• Naval Warfare

  F-110 frigate passes critical design review

  28th June 2022

  All five planned F-110 frigates will be delivered by 2032.

• Defence Notes

  Farnborough 2022: Mexican aerospace bounces back after COVID-19 but military aviation procurement remains sluggish

  26th July 2022

  Following a damaging period of decreased exports amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mexican aerospace industry has begun to bounce back with a particular focus on UAV procurement.

• Digital Battlespace

  How the Five Eyes militaries are discovering the power of the network (podcast)

  8th July 2022

  In this bonus episode of the Shephard Defence Podcast, we bring you the second episode from the latest series of the Five Eyes Connectivity podcast.

• Air Warfare

  Farnborough 2022: PBS confirms four customers for its new turbojet engine

  27th July 2022

  Shephard met PBS Velka Bites at the Farnborough International Airshow to discuss the unveiling of its new turbojet engine and future developments.

• Training

  RCN trains crews for paradigm shift as Arctic operations beckon

  29th July 2022

  The Royal Canadian Navy is enhancing simulator infrastructure at its main Pacific training facility, with an emphasis on upgrading projectors and introducing VR technology.

• Training

  Vrgineers draws on pilot experience to develop mixed reality headset

  22nd June 2022

  The new Vrgineers VR/MR pilot training headset has a proprietary eye-tracking system for behavioural analysis and was designed for enhanced pilot training.

• Land Warfare

  FAMOUS2 project receives €95 million to advance development of next-generation ground vehicles

  27th July 2022

  Participants in the FAMOUS2 consortium are building on the ongoing EDIDP 2020 FAMOUS project, with the aim of progressing with the development of the next generation of ground vehicles and the upgrade of existing land platforms.

• Land Warfare

  Low artillery ammunition stockpiles threaten British Army readiness

  8th July 2022

  Low artillery ammunition reserves could be a pressing concern in the short term for the British Army, especially if it finds itself engaged in intense exchanges of fire similar to those seen in Ukraine.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy publishes new plan for more than 350 crewed ships and submarines by 2045

  28th July 2022

  The US Navy is pushing for a fleet of over 350 crewed ships and submarines and around 150 large USVs and UUVs under the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm Mike Gilday's Navigation Plan 2022.

• Digital Battlespace

  US and Canadian navies to gain planar array antennas for Cooperative Engagement Capability

  11th July 2022

  The Cooperative Engagement Capability will blend data from shipborne, airborne and land-based radars into a common real-time picture for the USN and the Royal Canadian Navy.

• Air Warfare

  Farnborough 2022: Lockheed Martin delivers LANCE airborne directed-energy weapon to US Air Force Research Laboratory

  18th July 2022

  The new LANCE airborne directed-energy weapon features far better SWaP characteristics than a solution Lockheed Martin provided for the US Army five years ago.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Fire Scout demonstration reveals rapid mine countermeasures benefits

  11th July 2022

  The USN has conducted tests of a prototype airborne mine countermeasures system aboard the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter.

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Navy to extend RFA Argus service life beyond 2030, retaining medical capabilities

  29th June 2022

  Medical facilities aboard RFA Argus will eventually be replaced by a capability hosted on the future Multi Role Support Ships (MRSS).

• Land Warfare

  Farnborough 2022: Raytheon UK to establish laser integration centre in Scotland

  21st July 2022

  The Livingston centre will support British directed energy capabilities and will allow Raytheon UK to scale up production of its existing C-UAS systems.

• Training

  CAE to support USAF multi-domain training

  5th July 2022

  A prototype contract awarded to CAE USA will see the development of software that will replicate capabilities and threats for virtual and live training.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• 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 ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Project Proteus [UK]

  Project Proteus is an RN and Leonardo effort to design and develop an uncrewed helicopter demonstrator that could provide an innovative alternative to existing crewed ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Project Proteus [UK]

  Project Proteus is an RN and Leonardo effort to design and develop an uncrewed helicopter demonstrator that could provide an innovative alternative to existing crewed ...

