• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2021: Aardvark goes on show

  15th September 2021

  New UGV offers possibilities for military logistics, resupply and other missions.

• Land Warfare

  Saudi Arabia’s booming defense industry: Entering the global stage (sponsored)

  6th September 2021

  Saudi Arabia continues to stand as one of the most exciting investment opportunities for global defense and technology companies. As a result of national aspirations to diversify the local economy, Saudi Arabia plans to spend half its military budget within the Kingdom by the end of the decade.

• Defence Notes

  World Defense Show seals royal patronage (sponsored)

  23rd August 2021

  The inaugural World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia next year will be held under the patronage of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The World …

• Naval Warfare

  DSEI 2021: Lockheed Martin details Greek frigate bid

  20th September 2021

  Shephard understands that Greece will decide on its frigate requirement by the end of this year.

• Defence Notes

  Spotlight on WDS

  16th September 2021

  In this video, Shephard Media CEO Darren Lake speaks to Shaun Ormrod, CEO of the World Defense Show (WDS),  about what to expect from this …

• Training

  DSEI 2021: BAE Systems focuses on readiness rather than availability

  22nd September 2021

  BAE Systems is using training as a method of highlighting a greater emphasis on operational readiness.

• Naval Warfare

  Fourth Avante 2200 corvette takes to the water

  27th July 2021

  A construction programme for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces also includes technology transfer for Saudi Arabian Military Industries.

• Air Warfare

  Chinese UAVs fly near Japan as new models abound

  1st September 2021

  New and innovative UAV designs continue to flood out of Chinese companies and institutes, while the PLA is getting bolder about flying them farther afield too.

• Training

  US Army highlights major low-cost drone threat

  1st September 2021

  The US Army is teaching soldiers how to deal with low-cost drones on the battlefield.

• Defence Notes

  Turkey and Qatar tighten their military bonds

  9th July 2021

  The latest basing agreement underlines the enduring benefits of the Qatar-Turkey military relationship, despite the end of the GCC embargo.

• Air Warfare

  Boeing gains extra FMS contract for Saudi missiles

  11th June 2021

  Contract modification for Boeing covers support for the AGM-84H obsolescence redesign programme in Saudi Arabia.

• Air Warfare

  Airbus goes further than before in arming C295

  7th July 2021

  An armed version of the C295 has finally undergone test flights and ground tests in Spain.

• Training

  USN sets out FMS surface vessel training opportunities

  22nd June 2021

  Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Greece are all set to receive naval training systems through the US FMS initiative.

• Naval Warfare

  Egyptian naval modernisation maintains momentum

  17th June 2021

  Procurement of new vessels and weaponry reflects Egyptian ambitions to protect valuable energy fields and geopolitical tensions with Turkey.

• Defence Notes

  COVID-19 and lack of big-money deals hit French exports in 2020

  7th June 2021

  Official figures show that French defence equipment export orders took a big hit last year.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Transport

  C-130 Replacement [Saudi Arabia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Saudi Air Force operates 33 C-130H, 7 KC-130H aircraft and two KC-130Js. The country has been seeking to replace its ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Kozak 5 (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background  In 2021, Ukrainian firm Pracktika announced that they had fulfilled an export contract to deliver 60 Kozak-5 armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia. The ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Typhoon Tranche 3A [Saudi Arabia]

  In June 2018, Saudi Arabia agreed to procure 48 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter aircraft from BAE. The total procurement cost for 48 aircraft is estimated at ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Typhoon Tranche 3A [Saudi Arabia]

  In June 2018, Saudi Arabia agreed to procure 48 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter aircraft from BAE. The total procurement cost for 48 aircraft is estimated at ...

• Data links

  Data links | Typhoon Tranche 3A [Saudi Arabia]

  In June 2018, Saudi Arabia agreed to procure 48 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter aircraft from BAE. The total procurement cost for 48 aircraft is estimated at ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Typhoon Tranche 3A [Saudi Arabia]

  In June 2018, Saudi Arabia agreed to procure 48 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter aircraft from BAE. The total procurement cost for 48 aircraft is estimated at ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Typhoon Tranche 3A [Saudi Arabia]

  In June 2018, Saudi Arabia agreed to procure 48 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter aircraft from BAE. The total procurement cost for 48 aircraft is estimated at ...

