• Defence Helicopter

  Z-18A undergoes high-altitude testing

  8th January 2015

  Pictures of the new Z-18A troop-carrying helicopter undergoing high-altitude testing have emerged on the Chinese internet as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) looks for a …

• Defence Notes

  Cubic selected to enhance F-35 fighter jet ACTS

  7th January 2015

  Lockheed Martin Aeronautics has awarded Cubic Corporation a series of contracts for creating and adding enhancements to the Air Combat Training System (ACTS) of its …

• Digital Battlespace

  US Army focuses on sensor research for situational awareness

  7th January 2015

  US Army scientists and engineers are advancing sensor technology research to enhance the situational awareness of soldiers in the battlefield. The army reported the latest …

• Digital Battlespace

  Second BMD radar for Japan

  7th January 2015

  The US has deployed a second X-band Raytheon AN/TPY-2 radar system to Japan. The US DoD announced on 29 December that the radar, which is …

• Land Warfare

  Cubic receives Italian Army training award

  7th January 2015

  Cubic Defense Applications will provide equipment to enhance the Italian Army’s full spectrum training capacity under a $6.5 million follow-on option announced on 6 January. …

• Naval Warfare

  New Chinese supply ship now operating in disputed waters

  7th January 2015

  A new Chinese supply ship has sailed her maiden voyage to supply the city of Sansha and to help reinforce China’s presence in the disputed …

• Defence Helicopter

  Russia accelerates rotorcraft fleet renewal

  6th January 2015

  Around 135 new helicopters were delivered to the Russian military in 2014, as the country continues a wide-ranging modernisation of its rotorcraft fleet. The majority …

• Military Logistics

  K2 Energy wins electromagnetic rail gun contract

  6th January 2015

  The electromagnetic rail gun in development for the US Navy will be powered by an intermediate energy storage battery system to be supplied by K2 …

• Land Warfare

  Logos Technologies to continue motorcycle development

  6th January 2015

  Logos Technologies has received funding to continue development of the SilentHawk military motorcycle under a DARPA Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award announced …

• Land Warfare

  Taiwan advances CM32 8x8

  6th January 2015

  Taiwan has stated that 205 production variants of its CM32/CM33 8x8 Cloud Leopard armoured vehicle were completed by the end of 2014. Built by the …

• Land Warfare

  Nammo receives US military IDIQ M27 contract

  6th January 2015

  Nammo Talley will supply the M72 Light Assault Weapon (LAW) to the US military under a four-year indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract announced on …

• Military Logistics

  SNC awarded US Army MOTS follow-on contract

  5th January 2015

  Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) will supply five AN/TSQ-135 Mobile Tower Systems (MOTS) to the US Army under a $17 million follow-on Low Rate Initial Production …

• Land Warfare

  BAE wins US Army AMPV

  2nd January 2015

  The US Army’s Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) programme has gone to BAE Systems after a long fought campaign against rival General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS). …

• Military Logistics

  MQ-8C Fire Scout flies from US Navy destroyer

  30th December 2014

  The MQ-8C Fire Scout UAS has flown from the US Navy guided-missile destroyer, USS Jason Dunham, off the Virginia coast on 16 December, Northrop Grumman …

• Land Warfare

  General Dynamics to continue Saudi Abrams upgrades

  30th December 2014

  General Dynamics Land Systems will continue work to upgrade M1A1 and M1A2 tanks to the Saudi M1A2 (M1A2S) configuration for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  MQ-1 Gray Eagle [US Army]

  Background Required Quantity Although the US Army first envisioned a requirement for 132 MQ-1C Gray Eagles, the US Army's Army Acquisition Objective (AAO) was increased ...

• Main battle tanks

  NGCV: DLP

  Programme Background Requirement The DLP is one of five vehicle families being developed for the US Army's NGCV programme. Expanded to include five programmes in ...

• AGMV 1.1

  Programme Background The US Army has been seeking a lightweight, air-droppable, high mobility vehicle since as early as 2014, when it initiated its Ultra Light ...

