• Air Warfare

  Insight: Is the Bayraktar TB2 UAV living up to expectations?

  15th September 2023

  Sold to well over 20 countries and combat-proven in Nagorno-Karabakh, Ukraine and elsewhere, the Bayraktar TB2 has been an export success for its Turkish manufacturer. Shephard Defence Insight analyses the aircraft's design and capabilities and reviews in depth who is buying it and why.

• Land Warfare

  Greensea demos robotic vehicle to locate buried munitions in the surf zone

  23rd June 2023

  On the boundaries between the land and naval domains, US company Greensea Systems has demonstrated the potential of a UGV to search for unexploded ordnance.

• Naval Warfare

  Canada in talks with six countries over future submarine needs

  31st July 2023

  The Canadian Patrol Submarine Programme (CPSP) is in its options analysis phase that includes engagement with potential builders to determine next steps.

• Land Warfare

  US marines get expeditionary boost from new ULTV vehicle programme

  20th June 2023

  The USMC has reached the IOC milestone and started fielding the Ultra Light Tactical Vehicle.

• Training

  Smaller nations under threat – finding the right training focus

  2nd August 2023

  It is inevitable that a country’s military training policy will be driven by its situation in the world, and also by its society.

• Land Warfare

  Demand for AFVs and artillery keeps South Korean firms busy

  28th June 2023

  Worldwide demand for military equipment is playing into South Korea's hands, as the country's defence industry makes deeper inroads into foreign markets.

• Land Warfare

  NZ Army to more closely align with Australian Army via Plan ANZAC

  14th June 2023

  The New Zealand Army has decided to closely align itself and cooperate far more closely with its Australian counterpart.

• Land Warfare

  ST Engineering hints at new SAR21 and Ultimax 100 variants

  21st June 2023

  ST Engineering continues to refine its small arms, with new variants to debut at next year's Singapore Airshow.

• Land Warfare

  GM Defense selected for DoD energy storage project, showcases concept vehicles

  29th June 2023

  GM Defense announced on 27 June that it has been selected by the DoD's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to prototype an efficient energy storage unit (ESU). The company also displayed its new Electric Military Concept Vehicle at Modern Day Marine.

• Land Warfare

  Sweden inks deal for up to 3,000 military vehicles from IDV

  19th June 2023

  IDV will supply its Military Utility Vehicle (MUV) design to meet a Swedish requirement for Light Multi Purpose Vehicles (LMPVs).

• Defence Notes

  Lawmakers to provide nearly $700 million in extra funds for US Army ground vehicle programmes

  16th June 2023

  The House Armed Services Committee has proposed allocating additional resources to the Abrams, Stryker, Bradley and PIM programmes and reducing the budget of the OMFV effort.

• Land Warfare

  SAMP/T operational in Ukraine, Macron announces at Paris Air Show

  22nd June 2023

  The SAMP/T air defence system – made by Eurosam – is now operational in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday.

• Air Warfare

  Indonesia orders GM400α radars to enhance its patchy air surveillance

  23rd June 2023

  Indonesia has inked a long-awaited deal for multiple air surveillance radars that will close gaps in the military's ability to monitor aircraft movements.

• Land Warfare

  Teledyne FLiR delivers 1,000th anti-IED robot to US Army

  9th June 2023

  Teledyne FLIR has delivered the 1,000th robot to the US Army under the Man Transportable Robot System Increment II (MTRS Inc II) contract.

• Land Warfare

  US military accelerates acquisition and adoption of artificial intelligence

  28th July 2023

  Speeding up the procurement process and increasing the integration of data across the Department of Defense are part of the Pentagon's strategy to increase the use of AI and ML.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• MPVs - 4x4

  Land 121 Phase 4 [Australia]

  Programme background Three suppliers were originally down-selected to meet the Land 121 Phase 4 requirement: Thales Australia, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and Force Protection ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35C (FY2021-2025) [USA]

  Background In order to achieve their ultimate goal of 340 F-35C fighters, the U.S. Navy contracted a total of 101 platforms between FY2021 and FY2025. ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35C (FY2026-2030) [USA]

  Background In order to achieve their ultimate goal of 340 F-35C fighters, the U.S. Navy contracted a total of 101 platforms between FY2021 and FY2025. ...

