• Digital Battlespace

  US approves Aegis sale to ROK Navy

  10th June 2015

  South Korea has taken a step closer to the purchase of three Aegis shipboard combat systems, following the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency's (DSCA) notification to Congress …

• Naval Warfare

  Poor conditions for seafarers

  4th June 2015

  Merchant vessel crewmembers were having to endure discrimination and a suffering from a lack of welfare facilities at some ports. Capt John Dalby, CEO of …

• Land Warfare

  SOCOM call for TALOS tech

  28th May 2015

  US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has released the latest technology solicitation of its five-year long TALOS (Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit) programme. A series of …

• Digital Battlespace

  UK stalls on AWACS upgrades

  22nd May 2015

  The UK is falling behind with Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) upgrades due to budgetary constraints, according to officials at the Boeing San Antonio …

• Defence Helicopter

  IMDEX Asia: AgustaWestland pitches AW101 to Asian market

  21st May 2015

  AgustaWestland has launched a marketing drive of its AW101 medium multirole helicopter in Asia, with an eye on several opportunities in the region. In particular, …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: Royal Navy still sees responsibilities in Asia

  21st May 2015

  The Royal Navy wants to remain an active force in Asia even though it now lacks ‘striking activity’ in the region, a senior officer from …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: Saab highlights submarine offerings

  20th May 2015

  ‘The naval segment in Southeast Asia is very important,’ Anders Dahl, VP and head of Saab Singapore, told Shephard at the IMDEX Asia maritime defence …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: Twenty warships dock for exhibition

  20th May 2015

  Twenty warships from the Asia-Pacific region are tied up at Changi Naval Base for this year’s IMDEX Asia maritime defence exhibition. Originating from Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UK, France conduct trials with counter-UAV system

  19th May 2015

  Three British technology companies say they have produced the first integrated counter-UAV defence system, having recently conducted trials with both the UK and French Ministry …

• Naval Warfare

  Merchantmen poorly suited for SAR ops

  19th May 2015

  Merchant shipping was not equipped for or suited to assisting in the rescue of economic migrants and refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: USS Fort Worth makes itself at home in Changi

  19th May 2015

  The Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Fort Worth departed San Diego on 17 November 2014 to begin her 16-month rotational deployment to Singapore, arriving …

• Naval Warfare

  German Navy christens frigate Nordrhein-Westfalen

  19th May 2015

  The German Navy christened the second 125 class frigate as Nordrhein-Westfalen in a ceremony at ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems' Hamburg site on 16 May. The Nordrhein-Westfalen, …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: USN confirms LCS deployment plans

  16th May 2015

  The US Navy (USN) has publicised its plans for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) forward deployments to Singapore, with a spokesperson confirming to Shephard that four …

• Land Warfare

  Lockheed to supply ATACMS to US, UAE

  15th May 2015

  Lockheed Martin has received a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract to supply the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to the US Army and the UAE …

• Land Warfare

  EOS provides subsystems to Hyundai WIA in South Korea

  15th May 2015

  Electro Optic Systems (EOS), based in Australia, has announced receipt of a contract from Hyundai WIA in South Korea to supply advanced military subsystems and …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Maritime patrol

  P-8 Poseidon [South Korea]

  Programme Background South Korea is facing an imminent submarine threat from North Korea. The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) is operating an aging fleet of P-3C ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Cheongwang [South Korea]

  Background South Korea will produce the Laser-Based Anti-Aircraft Weapon Block-I (Cheongwang) for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. The laser weapons will be deployed and ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  Cheongung Block II [South Korea]

  Background South Korea launched a plan to convert its Cheongung-I systems to the M-SAM Block II configuration. It was announced in July 2025 that it ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  Cheongung Block III [South Korea]

  Background South Korea's Defense Project Promotion Committee approved the basic strategy for the development of M-SAM Block III (Cheongung Block III). The system will modernise South Korea's ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  L-SAM-II Prototype [South Korea]

  Background In June 2025, it was announced that South Korea had awarded a $144 million contract with Hanwha Aerospace to develop a prototype for the L-SAM-II high-altitude surface-to-air missile ...

• Loitering munitions

  Small-Sized Suicide Drones [South Korea]

  Programme Background Drone Ambition As reported by Shephard, South Korea has ambitions to possess a large arsenal of drones. In May 2024, the presidential office ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  RQ-4 Global Hawk [South Korea]

  Background Requirments Seoul required UAS assets to help monitor its neighbour to the north and, increasingly, Chinese activities in waters and in the air near ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions (Special Mission Brigade) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Drone Ambition As reported by Shephard, South Korea has ambitions to possess a large arsenal of drones. In May 2024, the presidential office ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-X III Phase II (F-35) [South Korea]

  Programme Background On 14 September 2014, South Korea signed an FMS contract under the first phase of F-X III programme to supply 40 F-35As for ...

