• Air Warfare

  US Air Force F-16 fitted with IVEWS approaches flight tests

  18th July 2024

  Trials conducted at the US Air Force J-PRIMES enabled the solution to reach the skies in a couple of weeks.

• Training

  US Navy contracts for EW training flight hours awarded

  19th July 2024

  The electronic warfare (EW) jets contract is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, with work scheduled to begin in August 2024 and completed in August 2029.

• Air Warfare

  RTX Raytheon to surge production of AIM-9X Block II missiles by nearly 80% in three years

  5th June 2025

  Currently manufacturing 1,400 AIM-9X Block II missiles annually, Raytheon plans to reach the mark of 2,500 per year by September 2028.

• Training

  What is preventing the US Pentagon from succeeding in multi-domain scenarios?

  28th October 2024

  Outstanding issues to be addressed include improving doctrine, increasing the number of joint exercises and better integrating capabilities across the services.

• Digital Battlespace

  BAE Systems gets go-ahead for second phase of mission communications programme

  3rd October 2024

  DARPA’s Mission-Integrated Network Control (MINC) programme was set up to develop an autonomous tactical network and enable critical data flow in contested environments.

• Land Warfare

  The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle continues its success as the new variant rolls out

  20th March 2025

  The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) is becoming the dominant platform in its class as it replaces most of the massive US Army and US Marine Corps (USMC) fleets of HMMWV 4x4s, colloquially known as the Humvee. Shephard dives deep into the JLTV programme background and analyses the latest variants and contracts, including the controversial production switch to AM General and the continued contracts continuing to head Oshkosh's way.

• Land Warfare

  Estonia takes delivery of six HIMARS

  1st May 2025

  Estonia has taken delivery of six Lockheed Martin High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) weapons. The delivery comes only a month after Australia received its first system and the company outlined plans to improve missiles fired from the system.

• Air Warfare

  Advanced Electronic Warfare prototype for Super Hornet passes design review

  6th December 2024

  The successful completion of this stage for the Advanced Electronic Warfare (ADVEW) prototype launches the next phase which includes government laboratory testing for compliance and to demonstrate system attributes.

• Air Warfare

  Ukraine’s fighter fleet boosted with France’s Mirage 2000s and extra Netherlands’ F-16s

  7th February 2025

  The first Dassault Mirage 2000 aircraft have finally been delivered to Ukraine, as confirmed by France’s defence minister on 6 February. They will join the F-16s already in service to bolster Ukrainian air defence.

• Land Warfare

  Canada unveils plans for mobile artillery

  27th May 2025

  Canada did deploy the US M109 155mm/39 cal tracked self-propelled artillery system as its only mobile weapon for many years but these were finally declared surplus in 2005.

• Land Warfare

  Dutch begin hunting for new vehicle for mechanised brigade

  26th May 2025

  The Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) is looking for an off-the-shelf platform already in the hands of its military for its Combat General Purpose Vehicle (CGPV) programme. This means a likely showdown between BAE Systems Hägglunds CV90 and FFG (Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft) ACSV G5.

• Naval Warfare

  R&S to supply German Sachsen ships with Kora EW and communications systems

  22nd October 2024

  The Sachsen-class (F124) frigates were designed for enhanced air defence with stealth features with the first entering service in 2003. The class is now undergoing a substantial upgrade.

• Naval Warfare

  Avalon 2025: Kongsberg confirms its first Australian missile factory

  31st March 2025

  The deal, which has been planned since August 2024, is part of an ongoing attempt to bolster Australia’s defences against the potential of Chinese aggression.

• Air Warfare

  Raytheon receives $590 million for Growler jammer

  6th December 2024

  In January 2020, Raytheon was awarded a $403 million System Demonstration Test Articles (SDTA) contract for the New Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) which is designed for use on Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions

  6th May 2025

  Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  F-15EX - USAF (Announced)

  Programme Background The F-15EX will be based on the 2-seat F-15QA (Qatar) configuration upgraded with USAF-only capabilities, including the Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survivability ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-15EX - USAF (Contracted)

  Programme Background USAF is looking to procure 144 F-15EX fighter aircraft, including two RDTE configurations and six low-rate initial production aircraft. F-15EX will replace ageing ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-Y Tanker Aircraft (USA)

  Programme Background The USAF is replacing its fleet of 396 KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft, built in the 1950s and 60s, and 59 KC-10 Extenders, which entered service ...

• AEW&C

  E-7A Wedgetail (USA - Forecast)

  Programme Background Speaking on 21 September 2021 during the annual Air Force Association (AFA) Meeting in Washington DC, USAF Chief of Staff Gen Charles Brown ...

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

  Loyal Wingman (Forecast) [Sweden]

  Programme Background Konceptet Framtidens Stridsflyg (KFS) In May 2024, Saab revealed the initial details of Sweden's Konceptet Framtidens Stridsflyg (KFS), translating to a future fighter aircraft ...

