• Defence Notes

  Canada’s new military drone marketplace targets rapid acquisition pipeline

  23rd September 2026

  The Department of National Defence expects initial contracts to deliver thousands of uncrewed systems, but has yet to establish the quantities, capability mix or deadline behind Ottawa’s promised tenfold expansion.

• Defence Notes

  US military foresees growing use of 3D printing

  13th November 2025

  Advanced manufacturing has evolved to meet military requirements and now supports multiple US critical assets, including Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, F-18, F-22, F-35, Bradley, HMMWV and Patriot.

• Land Warfare

  Europe’s air defence boosted by more IRIS-T SLM system orders

  4th August 2025

  The IRIS-T (InfraRed Imaging System - Tail/thrust vector-controlled) SLM (Surface Launched Medium-Range) is a surface-to-air missile system has been developed by Diehl Defence. The system is a key part of the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) and have been purchased by Sweden for this role.

• Land Warfare

  New agreement signed and another order for CV90s

  24th November 2025

  More than 1,800 BAE Systems Hägglunds CV90 armoured personnel carriers/infantry fighting vehicles have been ordered by European countries, with some looking at the platform as an option for a light tank.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2025: KNDS France to bid for US Army requirement

  15th October 2025

  The CAESAR Mk II, which was debuted internationally at Eurosatory last year, is a step up from the first model which has seen combat in Ukraine and the Middle East.

• Air Warfare

  Boeing prepared to go fast on CxR uncrewed tiltrotor concept

  3rd November 2025

  The Collaborative Transformational Rotorcraft is designed with the potential to meet a range of mission requirements, from reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition to contested logistics.

• Air Warfare

  France air focus: Lower-cost sovereign capabilities propel $11.38 billion UAV market

  5th June 2026

  France is estimated to be Europe’s second-highest spender on UAVs, with a market focused on domestic production, loitering munitions and lower-cost sovereign systems. Its spending profile highlights substantial future market opportunities while reflecting broader industry trends.

• Digital Battlespace

  Thales looks to boost DigitalCrew system through AI and human-machine teaming trials

  22nd January 2026

  The Thales DigitalCrew package, first unveiled at last year’s Defence IQ International Armoured Vehicles conference, is designed to merge imaging and apply a layer of decision-making and observation algorithms to support crew and other personnel.

• Land Warfare

  Analysis: British Army Ajax in service after problematic delivery – but what now?

  7th November 2025

  The Ajax has finally rolled into place and achieved what the UK Ministry of Defence describes as Initial Operating Capability. With the production line for UK contracts only going to the end of the decade, what’s next?

• Land Warfare

  Still no clarity on the future of the British Army’s new wheeled artillery system

  13th November 2025

  The UK donated its AS90 155mm/39cal tracked self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine ahead of planned retirement and bought Archer platforms to fill the gap. Eventually RCH 155s were ordered but the procurement effort remains under a cloud.

• Land Warfare

  World Defense Show 2026: Large vehicles and counter-drone systems take the limelight

  17th February 2026

  Visitors who attended the first World Defense Show four years ago continue to speak of the difficulties they faced with poor facilities and power problems. This year’s event emphasised its status as one of the major defence expositions and as a place where regional players and those less welcome at other shows could take centre stage.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2025: BAE Systems delivers more than 500 AMPVs to the US Army

  17th October 2025

  The US Army requires 2,907 Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles to replace its M113 family, and there are multiple versions in production.

• Land Warfare

  US DoD task force’s DroneHunter acquisition lays groundwork for Replicator 2 CUAS strategy

  2nd February 2026

  As the US Department of Defense looks to counter the growing threat of uncrewed aerial systems to improve homeland security, the DroneHunter acquisition could point to future commercial innovation.

• Air Warfare

  Can UK interceptor efforts keep pace with the rising drone threat?

  15th April 2026

  The recent acquisition announcement for Cambridge Aerospace’s Skyhammer solution is a key step in the UK’s efforts to bolster its counter-UAS capabilities, but more still needs to be done to tackle even smaller drone threats.

• Land Warfare

  2025 land market review: British Army woes, European heavy armour and US MBT progress

  18th December 2025

  The last year has seen several major procurements in the land market. Shephard’s Dr Peter Magill reviews the main trends and themes in land procurement of 2025.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - small

  Jump 20 [Denmark]

  Background 2020 Tender In January 2018, Denmark's three main political parties signed the Danish Defence Agreement, a cross-party defence white paper covering the period between ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Piranha V [Denmark]

  Programme Background In February 2013, the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO) selected the Piranha V as one of five contenders for evaluation to ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 [Denmark]

  Programme Background Bidders and Suppliers The Danish Army has already taken delivery of 45 CV9035 IFV with deliveries running from 2007 through 2009. One of ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 [Denmark]

  Programme Background The CV90 is already in service with Denmark, with 44 CV90s currently in service with the Danish Army. In September 2024, Denmark ordered ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Eagle V 4x4 [Denmark]

  Programme Background Denmark previously operated a fleet of Eagle IV 4x4s. The acquisition of new Eagle Vs was intended to complement this fleet, before eventually replacing ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  HMT Extenda Replacement [Denmark]

  Programme Background Denmark first acquired the HMT Extenda in 2006 for use by its special forces, the Jaeger Corps. The HMT Extenda is also used by ...