• CUAS - interceptors

  P-1 Sun C-UAS [Japan]

  Background In June 2026, Japan announced plans to install interceptor drone systems by 2027 at radar sites, bases, vessels, and other critical locations, joining a global ...

• Frigates

  Daegu Class (FFX Batch II) [South Korea]

  Programme Background The Incheon and Daegu classes are part of a re-capitalisation effort to replace the older Pohang-class corvettes and Ulsan-class frigates with a new FFX class ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  KAAV II

  Programme Background The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) operates one Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship and has launched another to support provide operational lift for the ROKMC. ...

• AEW&C

  AEW&C Aircraft [South Korea]

  Programme Background Requirement The requirement was initially reported in 2016 when it was noted as being part of a long-term development plan, however, reports from ...

• OPVs

  Taepyungyang Class (15) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Timeline The South Korean Coast Guard (KGC) currently operates 13 Taepyungyang-class large patrol vessels, also referred to as offshore patrol vessels (OPV), but ...

• Destroyers

  Joint Strike Ship [South Korea]

  Programme Background Requirements The third element of South Korea's "Three Axis System" - a complex of measures designed to track, detect, and eliminate an adversary’s ballistic missiles and ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Surface-to-surface missiles

  Hwasong-7 (Nodong-1)

  The Hwasong-7 is a North Korean tactical ballistic missile based on the Hwasong-6. It has the NATO reporting name Scud D. It was designed with ...

• CUAS - interceptors

  Drone Killer

  The Uconsystem Drone Killer was unveiled in October 2015 and was developed in response to a UAV threat from North Korea, which saw four North ...

• Surface-to-surface missiles

  Hwasong-6

  The Hwasong-6 is a North Korean tactical ballistic missile based on the Hwasong-5, which itself is based on the Soviet R-17 Elbrus. Its NATO reporting ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  Gumdoksuri Class (PKX-A)

  The Gumdoksuri-class fast attack craft, also known as the PKX-A-class, was designed to replace the Republic of Korea Navy's ageing fleet of Sea Dolphin-class vessels ...

• Artillery rockets

  K33

  K33 is a 130 mm unguided artillery rocket developed by South Korean Hanwha for the K136 Kooryong MLRS and currently in use with the K239 ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Saetbyol-4

  North Korea unveiled two drones at the Weapons and Equipment Exhibition 2023 in Pyongyang on 2 August  One drone, which appears to be called the Saetbyol-4, ...

• Destroyers

  Sejong the Great Class (KDX-III/HDD-10000) Batch 1

  The Sejong the Great-class destroyers were built for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) as the third iteration of its KDX continuous destroyer construction programme ...

• Light UGVs

  SCOBOT 200

  The SCOBOT 200 is a larger, two-tracked version of the SCOBOT 100 (see separate entry). It can be used for EOD tasks. It was tested ...

• Destroyers

  Maya Class (27DD)

  The Maya-class (27DD) destroyers are the latest in a long line of modern destroyer classes for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Well aware of ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Saetlbyol-9

  North Korea unveiled two drones at the 2023 Weapons and Equipment Exhibition in Pyongyang on 2 August 2023. One drone, the Saetlbyol-9, or Morning Star-9,  ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Cheongwang

  The Anti-Aircraft Laser Weapon System, Block-I (Cheongwang) is a laser weapon system developed by Hanwha Aerospace. The system can strike small drones and multicopters at ...

• Corvettes

  Hainan Class (Type 037)

  The Hainan-class (Type 037) class is a range of corvette-sized vessels, mostly in service with the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, which cover a range ...

• Frigates

  Krivak Class

  The Krivak-class (Project 1135) frigates first entered service in 1970 and various types of the class have entered service, particularly the Indian Navy's Talwar-class (see ...

• Anti-ship missiles

  HY-2/C-201

  The HY-2/C-201, NATO reporting name CSS-C-3 Seersucker, is a Chinese liquid-fuel rocket-powered anti-ship cruise missile developed as an evolution of the earlier HY-1 missile. The ...

• Anti-ship missiles

  SSM-700K Haeseong (C-Star)

  The SSM-700K Haeseong, also known as the C-Star, is a surface-launched, anti-ship cruise missile. It was designed as a replacement for the Hae Ryong anti-ship ...