• Defence Notes

  Strong funding tempo essential to maintain US 'edge' over rivals, says Austin

  4th May 2022

  Lloyd Austin testified before the Senate on 3 May about the FY2023 defence budget request, stressing the need to provide US forces with cutting-edge systems and platforms for the medium term, as well as the short-term value in aiding Ukraine.

• Naval Warfare

  Ukraine effect influences Neptune Shield

  11th June 2022

  Motivated by Russian aggression against Ukraine, more NATO allies and partner countries than expected joined the recent Neptune Shield 2022 vigilance activity.

• Air Warfare

  Bangladesh awaits final Do 228 maritime patrol aircraft

  4th July 2022

  Bangladesh has been receiving a sprinkling of new aircraft, including Do 228s and C-130Js, while the same is true of air defence radars.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy Columbia-class submarine passes construction milestone

  6th June 2022

  General Dynamics celebrated a key milestone in the construction of the new Columbia-class submarine with a keel laying ceremony.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy orders AN/SQQ-89 hardware and support services

  27th May 2022

  Lockheed Martin gains a maximum $291.92 million deal for AN/SQQ-89 shipset hardware installation, integrated logistics support, fleet maintenance support, and lifecycle sustainment.

• Naval Warfare

  Australia’s first OPV prepares to go to sea

  15th June 2022

  COVID-19 has impacted the original contract schedule of Australia's new class of OPVs, but five vessels are currently under construction.

• Land Warfare

  US Army tests Raytheon/Kord 50kW-class high energy laser weapon

  17th May 2022

  The US Army concluded an operational assessment with the Raytheon/Kord 50kW-class high energy laser integrated on a Stryker combat vehicle at White Sands Missile Range (New Mexico). The system defeated multiple 60mm mortar rounds.

• Defence Notes

  Hypercone projectile advances hypersonic research

  7th April 2022

  A hypersonic projectile reached a distance of 109nmi in recent test firings in the US, as research continues for defensive and offensive applications.

• Defence Notes

  Turkish technologies make debut at EFES 2022

  10th June 2022

  The recently concluded EFES 2022 multinational exercise showcased a number of new and recently developed Turkish defence technologies.

• Naval Warfare

  UK to upgrade Tomahawk missiles

  31st May 2022

  The Tomahawk land attack missiles operated from RN Astute-class submarines will receive enhanced long-range strike capability and improved protection.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy commissions newest Virginia-class submarine

  30th May 2022

  The US Navy's newest Virginia-class submarine has been commissioned during a ceremony in Connecticut, following its christening in 2019.

• Naval Warfare

  Harland & Wolff to acquire ex-Royal Navy minehunter

  1st June 2022

  The former RN Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel HMS Atherstone acquired by the shipyard could play an important role in the regeneration programme for HMS Quorn.

• Defence Notes

  Reporting on Russia's invasion of Ukraine (podcast)

  27th May 2022

  In a new-look Shephard Defence Podcast, the news team discusses the rapidly-evolving situation in Ukraine and latest developments following Russia's unprovoked invasion.

• Defence Notes

  US Navy selects Lockheed Martin for LRASM development

  11th June 2022

  A $32 million contract was awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command to Lockheed Martin for the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) AGM-158C-2 development, integration and testing.

• Training

  Newton changes physics of EW simulation

  10th June 2022

  The new physics-based simulator allows users to test and validate training techniques, platforms and countermeasures in a high-fidelity virtual environment.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Bandit (US)

  Programme Background Goal As stated by Alyson Turri, the AFRL Bandit programme manager, the goal is to "develop an unmanned platform that looks like a fifth-generation ...

• 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 ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Light Replenishment Oiler (T-AOL) [USN]

  The US Navy wants to procure a new class of medium-sized supply ships aimed at refuelling, rearming, and resupplying naval assets. The Navy’s proposed FY2025 budget requests $7.7 ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Light Replenishment Oiler (T-AOL) [USN]

  The US Navy wants to procure a new class of medium-sized supply ships aimed at refuelling, rearming, and resupplying naval assets. The Navy’s proposed FY2025 budget requests $7.7 ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Polar Support Vessel [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirements In June 2020, the Brazilian Navy released a Request for Proposal (RfP) to procure a new Antarctic vessel to be manufactured in Brazil. The ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Command Insertion Craft (CIC) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirements The Royal Navy is seeking a replacement for its fleet of LVPs Mk5 amphibious landing craft. The vessels entered service in the ...

