• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Malfunction sees X-47B abort final carrier landing

  12th July 2013

  A malfunction on board the X-47B UAV forced the air vehicle to abort its third test-landing on the US Navy aircraft carrier, USS George H W Bush, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Germany selects EC645 T2 LUH for special forces

  11th July 2013

  The German Federal Ministry of Defense (MoD) has selected Eurocopter’s EC645 T2 Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) for Germany’s Special Forces Command. The MoD has signed …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Spanish Navy first customer for Skeldar UAV

  11th July 2013

  The Spanish Navy has confirmed that it will be the first customer to operate Saab’s Skeldar V-200 VTOL UAV. Saab announced that it had been …

• Defence Notes

  Cubic announces Asia-Pacific contracts

  11th July 2013

  Cubic Defense Systems will provide combat training support to a number of unnamed customers in the Asia-Pacific region. The contracts have a combined value of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  X-47B completes carrier landing

  10th July 2013

  The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D) has become the first unmanned jet to complete an arrested landing on board a moving aircraft carrier. The US Navy …

• Defence Helicopter

  EC225 fix approved by EASA

  9th July 2013

  The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has approved Eurocopter’s interim fix to the main gearbox (MGB) problem that has grounded the North Sea EC225 fleet …

• Defence Helicopter

  Watchdog warns about DoD Afghan Mi-17 purchase

  9th July 2013

  The Pentagon has approved the purchase of 30 Russian made Mi-17 helicopters for an Afghan special unit, despite warnings from a government watchdog the deal …

• Defence Helicopter

  Night Flight Concepts to continue Bell Helicopter NVG inspections

  9th July 2013

  Night Flight Concepts have received an extended night vision goggle (NVG) inspection contract from Bell Helicopter. The company announced the contract extension on 8 July. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Crowsnest edges closer to assessment phase

  9th July 2013

  After a two-year delay in funding, the UK’s development of a new helicopter-based early warning radar system is gathering momentum – although critical capability gaps …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Stalemate continues for major Euro UAVs

  8th July 2013

  Progression of two of Europe’s most high-profile UAV programmes continues to be questioned as rumours of delay and cancellation rebound throughout the market, defence sources …

• Land Warfare

  Kongsberg to support French Protector RWS

  5th July 2013

  Kongsberg will provide repair, overhaul and logistics support for the French Army’s Protector Remote Weapon Stations (RWS) under a new contract signed with the French …

• Digital Battlespace

  RAF hopeful of Sentinel role beyond 2014

  5th July 2013

  The future of the RAF’s Sentinel R1 reconnaissance aircraft remains unclear according to service chiefs, despite positive feedback from recent operations in Mali earlier this …

• Defence Helicopter

  Australia seeks MK 54 Torpedoes for MH-60R helicopters

  4th July 2013

  The Australian Department of Defence has expressed interest in acquiring 100 MK 54 All-Up-Round Torpedoes from the US government in a possible foreign military sale …

• Military Logistics

  Saab receives Swedish FMV Gripen support order

  4th July 2013

  Saab has signed an order with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) that will see the company support and maintain the Gripen aircraft between 2014 …

• Defence Helicopter

  First Australian MH-60R Seahawk Romeo takes flight

  3rd July 2013

  The first MH-60R Seahawk Romeo helicopter in production for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has completed its first test flight at Sikorsky’s Production Facility in …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Black Hornet 3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Programme Background Russo-Ukraine War Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UAVs have proved vital to the country's defence. Consequently, as in this programme, the ...

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

  FPV Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Statement of Intent On 14 June 2024, the Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries Serhiy Boyev, Minister of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umerov and the Minister ...

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

  ISR Drones (Second Batch) (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background First Batch On 20 March 2024, Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, announced that, following a 19 March Ukraine Defense Contact ...

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

  Latvian Drones (2025) (Ukraine Aid) [Latvia]

  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 ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Germany]

  Programme Background Germany has operated the domestically produced Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Leopard 2 since its inception in the 1970s. Spanning now eight versions, the Leopard 2A8 is the ...

