• Naval Warfare

  Singapore launches Invincible-class submarine

  18th February 2019

  The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) launched the first of its four Type 218SG diesel-electric submarines at ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems’ (TKMS) yard in Kiel, Germany …

• Training

  New fast jet training for RAF

  4th February 2019

  The UK Royal Air Force has officially opened its new £44 million centrifuge at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire. The project has been headed by Thales and this …

• Defence Notes

  Iran denies any intention of boosting range of missiles

  29th January 2019

  Iran has ‘no intention of increasing the range’ of its missiles, a senior defence official said Tuesday, amid threats of European as well as US …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris to upgrade USMC tactical radios

  16th January 2019

  Harris Corporation will provide Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) narrowband satellite communication upgrades for the US Marine Corps’ Falcon III AN/PRC-117G manpack radios, the company …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Global UAV completes geothermal energy survey

  30th January 2019

  Global UAV Technologies has completed a UAS-based geothermal energy exploration survey for Borealis GeoPower in northern British Columbia, Canada, the company announced on 24 January. …

• Training

  Edwards AFB to get new JSE facility

  23rd January 2019

  The US Air Force is to build a new facility at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) to house the Joint Simulation Environment (JSE), the USAF …

• Digital Battlespace

  DARPA’s advancements in hypersonic time travel

  7th February 2019

  The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is investigating advances in materials that could allow hypersonic vehicles to travel through Earth’s atmosphere for longer …

• Training

  Kongsberg Digital launches new simulator

  28th January 2019

  Kongsberg Digital has launched a new simulator called K-Sim Safety for training maritime officers and crew in firefighting procedures, the company announced on 23 January. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  GA-ASI forms Team SkyGuardian Belgium

  17th January 2019

  General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has teamed with five Belgium companies to form Team SkyGuardian Belgium, the company announced on 15 January. Shephard reported in …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Nine teams to participate in DARPA’s STIX

  25th January 2019

  Nine teams have qualified to take part in the SubT Integration Exercise (STIX) in preparation for the Circuits Stage of the SubT Challenge later in …

• Training

  Netherlands to receive CBRN simulator

  28th January 2019

  Following on from its successful teaming with Van Halteren Defence to deliver an Integrated Howitzer Trainer to the Royal Thai Army, Bagira Systems is again …

• Military Logistics

  Ivory Coast orders C295 transport aircraft

  23rd January 2019

  The Ministry of Defence of Ivory Coast has placed an order for one C295 medium transport aircraft, Airbus Defence and Space announced on 21 January. …

• Military Logistics

  L3 MAPPS to support Canadian JSS programme

  23rd January 2019

  Seaspan has awarded a contract to L3 MAPPS for work on the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN's) Joint Support Ships (JSS) programme, the company announced on …

• Training

  New trainers, old problems

  21st January 2019

  Boeing has been awarded a $91.72 million contract for the procurement of new aircrew and maintenance training systems, as well as upgrades and modifications to …

• Defence Notes

  African arms market to grow by 50% over five years

  24th January 2019

  Africa's arms market is likely to grow by 50% over the next five years, analyst Stephane Konan said at a four-day trade show in Ivory …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - MALE

  Dominator XP [Thailand]

  Programme Background Purchase As reported by Shephard, in September 2023, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) inducted three Dominator XPs. The RTAF purchased the trio ...

• Loitering munitions

  Project Brakestop [UK]

  Background Information notice On 25 September 2024, the UK MoD published a prior information notice for Project Brakestop, informing industry of the upcoming competition. Requirements ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F Chinook (Singapore)

  Programme Background In July 2020, photos have emerged on the internet of the first Boeing CH-47F Chinook destined for the Republic of Singapore Air Force ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Predator [Italy]

  Background  The MQ-1C fleet was retired in December 2022 after more than 31,000 flight hours and over 3,800 sorties. ISTAR activities have since been carried ...

• Loitering munitions

  Project Instigator [UK]

  Background Prior Information Notice (PIN) On 21 October 2024, the MoD published a PIN in collaboration with the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S;). The notice announced ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Microwave DEW [Singapore]

  Background In response to the growing threat from autonomous and fibre-optically guided drones, Singapore has signed a contract with Leonardo's US-based subsidiary Epirus to develop ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-9B SkyGuardian (US)

  Programme Background On 6 March 2023, GA-ASI announced that the Air Force Special Operations Command (ASFOC) had contracted three MQ-9B SkyGaurdians, making it the first US customer of the ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Project Corvus [UK]

  Background Retirement and replacement In November 2024, speaking in the House of Commons, Defence Secretary John Healey stated that the WK 450 Watchkeeper was to be ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat [Poland]

  Background Maritime environment The June 2026 contract for the V-Bat procurement follows the platform’s demonstrated success in the Russo-Ukrainian war. The UAVs will operate from Polish ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Mi-28NE Night Hunter

  Algerian military's follow-up order suggests that the country is satisfied with the Mi-28NE Night Hunters' performance in operational conditions in the desert environment featuring sandstorms ...

