• Defence Notes

  Lockheed Martin announces reorganisation of US facilities

  14th November 2013

  Lockheed Martin has announced closure and consolidation of its US facilities in response to a continuing decline in US defence spending.    The move follows …

• Land Warfare

  Indonesian armoured vehicle order formalised

  13th November 2013

  Rheinmetall will officially supply the Indonesian Ministry of Defence with tracked armoured vehicles, logistical support and ammunition under a contract signed in December 2012 that …

• Defence Helicopter

  AgustaWestland receives approval for India joint venture

  13th November 2013

  Despite bribery allegations lingering over the contract to supply 12 AW101 VVIP helicopters to the Indian Air Force, AgustaWestland has been cleared to establish assembly …

• Digital Battlespace

  RAF receives first Rivet Joint aircraft

  12th November 2013

  The first of three Rivet Joint SIGINT aircraft has been delivered to RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, ahead of its entry into service next year. The UK’s …

• Defence Helicopter

  Dstl working to protect helicopter engines from sand erosion

  12th November 2013

  The UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is contributing to a project set up by The Technical Cooperation Panel (TTCP) to investigate erosion-resistant coatings …

• Defence Helicopter

  First NH90 Step B helicopter delivered to Italian Navy

  12th November 2013

  The Italian navy has taken delivery of the first NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) Step B from NHIndustries. The helicopter, delivered on 8 November, will …

• Digital Battlespace

  Global Xpress on track for 2013 launch

  12th November 2013

  The first spacecraft in Inmarsat’s Global Xpress satellite constellation remains on course to be launched by the end of the year, according to Andy Start, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Pentagon raises Afghan Mi-17 concerns

  11th November 2013

  The planned withdraw of NATO forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 will leave Afghan special forces without adequate helicopter support, a Pentagon report …

• Defence Helicopter

  Norway selects AW101 for SAR requirement

  8th November 2013

  Norway has decided to commence ‘final negotiations’ with AgustaWestland for the delivery of new SAR helicopters to replace its fleet of ageing Sea Kings, it …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  FAA unveils inaugural UAS roadmap

  8th November 2013

  The FAA has released its first UAS roadmap aimed at facilitating and guiding the integration of civil platforms into the national airspace system (NAS). The …

• Defence Helicopter

  Poland advances weapons upgrade for combat helicopters

  8th November 2013

  Poland’s Ministry of Defence is considering the purchase of Ukrainian-built anti-tank and missile defence systems for its fleet of Mil Mi-24 combat helicopters, it has …

• Digital Battlespace

  Dutch armed forces receive multi-sensor systems

  8th November 2013

  FLIR Systems has started deliveries of its Recon B2-FO multi-sensor system to the Dutch Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO). Beating Sagem’s JIM LR multifunction cooled infrared …

• Land Warfare

  Thailand accepts first Oplot tanks

  8th November 2013

  Thailand completed the technical acceptance of 49 Oplot main battle tanks on 5 November. Manufactured by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau (KMDB) in …

• Defence Helicopter

  US DoD retains civilian airlift contractors in Afghanistan

  7th November 2013

  The US has extended three civilian contracts for helicopter air transportation in Afghanistan worth $272.9 million, it has emerged. On 1 November, the US Department …

• Digital Battlespace

  New RF decoy for Gripen jets

  7th November 2013

  Selex ES’ BriteCloud Expendable Active Decoy (EAD) has been selected by Saab for use on-board the Gripen fighter jet. Launched on 6 November, the latest …

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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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

  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 - 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 ...

• 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 ...

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

  SkyRanger R70 (Ukraine Aid) [Canada]

  Programme Background On 19 February 2024, the Canadian Defence Minister, Bill Blair, announced that the country would donate more than 800 SkyRanger R70 UAVs to ...

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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 - 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 ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  DM73

  The 120mm × 570 armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS) DM73 is a kinetic-energy (KE) round with an enhanced propulsion unit. It is produced by Rheinmetall ...

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

  Cetus Lite

  The Cetus Lite is a fixed-wing UAV from Abris Design Group. The company describes the aircraft as a mobile system that is hand-launched. It is ...

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

  Cetus Plus

  The Cetus Plus is a fixed-wing UAV from Abris Design Group.  The manufacturer describes it as a universal UAV designed to perform various tasks like photo ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Beetle

  The Beetle is a rotary-wing octocopter from Abris Design Group. According to the manufacturer, the UAV provides photo and video ISTAR and signal relay for first-person ...

• 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 ...

• Main battle tanks

  Type 10

  Mitsubishi developed the 120mm-armed Type 10 MBT to meet the requirements of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and publicly revealed a prototype in February 2008. ...

• 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 ...