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

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) [US Army]

  Background USMC First, Army Second In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial Resupply ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  AMPV [USA]

  Programme Background Platform Development The US Army initiated the AMPV programme to acquire a replacement for several variants of the M113 tracked APC, which has ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract [US Army]

  Programme Background As of January 2021, the US DoD had signed 15 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 2) [US Army]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was intended to ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 1) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker (Sergeant Stout) [USA]

  Programme Background As part of the Army Transformation Initiative the US DoD is fundamentally reorganising the structure of the US Army. As part of this all Infantry ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow On

  Programme Background In March 2019, Airbus stated that it expected orders from the US Army for between 12 and 15 UH-72A helicopters. In March 2020, ...

• Loitering munitions

  Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System (LMAMS) [US Army]

  Background First Contract In June 2011, the US awarded AeroVironment a $4.9 million series-production contract for the loitering munition, satisfying the US Army's Lethal Miniature ...

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

  Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) [Tranche 1] / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) (USA)

  Programme 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 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Switchblade 300 (USA)

  Programme Background AeroVironment has been providing the Switchblade 300 loitering munition to the US Army under the long-standing Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile Systems (LMAMS) programme ...

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

  Group 4/5 UAV [US Army]

  Background Request for Information (RFI) On 5 June 2024, the American DoD published an RfI with an original response date of 19 July 2024. The ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  US Army Maneuver Support Vessel Light (MSVL)

  Programme BackgroundThe Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) or MSV(L) contract was awarded by the US Army to Vigor in 2017 and are being built to replace ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army AVCATT PDSS

  L3Harris Technologies is the prime contractor for the US Army’s Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT) Post Deployment Software Support (PDSS) programme. L3Harris Technologies is ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army Flight School XXI OFT/RCTD

  L3Harris Technologies is a major subcontractor to CSC on the US Army’s Flight School XXI (FSXXI) programme. L3Harris Technologies has built or is under contract ...

• Maritime patrol

  US-2

  The ShinMaywa US-2 is an amphibious short take-off and landing aircraft used primarily by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) for SAR. 

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  OH-58 Kiowa

  The single-engine OH-58 Kiowa, derived from the Bell 206, entered US Army service in 1969 as a light observation helicopter. More than 2,200 were built for ...

• Towed guns

  M198

  The US Army developed the M198 155mm towed howitzer from 1969 to replace the M114 155mm howitzer. From 1978, 1,600 weapons were built by Rock ...

• Towed mortars

  M120/M120A1

  The M120/M120A1 120 mm Towed Mortar System is a US-built version of the Soltam K6 mortar that was accepted into US Army service in 1990.

• Light tanks

  M10 Booker

  The US Army awarded General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) a contract worth US$1.14 billion to supply 96 light tanks under the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) ...

• JPT

  Designed for military applications, the Joint Platform Tablet (JPT) features a rugged design, including a military-grade aluminium case, dual-core processor, 128GB removable hard drive and ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72A/B Lakota

  In 2006, the US Army selected a version of the medium-sized, twin-engine H145, designated the UH-72A Lakota,  to meet its requirement for a new Light ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  M1150 ABV

  The M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) project, launched by the USMC in 2002, is a joint programme to meet the requirements of both the US ...

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

  RQ-7 Shadow 200

  The Shadow 200, designated RQ-7B by the US Army, is flown by the army brigade combat teams and combat aviation brigades along with the UAV ...

• REBS

  The Rapidly Emplaced Bridge System (REBS) is a 13m dry-gap bridge. It was designed by GDELS to meet a US Army requirement to provide a ...

• Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  AN/PLQ-9 Thor-III

  Sierra Nevada’s AN/PLQ-9 Thor-III is the standard Counter Improvised Explosive Device (CIED) manpack system in service with the US Army and US Marine Corps (USMC). ...

• DSB

  WFEL was selected in 1996 to develop the M18 Dry Support Bridge (DSB) for the US Army. The company designed, manufactured and integrated the DSB ...

• Individual grenade launchers

  M320 GLM

  The M320 Grenade Launcher Module (GLM) is a further development of the HK AG36 (see separate entry) to meet a US Army requirement. The M320 ...