• Defence Notes

  Trump seeks $33 billion hike in US DoD budget

  12th March 2019

  The US DoD would receive $718 billion in FY2020, a $33 billion or 5% increase from the FY2019 enacted level, under the Trump administration’s newly …

• Naval Warfare

  Babcock completes HMS Penzance refit

  18th March 2019

  Babcock has successfully completed the refit of the Royal Navy’s Sandown-class minehunter vessel, HMS Penzance, at its facility in Rosyth, Scotland. The vessel underwent a …

• Naval Warfare

  Helge Ingstad decision due before summer

  21st March 2019

  The Norwegian MoD will make a decision on the future of the recently salvaged frigate Helge Ingstad once a report on its state has been …

• Naval Warfare

  LIMA 2019: Production of Malaysian LMS shifts back to China

  26th March 2019

  Malaysia ordered four Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) from CSIC in China, with that deal stipulating that the third and fourth vessels would be built locally …

• Naval Warfare

  Japan and China commission new destroyers

  7th March 2019

  Japan commissioned its second and final Asahi-class guided-missile destroyer on 27 February. Meanwhile, China continues its massive naval build-up with the commissioning of yet more …

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy nears fielding anti-drone lasers on ships

  25th March 2019

  The US Navy plans to begin fielding a handful of ‘low-power’ lasers on ships this year to test their ability to counter growing threats from …

• Naval Warfare

  India to lease second Akula sub from Russia

  8th March 2019

  The Indian government reached a more than $3 billion agreement with Russia on 7 March regarding the lease of a third nuclear-powered attack submarine. However, …

• Naval Warfare

  Naval Group signs Attack sub design contract

  7th March 2019

  Naval Group and the Australian government have signed the first phase of the Submarine Design Contract for Australia’s Attack-class submarine programme, the company announced on …

• Digital Battlespace

  LIMA 2019: Malaysia installing local CMS on frigate

  29th March 2019

  The upgrade of the combat management system (CMS) on KD Jebat, one of two Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Lekiu-class frigates, is proceeding, and the project …

• Naval Warfare

  Belgium and Netherlands finalise minehunter decision

  18th March 2019

  The competition to supply the navies of Belgium and the Netherlands with their next generation mine countermeasure (MCM) vessel has been won by Belgium Naval …

• Digital Battlespace

  UK MoD stands by decision to buy E-7 fleet

  22nd March 2019

  The practices and decision-making processes that led to an announcement made on 22 March by the UK MoD to acquire five Boeing E-7 Wedgetail Airborne Early …

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy might retire aircraft carrier early

  5th March 2019

  The US DoD is considering cancelling the mid-life refuelling of the US Navy’s USS Harry S Truman (CVN-75, pictured), which would free up funding but force …

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy accepts future USS Paul Ignatius

  27th February 2019

  The US Navy received its 67th Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the future USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), from Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Ingalls shipbuilding …

• Naval Warfare

  MF-STAR radars for Israel’s Sa'ar 6-class corvettes

  1st March 2019

  IAI's Elta Systems has received a contract to supply four ELM-2248 MF-STAR multi-function digital radars for the Israeli Navy’s Sa’ar 6-class corvettes, IAI announced 26 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Hybrid UAV spotted on Chinese warship

  15th March 2019

  On 26 February, an image emerged of a UAV taking off from the stern flight deck of a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 052C …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Virginia Class Attack Submarine (SSN 812 - SSN 822)

  The US Navy’s (USN’s) Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) are the foundation of US naval power. Also known as the SSN 774 class, these boats ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Virginia Class Attack Submarine (SSN 812 - SSN 822)

  The US Navy’s (USN’s) Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) are the foundation of US naval power. Also known as the SSN 774 class, these boats ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Virginia Class Attack Submarine (SSN 823 - SSN 824)

  The US Navy’s (USN’s) Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) are the foundation of US naval power. Also known as the SSN 774 class, these boats ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Virginia Class Attack Submarine (SSN 823 - SSN 824)

  The US Navy’s (USN’s) Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) are the foundation of US naval power. Also known as the SSN 774 class, these boats ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Virginia Class Attack Submarine (SSN 823 - SSN 824)

  Programme Background Timeline The US Navy’s Virginia-class submarines (SSN 774) are built by both General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) under ...

