• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Hundreds more UAS sent to Ukraine forces with thousands more on the way

  9th April 2024

  Both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war have been using UAS for effective low-cost attacks, as well as impactful web and social media footage. Thousands more have now been committed to Ukrainian forces.

• Land Warfare

  Lithuania set for Leopards and CV90s following latest order of Boxers

  23rd October 2024

  Lithuania, like several countries bordering Russia, has invested heavily in defence since the latter’s invasion of Ukraine. In the past 12 months, Lithuania has ordered GM200 air defence radars, Expal towed mortars and Mobile Short-Range Air Defence (MSHORAD) systems.

• Air Warfare

  First donated F-16s arrive in Ukraine but more pilot training will be ‘critical’

  7th August 2024

  Denmark and the Netherlands were the first Western nations to promise donated aircraft.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2024: Rafael expanding Iron Beam family and launches production of large version

  15th October 2024

  Rafael Advanced Defence Systems’ Iron Beam laser for air, UAS and missile defence made its debut at AUSA 2022 and the company is now sweating its investment in the asset to provide protection at different levels.

• Naval Warfare

  South Korea receives first Batch-III frigate and issues contracts for other vessels

  17th January 2025

  South Korea is moving ahead at speed with its frigate programme, involving both domestic heavy-hitting shipbuilders.

• Land Warfare

  Energy evolution: How laser defence systems are powering the next phase of air defence (podcast)

  3rd June 2025

  Laser-based air defence is moving from promise to deployment as global threats evolve. In this special podcast, we explore how high-energy laser systems are reshaping interception strategies.

• Defence Notes

  Irish defence budget increased by just €100 million despite €25 billion surplus

  3rd October 2024

  The budget of more than €1.3 billion is a record figure for the Irish Defence Forces but almost a quarter is to meet to meet the pensions costs of Defence Forces Veterans and their dependents.

• Land Warfare

  IDV develops LMV 2 for export customers

  11th July 2024

  IDV has introduced the LMV 2, a refined and versatile upgrade of its Light Multi-role Vehicle (4x4), designed to meet diverse operational needs and simplify export requirements.

• Land Warfare

  US Army makes moves on new artillery system to plug M109 gap

  17th October 2024

  Contracts have been awarded for the Self-Propelled Howitzer Performance Demonstration programme as the US Army attempts to address issues related to its 155mm field artillery capacity.

• Naval Warfare

  Naval Warfare Review 2024: Business as usual overshadowed by geopolitics and budgets, but innovation promised solutions

  13th December 2024

  There was solid programme advancement around the world in 2024, but a combination of more threats, fleet unreadiness and a financial squeeze darkened naval horizons as the year advanced.

• Land Warfare

  Estonia opens military camp to accommodate NATO forces close to Russian border

  17th September 2024

  The facility, which cost €21 million to construct, will be able to house 1,000 people and provide a home for exercises and crisis situations.

• Air Warfare

  How Russia’s declining arms sales is reshaping the global defence industry

  16th April 2024

  As Serbia considers a multi-billion-euro deal for French Rafale fighter jets, its move towards Western arms has signalled a significant departure from its reliance on Russian equipment, reflecting broader shifts in global defence procurement.

• Naval Warfare

  Fincantieri joins roster of major companies working to protect undersea cables

  26th December 2024

  The group’s collaboration with network provider Sparkle is the latest move to improve the robustness of submarine cable networks.

• Land Warfare

  Swiss places order for 81mm mortar ammunition

  29th July 2024

  The multi-million euro order has been scheduled to be completed by 2025 and will feature additional services as part of the product launch.

• Defence Notes

  UK orders more Martlet missiles and plays down defence review delay fears

  24th July 2024

  The UK’s Strategic Defence Review has been initiated by the new Labour Government following 14 years of Conservative Party-led governments.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Akinci [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Two Export Contracts In January 2022, the Daily Sabah reported that Baykar had "recently" signed its first export contract for the Akinci. Haluk Bayraktar ...

• Tanks

  T-90S (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background.  The status of the Saudi Arabian T-90 deal is unclear, it is possible that these tanks may be purchased to replace stocks of ...

