• Defence Notes

  Golden Dome for America hits one-year mark but key questions remain on its progress

  26th February 2026

  Integration issues, bureaucracy and undefined policies and authorities could hamper the full implementation of the “shield” to defend the US territory against aerial threats.

• Land Warfare

  KF41 Lynx finds a path but hurdles remain

  11th November 2025

  The Lynx is typically configured as an IFV operated by a crew of three and with space for up to eight dismounts in the rear troop compartment. The platform is being delivered to Hungary, has been contracted for Italy and will soon be in Ukrainian hands in small numbers.

• Land Warfare

  Leonardo acquires Iveco Defence in $1.9 billion deal

  31st July 2025

  The acquisition will help consolidate Leonardo’s position in the European land defence sector, aiding it in efforts to boost its domain “interoperability vision”, according to Leonardo’s CEO.

• Land Warfare

  “Timelines are measured in seconds”: tackling the UAS threat with dispersed defences

  17th July 2026

  Small uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) have transformed the battlespace, posing a complex threat across all domains. Militaries now need counter-UAS (CUAS) capabilities that defeat the danger while meeting demands around readiness, manoeuvrability and adaptability, according to Mike Spina, Director, Global Sales and Business Development for Targeting and Sensor Systems (TSS) at L3Harris Technologies.

• Land Warfare

  First gun barrels for British Army howitzers due from Rheinmetall’s new UK factory in 2027

  13th January 2026

  The new Rheinmetall facility will supply barrels for UK RCH 155 howitzers and Challenger 3 tanks while also opening up potential export opportunities, providing a currently absent national capability.

• Air Warfare

  Saab eyes fresh market opportunities for its GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft

  8th January 2026

  As the E-7 Wedgetail faces prolonged production and technical delays as well as a recently abandoned contract from NATO, its competitor, the GlobalEye, may find new avenues for market growth.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2025: KNDS France to bid for US Army requirement

  15th October 2025

  The CAESAR Mk II, which was debuted internationally at Eurosatory last year, is a step up from the first model which has seen combat in Ukraine and the Middle East.

• Naval Warfare

  UK ‘Hybrid Navy’ steps up as Norway cooperation reinforces Arctic strategy

  13th February 2026

  As Russia commits billions to new warships and stealth submarines, the UK is reshaping its strategy with expanded troop deployments, shared frigate fleets and a shift towards uncrewed platforms.

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2025: Rheinmetall adds Lockheed Martin missile punch to Fuchs vehicle

  9th September 2025

  The combination of the Rheinmetall platform with Lockheed Martin missiles is seen as the bringing together of mature systems to provide a capability in the medium term, but trials could be as long as 12 months away.

• Land Warfare

  New Type 100 AFVs help China leapfrog ahead of other Western concepts

  19th September 2025

  China’s fourth-generation armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) have pulled ahead of international analogues in their concept of operations, but questions remain about the reliability of their advanced technologies further down the line.

• Air Warfare

  US Army order for CH-47F Block II aircraft takes total contracted to 18 in rapid fielding effort

  22nd October 2025

  Boeing has delivered six Chinook CH-47F Block II production helicopters to the US Army, with the helicopters now undergoing a series of evaluations to demonstrate their enhanced capabilities. The company is working with the army on a path forward for Lot 6.

• Defence Notes

  How Canada plans to “seize” the opportunity to increase investments in defence

  25th September 2025

  The Canadian Department of National Defence has been increasing efforts to accelerate the acquisition of new equipment and modernise its in-service inventory.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy prepares next steps of in-service missile modernisation

  21st July 2025

  The Naval Air Systems Command recently issued notices outlining the upcoming phases of the Tomahawk and Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) upgrades as well as the Harpoon Weapon Service (HWS) Life Extension Programme (LEP).

• Air Warfare

  DSEI 2025: UK launches Project Octopus to deliver thousands of interceptor drones to Ukraine

  12th September 2025

  The programme will work to build and deploy the drones to Ukraine to support its fight against Russia, coming a day after Poland shot down 19 Russian drones in its airspace.

• Land Warfare

  Chaiseri’s quartet of new vehicles offers fresh capabilities to Asian markets

  20th November 2025

  The Guardian-T 8x8, Hisaar MRAP 4x4, Ridgeback 4x4 and Jackal 4x4 were all on display at Defense & Security 2025, with target markets for the vehicles including Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines as well as Thailand.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  F-X III Phase II (F-35) [South Korea]

  Programme Background On 14 September 2014, South Korea signed an FMS contract under the first phase of F-X III programme to supply 40 F-35As for ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35B (1-12) [Singapore]

  Programme Background Singapore is renowned as a discerning and demanding customer, so its selection of the F-35 must be seen as a vote of confidence ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Japan

  In 2019, Japan requested to be an official partner in the F-35 programme, but this request was rejected by the Pentagon. The F-35 Joint Strike ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35I Adir (F-35A) [Israel]