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

  Blackwing (Second Batch) [USA]

  Programme BackgroundFirst Batch The Blackwing originated from a 2013 initiative to develop a low-cost submarine-launched UAS for the US Navy. Following successful tests with the ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  SSN(X) Programme [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The CRS SSN(X) report states the USN is examining three broad design options for future submarines. One is based on the current ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Virginia Class Attack Submarine (SSN 792-SSN 811)

  Programme Background Timeline The US Navy’s Virginia-class submarines (SSN 774) are built by both General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) under ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Virginia Class Attack Submarine (SSN 812 - SSN 822)

  Programme Background Timeline The US Navy’s Virginia-class submarines (SSN 774) are built by both General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) under ...

• Submarines: conventional, attack

  Isaac Peral Class (S-80A Plus) [Spain]

  Programme Background The S-80A SSK design for the Spanish Navy is based on the Franco-Spanish S-80 Scorpene design that both countries decided to cooperate on ...

• Military UAS - mini

  ECAC/2022/199 (South Africa)

  Programma Background Two Tenders In March 2023, DefenceWeb reported that the South African Army's tender ECAC/2022/154 was put on hold because bidders did not meet critical ...

• ISR/special mission

  King Air 350ER -Canada

  Programme 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 ...

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

  Intra-Theatre Lift [UK]

  Programme Background  Relationship to the Heavy Lift Challange The Royal Navy (RN) embarked on the Heavy Lift Challenge, now called the Heavy Lift Capability (UASHLC), to explore ...

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

  Underwater Launched UAV (ULUAV) (India)

  Programme Background MoU At the Bharat Drone Mahotsav 2022 event in New Delhi, two private-sector Indian defence firms, the Bangalore-based UAS developer NewSpace Research and Technologies ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | TF-2000 Class-Milgem Project [Turkey]

  The Milgem project for the Turkish Navy was to consist of four Ada-class corvettes, four TF-100-class frigates and four TF-2000-class destroyers. The TF-2000 Air Defence ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Sea: optronic masts and periscopes

  Type 18

  The Type 18 periscope was designed to provide USN Los Angeles- and Seawolf-class submarines with a broad spectrum of optical, EO, RF intercept and targeting ...

• Sea: optronic masts and periscopes

  Type 8 Mod 3

  The Type 8 Mod 3 is an updated version of the Type 8-series periscopes. The Type 8B/J Mod 3 provides extremely high-frequency low-data-rate communications capability ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Los Angeles Class

  The US Navy’s (USN’s) Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) have been the mainstay of the US sub-surface fleet since the 1970s. Known as the ...

• Sea: optronic masts and periscopes

  Optronic masts and periscopes

  The company’s MWIR imagers have been selected to provide new thermal imaging modules for the non-hull-penetrating Model 90 Universal Modular (optronic) masts for USN Virginia-class ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Seawolf Class

  The Seawolf-class nuclear attack submarine (SSN) was developed to follow the Los Angeles-class submarines as a faster and more substantially armed replacement. General Dynamics Electric ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Virginia Class

  The USN’s Virginia-class SSNs are the foundation of US naval power. Also known as the SSN 774 class, these boats are replacing the old Los Angeles-class ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  AN/BYG-1

  The AN/BYG-1 is a submarine command and control system designed for analysing and tracking ship contacts, providing situational awareness and weapons employment. The system adheres ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Archer

  The Archer is an FPV-style loitering munition from Neros. Certified by BlueUAS, the drone is designed and manufactured in Los Angeles, Californa.  In February 2025, 6,000 ...

• Sea: tactical training

  688(I) Hunter Killer

  The 688(I) Hunter Killer was developed by Sonalysts, released in 1997 and published by Electronic Arts. In this platform-level game, the player takes command of ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Shang Class (Type 093)

  China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) class of six Type 093 Shang-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) are the service’s first real deployable SSN force. The ...

• Model 326 Enhanced Fire Attack

  The Model 326 Enhanced belly tank/refill hose system holds 20% more water than the original Model 326, and is approved to fly at speeds up ...

• Major networking projects

  WGS

  Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellites are elements of a high-capacity system. WGS supports the US DoD’s warfighting information exchange requirements, enabling execution of tactical C4ISR, ...

• Sea: optronic masts and periscopes

  AN/BVS-1 Photonics Mast Programme

  The AN/BVS-1 is the sensor mast system for USN Virginia-class attack submarines, the first of which entered service in 2004. It is the first class ...

• Sea: optronic masts and periscopes

  OMS 100

  The OMS 100 is a non-hull-penetrating optronic mast designed to offer shipbuilders more freedom in positioning the operations centre. A rotating sensor head is housed ...

• Data links

  MPDL

  The Multi-Payload Data Link (MPDL) is a system for airborne applications. It is based on the TMA 6000 series. The main applications are broadband LoS ...