• Digital Battlespace

  Rockwell’s ARC-210 passes DNH testing for MUOS

  16th February 2018

  Rockwell Collins' airborne V/UHF radio has passed military security requirements for operation with the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) new Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), …

• Defence Helicopter

  China’s ‘Black Hawk’ set to enter PLA service

  23rd February 2018

  After a small flurry of helicopter images appeared on the Chinese internet this week, the Z-20 medium helicopter is thought to be approaching low-rate initial …

• Defence Notes

  India publishes ambitious defence roadmap

  28th February 2018

  India released its ‘Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap - 2018’ (TPCR-2018) document in late February, outlining the equipment and technology that the country’s armed forces …

• Training

  Italian Air Force receives Predator Mission Trainer

  27th February 2018

  CAE has delivered a Predator Mission Trainer system to the Italian Air Force, the company announced on 25 February. The simulator has entered into service …

• Digital Battlespace

  BAE demonstrates new DBM software

  15th February 2018

  BAE Systems is developing a semi-autonomous, on-board software to enhance shared situational awareness between operators and pilots during air-to-air and air-to-ground combat operations.The new approach …

• Digital Battlespace

  Luxembourg launches first military satellite

  31st January 2018

  Luxembourg’s first military satellite, GovSat-1, was successfully launched into orbit onboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket from Florida on 31 January. The launch of the platform …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Industry readies for UK counter-UAS requirement

  27th February 2018

  While the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) remains tight-lipped about its urgent capability requirement for a counter-UAS (C-UAS) system one industry member has confirmed its …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  China improves cueing for Cloud Shadow UAV

  23rd February 2018

  China’s UAVs will reach farther, faster and hit the enemy harder, if current trends continue. Evidence of this was visible at the recent 2018 Singapore …

• Digital Battlespace

  Japan is testing C-2 ELINT aircraft

  19th February 2018

  The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) is developing a new ELINT aircraft based on Kawasaki’s C-2 transporter (pictured). As the C-2 has a 30t payload …

• Naval Warfare

  French Navy champions maritime security in Pacific

  27th February 2018

  As the only European nation with a permanent naval presence in Asia-Pacific, the French Navy takes maritime security in the region seriously. FS Vendemiaire, a …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Northrop selected for OFFSET programme

  16th February 2018

  Northrop Grumman has been selected as a Phase 1 Swarm Systems Integrator for DARPA's Offensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) programme, the company announced on 13 February.  …

• Defence Notes

  Putin sets course for new US arms race with 'invincible' weapons

  1st March 2018

  President Vladimir Putin on Thursday launched what appeared to be the start of a new arms race with Washington, as he boasted of a new …

• Digital Battlespace

  US gets serious about European EW threat

  16th February 2018

  The US is embarking on a number of projects that will see it rapidly rebuild and field advanced electronic warfare capabilities, many of which have …

• Defence Notes

  China boosts defence budget by 8.1%

  5th March 2018

  Kicking off the National People’s Congress session on 5 March, China announced a defence budget of RMB1.107 trillion ($175 billion), which equates to an increase …

• Training

  Vestdavit’s PLAR-4000 davit for RNZN

  19th February 2018

  Vestdavit’s PLAR-4000 davit boat-handling technology has been selected for the Royal New Zealand Navy’s (RNZN) new Devonport Naval Base training facility in Auckland, the company …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Project Brakestop [UK]

  Background Information Notice On 25 September 2024, the UK MoD published a prior information notice for Project Brakestop, informing industry of the upcoming competition. Requirements ...

• Loitering munitions

  Medium Range Precision Strike (MRPS) [UK]

  Programme 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 ...

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

  Dominator XP [Thailand]

  Programme Background Purchase As reported by Shephard, in September 2023, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) inducted three Dominator XPs. The RTAF purchased the trio ...

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

  Project Corvus [UK]

  Programme Background Retirement In November 2024, speaking in the House of Commons, Defence Secretary John Healey stated that the WK 450 Watchkeeper was to be retired ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F Chinook (Singapore)

  Programme Background In July 2020, photos have emerged on the internet of the first Boeing CH-47F Chinook destined for the Republic of Singapore Air Force ...

• Transport

  VC-25B - USAF

  The modifications to the 747-8 aircraft will include an electrical power upgrade with dual Auxiliary Power Units that are usable in flight, a mission communication ...

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

  MQ-9B SkyGuardian (US)

  Programme Background On 6 March 2023, GA-ASI announced that the Air Force Special Operations Command (ASFOC) had contracted three MQ-9B SkyGaurdians, making it the first US customer of the ...

