• Land Warfare

  2025 land market review: British Army woes, European heavy armour and US MBT progress

  18th December 2025

  The last year has seen several major procurements in the land market. Shephard’s Dr Peter Magill reviews the main trends and themes in land procurement of 2025.

• Air Warfare

  Eurosatory 2026: How could air forces integrate autonomous wingmen into existing fleets?

  15th June 2026

  From mobile launch trailers to ship decks, software and platforms such as Shield AI’s Hivemind and its X-BAT and V-BAT are positioning autonomous systems as a credible force option for militaries priced out of traditional airpower.

• Naval Warfare

  Naval Group’s Barracuda bid could deepen Franco-Greek naval alignment

  9th April 2026

  As the Hellenic Navy looks to replace its ageing submarines with a next-generation fleet, other likely contenders for the programme include TKMS, Saab, Fincantieri, Navantia and Hanwha Ocean.

• Land Warfare

  Sweden seeks US HIMARS missile system to expand long-range strike capability

  13th March 2026

  The proposed $920 million deal would provide Sweden with a step up from its existing tube artillery and align the country with other northern European nations that have selected the HIMARS platform.

• Naval Warfare

  Eurosatory 2026: Schiebel’s frigate-first strategy indicates a shift in UAV competition

  19th June 2026

  Schiebel is pursuing opportunities in the UK and France while leveraging its integration with Naval Group’s FDI frigate programme to create new naval business across Europe.

• Naval Warfare

  How far will the US Navy’s FF(X) design deviate from the Legend-class?

  21st January 2026

  The new frigate class’s focus on modularity, speed to build and enhanced armament align with the priorities of the US Navy’s Golden Fleet.

• Air Warfare

  2025 air market review: European defence independence, next-gen tech and export concerns dominate

  23rd December 2025

  This year’s (geo)political turmoil has challenged many long-prevailing assumptions, leading to far-reaching consequences for air forces and their supplier bases in industry worldwide – with five key trends in review for 2025.

• Naval Warfare

  Baltic naval priorities shift towards mine warfare and versatile platforms

  17th July 2026

  Baltic states are investing in mine warfare, uncrewed systems and multirole platforms as major warship purchases remain scarce, industry sources indicate.

• Defence Notes

  Estonia opts for smart, adaptable and cooperative solutions in the face of Russian threat

  20th March 2026

  Estonian-made equipment is being put through the toughest of evaluations in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers resisting the full-scale Russian invasion which began in 2022. The country has long seen the threat and is continuing to adapt for the future.

• Land Warfare

  Predicted air defence spending boom opens doors to Indian industry

  3rd April 2026

  Recent conflicts have created a surge in interceptor demand worldwide while exposing potential supply chain challenges, positioning India as a cost-effective partner and scalable supplier.

• Naval Warfare

  Tokyo’s naval export drive gains strategic depth in Southeast Asia

  27th May 2026

  Indonesia’s consideration of Mogami-class frigates points to a widening export opportunity for Tokyo across Southeast Asia and raises the prospect of the Mogami becoming the region’s default mid-tier surface combatant.

• Land Warfare

  De-Risking the Future: Manufacturing Certainty for Unmanned Systems

  3rd December 2025

  How strategic manufacturing partnership solves the industrialisation triad — Scale, Compliance and Cost — for hyper-growth defence tech innovators.

• Naval Warfare

  What does Saab’s operations shake-up mean for its new ‘Naval’ chapter?

  1st April 2026

  Saab’s merger of its Kockums and Naval Combat Systems divisions into a single business area called Naval, effective 1 April 2026, aims to enhance efficiency, innovation and competitive positioning in the naval sector.

• Naval Warfare

  NATO tests use of “undetectable, jam-proof” laser communication in maritime scenarios

  17th December 2025

  As part of its effort to better prepare its capabilities for operations in contested and congested scenarios, NATO evaluated a Lithuanian ship-to-ship terminal designed to not be susceptible to enemy interference.

• Defence Notes

  Nuclear costs crowd out key defence priorities in UK investment plan, say SDR authors

  8th July 2026

  The UK government’s Defence Investment Plan has been criticised by the authors of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 which formed the basis of the plan. The SDR’s external reviewers told the country’s defence committee how the plan misses the mark.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  Long Range Air Defence [Belgium]

  Background In its Strategic Vision Defence 2025 Capability Investment Portfolio (CIP) document, Belgium announced that it has budgeted €1,981,590,000 ($2,287,101,638) for three long-range air defence systems. A decision is ...

• 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 - mini

  Electronic Warfare (EW) UAV [US Army]

  Background Army evaluations In May 2026, the US Army evaluated CX2’s Wraith rotary-wing UAV during Exercise Ivy Mass at Fort Carson. The evaluation was conducted in support ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Su-30SM Armenia

  The Su-30SM is upgraded variant of Su-30MKI. Its capabilities include Bars-R radar, RVV-SV medium-range air-to-air missile, Thales SMD55S/VEN-3022 or Russian IKSh-1M avionics replacing Elbit SU967 head-up display, LINS-1000RS inertial ...

