• Naval Warfare

  VideoRay awarded $92 million for MK20 Mission Defender USV development

  13th May 2024

  The VideoRay Mission Specialist Defender underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) is designed to handle unexploded munitions and has seven thrusters to allow a high standard of manoeuvrability.

• Land Warfare

  Armed drone protection to be added to Iron Fist and Trophy

  3rd June 2024

  Two Israeli-made APS platforms have been in the process of being upgraded following a request from the Israeli Ministry of Defense (MoD).

• Air Warfare

  L3Harris to upgrade USAF’s B-52H bomber cockpits

  7th June 2024

  The Boeing B-52H is the final model of the Stratofortress heavy bomber. More than 100 were built with 58 remaining in service plus 18 in reserve.

• Naval Warfare

  Tomahawk missiles and optronics axed from Royal Australian Navy Collins submarine upgrade

  5th June 2024

  Australia’s Collins-class consists of six submarines commissioned between 1996 and 2003 based on the Type 471 design from Swedish shipbuilder Kockums. New nuclear-powered submarines will replace the Collins-class in the 2030s.

• Land Warfare

  Rheinmetall to manufacture ammunition in Lithuania

  4th June 2024

  Rheinmetall has contracts or framework agreements worth billions to make munitions and has been building a new ammunition factory in Lower Saxony in Germany. It has also begun the production of artillery shells in Queensland, Australia and has establishing a vehicle joint venture in Ukraine. The new Lithuanian factory has marked another expansion for the company.

• Air Warfare

  Gripen fighter jet software update move faster than competitors, says Saab

  22nd May 2024

  Saab has touted its rapid software update capabilities for the JAS 39 Gripen, claiming it could deliver updates “in days“ and challenging the generational focus of rivals such as Lockheed Martin.

• Digital Battlespace

  BAE Systems introduces gun-hardened GPS receiver for artillery, missiles and unmanned systems

  4th June 2024

  The A-PNT device will feature anti-jamming technology and will be manufactured at BAE Systems’ Cedar Rapids facility.

• Air Warfare

  Long-range radar handed over to US Missile Defence Agency

  3rd May 2024

  Lockheed Martin delivered 10 antenna panels for its Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) to Clear, Alaska in 2020. The system will be used by the Missile Defence Agency (MDA) as part of its layered defence strategy against ballistic missiles.

• Air Warfare

  Aechelon Tech bags US T-45C training contract

  2nd May 2024

  The new image generator systems were set to allow aircrew to train with a high-fidelity augmented virtual-real cockpit.

• Defence Notes

  US accuses Russia of using banned chemical weapons in Ukraine

  2nd May 2024

  Moscow was blamed for perpetrating multiple gas attacks with a choking agent against Kyiv’s armed forces.

• Land Warfare

  Italy picks Rheinmetall and Leonardo for MBT and IFV and gives MGCS a boost

  3rd July 2024

  Italy has been looking replace its Ariete MBTs but has gone back and forth between a future European tank, more Leopards, an upgrade of existing vehicles and other options. It now seems to have thrown its hand in with the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS).

• Training

  Lockheed Martin takes $451 million deal to upgrade M270 launchers

  10th May 2024

  MLRS is a heavy-tracked mobile launcher, transportable via C-17 and C-5 aircraft, that fires Guided MLRS rockets and Army Tactical Missile System missiles.

• Naval Warfare

  BAE Systems to restore USS Carter vessel

  2nd May 2024

  The Harpers Ferry class ship’s hull, internal fuel and ballast tanks, and engineering plant will receive preservation or restoration work over the next year.

• Digital Battlespace

  Seizing the Future: The Imperative for Militaries to Master AI and Forge Strategic Alliances

  16th August 2024

  The current pace of innovation demands a new strategy for success, focusing on developing technology to meet specific defence goals and ensuring collaborative efforts.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Navy foresees an uncrewed future for its surface and underwater fleet

  25th April 2024

  The service has been conducting various procurement and development efforts to integrate unmanned surface and underwater vehicles into its inventory.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Puma 3 AE (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Military Aid - $300 Million On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine to "bolster Urkaine's capacity ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  M1165 Special Ops HMMWV [USA]

  Programme Background The HHMWV or Humvee has been in US service since 1983. The M1165A1B3 is a special operations variant of the platform.  In 2015, the ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract (US Navy) [US]

  As of November 2020, the US DoD had signed 14 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches of ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 300 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (16 March 2022 & 13 April 2022) On 16 March 2022, President Biden announced $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine through ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF

  According to the US FY2021 budget document, Turkey's removal from the JSF program and transition to the alternate supply chain sources may challenge to achieve ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35B STOVL - US Navy

  The JSF programme will develop and field a family of aircraft that meets the needs of the US DoD and US allies with the F-35A ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract [US Air Force]

  As of November 2020, the US DoD had signed 14 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches of ...

