• Defence Notes

  Confident MDA accelerates hypersonic defence effort

  17th February 2021

  Glide Phase Interceptor could be fielded by the end of this decade as a DoD programme of record, if industry response is positive.

• Air Warfare

  DoD places largest LRASM order

  25th February 2021

  FMS customers will be among the recipients of the AGM-158C missile.

• Land Warfare

  FN Herstal launches new ballistic calculator

  17th February 2021

  FN Elity is designed to be fitted on any squad or sniper team weapon.

• Air Warfare

  Polish F-35A infrastructure may need more attention as F-16 upgrade looms

  11th March 2021

  Further airbase upgrades may be needed to accommodate the F-35 in Poland, while plans are solidifying to enhance the country’s fleet of 48 F-16 aircraft.

• Air Warfare

  PBS presents fuel-lubricated jet engine for UAV and UCAV (sponsored)

  19th February 2021

  Prvni brnenska strojirna Velka Bites (PBS), an EASA certificated aerospace manufacturer from the Czech Republic, is launching new high-performance jet engines. Last year, PBS delivered their 1,000th PBS TJ100 turbojet engine and are now adapting to the disposable applications market‘s demands. To do this, they are launching a fuel lubricated version of the highly reliable, world-proven jet engine PBS TJ100, which has the added benefit of being lighter in weight and cheaper to buy.

• Defence Helicopter

  Israel enhances Seahawk sensors and weapons suite

  27th January 2021

  SH-60Fs are expected to operate from Sa’ar 6 corvettes with Elta ELM-family maritime radar and other classified sensors, as well as Spike missile variants.

• Air Warfare

  DARPA lines up LongShot

  10th February 2021

  If LongShot reaches fruition, it will provide the USAF with an alternative means of generating combat capability.

• Digital Battlespace

  Slovenia picks Type 163 laser target designator

  22nd January 2021

  Balkan republic becomes 23rd country to order high-energy target designator from Leonardo.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  IDEX 2021: Milanion displays UGV with loitering munition and stabilised RWS

  22nd February 2021

  The AGEMA mission support UGV was shown with the Warble Fly loitering munition from Poland and the Australian-made R400S-Mk2 RWS.

• Defence Notes

  V4 member states plan more joint procurement

  1st March 2021

  Just as they previously pooled their military resources into a common EU Battlegroup, the four Visegrad Group member states aim to expand on their maiden common procurement programme.

• Naval Warfare

  Fincantieri hits two landmarks in build of Al Zubarah corvettes for Qatar

  16th February 2021

  The vessels were ordered as part of a broader EUR4 billion ($4.67 billion) naval package awarded by Qatar to Fincantieri in June 2016.

• Naval Warfare

  First Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyer 44% complete as USN eyes future DDG(X) requirements

  14th January 2021

  As the USN begins to firm up its specifications for the DDG(X) platform, the final variant of the venerable Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyers marks the beginning of the end for one of the service’s most successful platforms.

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2021: Arquus seeks broader interest in Hornet

  23rd February 2021

  A new business unit within Arquus is tasked with finding export customers for the Hornet RCWS, which is already installed on French armoured vehicles.

• Land Warfare

  'Deplorable' AFV programmes leave British Army at risk from peer adversaries, Defence Committee warns

  16th March 2021

  Released just before the first part of the Integrated Review is unveiled on 16 March, the latest House of Commons Defence Committee report highlighted obsolescence in the British Army armoured vehicle fleet and warned that the service is at serious risk of being outmatched by its most challenging peer adversaries.

• Land Warfare

  Land Warfare magazine: squad-level load carriage, MBT modernisation and more

  19th February 2021

  Read the latest edition of Land Warfare for free in our app or on your desktop.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• OPVs

  Kingston Class Replacement [Canada]

  Programme Background Requirements Under the second pillar of its shipbuilding strategy, Canada is seeking to procure an undisclosed number of small vessels (below 1000t). Part ...

• CANSOFCOM Next Generation Fighting Vehicles [Canada]

  Several platforms are known to have been proposed for the NGFV programme. In 2015, it was reported that General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada (GDLS-C) ...

• 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 ...

• Destroyers

  Type 83 Future Air Defence System (FADS) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirements The Daring-class (Type 45) consists of six ships, although the original plan was to have 12 destroyers. This was cut to eight in ...

