• Naval Warfare

  Mixed results for Philippine maritime surveillance

  25th July 2017

  The Philippine Air Force’s (PAF) second quest to acquire a pair of maritime patrol aircraft met with failure on 21 July when all contenders were …

• Defence Notes

  Air Power 2017: Brazil getting to Gripen (video)

  11th July 2017

  The Brazilian Air Force provides Shephard  with an overview and closer look at the capabilities of the Gripen E. The single-seat fighter jet's first flight took place in …

• Defence Notes

  Air Power 2017: 21st Century partnerships in the spotlight (video)

  10th July 2017

  Air Power Association (APA) President Air Marshal (Ret’d) Greg Bagwell speaks to Shephard Media about the focus of the 2017 Air Power Conference, scheduled for …

• Digital Battlespace

  Russia's Central MD gets new radar stations

  6th July 2017

  The 14th Air Force and Air Defence army of Russia’s Central Military District has received new Nebo-U and Nebo-M radar stations, the Russian Ministry of Defence …

• Military Logistics

  Rotational units ‘new norm’ for US Army NIEs

  14th July 2017

  One significant aspect of the US Army’s Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) 17.2, now underway on the desert ranges of Fort Bliss, Texas, and White Sands …

• Digital Battlespace

  Australia to upgrade E-7A Wedgetail

  7th July 2017

  The Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF's) E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control capability is set for an upgrade, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) …

• Defence Notes

  Air Power 2017: CAS highlights partnerships

  12th July 2017

  As the Royal Air Force (RAF) looks forward to its centenary in 2018, the Chief of the Air Staff has highlighted partnerships as key for …

• Digital Battlespace

  Air Power 2017: AWACS upgrades questioned (video)

  12th July 2017

  Billions of pounds allocated to upgrading the Royal Air Force’s ageing fleet of E-3D Sentry aircraft could be better spent purchasing a more advanced off-the-shelf …

• Digital Battlespace

  Congress approves ISR G550s for Australia

  3rd July 2017

  The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced that the State Department has approved the sale to Australia of up to five Gulfstream G550 aircraft, …

• Defence Notes

  Raytheon makes out like a bandit in Taiwan

  3rd July 2017

  There was nothing new in the first arms package released by the Trump administration that Taiwan did not already have in its inventory, beyond some …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Indago UAS completes BVLOS inspection

  5th June 2017

  Lockheed Martin has completed a beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) pipeline and well asset inspection using the Indago 2 UAS, the company announced on 31 May.  …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Philippines expecting ScanEagles

  5th July 2017

  The Philippines is expecting a delivery of additional Insitu ScanEagle tactical UAVs later this year, although the acquisition still needs to pass through various agencies …

• Digital Battlespace

  EDF tests tactical mobile Hybrid Power Station

  27th June 2017

  The Estonian Defence Forces (EDF) tested the Intracom Defense Electronics (IDE) tactical mobile Hybrid Power Station during the 15th Spring Storm exercise, it was announced …

• Digital Battlespace

  Star SAFIRE 380-HD for USCG HC-27J

  27th June 2017

  FLIR Systems has received a $17.9 million indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract to supply 19  systems for the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) HC-27J surveillance aircraft fleet, …

• Digital Battlespace

  Orbital ATK tests ShotFinder on fixed-wing aircraft

  27th June 2017

  Orbital ATK has successfully tested the ShotFinder Acoustic Hostile-Fire Indication System on a fixed-wing aircraft, the company announced on 21 June. Testing on a Cessna …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• ISR/special mission

  MC-27J [Algeria]

  Programme Background Algeria has a long standing ISR aircraft requirement to support its Beech 1900 fleet comprised of six aircraft. The new ISR fleet is ...

• ISR/special mission

  C-208B ISR [Tunisia]

  Programme Background Requirement The acquisition of the C-208B Grand Caravan EX aircraft is part of Tunisia’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its ISR capabilities in response ...

• Military UAS - mini

  U&C reconnaissance drones [US Army]

  Methodology PGO The programme has been assigned a PGO of 100%, as a contract has been awarded. Unit cost It has not been clarified what ...

• ISR/special mission

  King Air 350ER ISR [Kuwait]

  Programme Background In February 2018, the US State Department has approved an estimated $259m potential foreign military sale of King Air 350ER intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance ...

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

  Long-Endurance UAV [US AFRICOM]

  Programme Background Ageing MQ-9A Reapers In November 2022, Shephard reported that GA-ASI would continue supporting contractor SMX with its MQ-9A after winning a $2.3 billion task ...