• 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 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Phoenix Ghost (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Background Presidential Drawdown Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, on 21 April 2022, President Biden announced an $800 million Presidential Drawdown security ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• 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 ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  Land Ground Based Air Defence [UK]

  Background In November 2023, the UK published the Land Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) Prior Information Notice, which informed industry of the future direction of the ...

• Loitering munitions

  Land Lethality Pipeline [UK]

  Background Defence Investment Plan (DIP) In late June 2026, the UK published its delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP), which outlined plans to spend £298 billion ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Land Mobility Programme (Light Mobility Vehicle) [UK]

  This programme briefly introduces the wider Land Mobility Programme and then focuses on the Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) programme. Information on the LPM and HPM can ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Bayraktar TB3 [Turkish Army]

  Background Land Forces Command Delivery In late October 2024, Haluk Bayraktar, Baykar's CEO, stated that the Bayraktar TB3 had entered mass production and could be exported ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Light utility vehicle replacement [Portugal]

  Background The Portuguese Army currently operates several classes of light utility vehicle, including the Mercedes G-Wagon, Toyota Land Cruiser, Land Rover Defender and Mitsubishi L200. ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV (Batch 2) [USA]

  Background The Armoured Combat Vehicle (ACV) programme is intended to provide a replacement for the USMC's fleet of Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7 (AAV7) tracked vehicles. ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  NASAMS [Australia]

  Background The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) initiated the LAND 19 Phase 7b programme, which intends to replace the Bofors RBS 70 VSHORAD system with ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Trainer, Transport

  EMB-121 Xingu

  The EMB-121 Xingu is a twin-turboprop light transport and advanced multi-engine trainer aircraft developed by Embraer based on the EMB-110 Bandeirante. Its maiden flight was ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Hawkei

  Thales Australia developed the 4x4 Hawkei for the Australian Army's Land 121 Phase 4 Protected Mobility Vehicle – Light (PMV-L) project.  The prototype was unveiled in ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Aertos 121

  The Digital Aerolus Aertos 121 ducted-fan quadrotor UAV is an improved version of the Aertos 120 infrastructure inspection platform. It is designed as an asset for ...

• Towed mortars

  Soltam K6 120mm Lightweight Towed Mortar

  The Soltam K6 120mm Lightweight Towed Mortar has a maximum range of 7,200m using conventional unassisted bombs. The K6 was selected for US Army service ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - national programmes

  Land 125

  In 1994, Australia initiated Project Wundurra to develop an integrated soldier combat system, and by 2005 this had evolved into the multi-phase Land 125 programme ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  Land Ceptor

  MBDA Land Ceptor is a medium-to-long range ground-based air defence missile system based on the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) family of surface-to-air missiles developed ...

• Land: air defence radar

  KRONOS Land

  KRONOS is a mobile multifunctional C-band radar system designed by Leonardo to support air and coastal defence tactical operations.  The system simultaneously performs surveillance, dedicated target ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Superav Land

  The Superav Land 8x8 is a modular vehicle with a large diameter turret ring that can be adjusted to fit a wide variety of remote-controlled ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  ALADIN

  ALADIN is a miniature system consisting of a man-portable GCS and a hand-launched air vehicle with exchangeable sensor payloads.  The UAV, which can be operated ...

• Transport

  C-40 Clipper

  The USN began replacing its ageing fleet of 29 McDonnell Douglas C-9B Skytrain aircraft in 1997 with the C-40A Clipper, a military version of the ...

• Towed guns

  Boran

  Turkey’s Makina ve Kimya Endustrisi Kurumu (MKEK), working with Aselsan, has developed the 105mm Boran towed artillery gun to meet a Turkish Land Forces Command ...

• Land: vehicle surveillance/target acquisition systems

  T-VIEW-Land

  The T-VIEW-Land is a lightweight EO/IR, gyro-stabilised sensor, installed on vehicles for day/night observation. It incorporates two cameras: a thermal imager and a colour charge-coupled ...

• Naval guns, Land: RWS

  Naval/Land Rogue

  The Land Rogue is an RWS developed by Reutech for installation on armoured vehicles. Capable of being armed with a 7.62mm machine gun, a 12.7mm ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  G-Wagon

  Mercedes-Benz G-Wagons are designed to meet specific military needs and have been in production since 1979. The vehicle comes in several variants, including 4x4 and 6x6 versions. ...

• Military vehicle engines

  V903

  The V903 is a series of heavy-duty V8 diesel engines developed to power military vehicles. Production began in 1981 after the 500 hp VTA-903-500 variant ...