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

  Teal 2 [USAF]

  Programme Background On 8 August 2023, Teal Drones announced it had received a $2.6 million deal for 172 Teal 2 UAVs, spare parts and training from ...

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

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) (Increment 2) [USAF]

  Background Requirements The baseline requirements for Increment 2 of the CCA effort are similar to Increment 1, which is covered in a separate entry on Defence ...

• ISR/special mission

  P-1 EW [Japan]

  Programme Background Requirement Japan has operated the EP-3, a COMINT/SIGINT/ELINT configuration of the P-3 Orion, since 1993. As of 2024, the Japanese MoD maintains that these aircraft ...

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

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) (Increment 1) [USAF]

  Background Requirements The programme's requirements are based on the USAF's belief that it requires mass to compete effectively with an adversary in symmetrical warfare. However, ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  MH-139 (UH-1N Huey Replacement)

  Other bidders included Sikorsky with HH-60U offer and Sierra Nevada with upgrading offer of UH-60As to UH-60L configuration.In February 2018, Leonardo filed a protest to ...

• AEW&C

  E-7A Wedgetail (1-2) [USA]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that this entry covers the two rapid-prototype E-7 aircraft, whose contract was signed in August 2024. A second programme entry covers the ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-15QA Qatar

  Programme BackgroundOn 17 November 2016, the US State Department announced that it has approved a possible FMS of 72 F-15QA aircraft to Qatar for an ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | P-1 EW [Japan]

  Japan is advancing its electronic warfare (EW) capabilities through the development of an EW version of the domestically produced Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft. The ...

• Data links

  Data links | P-1 EW [Japan]

  Japan is advancing its electronic warfare (EW) capabilities through the development of an EW version of the domestically produced Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft. The ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | P-1 EW [Japan]

  Japan is advancing its electronic warfare (EW) capabilities through the development of an EW version of the domestically produced Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft. The ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: maintenance simulators

  F-22 Training Devices

  TRU Simulation + Training F-22 MTD programme includes three training devices that provide USAF students at Sheppard AFB, Texas, with maintenance training on landing gear, ...

• EW Training Support System (Battlelab)

  EW Training Support System is a Training & Simulation Center a leading-edge training facility dedicated to teaching and training personnel in the Electronic Warfare field. ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  EX-3 Revenant

  The EX-3 Revenant is a developmental fixed-wing aircraft being developed by Exosonic. It is a Mach 1.2 supersonic UAV designed to be a 5th-generation representative, modular, autonomous ...

• Air: transport/tanker simulators

  USAF KC-135 ATS

  The KC-135 Aircrew Training System (ATS) programme delivers initial qualification, requalification, continuation and upgrades training for USAF KC-135 aircrews, including pilots, co-pilots and boom operators. ...

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  T-1 Jayhawk

  FlightSafety operates and maintains T-1 training devices as part of its CLS contract. Air Education and Training Command uses these high-fidelity simulators and part-task trainers ...

• Training Services

  GFD (Gesellschaft für Flugzieldarstellung) is an Airbus subsidiary providing target demonstration, live EW training, forward air controller training, test and evaluation flights. GFD trains German ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  Air Combat Training

  Boeing has experience in delivering training for fixed-wing air combat platforms including F-15C/E, F-16, F/A-18E/F, EA-18G, F-22 and MV/CV-22.

• EW test systems

  JTE

  The Joint Threat Emitter (JTE) is a multi-threat, high-fidelity simulator with realistic ERP levels, which simulates single- and double-digit surface-to-air and anti-aircraft artillery radar systems. ...

• ISR/special mission

  EC-130H Compass Call

  The EC-130H is an EW aircraft based on the modified C-130H transport aircraft. It is used by the USAF to disrupt enemy command and control communications ...

• ISR/special mission

  EA-37B Compass Call

  The EA-37B (also known as EC-37B) is a Compass Call EW aircraft based on the commercial G550 platform. The USAF is now transitioning the EW capabilities previously ...

• Trainer

  T-38 Talon

  Developed by Northrop Grumman, the T-38 Talon is an advanced trainer aircraft introduced into service in 1961. The T-38 has the same basic airframe as ...

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  T-38C Talon

  FlightSafety supports nearly 40 T-38 training devices as part of its contract for logistics support for the T-38. The T-38C is a converted T-38A/B that ...

• EW test systems

  ELT A62

  ELT A62 product family deals with multiple sensors of EW equipment suites. ELT A62 is a training system for EW personnel that can be sea-, ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  JPRWRS

  The Joint Portable Radar Warning Receiver Stimulator (JPRWRS) has been developed as a method of providing fixed- and rotary-wing aircrews with a low-cost, open-air threat ...

• Subsystems: software, Subsystems: visual

  SimuSphere HD

  SimuSphere HD immerses fast jet pilots in a virtual training environment claimed to be equivalent to real-world flying missions. As part of L3Harris Technologies' HD ...