• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA 2013: Apache receives new day sensor

  23rd October 2013

  The first US Army aviation Apache battalion equipped with a fully-upgraded Arrowhead targeting system is expected to be fielded in mid-2017 depending on what is …

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2013: ST Kinetics secures ammo contracts

  23rd October 2013

  ST Kinetics has secured a total of more than $30 million of international orders for its 40mm ammunition. The company announced at the AUSA exhibition …

• Land Warfare

  Trophy APS tested on LAV III armoured vehicle

  23rd October 2013

  The Trophy Active Protection System (APS) by DRS and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has completed a live fire testing programme on the General Dynamics Land …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  USAF finalises 2013 Reaper order

  23rd October 2013

  The USAF is to purchase 24 MQ-9 Block 5 Reaper aircraft under a fiscal year 2013 agreement with GA-ASI announced on 18 October. The production …

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2013: BAE displays AMPV offering

  22nd October 2013

  A new tracked vehicle has been put on display at AUSA by BAE Systems that is undergoing testing for the US Armoured Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) …

• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA 2013: Bell aiming for early introduction of V-280

  22nd October 2013

  Bell Helicopter believes the technological capacity exists to introduce the US military’s next-generation rotorcraft sooner than the currently planned 2035 timeframe. Speaking to reporters at …

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2013: ArmorSource advances helmet order

  22nd October 2013

  US company ArmorSource is expecting to deliver the first 1000 test article samples of 375,000 helmets ordered by the US Defense Logistics Agency by 21 …

• Defence Notes

  ANSF survives critical fighting season in security lead

  22nd October 2013

  It has been a critical year in the transition of security control to Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) as Afghanistan prepares for the withdrawal of …

• Military Logistics

  AUSA 2013: US-Afghanistan retrograde on track

  22nd October 2013

  At least $17 billion of US equipment in Afghanistan will need to be extracted by the end of 2014, it has emerged. Speaking at the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Lockheed Martin to continue PTDS support

  22nd October 2013

  The Persistent Threat Detection Systems (PTDS) in use with the US Army in Afghanistan will continue to be operated and supported by Lockheed Martin under …

• Land Warfare

  Excalibur Ib continues to find its target

  22nd October 2013

  Excalibur Ib all up rounds have demonstrated ‘exceptional’ accuracy during 84 firings of the precision-guided weapon during testing at Yuma Proving Ground. Raytheon reported that …

• Military Logistics

  Two C-130J Super Hercules on order for Saudi Arabia

  22nd October 2013

  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will receive two of a potential 25 C-130J Super Hercules airlifters under a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) with the US …

• Defence Helicopter

  Thales wins ROKN AW159 dipping sonar contract

  22nd October 2013

  Thales is to supply the Compact Flash Sonics dipping sonar for the Republic of Korea Navy's new AW159 maritime operations helicopter under a new contract …

• Digital Battlespace

  AUSA 2013: Field and forget sensors showcased

  21st October 2013

  Lockheed Martin used AUSA to release more details on its Self-Powered Ad-hoc Network (SPAN) system of integrated ‘field-and-forget’ sensors. Designed to provide alerts for the …

• Defence Notes

  AUSA 2013: Sequestration hits US Army readiness

  21st October 2013

  The impact of sequestration on training means that only two US Army Brigade Combat Teams are ready for deployment. Speaking at the AUSA exhibition, Gen …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams [Poland]

  Background Requirement Since the early 2010s, Poland has wanted to upgrade its Soviet-era tank fleet due to modernisation requirements, the need to increase interoperability with NATO ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - micro

  Drone40 (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background In August 2022, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a think tank, held a podcast with Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, in which ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel - Medium (Project Land 8710 Phase 1A) [Australia]

  Background Requirements Australia has set out requirements for a fleet of up to 18 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels - Medium (LMV-M) with the release of a ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Land 400 Phase 2 - Boxer CRV [Australia]

  Programme Background History The Land 400 Phase 2 programme will procure a replacement for the ASLAV, a derivative of the General Dynamics Land Systems Light Armoured Vehicle ...