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

  GA-ASI Drone [Ukraine]

  Programme Background MQ-9A Reaper - April 2022 On 13 April 2022, Forbes reported that Ukraine was talking with GA-ASI to acquire the MQ-9A Reaper. Ukrainian officials ...

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

  Vector / Scorpion (Contracted) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Previous Orders & Donations On 29 March 2022, the US Embassy in Warsaw announced that Quantum Systems had donated an unknown quantity of ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 [Sweden]

  Programme Background As the domestic manufacturer and original operator of the CV90 IFV, Sweden has had a continuous fleet of CV90s in service since the ...

• 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 ...

• Loitering munitions

  One-Way Attack Drones (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background 2024/2025 Military Aid Package On 12 January 2024, the UK government announced it would provide Ukraine with £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) in military ...

• 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 ...

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

  Latvian Drones (2024) (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 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Norway]

  Programme Background September 2024 On 3 September 2024, the Norwegian government announced that "Ukraine will get more drones donated to their frontline, and more air ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  Programme Background  In February 2025, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste Simon Harris highlighted Irelands need to procure a new combat fighter jet to combat ...

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

  Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase I) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) provides short-range day and night ISR to US Army units at the squad, platoon and other small ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Akash-NG missile

  The Akash-NG (New Generation) missile is an advanced surface-to-air missile system developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to enhance the country's air ...

• Core systems: cameras and IR detectors

  Ophir 26-105mm f/1.6 LWIR continuous zoom

  Ophir's plethora of IR optics includes a wide range of long-range zoom lenses for every application. Ophir's budget range has been extended to include a ...

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

  Vespa-15

  The Vespa-15 is a first-person view (FPV) rotary-wing UAV manufactured by a Ukrainian company.  In May 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Ukraine announced it ...

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

  Kazhan

  The E620 Kazhan is a Ukrainian-made rotary-wing attack drone. It is available in hexacopter and quadcopter configurations and can drop 60mm, 82mm, and 120mm mortar shells. ...

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

  Black Hornet 3

  The Black Hornet 3 is the next generation of the PD-100 Black Hornet, the world's smallest nano-UAS. This new model of the Black Hornet provides ...

• Infrastructure - shelters/accommodation

  Alpha/Omega

  Alpha and Omega are multipurpose frame tents that require minimal maintenance and can be used in extreme climatic conditions. The Omega is more spacious and ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  CB90

  Combatboat (Stridsbåt) 90 (CB90) is a class of small, rapid attack boats designed for raiding and inshore/nearshore coastal protection operations or deploying up to 20 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - micro

  Corvo PPDS

  The Corvo Precision Payload Delivery Systems (PPDS) is a micro fixed-wing drone constructed from cardboard. It is a low-cost, single-use drone for delivering supplies and equipment ...

• EO/IR systems

  USG-212

  Described as a plug-and-play turnkey solution, the USG-212 is an EO/IR camera gimbal from Ukrspecsystems. It appears to be out of production. The gimbal has ...

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

  MIM-23 Hawk

  The MIM-23 HAWK (Homing All the Way Killer) is an American medium-range surface-to-air missile system developed by Raytheon in the 1950s to provide mobile air ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  Storm Shadow/SCALP EG

  The Storm Shadow is an air-launched cruise missile developed by France, Italy and the UK. It is known as the Storm Shadow in the UK ...

• Land: air defence radar, Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  TRML-4D

  The TRML-4D is a multi-functional surveillance and target acquisition radar system developed by Hensoldt. It is the latest C-band (NATO G-band) TRS-4D radar family member, ...

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

  Vampire

  The Vampire is a hexacopter drone developed by the Ukrainian company Skyfall. It can carry and drop various types of ammunition on the enemy. In ...

• EO/IR systems

  NightHawk2-UZ

  The NightHawk2-UZ is a dual EO-IR stabilised camera turret from NextVision designed for long-range observation applications that demand low weight. The 350g sensor's IR camera has a 1280x720p ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  HIMARS

  Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control developed the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher to provide the US and allied armies with a ...