2D [USA]

  Programme Background The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) is an all-weather, twin engine, carrier-based, Airborne Command, Control and Surveillance aircraft designed to extend task force defence ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [USN]

  Background Timeline As of April 2024, the USN had begun analysis for its CCA effort, with the initial effort focused on studying payloads, sensors and required ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-25 Stingray (10-15) [USN]

  Background Initial requirements The programme looked different when it began. In 2013, the USN awarded four Preliminary Design Review (PDR) contracts to Boeing, General Atomics, Lockheed ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-25 Stingray (1-9) [USN]

  Background Initial requirements The programme looked different when it began. In 2013, the USN awarded four Preliminary Design Review (PDR) contracts to Boeing, General Atomics, ...

• OPVs

  Hisar Class (1-2) [Turkey]

  Background Requirements The thoughts behind the acquisition of this type of OPV, which comes in a baseline and a convertible variant, is an OPV that ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (28-68) [USN]

  Background Requirement The MQ-4C Triton programme, developed under the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) programme, required an uncrewed system to provide persistent, broad-area intelligence, surveillance ...

• Military - USVs

  MUSV [USN]

  Background Requirements In March 2026, the US announced it would be replacing its Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC) programme with a Medium Uncrewed Surface Vessel ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) (TH-57 Replacement)

  Programme Background Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  New Coastal Ranger Commando Vessels [Norway]

  Programme Background Requirements According to Naval News, the Norwegian Coastal Ranger Commando is seeking to acquire an undisclosed number of new fast attack/interceptor craft. The ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS (BWUAS) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Goal The Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS (BWUAS) programme stems from the Military Sealift Command and Fleet Forces Command identifying, in 2018, a ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Anti-ship missiles

  Naval Strike Missile (NSM)

  The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is a subsonic, sea-skimming, anti-ship and land-attack missile. The original name was the Nytt sjømålsmissil, but this was later dropped ...

• Frigates

  FF(X) Frigate

  The FF(X) frigate is a vessel derived from Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HHI) National Security Cutter (NSC). It was designed in response to the cancellation of ...

• Land: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Low Band Transmitter

  The Low Band Transmitter-Antenna Group (LBT-AG), developed by Cobham, has been in production since 2005. The LBT is designed to protect strike aircraft, ships and ...

• Air-to-surface missiles, Anti-ship missiles

  JSM

  The Joint Strike Missile (JSM) is a multi-role version of the Naval Strike Missile. Norway funded the programme to develop and produce the JSM for the ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  MQ-8B Fire Scout

  The MQ-8B Fire Scout is a rotary-wing UAV that provides situational awareness and precision targeting support for the US Armed Forces. The MQ-8B Fire Scout, ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

  The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet was developed to perform naval strike missions for the USN. The primary mission for the F/A-18E/F is a strike fighter that ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  MQ-8C Fire Scout

  The MQ-8C is a newer version of the Fire Scout and is based on a Bell 407 commercial helicopter. It offers a greater range, endurance ...

• Frigates

  Independence Class (LCS)

  The USN’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) programme was originally envisaged to be 50 ships, which would provide a coastal platform that would take over from ...

• Destroyers

  Zumwalt Class

  The DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class is formed by a series of next-generation multi-role destroyers 21st century. They were designed to host the latest in sensors and weapons ...

• Frigates

  Hunter Class Guided Missile Frigate

  During Indo Pacific 2023, BAE Systems Australia unveiled a Guided Missile variant of the Hunter-class frigate (ASW). Compared to the baseline ASW configuration, the proposed ...

• Frigates

  Constellation Class (FFG)

  The USN has selected Fincantieri Marinette Marine to build up to ten frigates under the FFG(X) next-generation future guided-missile frigate programme. The new Constellation-class will replace ...

• OPVs

  Hisar Class

  Turkish Military Factory and Shipyard Management company ASFAT has built two Hisar-class OPVs at Istanbul Naval Shipyard for the Turkish Navy. Four more platforms are on order, but the ...

• Air: aerial targets

  GQM-163A Coyote SSST

  The GQM-163A Coyote Supersonic Sea Skimming Target (SSST) was developed for the USN to emulate two-stage anti-ship cruise missiles in support of air defence weapon/combat ...

• Trainer

  Saab 340 trainer

  The Saab 340 trainer aircraft is based on the Saab 340 regional airliner. It is used by the USN for pilot training. The aircraft replaced ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  SCOTT

  The Synthetic Cognition for Operational Team Training (SCOTT) system was developed for the USN to train teamwork and communication skills for E-2C flight crews interfacing ...