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

  Naval Collaborative Combat Air Vehicle (N-CCAV) [India]

  Programme Background CATS Warrior The Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) is a planned, uncrewed and crewed family of aircraft in development by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Project Mosquito [UK]

  Programme Background Inception and Capabilities In 2019, in collaboration with the RAF, the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) released details of its new UAS ...

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

  High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) [Thailand]

  Programme Background Roadmap In February 2024, the RTAF unveiled its White Paper 2024. Incorporating lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel-Hamas War, and other events ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Air Launched Effects (ALE) [UK]

  Programme Background Acquisition Pipeline First published on 13 June 2022, the Acquisition Pipeline is a forward look at potential procurement activity undertaken by the UK MoD.  ...

• Aircraft carriers

  CVX (South Korea)

  Programme Background Requirements HHI was awarded a contract for the conceptual design of the LPX-II in October 2019. The project now aims to build a ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  Hybrid Tiger

  Manufactured by the Naval Research Laboratory, the Hybrid Tiger is an electric UAV. As its name suggests, the platform features a hybrid power generation unit. ...

• Air: UAS radar

  RASAR

  The real-time, autonomous, synthetic aperture radar (RASAR) is a self-contained radar designed for installation under the wing of UAS for counter-IED and FOPEN (Foliage Penetration) missions. It is ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  SA-400 Jackal

  The SA-400 Jackal is a heavy-payload-capability, long-endurance VTOL UAS that had its first flight in 2013. It is an optionally piloted vehicle, so it can ...

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

  Outlaw SeaHunter

  Outlaw UAVs are used by military and research agencies for training, testing, data collection and system development. In the 114-137kg maximum take-off weight class, SeaHunter ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  ShadowHawk

  The ShadowHawk is a VTOL UAV that can be transported and launched/recovered within a small area. The ShadowHawk is able to maintain aerial surveillance at ...

• Air-launched ASW torpedoes, Ship-launched torpedoes

  Shyena/TAL

  Shyena, also known as TAL (The Advanced Light Torpedo), is an Indian lightweight anti-submarine torpedo developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (affiliated to ...

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

  Havoc

  Havoc is a MALE modular payload UAS designed for customers with varying missions and payload requirements. Features include tool-less assembly, rolling take-off and landing and ...

• Military - USVs

  MAST

  The Maritime Autonomy Surface Testbed (MAST) was developed by ASV Global and Roke Manor Research under funding from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. It ...

• Subsystems: software

  SWARM

  CHI Systems worked with Lockheed Martin on a programme for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to build software models that imitate human behaviour, and ...

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

  Bat

  Northrop Grumman is developing the Bat family of medium-altitude, multi-mission UAS. The company announced two variants of the UAS (3.7m and 4.3m) and a rotary-wing ...

• Military UGVs

  Dragon Runner

  The Dragon Runner UGV, manufactured by QinitiQ, has two versions: the Dragon Runner 10 (DR10) and the slightly larger Dragon Runner 20 (DR20). All Dragon ...

• Military UGVs

  Jackal

  Launched in September 2014, Clearpath Robotics' Jackal is a small, portable, integrated and weatherproof UGV. It has been built on a metal chassis and has four wheels ...

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

  Skate

  The Skate is a small, man-packable VTOL UAV designed for performing short-range ISR at the tactical level. A thrust-vectoring system provides a near-VTOL capability, enabling ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  XQ-67A

  In February 2024, GA-ASI first released images of the XQ-67A, a drone developed as part of a contract to support the USAF's Off-Board Sensing Station ...

• Infrastructure - shelters/accommodation

  Medical Shelter System

  The Medical Shelter System has a modular and scalable design and is available in two standard sizes. Field hospital configurations allow for medical systems with ...