• Military UAS - small

  Black Hornet 3 PRS (UK)

  Programme Background The British Army operated approximately 160 first-generation Black Hornet PD-100 nano UAS between 2013 and 2017, when the decision was made to retire ...

• ISR/special mission

  Shadow R1 [UK]

  Background The RAF is moving forward with an ambitious plan to transform its intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) force to enable greater interoperability ...

• ISR/special mission

  Baekdu-II [South Korea]

  Programme Background This ISR aircraft programme, which first appeared on the 2020-24 Mid-Term Defense Acquisition Plan, comprises four Baekdu-II aircraft. These will add to two ...

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

  ISR Civilian-Made UAVs [Taiwan]

  Background Civilian-made, Military-specification As reported by Shephard in April 2025, to accelerate the acquisition process and urgently build a larger UAV inventory, Taipei is enlisting the private ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  SW-4

  The SW-4 is aimed at the basic and advanced pilot training, troop transport and ISR missions. Its Polish designation is Puszczyk. The SW-4s are based ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  A-29 Super Tucano Afghanistan

  Media reports suggest that with the hourly cost of $1000, the A-29 is a successful platform for counter-insurgency missions. Its operational capability from unprepared airstrips, ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services [USN]

  In April 2026, AeroVironment (AV) and Shield AI announced that they had been selected to compete for a US$800 million task order to provide Contractor-Owned, ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services [USN]

  In April 2026, AeroVironment (AV) and Shield AI announced that they had been selected to compete for a US$800 million task order to provide Contractor-Owned, ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Multi-Mission Aircraft (1-14) [Canada]

  The objective of the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft project is to equip the Canadian Armed Forces with a long-range manned Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) and ...

• Data links

  Data links | Multi-Mission Aircraft (1-14) [Canada]

  The objective of the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft project is to equip the Canadian Armed Forces with a long-range manned Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) and ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  Zeus

  The Zeus is an Argentine tactical-class UAV from Aerotec, in partnership with its Polish technology partner, Ekolot Aerospace & Defense (EAD). The aircraft is modular and ...

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

  Silent Falcon

  The Silent Falcon is a solar-electric sUAS with long-endurance capabilities for extended-range missions. The UAS can be used for commercial and military applications. The entire ...

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

  Jackal

  The Jackal is a small UAV manufactured by FLY BVLOS, Flyby Technology and Maxwell Innovations. The system features a plug-and-play system, meaning new equipment and technologies can be ...

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

  Delta

  The Delta is a UAV with a VTOL capability before rotating and operating as a conventional fixed-wing aircraft when airborne.  Manufactured by Fly BVLOS, Nigeria was expected ...

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

  Indago

  Indago is a small quadrotor UAV with VTOL. It is equipped with a large-screen handset and is marketed as 'whisper-quiet' with a noise level of ...

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

  Canary

  Volatus Aerospace has stated that its civilian Canary rotary-wing cargo-carrying UAV can be adapted for military use in last-mile resupply operations.  Payloads are housed internally ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Ageon ISR

  Ageon ISR is a multi-INT C2/PED solution supporting cross-domain collection, ingestion, processing, exploitation and dissemination from tactical units to the global enterprise and cloud. Ageon ...

• Land: battle management systems

  AIMS-ISR

  AIMS-ISR is a software package used to process the video footage and data gathered from the cameras and other sensors fitted to airborne, ground-based and ...

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

  ENVOY

  The ENVOY is a multi-mission rotary-wing UAV with a tandem-rotor design and a payload carrying capacity of 180kg. General Dynamics renamed the system ENVOY in mid-2025.  ...

• Air: UAS radar

  EchoFlight

  The Echoflight radar by Echodyne is a Lightweight Metamaterials ESA (MESA®), a Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) 4D radar designed for mid-sized UAVs flying below the visual line of sight (BVLOS) ...

• UAS: communication systems

  muLTElink

  Produced by uAvionix, the muLTElink is a multiple-link airborne radio system designed for uncrewed platforms in particular. It combines C-Band, LTE, ISM and Viasat L-Band communications, ...

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

  DrN-15 (series)

  The DrN-15 is a hexacopter mini-UAV from ST Engineering. The platform is highly customizable and can carry various payloads depending on a user's requirements.  All DrN ...

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

  Nauru 500C

  The Nauru 500C ISR is a VTOL-capable small fixed-wing UAV from Xmobots. Designed for ISR missions, the UAV features XSIS-EO and XSIS-EOLWIR stabilised sensors. The UAV features ...

• 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 - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Viper 1000C

  The Viper 1000C is a fixed-wing MALE UAS. Designed to carry EO/IR sensors over vast distances, it can be employed in a wide variety of ...