• Frigates

  Air Defence Frigates Procurement [Denmark]

  Background Requirements After focusing on the procurement of new highly capable patrol ships and new Arctic frigates as a replacement for the Thetis-class, Shephard had initially estimated ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  G-Wagon [Denmark]

  Programme Background The Danish military first acquired the G-Wagon in the 1980s, ultimately acquiring an estimated 3,300. As with multiple other militaries, the G-Wagon is ...

• Patrol boats

  Support Vessels Procurement [Denmark]

  Programme Background Requirements According to the fleet plan, the multi-purpose support vessels should be around 60m in length, have diesel-hybrid propulsion and ISO module decks. Through ...

• OPVs

  Patrol Ships Procurement [Denmark]

  Programme Background Requirements On 18 August 2022, the Danish MoD announced a plan to invest up to $5.5 billion to replace a large number of ...

• Patrol boats

  Patrol Boats Procurement (1-21) [Denmark]

  Development and Procurement Timeline On 18 August 2022, the Danish MoD announced a plan to invest up to $5.5 billion to replace a large number ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A [Denmark]

  Programme Background  Denmark joined the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program in 2002 during the System Development and Demonstration phase and has influenced technical elements ...

• Frigates

  Arctic Frigates Procurement/Thetis Class Replacement (4-5) [Denmark]

  Programme Background Requirements After awarding a design contract for the procurement of a new generation of patrol vessels, Denmark is expected to focus on the ...

• Frigates

  Arctic Frigates Procurement/Thetis Class Replacement (1-3) [Denmark]

  Programme Background Requirements After awarding a design contract for the procurement of a new generation of patrol vessels, Denmark is expected to focus on the ...

• Military UAS - small

  Small Surveillance Drones [Denmark]

  Background Second Agreement on the Arctic and North Atlantic In October 2025, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland announced the second agreement of the Arctic and ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• MPVs - 4x4

  Eagle V 4x4

  GDELS unveiled the fifth generation of its Eagle light tactical vehicle at Eurosatory 2012. The platform has replaced earlier-generation vehicles in production. More than 1,250 ...

• EO/IR systems

  Helios/HeliTOW

  A stabilised direct view optical system for surveillance and targeting, HeliTOW includes TOW missile tracking and guidance systems. The sight unit provides the gunner with ...

• Sniper rifles

  AX50

  The 50cal AX50 long-range anti-materiel rifle is based on the company's AW50. It has an external stock design with the aim of facilitating a secure, ...

• EO/IR systems, Sea: ship surveillance and fire control systems

  SeaFLIR 280-HDEP

  Unveiled in 2020, the SeaFLIR 280-HDEP is a shipboard multi-spectral surveillance system manufactured by Teledyne FLIR. It features an FHD daylight camera, a WXGA MWIR ...

• EO/IR systems

  SeaFLIR 380X-HD

  The SeaFLIR 380X-HD is a long-range, shipboard EO/IR system. It is available as an upgrade to any existing SeaFLIR 380-HD system. Manufactured by Teledyne FLIR, the system features ...

• Patrol boats

  MHV Concept

  The MHV Concept is a design developed by OSK in 2025 in response to a Danish patrol boat requirement to replace its existing MHV 800 and ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Piranha V

  The Piranha V, the latest member of the Piranha family of wheeled armoured fighting vehicles, introduced a vehicle in the upper weight class. Unveiled in ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - national programmes

  DANES

  Initial efforts to field a complete soldier system through the Danish Army Network-Enabled Soldier (DANES) concept were abandoned, following an evaluation of the US Land ...

• OPVs

  MPV80

  At DSEI 2021, OMT presented the Modular Patrol Vessel 80 (MPV80), an OPV design characterised by strong modularity and flexibility. The MPV80 comes in three ...

• Land: RWS

  Lemur

  Originally comprising a series of roof-mounted stabilised EO sights, the BAE Systems Bofors Lemur family has since expanded to incorporate armed RWS variants. Available in ...

• Medium/general-purpose machine guns

  M60E6

  The M60E6 GPMG is the latest improved version of the M60. USORD's M60E4/Mk 43 is in service in at least 15 countries and with US ...

• Frigates

  GMF-120

  The GMF-120 (Guided Missile Frigate) is an air defence missile frigate designed by German shipbuilder NVL. The vessel was first displayed at the Danish Tradeshow DALO Industry ...

• 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 UAS - micro

  eBee TAC

  The eBee TAC is a BlueUAS-approved micro fixed-wing UAV from EagleNXT.  Described by the manufacturer as a cyber-secure governmental and tactical mapping drone, the system ...

• Assault rifles/carbines/shotguns

  C7A2

  Colt Canada developed the 5.56mm C7 family of assault weapons based on the M16A2 to meet the requirements of the Canadian Army. The family includes ...