• Transport

  VC-25B [USA]

  Background The modifications to the 747-8 aircraft will include an electrical power upgrade with dual Auxiliary Power Units that are usable in flight, a mission ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Mobile Strike Force Vehicle (Ukraine Aid) [USA]

  Programme background The US first provided Ukraine with the M1117 ASV in September 2022, when 250 vehicles were donated as part of a $400 million ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  VTLB [Portugal]

  Background The Portuguese Army planned to allocate funds for the procurement of 167 VTLBs during the Military Programming Law running from 2015 until 2026. These ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  New Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (NWJFAC) (1-31) [India]

  Programme Background Requirements The Indian Navy is seeking replacements for a large proportion of its 19 46-49m-long waterjet-powered fast attack craft, several of which are approaching ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Akinci [Turkey]

  Programme 2021 During a ceremony on 29 August 2021, attended by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish President, the Akinci officially entered the Turkish inventory. Four ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - small

  PL-5

  The PL is a Group 3 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capable UAV from EDGE Group. According to the company, it is engineered for persistent surveillance and ...

• Air: surveillance radar

  AN/APQ-181

  The AN/APQ-181 is a low-probability-of-intercept radar fitted to USAFNorthrop Grumman B-2 stealth bombers. During the B-2 Radar ModernizationProgram – completed in 2012 – the B-2’s legacy ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  CreoLand HP

  CreoLand HP is a 10W MANET radio designed for command centres, long-range applications, artillery and special forces units. Notably, it offers a data throughput of 100Mbps ...

• Military UAS - small

  Gogol-M

  The Gogol-M is a Ukrainian fixed-wing drone carrier, or mothership, from Strategy Force Solutions. The system can deliver two first-person view (FPV)-type attack drones to hit precision ...

• Military UAS - small

  DT-101

  The DT-101 is a small fixed-wing UAV from Deftech. The VTOL-capable platform features SATCOM with up to 10Mbs bandwidth capability. DefTech lists various payloads for ...

• Military UAS - small

  H10 Poseidon

  The H10 Poseidon, or H-10, is a fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV manufactured by Swamrly. Due to the UAV's electric propulsion system, small radar cross-section, lack of detachable thermal signature and ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - small

  Vandal

  Vandal is a next-generation, group II, low-signature UAS manufactured by AEVEX. The UAS is built for speed, precision, and survivability in denied environments and can ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  ARX

  Unveiled at Xponential 2024, the ARX is a fixed-wing drone developed by Tekever.  It features common electronics and software with other Tekever drones. Unlike those ...

• Military UAS - small

  DT-001

  The DT-001 is a tandem wing UCAV from Deftech. It can host a range of non-offensive payloads, such as IO/EO cameras and an airborne LIDAR. ...

• Loitering munitions

  Q-SLAM-100

  Unveiled at DSEI 2025, the Q-SLAM-100 is a man-portable loitering munition. Manufactured by Arquimea, the system is designed for medium-range missions with 120 minutes of flight autonomy ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Spider VTOL

  The Spider VTOL is a mini electrical fixed-wing UAV. Unlike traditional VTOL UAVs with dedicated motors, propellors and structural parts for performing take-off and landing, the Spider ...

• Military UAS - small

  Khronos

  The Khronos is a tethered, fully automated UAV for ISR missions in GPS/GNSS-denied and RF-denied environments. The drone's manufacturer, Elistair, stated that it could be deployed from a ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - small

  Disruptor

  Publicly unveiled at AUSA 2024, the Disruptor is a loitering munition and UAV manufactured by AEVEX Aerospace. The Group III aircraft utilises a pneumatic launcher ...

• 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 ...

• Data links

  MAQA Terminal 3.8m Flyaway Variant

  The Modular Aperture Quad-Band Antenna (MAQA) Terminal is designed to provide a ruggedised, mobile, quad-band SATCOM terminal that supports operations with the WGS constellation, legacy ...