• Land Warfare

  Lithuania increases ground capability and spending in a high-threat environment

  9th January 2026

  It has been more than two decades since Lithuania joined the EU and NATO, which followed the country’s independence from the USSR almost 15 years before that. The country is now in the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine war with air incursions from Russian ally Belarus.

• Land Warfare

  “No single technology is enough”: why an integrated approach to uncrewed warfare is essential

  16th July 2026

  In Conversation… Ahmet Akyol, CEO of ASELSAN, talks to Shephard’s Gerrard Cowan about how the rapid evolution of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) is transforming the battlespace, with militaries focused on both deploying these platforms to maximum effect and developing the defensive systems needed to counter them.

• Air Warfare

  FIA 2026: Tekever targets British Army’s Project Nyx with hydraulic-powered AR6 drone

  23rd July 2026

  As Tekever positions its newly revealed UK-sovereign, autonomous heavy-lift drone family for the British Army's Project Nyx, the company is also eyeing an international future for the capability.

• Air Warfare

  Proteus: Forging the future of autonomous rotorcraft

  15th July 2026

  As the home of British helicopters, Leonardo has worked with the UK Ministry of Defence for over a decade to advance technologies underpinning uncrewed rotorcraft. Today, in partnership with UK Defence Innovation and the Royal Navy, Leonardo is spearheading the next step in that journey: from remotely piloted technologies to fully autonomous systems.

• Land Warfare

  Australia invests $1.4 billion in additional AMRAAM buy

  4th July 2025

  Some of the missiles ordered can be used on the F/A-18F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler and the F35-A Lightning.

• Land Warfare

  Axe swings on US Army procurements

  6th May 2025

  The US Army was undergoing a large refresh of its land vehicles but this seems to have come to a whiplash stop. Procurements have been reduced, legacy vehicles and systems are on the chopping block and even the number of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) is under threat.

• Naval Warfare

  Funding for the future US Navy Trump-class battleship sparks controversy in Congress

  26th June 2026

  Lawmakers question the US Navy’s proposed $2 billion investment in the Trump-class battleship as concerns over cost, technology maturity and operational relevance fuel growing bipartisan scrutiny on Capitol Hill.

• Land Warfare

  GDLS is “on track and on schedule” to deliver the first XM30 prototypes in July

  18th May 2026

  In an exclusive interview with Shephard, General Dynamics Land Systems’ director of US strategy and growth disclosed details of the company’s XM30 Wolf design.

• Air Warfare

  Anduril marks new milestones with YFQ-44A flight tests as USAF plans further demos

  4th March 2026

  A production decision on Increment 1 of the CCA Programme is due to be made by the end of the year, with further demonstrations building on F-22 Raptor and MQ-20 Avenger teaming flight tests.

• Land Warfare

  Land forces review: Tanks, trucks and IFVs dominate but woes remain for Ajax

  29th January 2026

  This year has begun with main battle tanks taking the lead while orders for large logistics and support vehicles continued from last year. Additionally, two of the British Army’s most significant contracted vehicle programmes, Ajax reconnaissance vehicle and Challenger 3 tank, continued to make news in January.

• Land Warfare

  The science of soldier safety: How Team Wendy Is reinventing the modern military helmet

  8th June 2026

  When soldiers head into the field, the helmet on their head can mean the difference between life and death. But while helmets may look simple from the outside, the technology inside them is anything but. Few companies illustrate this better than Team Wendy, whose newest bump helmet — the RECON™ Tactical — shows just how far modern head protection has come.

• Air Warfare

  UK E-7 Wedgetail delay down to a “technology issue”, as MoD grapples with slipping timelines

  18th March 2026

  The first of three E-7 Wedgetail aircraft, originally ordered in 2019, is now expected to be delivered to the RAF this year after multiple “difficulties”.

• Land Warfare

  DVD2026: Connected for Combat

  5th June 2026

  As the land equipment sector prepares for the premier biennial event at UTAC Millbrook on 16 and 17 September 2026, the narrative for this year’s exhibition has officially been set: Connected for Combat - Aligning People, Systems and Decisions.

• Naval Warfare

  From the seas to the web: the changing shape of UK defence in Southeast Asia

  28th July 2026

  As his final engagement before leaving his post as the head of the British defence staff for Southeast Asia and defence adviser to Singapore, Brigadier Eddie Maskell-Pedersen spoke with Shephard about maritime security, cyber cooperation and long-term partnerships.

