• Land Warfare

  Dutch Army plans Bushmaster fleet upgrade

  23rd December 2021

  The Dutch Army plans on a MLU to upgrade 102 Bushmasters. The platforms will feature reversing cameras, increased payload capacity, an upgraded onboard weapon station and an extra layer of armour.

• Defence Notes

  Guam falls under temporary protection of Iron Dome

  18th November 2021

  An Iron Dome battery of the US Army is currently on Guam to test its suitability for the theatre.

• Land Warfare

  Lithuania receives 830 new riflescopes

  28th December 2021

  The devices were acquired in March under a €4 million ($4.5 million) contract with the Czech company Meopta Systems s.r.o.

• Land Warfare

  Poland acquires 25 Wizjer mini-UAVs

  30th December 2021

  Under a PLN 174 million ($42 .9million) contract, a national consortium will manufacture the new systems. The deliveries are scheduled from 2024 to 2027.

• Land Warfare

  Lithuania receives enough Boxers for battalion-sized unit

  10th January 2022

  Deliveries of the Vilkas IFV to Lithuania have been unaffected by delays to the programme, and the defence ministry expects to receive a final batch of vehicles by the end of 2022.

• Land Warfare

  Polish MND delivers eight 155 mm Krabs to 21st Podhale Rifle Brigade

  29th December 2021

  Apart from the Krabs, the Brigade also received one battery command vehicle, two command post vehicles, two ammunition supply vehicles, one armament and electronics repair vehicle and one squadron command staff vehicle.

• Land Warfare

  Future of Ajax remains cloudy

  20th December 2021

  While the UK MoD issued 20 recommendations in the Ajax health and safety report, Defence Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin claimed that it is impossible to be 100% confident that the programme will succeed.

• Defence Helicopter

  Aussie Hellfire Romeo order makes progress

  22nd December 2021

  Potential platforms for the AGM-114R II missile include the AH-64E Apache.

• Training

  Latvia wants to train MILES better

  20th December 2021

  Cubic is supplying MILES in two separate configurations for the Latvian military

• Defence Notes

  Baltic republics to receive FAAD C2

  15th December 2021

  Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are boosting their SHORAD capabilities.

• Land Warfare

  CV90 IFV keeps pace with upgrades

  15th December 2021

  First developed in the 1990s, the CV90 Infantry Fighting Vehicle has proved to be a durable platform. However, with new IFVs entering the marketplace, upgrades are required to keep the CV90 at the top of its powers.

• Digital Battlespace

  Quantum technology attracts French attention

  6th January 2022

  The French MoD has launched a national quantum computing platform that will perform calculations up to 1 billion times faster than conventional computing. The system will be available to researchers and specialists.

• Land Warfare

  South Korean army receives first air defence guns

  15th December 2021

  A new antiaircraft gun system based on an 8x8 chassis has been issued to South Korean troops.

• Digital Battlespace

  Li-Fi enhances US Army connectivity

  8th December 2021

  Li-Fi optical wireless communications solve certain limitations associated with RF communications, says US Army.

• Land Warfare

  QinetiQ and AM General advance development of hybrid-electric HMMWV

  15th December 2021

  AM General and QinetiQ intend to put a hybrid-electric military vehicle on the market by 2025. Their next step will involve 15 months dedicated to developing the prototype, then testing and any further iterations and development required ahead of certification.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  J-10 [China]

  Programme Background The aircraft performed its maiden flight in 1998 and entered service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in 2004. According to ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Data links

  Data links | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Corvettes

  Jiangdao Class (Type 056)

  Programme Background The Type 056 corvette is referred to by the Chinese as the new-generation light guided-missile frigates. They have been built for the People's Liberation ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | S26T (2-3) [Thailand]

  The Royal Thai Navy were in the process of acquiring up to three new submarines derived from the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Yuan-class (Type ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | S26T (2-3) [Thailand]