• Tiltrotors

  V-22 Osprey [Japan]

  Programme Background Procurement Contracts The Japanese government is the first export customer of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, having ordered 17 helicopters from the US across ...

• Loitering munitions

  Launched Effects-Short Range (LE-SR) [US Army]

  Background Goal The Army sees LE-SR as a family of systems consisting of an air vehicle, effects payload, mission system applications, and associated support equipment ...

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  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 ...

• Military UAS - small

  Heavy Lift Capability (UASHLC) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirement & Objective The RN identified a requirement to acquire an RPAS to transport cargo and supplies between ships and personnel. When mature, it ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawk (Saudi Arabia)

  The sale is aimed at improving Saudi Arabia’s capability to meet current and future threats from enemy weapon systems, provide the capability to identify, engage ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Data links

  Data links | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Korean Future Vertical Lift (KFVL)

  Unveiled at KADEX 2024, the Korean Future Vertical Lift (KFVL) is a family of uncrewed helicopters from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). Despite being in the ...

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

  Aerosonde Mk 4.8 HQ FTUAS

  From the Texton family of Aerosonde UAS, the Aerosonde Mk 4.8 Hybrid Quad (HQ) FTUAS is a tactical drone purpose-built to meet the US Army's Future Vertical Lift ...

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

  HQ-60

  Similarly to other platforms in the L3 Technologies Hybrid Quadrotor (HQ) and Fixed-Wing Rotator family (see separate entries) of VTOL fixed-wing UAVs, the HQ-60 has ...

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

  V-247 Vigilant

  The V-247 Vigilant is a tiltrotor UAV from Bell. Officially introduced in 2016, it features an open modular architecture and can host several payloads. These include ...

• Air: Displays

  F-15 Replacement Vertical Situation Display

  BAE Systems Replacement Vertical Situation Display (RVSD) replaces the legacy VSD units on F-15E aircraft. The AMLCD display offers a larger display size and is compatible ...

• Baby Shark 260

  The Foxtech Baby Shark 260 is a fixed-wing VTOL UAV for commercial and civil operations, which has four spar-mounted rotors to provide vertical lift, a pusher ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  X-Sight

  Elbit X-Sight is a developmental helmet-mounted display system designed for helicopters. According to the manufacturer, it will offer a high field of view and colour binocular ...

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

  H6 Poseidon

  Manufactured by Swarmly, the H6 Poseidon is a fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV. The second largest member of the Poseidon family, the vertical lift is provided through ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Proteus

  Proteus is a technology demonstrator that Leonardo is developing in collaboration with the UK MoD's Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S;) Future Capabilities Group and the ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Bell 360 Invictus

  The Bell 360 Invictus is the company's prototype for the US Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) programme.  The helicopter features retractable weapon bays, two ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Veloce-15

  The ST Engineering Veloce-15 (V-15) is a hybrid fixed-wing UAV with four rotors for vertical lift and a tail-mounted two-bladed pusher propeller for horizontal propulsion.  ...

• Military UGVs

  Avenger

  In January 2017, Med-Eng announced the launch of a new bomb disposal and tactical robot, called the Avenger, at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas. ...

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

  Ultra

  The Ultra UAV, or HCMC, is a fixed-wing twin-engined cargo-carrying platform manufactured by Windracers. The platform is mainly aimed at the commercial market and has conducted trials ...

• Nimbus 1800

  Foxtech's Nimbus 1800 is a tri-copter, lightweight, fixed-wing VTOL UAV designed for civilian and commercial mapping and inspection roles. It has a 2.8kg weight without ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Loong 2

  The Loong 2 is a rotary-wing mini-UAV manufactured by LoongUAV. Designed for ISR missions, the UAV features a universal plug-and-play standardised interface, meaning a lot of different ...