• Land Warfare

  S-400 – India caught between the devil and deep blue sea

  5th June 2018

  India has started final cost negotiations for acquisition of S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems, Shephard has learned. The final deal is expected to be …

• Defence Notes

  NATO chief hails German defence spending boost

  7th June 2018

  NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg hailed on 7 June German plans to increase defence spending by 80% by 2024 as 'a step in the right direction' …

• Defence Notes

  USMC moving out on future battlefield capabilities

  5th June 2018

  To prepare for a conventional war with Russia or China, the US Marine Corps will need to work closer with the other services and step …

• Special Operations

  SOFIC 2018: US SOF examines platform needs to compete in a conventional war

  23rd May 2018

  US special forces will need new platforms with additional survivability to withstand a conventional conflict with Russia or China. US Army Gen Raymond Thomas, the commander of …

• Digital Battlespace

  EW Europe 2018: Preparing for radar 'war modes'

  4th June 2018

  For pilots and crew, survival in the air is increasingly reliant on the ability to use electronic warfare tactics and technology to avoid and counter the …

• Naval Warfare

  Algeria and Russia partner on patrol ships

  22nd May 2018

  Algeria and Russia have reached an agreement for the purchase of a new Project 22160 patrol ship and the construction of three similar ships during …

• Defence Notes

  Sweden puts out emergency war pamphlet amid Russia fears

  21st May 2018

  The Swedish government on 21 May presented an emergency pamphlet to prepare millions of citizens in the event of a war, natural disaster or cyber …

• Digital Battlespace

  EW Europe 2018: COMINT requirements continue to morph

  6th June 2018

  With focus shifting to state-based threats, communications intelligence (COMINT) is seeing renewed interest as nations look to once again modernise their inventories to suit this …

• Defence Helicopter

  India issues Ka-226T RfP, scorns competitive process

  18th May 2018

  India’s MoD issued an RfP earlier in May for the 200 Kamov Ka-226T helicopters that it plans to buy to replace geriatric light utility platforms …

• Digital Battlespace

  EW Europe 2018: Race to militarise AI heats up

  31st May 2018

  Touted as a game changing technology for defence systems, the race to exploit the battlefield potential of AI has heated up in recent years, contributing …

• Land Warfare

  Eurosatory 2018: Finnish land modernisation rolls on

  4th June 2018

  Sharing a border of over 1,300km with Russia - as well as a turbulent history - Finland is once again finding itself in a precarious …

• Defence Helicopter

  Nigeria takes its second pair of Hinds

  11th May 2018

  The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has taken delivery of two more Russian Helicopters Mi-35 Hind newly-built, night-capable attack helicopters.The aircraft were airlifted to Makurda Air …

• Digital Battlespace

  EW Europe 2018: New threat radars present intel challenges

  5th June 2018

  Digital radar systems that use new frequency bands and have multifunction capabilities are making it increasingly difficult for electronic intelligence (ELINT) analysts to identify emitters …

• Naval Warfare

  First China-made aircraft carrier starts sea trials

  13th May 2018

  China's first domestically manufactured aircraft carrier started sea trials on 13 May, state media said, a landmark in Beijing's plans to modernise its navy as …

• Military Logistics

  Ukraine, Turkey to jointly build An-188

  9th May 2018

  Ukraine and Turkey have teamed up to implement a joint project to build Antonov An-188 military transport aircraft, Ukroboronprom announced on 3 May. The project …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Akinci [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Two Export Contracts In January 2022, the Daily Sabah reported that Baykar had "recently" signed its first export contract for the Akinci. Haluk Bayraktar ...

• 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 ...