  The Royal Thai Navy were in the process of acquiring up to three new submarines derived from the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Yuan-class (Type ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  Rapid Minelayers Procurement (1-4) [Taiwan]

  Development and Procurement Four new rapid minelayers are being built for the Taiwanese Navy in a bid to counter the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  Rapid Minelayers Procurement (5-10) [Taiwan]

  Programme Background Requirements The revelation of a Chinese bridge-barge landing system for amphibious operations, designed for a Taiwan invasion, has underscored the need for Taipei ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Kalyani M4 (India)

  Programme Background In the wake of border clashes with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 2020, the Indian Army has accelerated several of its ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60M Black Hawk [Taiwan]

  Programme Background The Black Hawks are intended to defend against potential threats from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), as they possess rapid response capability in ...

• Frigates

  Jiangkai II Class (Type 054A)

  Built by Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard and Huangpu shipyards the frigates were first seen being constructed from 2005. The class is referred to as the workhorses of China's ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  VP1/Type 89 (Nigeria)

  Programme Background The Nigerian Army has an ongoing need for new armoured vehicles to replace losses incurred in its conflict with extremist organisations operating within ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• AEW&C, Transport

  Y-8

  The Y-8 (Yunshuji-8) medium-sized transport and multirole aircraft was developed by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation and is based on the Soviet Antonov An-12. More than 36 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Type 19 8x8

  The Type 19 8x8 is a family of vehicles developed for use by the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Z-8

  Developed by Changhe Aircraft Industry Group, the Z-8 (known also as Z-18) is a derivative of the AC313 civil helicopter, which is itself a copy of ...

• Submachine guns

  CS/LS2

  Norinco’s CS/LS2 is a 9mm bullpup SMG designed for use with a suppressor. It has been in service with the People's Liberation Army since about ...

• Fighter - multirole

  J-8

  The J-8 (NATO reporting name Finback) is a multirole fighter domestically developed by China. It has design similarities with Soviet MiG-21 and Su-15 aircraft.  The ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  Type GCZ110

  Norinco announced in 2014 that it had completed development of the Type GCZ110 armoured engineer vehicle based on a modified Type 79 tank chassis equipped ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  KZ-800

  China National Electronics Import and Export’s (CEIEC) KZ-800 is an airborne Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) gathering system believed to be in widespread use onboard People’s Liberation ...

• EO/IR systems

  Loong Eye LE380

  The Loong Eye (Dragon's Eye) LE380 is a two-axis stabilised gimbal incorporating EO/IR sensors, laser designators, and laser rangefinders. Originally developed by the Luoyang Opto-Electro ...

• Fighter - ground attack

  J-16

  The J-16 is a multirole fighter developed by China. It is based on the J-11 air superiority fighter, itself a licence-built version of the Russian ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Sky Saker FX400A

  The Sky Saker FX400A is a fixed-wing drone manufactured by Norinco. Capable of hosting both ISR and attack payloads, such as the Blue Arrow 7 ...

• Main battle tanks

  VT2

  The 125mm-armed VT2 tracked MBT, which was unveiled at DSA 2012, is the export version of the People's Liberation Army Type 96A. As of early ...

• Medium/general-purpose machine guns

  Type 80

  The Type 80 is a general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) manufactured by Norinco in China, based on the Soviet PKM. Certified in 1980, it entered PLA ...

• Air-launched ASW torpedoes, Ship-launched torpedoes

  Yu-11 lightweight torpedo

  Yu-11 is a Chinese-made surface and air-launched lightweight torpedo to defeat submarine threats from long distances.

• Fighter - multirole

  J-10

  The J-10 (NATO reporting name Firebird) is a multirole fighter developed by China to replace second-generation J-7 and Q-5 aircraft. The aircraft is also known ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  BZK-005

  The BZK-005 is a Chinese-made HALE UAS that debuted at Airshow China in November 2018. The platform is designed for wide-area ISR tasks, and in ...