• Air Warfare

  Denmark bolsters Arctic security with $4.2 billion spend, procures 16 additional F-35s

  14th October 2025

  While the F-35s will help strengthen Denmark’s NATO contribution, other equipment such as a maritime patrol aircraft and additional drones were listed to further boost its Arctic defence capabilities.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Warmate (2017) [Poland]

  Background Order In November 2017, Poland ordered 100 sets of Warmate loitering munitions, each consisting of ten platforms, for a reported 100 million Polish Zloty ($26.49 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker (Sergeant Stout) [USA]

  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 Brigade ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Combat General Purpose Vehicle [Netherlands]

  Programme Background The Dutch military is currently modernising its armoured vehicle fleet. The Combat General Purpose Vehicle (CGPV) programme is one of several procurement programmes currently ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BvS10 [Austria]

  Background As part of a government-to-government arrangement with Sweden, Austria signed an EUR 85 million ($94.59 million) contract with BAE Systems Hägglunds for the delivery ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (December 2024) [USA]

  Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June 2020. ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (November 2025) [USA]

  Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June 2020. ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (September 2024) [USA]

  Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June 2020. ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Project [UK]

  Programme Background Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Project The British Army launched the RAS project to provide the "direction required to exploit emerging technologies to ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (September 2025) [USA]

  Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June 2020. ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  6x6 APC [Philippines]

  Programme Background Programme Background The Philippine Army has identified an urgent need for new wheeled APCs, after the Battle of Marawi exposed shortcomings in its ...

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

  Mini-UAVs [Czech Republic]

  Background Tactical UCAV Halted The effort to acquire mini-UAVs is directly linked to the Czech MoD's now-delayed procurement programme for tactical or MALE drones, such as the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 (Batch 1) [Slovakia]

  Background Requirements The Slovakian Armed Forces are currently lumbered with an ageing inventory of legacy platforms that are not interoperable with its allies and do ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 (Batch 2) [Slovakia]

  Background Requirements The Slovakian Armed Forces are currently lumbered with an ageing inventory of legacy platforms that are not interoperable with its allies and do ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer [Portugal]

  Background The Portuguese Army currently operates a medium mechanised brigade equipped with the M113 as its primary APC. However, they are increasingly outdated and are ...

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

  5,000 Latvian UAVs (Ukraine Aid) [Latvia]

  Background Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG) In January 2024, the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG), a multi-nation organisation that coordinates military aid for Ukraine, established a drone ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Major networking projects

  Army BCT Modernisation Program Increment 1

  The US Army brigade combat team (BCT) modernisation strategy will build a mix of mobile, networked BCTs that can gain leverage from mobility, protection, information ...

• 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 ...

• Short Range Missile Defence Systems: 0 to 20 km range

  Initial Maneuver - SHORAD

  Unveiled at AUSA 2019, Initial Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) is a multipurpose platform, based on the Stryker IFV, which moves and maneuvers in ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  CATS CTC

  The CATS Combat Training Centre (CTC) trains armed forces in simulated opposition. Features: direct-fire weapon effect simulation with laser engagement systems; area weapon effect simulation ...

• Construction vehicles

  HMEE

  The JCB High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE) was originally designed to support the US Army’s Stryker brigade combat teams and has been proven on operations ...

• 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 ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  JAB

  The US Army is leading the Joint Assault Bridge (JAB) project to replace legacy M60A1-based bridge launchers in service with itself and USMC with an M1-based ...

• Land: C2 simulators

  Collective Combat Training

  Thales offers a global simulation and training approach that links together various simulators to perform the full spectrum of military operations (offence, defence, stability and ...

• Land: battle management systems

  FüInfoSys Heer

  FüInfoSys Heer (Army Command and Control Information System) is the first common, integrated and mobile system of its kind in the German Army. It is ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  GAMER Deployable CTC

  Saab’s GAMER Deployable Combat Training Center (CTC) is an instrumented training system, enabling a military to train on home bases and deploy worldwide for training ...

• 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 ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle

  The tracked M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV), developed in parallel with the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), equips reconnaissance units within the US ...

• Subsystems: software

  Simulation-based Embedded Training Software Package

  This software package is installed in the Stryker Interim Armoured Vehicle (IAV), supporting US Army brigade combat team training requirements. It has been in service ...

• Land: COMINT and ELINT systems

  EWPMT

  Raytheon’s Electronic Warfare Planning and Management Tool (EWPMT) is a US Army programme which began in 2014, designed to support electronic warfare officers and provide ...

• Land: battle management systems

  Combat-NG

  Combat-NG is an artillery fire control and C4I system designed for deployment from platform to brigade level, managing various aspects of operation. The system is ...