• Tanks

  M1A2S (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background Saudi Arabia was the first export customer for the M1A2 Abrams. 315 were delivered between 1993 and 1994 as part of a $1.5 ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Didgori AMEV ( Saudi Arabia - Second Batch)

  Programme Background Saudi Arabia announced that it was evaluating several 4x4 armoured vehicles in 2014 under a programme to acquire new armoured ambulances capable of ...

• Tanks

  T-90S (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background.  The status of the Saudi Arabian T-90 deal is unclear, it is possible that these tanks may be purchased to replace stocks of ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Saudi Arabia National Guard LAV 700

  The Saudi Arabian LAV 700 order is believed to encompass several variants including APC, ambulance, armoured recovery vehicle, command post, ATGM carrier, IFV, VIP transport ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Jais 4x4 (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background The Saudi Arabian government is aiming to localise 50% of its investment into defence by 2030 in line with the country's Vision 2030 ...

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

  CH-4 [Saudi Arabia]

  Background 2014 Order According to the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), in 2014, Saudi Arabia ordered two CH-4 aircraft from China. However, information from the Stockholm International Peace ...

• Corvettes

  Avante 2200 (6-8) [Saudi Arabia]

  Programme Background Timeline In December 2022, the Saudi Arabian MoD and General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) signed an MoU with Spanish shipbuilder Navantia to ...

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

  Anka-S (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background Desired Procurement Saudi Arabia has reportedly been in negotiations to procure six Anka UAVs since 2013. It has not been disclosed which Anka ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Hazem

  Produced by SAMI Navantia, Hazem is a combat management system designed for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces. Based on the Cadiz CMS, it is integrated ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 2 (Block 8, 8A, 9, 10, 10C, 11, 11C, 15, 15C)

  Under the Typhoon Tranche 2 procurement,  the four European partner nations of Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the export customer Saudi Arabia took delivery ...

• Transport

  An-132

  The An-132 is a multipurpose transport aircraft based on the Soviet-era An-32. It is being jointly developed by Antonov and Saudi Arabia's Technology Development and ...

• SH-01

  The SHAHEEN SH-01 is a VTOL UAS manufactured by Prince Sultan Defense in Saudi Arabia. The aircraft is designed for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes. 

• Ship-launched torpedoes, Submarine-launched torpedoes

  F17

  The F17 is a wire-guided anti-surface ship torpedo developed for the French Navy and purchased by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The latest version is the F17 ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Shahine

  The Shahine radar is a key component of the Shahine self-propelled surface-to-air missile system, developed by Thomson-CSF (now Thales) for Saudi Arabia in the 1970s. ...

• Data links

  TTR

  Offered through Data Link Solutions (DLS) – Rockwell Collins' joint venture with BAE Systems – TacNet Tactical Radio (TTR) is claimed to be the smallest ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  Interceptor HSI32

  The Interceptor HSI32 was designed by French shipbuilder CMN to meet the needs of modern navies and coastguards. The vessel's primary missions are sea policing ...

• Sea: sonar systems

  Captas-1

  CAPTAS-1 is a low-frequency Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) developed by Thales. It is the smallest member of the CAPTAS family optimised for littoral and shallow water ...

• Corvettes

  Avante 2200 (Combatant)

  The Avante 2200 corvettes from Spanish shipbuilder Navantia are currently under construction for Saudi Arabia. A contract was signed for five corvettes in July 2018. ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  Cymbeline

  The Cymbeline is a phased-array, mortar-locating radar that detects the flight path of a mortar bomb at two points in its trajectory as it passes ...

• Mine-protected vehicles

  RG32M

  BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa produced more than 600 RG32-series vehicles before its acquisition in 2014 by state-owned Denel.  According to the company, the ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  RF-7800M-MP

  The L3Harris Falcon III RF-7800M-MP high-capacity data radio provides secure voice and high-speed networked data, supporting both narrowband and wideband waveforms of 30MHz-2GHz with 20W ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Cockpit 9000

  Produced by CMC Electronics, the Cockpit 9000 is an integrated avionics solution primarily integrated into C-130 aircraft. According to the manufacturer, over 100 C-130s are ...

• Mine-protected vehicles

  Aravis

  Nexter unveiled its 12.5t Aravis at Eurosatory 2008, and in April 2009, the company received a launch order for 15 vehicles to equip French Army ...