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

  Anka-S (Second Batch) [Turkey]

  Programme Background First Batch Based on comments by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Turkish media in 2018, Shephard believes that Türkiye acquired 26 Anka-S drones ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Mi-28NE Night Hunter

  Algerian military's follow-up order suggests that the country is satisfied with the Mi-28NE Night Hunters' performance in operational conditions in the desert environment featuring sandstorms ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-390 [Poland]

  Programme Background Reports of a possible purchase of the C-390 by Poland began circulating in June 2024 after a Polish journalist revealed that Embraer executives ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  F-5E/F Adversary Trainer US Navy

  The F-5N is a single seat, dual engine supersonic land based fighter. It is designed to a service life of 9000 flight hours. The aircraft ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | SSN(X) Programme [USN]

  The US Navy may be far from reaching the end of procuring the current Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines (SSNs), but that does not mean planning for ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | SSN(X) Programme [USN]

  The US Navy may be far from reaching the end of procuring the current Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines (SSNs), but that does not mean planning for ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Mobile Strike Force Vehicle (Ukraine Aid) [USA]

  Programme Background The US first provided Ukraine with the M1117 ASV in September 2022, when 250 vehicles were donated as part of a $400 million ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  HH-60W - Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH)

  According to the FY2021 Base funding, the HH-60W helicopter unit cost is $43.2 million. The HH-60W will be capable of employment day or night, in ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  PL-5

  The PL is a Group 3 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capable UAV from EDGE Group. According to the company, it is engineered for persistent surveillance and ...

• Air: surveillance radar

  AN/APQ-181

  The AN/APQ-181 is a low-probability-of-intercept radar fitted to USAFNorthrop Grumman B-2 stealth bombers. During the B-2 Radar ModernizationProgram – completed in 2012 – the B-2’s legacy ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  CreoLand HP

  CreoLand HP is a 10W MANET radio designed for command centres, long-range applications, artillery and special forces units. Notably, it offers a data throughput of 100Mbps ...

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

  Gogol-M

  The Gogol-M is a Ukrainian fixed-wing drone carrier, or mothership, from Strategy Force Solutions. The system can deliver two first-person view (FPV)-type attack drones to hit precision ...

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

  H10 Poseidon

  The H10 Poseidon, or H-10, is a fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV manufactured by Swamrly. Due to the UAV's electric propulsion system, small radar cross-section, lack of detachable thermal signature and ...

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

  DT-101

  The DT-101 is a small fixed-wing UAV from Deftech. The VTOL-capable platform features SATCOM with up to 10Mbs bandwidth capability. DefTech lists various payloads for ...

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

  ARX

  Unveiled at Xponential 2024, the ARX is a fixed-wing drone developed by Tekever.  It features common electronics and software with other Tekever drones. Unlike those ...

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

  DT-001

  The DT-001 is a tandem wing UCAV from Deftech. It can host a range of non-offensive payloads, such as IO/EO cameras and an airborne LIDAR. ...

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

  Khronos

  The Khronos is a tethered, fully automated UAV for ISR missions in GPS/GNSS-denied and RF-denied environments. The drone's manufacturer, Elistair, stated that it could be deployed from a ...

• Loitering munitions

  Q-SLAM-100

  Unveiled at DSEI 2025, the Q-SLAM-100 is a man-portable loitering munition. Manufactured by Arquimea, the system is designed for medium-range missions with 120 minutes of flight autonomy ...

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

  Spider VTOL

  The Spider VTOL is a mini electrical fixed-wing UAV. Unlike traditional VTOL UAVs with dedicated motors, propellors and structural parts for performing take-off and landing, the Spider ...

• Data links

  MAQA Terminal 3.8m Flyaway Variant

  The Modular Aperture Quad-Band Antenna (MAQA) Terminal is designed to provide a ruggedised, mobile, quad-band SATCOM terminal that supports operations with the WGS constellation, legacy ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/VRC-118(V)1

  The AN/VRC-118(V)1 is a Mid-tier Networking Vehicular Radio (MNVR) which provides warfighters with the ability to share situational awareness. The MNVR utilises two joint tactical ...

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

  BLADE-55

  The Ballistic Loitering Attack Drone (BLADE, or BLADE-55) is a multi-role, weaponised rotary-wing UAV from Alare Technologies.  The drone can notably host two NAMMO M72 LAW weapons. Additionally, the ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/ARC-231 Skyfire

  The AN/ARC-231 Skyfire is an airborne VHF/UHF/LOS and DAMA SATCOM system. This system supports US DoD requirements for airborne, multi-band, multi-mission, secure anti-jam voice, data ...