• Main battle tanks

  Viatura Blindada de Combate-Carro de Combate (VBC-CC) [Brazil]

  Programme Background Several key technical requirements have been outlined by the Brazilian MoD. Among the most important are that the platform should weigh less than ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A4 [Czech Republic]

  Background  The Czech Republic currently operates a small fleet of T-72s, which, while undergoing upgrades and life extension programmes, are increasingly obsolete. In October 2022, ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  Second Hand SSNs [Australia]

  Programme background Timeline In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Chios class LST replacement [Greece]

  Background Requirements The Hellenic Navy’s Chios-class tank landing ship platforms have been in service for almost 30 years. Shephard estimates they will start reaching their out-of-service date (OSD) ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  HIMARS (Batch 2) [Australia]

  Programme background Prior to selecting HIMARS in January 2023, Australia did not operate an MLRS system. However, the effectiveness of Ukrainian HIMARS convinced the Australian government ...

• Medium UGVs

  Mission Master (RPV Sprial 2) [UK]

  Background First announced in April 2017 and referred to in early MOD documents as the ‘last mile resupply’ initiative, the British Army is reportedly evaluating ...

• Military - USVs

  Bluebottle USV (16-55) [Australia]

  Programme Background Timeline The RAN purchased a number of the 6.8m-long Bluebottles, including five under an A$4.9 million ($3.3 million) contract signed in November 2022. ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Project Land 400 Phase 3 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement: 2015 RfI The Land 400 Phase 3 programme will procure a new tracked IFV to replace the Australian Army's legacy fleet of ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Project Air 7003 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Carl-Gustaf M3

  The Carl-Gustaf M3 is the third generation of the 84mm shoulder-fired recoilless antitank gun, first fielded by the Swedish Army in 1946. Since then, it ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120mm KE DM63 / DM53 A1 Tank Ammunition

  The 120mm kinetic energy tank ammunition is manufactured by Rheinmetall. There are several variations of the ammunition, including the DM63, which can be fired from ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120MM HEAT-TP F1A

  Franco-German KNDS-Nexter produce the 120mm High-Explosive Anti-Tank Training-Purpose F1A (HEAT-TP F1A) round to enable reduced-cost training for Main Battle Tank crews. 

• Main battle tanks

  M1/M1A1 Abrams

  The 105mm-armed M1 Abrams tracked MBT was introduced into US Army service in 1980 as a replacement for the 105mm-armed M60 MBT. In April 1991, ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120mm PELE Tank Ammunition

  The 120mm Penetrator with Enhanced Lateral Effect (PELE) tank ammunition is an inert round produced by Rheinmetall. It is suitable for use against semi-hard targets ...

• Light mortars

  60mm Mortar Ammunition

  US-based LD Systems' 60mm Mortar ammunition fulfils the NATO standard for lightweight mortar ammunition.

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  120mm L55A1

  The 120mm L55A1 is a smoothbore high-pressure gun based on the L55 tank gun. The L55A1 has been qualified and in service since 2019. It ...

• Naval: RF/IR/acoustic decoys

  Nulka

  The Nulka is an active anti-ship missile decoy originally conceived in Australia, and developed under a joint Australian-US programme. BAE Systems Australia is prime contractor, while ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  120mm L55 Tank Gun

  The 120mm L55 is a smoothbore tank gun produced by Rheinmetall. It is designed for use on the Leopard main battle tank, to which it ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP)

  The M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) is a 120mm tank round developed by Northrop Grumman Defence Systems. Various customers, including Bahrain, Israel, and the US, use the tank ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3

  The M1A2 System Enhancement Package 3 (M1A2 SEPv3, also known as M1A2C) is the latest production-standard variant of the Abrams MBT. Designed primarily to address ...

• Land: RWS

  R400 Slinger

  The R400 Slinger is a counter-uncrewed aerial system (C-UAS) remote weapon system (RWS) being developed in Australia. The development is a response to growing international ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition

  The Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition (NGVA) is a family of ammunition being developed by the US Army's Armaments Center and manufactured by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  CVTESS

  Saab's Combat Vehicle Tactical Engagement Simulation System (CVTESS) is a laser-based simulator which supports every version of the Abrams Main Battle Tank and the Bradley ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  SSN AUKUS

  The SSN-AUKUS will be the submarine design resulting from the AUKUS trilateral pact between Australia, the US and the UK. Expected to incorporate technology from ...