• Destroyers

  Next-Generation Large Surface Combatants (LSC) - DDG(X) [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy (USN) is acknowledging a need to move away from the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer design, which is slowly outgrowing. Flight III ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Data links

  Data links | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Destroyers

  Sejong the Great Class (KDX-III) Batch 2 (1-3) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Requirements The Sejong the Great class (KDX-III) Batch 2 will consist of three improved Sejong the Great-class (KDX-III) batch 1 guided-missile destroyers, which ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Landing Platform Docks [India]

  Programme Background Requirements The LPD tender, although more akin to an LHD, specifies that the quartet of ships must be built within India, although collaboration ...

• Minehunters

  Mine Countermeasure Vessel [India]

  Programme Background Requirements In August 2023, the Indian MoD issued a new Request for Information (RfI) for the procurement of 12 Mine Countermeasures (MCM) Vessels. The ...

• Transport

  C-27J [Azerbaijan]

  Programme Background The Azerbaijani Air Force signed a contract with Leonardo in June 2023 to procure the C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft. This move is ...

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

  MQ-9B (Tri-Service) [India]

  Programme Background Inception & The Indian Navy In 2016, reports suggested India was looking to acquire the MQ-9A Reaper. The two parties developed this requirement, and in June ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Naval guns, Land: RWS

  DragonFire

  Dragonfire is a new laser weapon system built for the UK MoD, receiving £30 million of funding in early 2017. The design of the gun ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  DroneDefender

  DroneDefender is a directed-energy UAS countermeasure that disrupts the adversary's control of the aircraft, neutralising it so that no remote action (including detonation) can occur, ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  MEHEL 2.0

  The Mobile Expeditionary High-Energy Laser (MEHEL) is a C-UAS-capable vehicle that employs directed energy to neutralise targets. MEHEL 2.0 was first seen at AUSA 2016, ...

• Destroyers

  Flight III Destroyer

  During Indo Pacific 2023, Navantia Australia unveiled a 10200t destroyer design. Dubbed as Flight III Destroyer, the Spanish shipbuilder is pitching the ship for the ...

• ISR/special mission

  AC-130J

  The AC-130J 'Ghostrider' is a fifth-generation gunship manufactured by Lockheed Martin to replace the AC-130U/W gunships for the USAF deployed in 2019. The Ghostrider is a highly modified C-130J ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Bushmaster ePMV

  The electric Protected Mobility Vehicle (ePMV), also known as the 'electric Bushmaster,' is a prototype 4x4 armoured vehicle unveiled at the Chief of Army Symposium in ...

• Naval guns

  HELIOS

  HELIOS (High-Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-Dazzler with Surveillance) is a high-energy weapon system developed by Lockheed Martin. According to the producer, the system is specially ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range, Self-propelled missile systems

  Multi-Mission Launcher

  The Multi-Mission Launcher (MML) was developed by the U.S. Army's Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) as part of the Indirect Fire ...

• Land: RWS

  R800

  The R800 is a RWS developed by EOS for integration on heavy armoured vehicle platforms. It is designed to offer the capabilities of a medium ...

• Frigates

  Omega

  At IndoDefence 2018, Damen unveiled a 6000t Omega frigate design aimed at the Indonesian Navy's future frigate procurement. The Omega frigate design builds on the MKS180 ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  Miysis DIRCM

  Leonardo’s Miysis Directed Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) system provides high power, all aspect protection against modern and legacy Infrared Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (IR MANPADS) for ...

• Corvettes

  MEKO A210

  During Indo Pacific 2023, TKMS unveiled the MEKO A210 corvette. According to the manufacturer, the ship is an evolution of the existing MEKO A200 design. ...

• OPVs

  PPA/MultiPurpose Combat Ship (MPCS) EVO

  The PPA/MultiPurpose Combat Ship (MPCS) EVO is an enhanced version of the Thaon di Revel-class PPAs unveiled at Euronaval 2024. The PPA/MPCS EVO retains the core platform ...

• Man-portable missile systems

  Igla/SA-18

  The 9K38 Igla (US DoD designation SA-18, NATO reporting name Grouse ) IR-homing MANPADS was developed by KBM and entered service in 1983 to meet the requirements ...

• Counter-UAS systems, Land: air defence radar

  Retinar FAR-AD Drone Detection Radar

  Retinar FAR-AD Drone Detection Radar, developed by Meteksan Defence, is a radar system to enable security against mini/micro unmanned aerial vehicles. Retinar FAR-AD can automatically ...