• Defence Notes

  French defence exports find fertile ground close to home

  16th June 2020

  Shrinking sales of French defence equipment from the Middle East and Asia-Pacific were offset in 2019 by higher demand in Europe, as collaborative multinational programmes …

• Digital Battlespace

  ThinKom demonstrates interoperability of Ku3030 antenna

  30th April 2020

  ThinKom Solutions has completed a series of demonstrations of the interoperability of its core antenna technology with low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations. These included the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Russia's satellite-killing capabilities make headway

  2nd May 2020

  Gen John Raymond, head of US Space Command (USSPACECOM), declared on 15 April that Russia has conducted another direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile test, although official …

• Defence Helicopter

  Canada releases interim report on RCAF CH-148 Cyclone accident

  9th June 2020

  The Canadian Airworthiness Investigative Authority has released its From the Investigator (FTI) report into the RCAF CH-148 Cyclone helicopter crash in the Ionian Sea on …

• Defence Notes

  IAI hooks up with Israeli start-ups for autonomous systems

  2nd June 2020

  The Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Innovation Center is producing its first deliverables after completing an initial 13-week cycle of development with three local start-up companies. …

• Naval Warfare

  South Korea kicks offs KDDX design competition

  11th June 2020

  The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) launched a competition for the design of the next-generation Aegis-equipped destroyer for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) on …

• Air Warfare

  New Zealand signs up for Super Hercules

  9th June 2020

  Without going to competitive tender, the New Zealand government has ordered five Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules transport aircraft via the Foreign Military Sales avenue. …

• Digital Battlespace

  Netherlands and Norway team up for BROS programme

  27th April 2020

  The research divisions of the Dutch and Norwegian defence ministries have confirmed that they will be jointly developing an experimental satellite mission in a 24 …

• Land Warfare

  FAMAE to market new pistol from October

  9th June 2020

  Chilean state-owned company Fábricas y Maestranzas del Ejército (FAMAE) has developed a 9x19mm pistol called Vulcano and intends to sell it from October this year, …

• Digital Battlespace

  US Army makes headway on tactical comms programmes

  20th May 2020

  Two tactical radio programmes for the US Army are moving to the next stage of procurement and testing. A spokesperson for the US Army Programme …

• Digital Battlespace

  CACI awards AFSCN contract to Serco

  30th April 2020

  Serco announced on 29 April that it has secured a £25 million contract ($31 million) contract from CACI for control, maintenance and operation of the …

• Naval Warfare

  Visby corvette and Gotland submarine carry out first SLWT firings

  9th June 2020

  The ongoing development of Saab’s Lightweight Torpedo (SLWT) has moved a step closer to serial production, with the first test firings from the Gotland-class submarine …

• Digital Battlespace

  Australian CHORUS is on song

  13th May 2020

  The Australian Department of Defence announced on 11 May that it is exploring ways to integrate laser-based optical and RF communication technologies onto a single …

• Air Warfare

  SBIRS Geo-5 Space Vehicle begins TVAC testing

  28th April 2020

  Lockheed Martin has confirmed that the Space Based Infrared System satellite (SBIRS) Geo-5 began Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) testing on 16 April at its facility in …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell 429 positioned for Australian SOF requirement

  28th May 2020

  Babcock is offering the Bell 429, in conjunction with the helicopter OEM, for the Australian Army’s requirement for special operations helicopters under Project Land 2097 …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Medium-Range Loitering Munition with LEO Satellite Data Link [South Korea]

  Background New Project In April 2025, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) announced a new project titled “Development of Medium-Range ...

• Loitering munitions

  Long Range One-way Platforms [US]

  Solicitation In October 2024, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) released a solicitation for long-range, one-way platforms. The DIU noted recent conflicts highlighted the asymmetric impact of low-cost, ...

• Military UAS - small

  Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) GUARD [Ireland]

  Background Problem As stated on the project’s website in 2022, Ireland is the “softest target in the EU for smugglers” due to its 3171km of ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Micro UAV [Argentina]

  Background Tender The EA and MoD in April 2021 announced Public Tender 0090/2021 (UOC: 84/135), which saw the General Directorate of Material begin the process of ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  CH-4 (First Batch) [Pakistan]

  Programme Background First Batch According to the Pakistan Exim Trade Info website, five aircraft were delivered to the country on 15 January 2021. According to a ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  BZK-005 [Sudan]

  Methodology PGO and programme status Defence Insight has assigned this programme a PGO of 100% since it is complete. Units required Defence Insight estimates that ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Bayraktar TB2 [Pakistan]