• Loitering munitions

  Point Blank [US]

  Programme Background As IAI stated in a 19 January 2023 press release, it had been awarded a multi-million-dollar contract by the Irregular Warfare Technical Support ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  BQM-177A [US Navy]

  Background Previous Purchases The BQM-177A was designed for the USN and has been in service with the USN for many years. Indeed, in August 2022, Shephard reported ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 600 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background $300 Million USAI (1 April 2022) On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine following ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35C Carrier Variant

  The US Navy is planning to order 130 F-35Cs between FY2026 and FY2030 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase is estimated be ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Phoenix Ghost (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (21 April 2022) Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, on 21 April 2022, President Biden announced an $800 ...

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

  Puma LE [Kosovo]

  Background Contract Award On 21 January 2022, the US Department of Defence (DoD) announced that AeroVironment had been awarded an $11.01 million firm-fixed contract for Puma ...

• Loitering munitions

  ALTIUS-600M (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background On 24 February 2023, the US DoD announced that the Biden Administration had released an additional aid package under the Ukraine Security Assistance ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  M1152A1B2/M1165A1B3 HMMWV [USA]

  Programme Background The HMMWV has been in US service since the 1980s. Despite the introduction of newer platforms, the US DoD continues to utilise the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Pistols

  M9

  M9 is the US DoD designation for the military-specification 9mm Beretta 92FS, selected in 1985 to replace the 45cal M1911A1 in US service. Sales to ...

• 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 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Point Blank

  Point Blank Weapon System is a hand-launched electro-optical VTOL-capable loitering munition developed by Isreal Aerospace Industries (IAI). IAI has been awarded a contract by the US ...

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

  ScanEagle 3

  Insitu unveiled the ScanEagle 3 at the Xponential exhibition in Denver in May 2018. The platform has twice the payload capacity of its ScanEagle predecessor ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  BAT-850

  Pathfinder's BAT-850 VSAT is a carbon fibre, tri-band terminal with auto-acquisition capability. Suitable for flyaway (case-based) and vehicle-mounted applications, it is in service with the ...

• Autonomous GPADS

  Airborne Systems has developed a family of smart systems ranging in payload capacity from 90-4,536kg. Utilising the technology developed and used in ram-air canopies, Guided ...

• Air: aerial targets, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  BQM-177A/i

  The BQM-177A subsonic aerial target (SSAT) was designed for the USN, and the BQM-177i is the export variant. The BQM-177 provides realistic threat emulation for ...

• Crew-served grenade launchers

  Striker 40/MK47

  General Dynamics is systems integrator for the Striker 40 (MK47 AGL in US service). The complete system comprises the weapon, AN/PWG-1 Lightweight Video Sight and ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  URC-300

  The URC-300 is a software-defined radio designed for line-of-sight, ground-to-air communications in particular. Introduced in 2020, it adheres to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards as well ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Banshee Tactical Radio

  Developed by Fenix Group, the Banshee Tactical Radio (BTR) is a communications system that uses 4G/LTE connectivity to provide secure mesh networking capability on the ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/ARC-231 Skyfire

  The AN/ARC-231 Skyfire is an airborne VHF/UHF/LOS and DAMA SATCOM system. This system supports US DoD requirements for airborne, multi-band, multi-mission, secure anti-jam voice, data ...

• Air-to-air missiles

  9M39 Igla-V

  The 9M39 Igla-V (‘needle’) is a Russian IR homing SAM adapted for helicopter use. It is an air-launched version of the Igla MANPADS, which the ...

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

  Global Observer

  The AeroVironment Global Observer HALE UAV was a developmental HALE UAV designed for various civil, commercial and government applications.  Development of the platform began in 2007 ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  CLWS

  Developed by Boeing, Compact Laser Weapon System (CLWS or CLaWS) is a medium-range, low-power laser C-UAS system. According to the reports, the CLWS prototype has ...

• Data links, Land: Radio and SATCOM, UAS: communication systems

  QNT-200

  The Collins QNT-200 is a dual-channel software-defined radio (SDR) designed for size, weight and power-constrained platforms. Using IP-based mesh networks, it offers high-bandwidth mobile networking ...