  Programme Background The F-35I Adir is an F-35A Lightning II variant customised to meet the requirements of the Israel Defense Forces to replace the F-16 ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  SW4 Puszczyk Replacement [Poland]

  Programme Background  In 2002, Poland order 47 SW4 training helicopters from Italian manufacturer Leonardo; as of Spring 2025, the Ministry of Defence is looking to ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Japan Follow On

  The F-35 full-rate production is expected to be further delayed following an October 2020 US DoD announcement that postponed the simulation tests, originally planned for 2017 ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Future Aircrew Training Program [Canada]

  Background The FAcT requires to graduate 120 pilots, 40 combat systems officers and 36 airborne electronic sensor operators per year with 15% fluctuation. Training services are ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF

  Background The programme’s early competitive phase included three different airframe designs. Boeing submitted one design, Lockheed Martin submitted another, and McDonnell Douglas submitted a third ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35B [Japan]

  F-35B was selected on 16 August 2019 for Japan's short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) multirole fighter aircraft requirement. Tokyo is planning  ‘partial refurbishment of ...

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

  Sistema RPAS Táctico de Altas Prestaciones (SiRTAP) [Spain]

  Background MoU In 2017, it was announced that Spain was jointly developing a MALE UAV with Colombia to meet the ISR requirement of both armed ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Army)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Navy)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Main battle tanks

  Main Battle Tank Upgrade [Australia]

  Programme Background Between 2006 and 2007, the Australian Army received 59 M1A1 AIM SA Abrams MBTs under Project Land 907 Phase 1. These vehicles were planned to ...

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

  Sistema RPAS Táctico de Altas Prestaciones (SiRTAP) [Colombia]

  Background MoU In 2017, it was announced that Spain was jointly developing a MALE UAV with Colombia to meet the ISR requirement of both armed ...

• Trainer

  Future Aircrew Training Program [Canada]

  Background Requirement The new procurement will result in one contract covering all the requirements, including maintenance and infrastructure services. Canada’s Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: C2 simulators

  GESI

  The GESI (Gefechtssimulation System or combat simulation system) is a constructive simulation system designed to run complex and comprehensive joint and combined exercises at tactical ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  Distributed and Networked Mission Training

  Airbus D&S; networks training systems to enable joint and distributed mission training across local and national boundaries, generating realistic and needs-oriented scenarios. The solution uses ...

• Land: vehicle simulators

  Leopard 2E Simulators

  Indra was prime contractor for the Spanish Army Leopard 2E Tank Simulation Programme, which involved 23 devices across driving, turret and platoon simulators with networking ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  Instrumented Ground Combat Training Systems

  Cubic supplies combat training systems for CTCs, homestations and forward-deployed environments. The systems are designed to support missions including force-on-force, urban operations, joint, combined arms ...

• Sea: tactical training

  UAE NTC

  In 2016, CAE was awarded a contract to design and deliver a comprehensive Naval Training Centre (NTC) to the UAE Navy. The UAE NTC will ...

• Land: C2 simulators

  JLCCTC

  The Joint Land Component Constructive Training Capability (JLCCTC) integrates seven command and battle staff training tools into a simulation-based system. JLCCTC will support US Army, ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  ECOSim - Tactics

  The ECOSim (Enhanced Company Operations Simulation) is a company-level training simulation device that teaches leaders how best to deploy troops, UAVs, convoys and other assets. ...

• Land: battle management systems

  KOCATEPE (TACCIS)

  Aselsan KOCATEPE is a battle management system which provides a software-based solution for headquarters staff at the brigade level and above. According to news sources, it ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  ANTares Joint and Combined Tactical Training

  Rheinmetall’s Advanced Network Trainer (ANTares) is designed to support the military needs for joint and combined training with networked and interoperable land-, air- and sea-based ...

• Major networking projects

  JCSS

  The Joint Communication Simulation System (JCSS) provides communications planners and system analysts with the capability to validate support plans, analyse existing and proposed network architectures ...

• Subsystems: software

  OneSAF

  The One Semi-Automated Force (OneSAF) is an open-source, common constructive simulation platform used by the US Army, joint and international communities as well as non-military ...

• Land: C2 simulators

  Joint Warfare Training Center

  This system provides multi-level simulation of joint forces operations (Air Force, Army and Navy) for training of tactical proficiency of divisions', brigades' and battalions' commanding ...

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  Rafale Simulator

  Thales, Sogitec and Dassault Aviation have together developed two pilot training centres to support the training of Rafale fighter pilots. The Saint-Dizier Rafale simulation centre ...

• Subsystems: software

  Simulation

  From physics-based dynamics and intelligent entity behaviours to tactical and operational missions, Presagis simulation software tools address the rigorous challenges of M&S; applications. Its simulation ...

• Subsystems: visual

  Independence IDX 7000 ER

  The IDX 7000 image generator provides real-time image generation for simulation, training and mission rehearsal applications, with up to four video channels per low-profile 1U ...