• Digital Battlespace

  EW Europe: Leonardo's RF renaissance

  30th May 2017

  After over a decade of fighting insurgency forces and a focus on the threat from low-cost MANPADs, industry is once again seeing a return to …

• Digital Battlespace

  Raytheon’s VDS selected for US Navy LCS

  29th May 2017

  Raytheon will provide the new Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) for the US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) class under a $27.9 million contract announced on …

• Digital Battlespace

  Saudi AWACS radar upgrade complete

  25th May 2017

  A series of upgrades to improve the capabilities of Saudi Arabia’s E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft has been completed by Boeing, the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  S-100 completes flight trials in Norway

  25th May 2017

  Schiebel’s Camcopter S-100 UAS has completed a series of flight trials at Andøya Test Center (ATC) in Norway, the company announced on 23 May. The …

• Naval Warfare

  Star Safire ordered for USCG HC-144

  19th May 2017

  FLIR Systems will supply eight Star Safire 380HD electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) sensors for the US Coast Guard's (USCG's) HC-144 Ocean Sentry surveillance aircraft, the USCG announced on 16 …

• Digital Battlespace

  L3 Wescam enters the MatriX

  19th May 2017

  L3 Wescam has introduced a new range of MatriX intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system kits for fixed-and rotary-wing platforms, the company announced on 16 May. …

• Special Operations

  SOFIC 2017: Ballooning market for ISR aerostats (video)

  18th May 2017

  Florida-based company Drone Aviation is showcasing its range of tethered drones and balloons at this year's SOFIC in Tampa, Florida. Speaking to Shephard, Art Hughes explains a …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia Daily News - Day Three

  18th May 2017

  The Official IMDEX Asia Daily News - Day Three is now available to read online. View the digital edition here, and pdf version here.

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia Daily News - Day Two

  17th May 2017

  The Official IMDEX Asia Daily News - Day Two is now available to read online. View the digital edition here, and pdf version here.

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: Controp displays latest sensors

  16th May 2017

  Controp is using this year’s IMDEX Asia exhibition to promote its line of sensors for the small- to medium-sized boat market.  The Israel-based company specialises …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: Firing up Protector for Asia

  16th May 2017

  A highlight for Rafael at IMDEX Asia 2017 is a new Spike missile mission module for its Protector USV, with the Israeli company announcing in …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia Daily News - Day One

  16th May 2017

  The Official IMDEX Asia Daily News - Day One is now available to read online. View the digital edition here, and pdf version here.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US PACOM Global Hawks move to Yokota

  12th May 2017

  Five US Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk UAS have been temporarily deployed to Yokota Air Base in Japan, from where they will support US intelligence …

• Defence Notes

  IMDEX Asia: Saab looks to Asia-Pacific market for Swordfish

  12th May 2017

  Saab, which has been attempting to bait several Asia-Pacific air forces with its Swordfish maritime patrol aircraft, has sharpened its offering.One improvement confirmed by the …

• Naval Warfare

  IDEF 2017: Concept submarine offer for Turkish MiLDEN

  12th May 2017

  A new diesel-electric submarine design from Turkish shipbuilder STM for the Turkish Navy's National Submarine (MiLDEN) has been displayed at IDEF.The model on the stand …

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 ...

• 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 - 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 ...

• Military UAS - small

  Heavy Lift Capability (UASHLC) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirement & Objective The RN identified a requirement to acquire an RPAS to transport cargo and supplies between ships and personnel. When mature, it ...

• 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 - mini

  ISR Drones (First Batch) (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background First Batch On 20 March 2024, Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, announced that, following a 19 March Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting, ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Drone Action Plan (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background APOS On 6 October 2024, the Dutch Minister of Defense, Ruben Brekelmans, visited Kharkiv and Kyiv. During his visit to Ukraine, he announced a new ...

• ISR/special mission

  King Air 350ER -Canada

  Background Canadian Special Forces was looking to procure ISR aircraft to support their missions both overseas and domestically.  There were few Canadian suppliers to sell the ...

• Maritime patrol

  P-8A add-on [Canada]

  Programme Background Canadian Air Force is operating 15 C-3P (Canadian designation CP-140) special mission aircraft in service. They were acquired between 1980-91 and expected to ...

• Military UAS - small

  Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services [USN]

  Background ISR services In April 2026, several companies announced that the USN had selected them to provide Contractor-Owned, Contractor-Operated (COCO) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) ...

• 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, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• 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 - 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 - 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 - 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

  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

  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 ...

• 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, ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Military UAS - mini

  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 - 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 - 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 - 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 ...