  Programme Background Requirement Following a 2019 skirmish with India, Pakistan placed newfound importance on EW and ISR, primarily due to the significant advantage gained during that ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Seeker 400 (1-6) [UAE]

  Background Long history The UAE has a long history of transactions with Denel Dynamics. The country has been purchasing various Seeker systems from as far ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  CH-4 (Second Batch) [Pakistan]

  Background First Batch According to the Pakistan Exim Trade Info website, five CH-4 aircraft were delivered to the country on 15 January 2021. According to a satellite ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Wing Loong II [Pakistan]

  Background Original Effort On 6 October 2018, the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) announced on social media that it would acquire 48 Wing Loong II UAVs. ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  NH90 - NFH [Italy]

  Background  Programme history The Italian Navy took delivery of its first NH90 NFH helicopter in Full Operational Capability (or Step B) configuration in 2011. The ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-9A Reaper [Spain]

  Programme Background First Contract The US State Department approved a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of MQ-9 Block 5 aircraft and associated parts, equipment, and logistical ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Turkish UCAV [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Desired Procurement Saudi Arabia reportedly began negotiations to procure six Anka UAVs in 2013. It had not been disclosed which Anka variant was requested, ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60M Black Hawk (Second Contract) [Croatia]

  Programme Background Western Technology With the help of the US, Croatia has attempted to improve its military technology, replacing Soviet equipment, such as the Mi-8/Mi-17. ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  Long-Endurance UAV [US AFRICOM]

  Programme Background Ageing MQ-9A Reapers In November 2022, Shephard reported that GA-ASI would continue supporting contractor SMX with its MQ-9A after winning a $2.3 billion task ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Space: radar systems

  RISAT-1

  Radar Satellite-1 (RISAT-1) is a microwave remote-sensing satellite carrying an SAR payload operating in C band (5.35GHz), which enables imaging of surface features during both ...

• Naval: Radio and SATCOM

  OceanTRx 4MIL

  The OceanTRx 4MIL is a ruggedised maritime SATCOM solution featuring simultaneous multi-band communication and advanced antenna management capabilities.  It was introduced at the Euronaval 2022 ...

• Major networking projects

  Skynet 6 SATCOM

  Skynet 6 is designed to replace Skynet 5. The PFI contract for Skynet 5,  held by Paradigm Secure Communications and Airbus DS, ends in 2022. As ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Osprey u8 HGL

  Launched in 2023, Kymeta Osprey u8 HGL is a hybrid Geostationary/Low-Earth Orbit terminal that provides satellite communications on the move. Notably, it can be mounted ...

• Naval: Radio and SATCOM, UAS: communication systems

  Multi-Purpose Terminal (MPT)

  Orbit's Multi-Purpose Terminal (MPT) is a family of stabilised VSAT systems suitable for installation on smaller vessels and airborne platforms including uncrewed vehicles. 

• Military Satellites - ISR

  Radarsat-2

  Owned and operated by MDA, Radarsat-2 was launched in late 2007 as a follow-on radar satellite to Canada’s Radarsat-1. The satellite's resolution ranges from a ...

• Naval: Radio and SATCOM

  SURFSAT-L

  Produced by Thales, SURFSAT-L is a SATCOM terminal designed for medium to large surface vessels. According to the manufacturer, it is designed to achieve a ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MONDO Satellite Terminal

  The Multi Orbit Network, Dual Operation (MONDO) Satellite Terminal is a developmental SATCOM solution that provides continuous communication links on GEO, LEO and MEO networks. ...

• Military Satellites - ISR

  Helios

  The Helios system consists of the Helios 2A and Helios 2B satellites, the latter of which was launched in December 2009, five years after Helios ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Multi-Orbit Tactical Terminal

  Intelsat Multi-Orbit Tactical Terminal (MOTT) is a ruggedised terminal with a low-profile design. The vehicle-mountable terminal features an electronically steered array antenna, edge computing capabilities ...

• Data links

  GSNC

  Global Secure Network Connection (GSNC) provides a global data communications solution for military aircraft, including bomber, refuelling and transport aircraft. The GSNC system uses Iridium ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...

• Space: radar systems

  NISAR

  The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is a joint programme between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to build and launch an observation ...

• Space: radar systems

  TerraSAR-X and ​TanDEM-X

  TerraSAR-X and the more advanced TanDEM-X (TerraSAR-X add-on for digital elevation measurement) are designed to operate closely together to generate an accurate 3D image of ...

• Military - USVs

  USV-12

  The USV-12 is an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) developed by HAVELSAN and VN Maritime Technologies. The modular platform is designed for defence, maritime security, and search ...