• Corvettes

  PN MILGEM Corvettes (1-4) [Pakistan]

  Programme Background Timeline The Ada-class is Turkey's first indigenous developed and built ship project under the MILGEM project. The project aimed at designing and building ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M Hungary

  The helicopters will be equipped with advanced communication capabilities and will be used for transport, combat SAR and special operations missions. The H225M has advanced ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  XQ-58A Valkyrie [USMC]

  Programme Background Contract Award On 30 December 2022, the US DoD announced that it had awarded Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems a $15.52 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to ...

• Frigates

  European Combat Vessel [Spain]

  Background Requirements The European Combat Vessel (ECV) is currently a conceptual project that seeks to design a European collaborative multi-mission, modular warship. As of March ...

• ISR/special mission

  RC-2 - Japan

  Programme Background Japan has decided to develop its own EW aircraft to oppose China and Russia, countries that are already reinforcing their own EW capabilities. ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-2 (Japan)

  Programme BackgroundKawasaki Heavy Industries developed the C-2 for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) to replace its Kawasaki C-1 and Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules fleets. ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Reconnaissance UAVs [Sweden]

  Background Uncrewed acquisition package The Swedish Ministry of Defence announced a SEK 4 billion ($450 million) acquisition package for various types of uncrewed systems in ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering munitions [Sweden]

  Background Uncrewed acquisition package The Swedish Ministry of Defence announced a SEK 4 billion ($450 million) acquisition package for various types of uncrewed systems in Janurary 2026, with ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Netherlands]

  Background The Leopard 2A8, the latest in the Leopard family, was selected by the Royal Dutch Army as per announcements in September 2024.  Given the ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker [Greece]

  Background The Greek Army currently operates a number of outdated vehicles, the majority of which are older American platforms like the M113. As part of ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  BOV 8x8 (Batch 1) [Slovakia]

  Background Requirement The Slovakian Army has a long-standing requirement for 8x8 armoured vehicles to equip its medium mechanised battalions and the combat support elements of ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military - UUVs

  K-Ster C

  K-Ster C is a mine disposal system (MDS) equipped with a tiltable warhead. It is produced by Exail and in-service with navies in both Asia ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  ARAWN 160

  The ARAWN 160 is a fixed-wing UAV from NORDYN Group. The company states the production of the drone is decentralised, being produced in modular containerised ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Ovzon T6

  The Ovzon T6 is a rugged, laptop-sized SATCOM terminal with an integrated antenna, modem, cooling system and user interface. It provides on-the-pause broadband connectivity in ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - micro

  Shpak

  Shpak is a mini rotary wing, FPV style, UAV manufactured by RSI Europe. Primarily designed to carry explosives, the drone was developed to help Ukraine ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  EW-MST

  The Terma Electronic Warfare Mission Support Tool (EW-MST) is an application designed to run on Windows-equipped personal computers. The purpose of the EW-MST is to ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  SPEAR-EW

  The SPEAR-EW missile, developed by MBDA in collaboration with Leonardo, is an air-to-surface weapon designed to perform Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) missions. This ...

• Major networking projects

  Air Policing

  Air Policing is a collective peacetime mission that requires NATO to take action against all violations and infringements of its airspace using agreed procedures. Supreme ...

• 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-, ...

• Sea: procedural training

  Proteus Naval EW Trainer

  The Proteus Naval EW Trainer utilises the EW functionality from the Proteus Action Speed Tactical Trainer to provide a dedicated trainer for naval EW personnel. ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Stork LR

  The Stork LR is a mini fixed-wing aircraft from the UAC, a Czech-Ukrainian company. UAC states the system is designed for reconnaissance, patrolling, terrain mapping ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  RF-7850S SPR

  The L3Harris RF-7850S is a Secure Personal Radio designed for use at the team, squad and platoon levels. It supports wideband and narrowband operation with advanced ...

• EO/IR systems

  UltraFORCE 275-HD

  The UltraForce 275-HD was a compact, multi-sensor, gyro-stabilised surveillance system that delivered high-quality, real-time full-motion video (FMV).  Manufactured by Teledyne FLIR, the now out-of-production was ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Helicopter Simulators

  Indra builds a variety of training devices for helicopters from small CBT to full-flight simulators. The simulation includes the flight dynamics of the aircraft, and ...

• Naval: COMINT and ELINT systems

  EWCC System

  Safran's EW Command and Control (EWCC) System coordinates engagement plans and performs appropriate soft-kill reactions against threats (anti-ship missiles, targeting radars etc). It controls EW ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  PRC-710

  The PRC-710 is a VHF/FM voice and data handheld radio with COMSEC and ECCM capabilities. Designed in response to emerging combat requirements, the PRC-710 is ...