• Loitering munitions

  ZT-180 [Russia]

  Programme Background Claims On 23 February 2023, DER SPIEGEL reported that, according to information it had gathered, China and Russia were negotiating the purchase of 100 ZT-180 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Shahed-136 [Russia]

  Programme Background Iran's Involvement On 11 July 2022, according to US intelligence, Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor, announced during a statement that the Iranian ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Vector / Scorpion (Selected) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background 500 Systems Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Quantum-Systems has provided many drones to Ukraine. Over 400 units have been provided as aid ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  SkyRanger R70 (Ukraine Aid) [Canada]

  Programme Background On 19 February 2024, the Canadian Defence Minister, Bill Blair, announced that the country would donate more than 800 SkyRanger R70 UAVs to ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Heavy Lift Helicopter [Philippines]

  Programme Background Procurement from Russia In November 2021, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that a contract had been signed to acquire 16 Mi-171 heavy ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  T-150 (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background Virtual Address On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. On 3 May 2022, the UK's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, virtually addressed the Ukrainian ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Black Hornet 3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Programme Background Russo-Ukraine War Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UAVs have proved vital to the country's defence. Consequently, as in this programme, the ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Quantix Recon (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background April Meeting In mid-April, just shy of two months after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the Ambassador and the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Ukraine met ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Germany]

  Programme Background Germany has operated the domestically produced Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Leopard 2 since its inception in the 1970s. Spanning now eight versions, the Leopard 2A8 is the ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

• Data links

  Data links | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Tanks

  T-80UD

  The 125mm-armed T-80UD MBT is a variant of the T-80 which was in production in Ukraine when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. An ...

• Loitering munitions

  AQV 100 Scalpel

  The AQV 100 Scalpel, or AQV-100, is a low-cost loitering munition manufactured by One Way Aerospace.  The drone is operated using a first-person view and ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Mini 2

  The Mini 2 is a micro rotary-wing drone from DJI. It features a 3-axis gimbaled 12MP camera for photographs and 4k/30fps for video capture. Shephard believes ...

• Transport

  An-140

  The An-140 is a light turboprop military transport aircraft developed from the An-140 regional airliner, which first flew in September 1997. It is designed to ...

• Air: sonar systems

  VGS-3

  The VGS-3 is a dipping sonar for the Ka-27/Ka-28 helicopter developed by the State Enterprise Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Hydrodevices.

• Loitering munitions

  Shahed-236

  The Shahed-236, or MC 236, is a successor to the Shahed-126. It is a loitering munition designed in Iran. The drone was presented to Russia in ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Orlan-10/10E

  Developed by the Russia-based Special Technology Center, the Orlan-10 is a medium-range UAS with many variants, such as the 10E, an export version introduced in 2017. The ...

• Fighter - air superiority

  MiG-29

  The MiG-29 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum) is an air superiority fighter aircraft designed to engage air targets in any weather, day and night.  The production ...

• Fighter - ground attack

  Su-25

  The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) is a single-seat ground attack aircraft developed for close combat air support missions. Production of the Su-25 began in ...

• Land: coastal surveillance radars

  Predel-E

  The Predel-E is a coastal surveillance radar produced by Russian manufacturer Concern Morinformsystem-Agat JSC. The system is intended as an over-the-horizon surveillance system, designed to ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Matrice 300 RTK

  The Matrice 300 RTK is a rotary-wing UAV manufactured by DJI. Despite being primarily aimed at industrial applications, militaries utilise it for ISR tasks.  In ...

• Artillery rockets

  9M55

  9M55 is a family of 300 mm artillery rockets developed for the BM-30 Uragan MLRS developed by the USSR.

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  SURA HMTDS

  SURA is a helmet-mounted display system produced in Ukraine. Notably, it offers off-boresight acquisition capability to pilots and can cue the aircraft's sensor systems using ...

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

  Orion / Orion-E

  The Orion, sometimes called the Inokhodets, is the first Russian-manufactured MALE UAV that has been designed to carry out a wide variety of military surveillance applications. Russia has ...

• Transport

  An-22

  The largest transport aircraft of the time, the An-22 Antei (NATO reporting name Cock) is a heavy military transport aircraft developed by Antonov in the ...