• Loitering munitions

  ZT-180 [Russia]

  Programme Background Claims On 23 February 2023, DER SPIEGEL reported that, according to information it had gathered, China and Russia were negotiating the purchase of 100 ZT-180 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Shahed-136 [Russia]

  Programme Background Iran's Involvement On 11 July 2022, according to US intelligence, Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor, announced during a statement that the Iranian ...

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

  Vector / Scorpion (Selected) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background 500 Systems Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Quantum-Systems has provided many drones to Ukraine. Over 400 units have been provided as aid ...

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

  SkyRanger R70 (Ukraine Aid) [Canada]

  Programme Background On 19 February 2024, the Canadian Defence Minister, Bill Blair, announced that the country would donate more than 800 SkyRanger R70 UAVs to ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Heavy Lift Helicopter [Philippines]

  Programme Background Procurement from Russia In November 2021, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that a contract had been signed to acquire 16 Mi-171 heavy ...

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

  T-150 (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background Virtual Address On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. On 3 May 2022, the UK's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, virtually addressed the Ukrainian ...

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

  Black Hornet 3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Programme Background Russo-Ukraine War Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UAVs have proved vital to the country's defence. Consequently, as in this programme, the ...

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

  Quantix Recon (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background April Meeting In mid-April, just shy of two months after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the Ambassador and the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Ukraine met ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Germany]

  Programme Background Germany has operated the domestically produced Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Leopard 2 since its inception in the 1970s. Spanning now eight versions, the Leopard 2A8 is the ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

• Data links

  Data links | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Tanks

  T-80UD

  The 125mm-armed T-80UD MBT is a variant of the T-80 which was in production in Ukraine when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. An ...

• Loitering munitions

  AQV 100 Scalpel

  The AQV 100 Scalpel, or AQV-100, is a low-cost loitering munition manufactured by One Way Aerospace.  The drone is operated using a first-person view and ...

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

  Mini 2

  The Mini 2 is a micro rotary-wing drone from DJI. It features a 3-axis gimbaled 12MP camera for photographs and 4k/30fps for video capture. Shephard believes ...

• Transport

  An-140

  The An-140 is a light turboprop military transport aircraft developed from the An-140 regional airliner, which first flew in September 1997. It is designed to ...

• Air: sonar systems

  VGS-3

  The VGS-3 is a dipping sonar for the Ka-27/Ka-28 helicopter developed by the State Enterprise Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Hydrodevices.

• Loitering munitions

  Shahed-236

  The Shahed-236, or MC 236, is a successor to the Shahed-126. It is a loitering munition designed in Iran. The drone was presented to Russia in ...

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

  Orlan-10/10E

  Developed by the Russia-based Special Technology Center, the Orlan-10 is a medium-range UAS with many variants, such as the 10E, an export version introduced in 2017. The ...

• Fighter - air superiority

  MiG-29

  The MiG-29 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum) is an air superiority fighter aircraft designed to engage air targets in any weather, day and night.  The production ...

• Fighter - ground attack

  Su-25

  The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) is a single-seat ground attack aircraft developed for close combat air support missions. Production of the Su-25 began in ...

• Land: coastal surveillance radars

  Predel-E

  The Predel-E is a coastal surveillance radar produced by Russian manufacturer Concern Morinformsystem-Agat JSC. The system is intended as an over-the-horizon surveillance system, designed to ...

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

  Matrice 300 RTK

  The Matrice 300 RTK is a rotary-wing UAV manufactured by DJI. Despite being primarily aimed at industrial applications, militaries utilise it for ISR tasks.  In ...

• Artillery rockets

  9M55

  9M55 is a family of 300 mm artillery rockets developed for the BM-30 Uragan MLRS developed by the USSR.

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  SURA HMTDS

  SURA is a helmet-mounted display system produced in Ukraine. Notably, it offers off-boresight acquisition capability to pilots and can cue the aircraft's sensor systems using ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Orion / Orion-E

  The Orion, sometimes called the Inokhodets, is the first Russian-manufactured MALE UAV that has been designed to carry out a wide variety of military surveillance applications. Russia has ...

• Transport

  An-22

  The largest transport aircraft of the time, the An-22 Antei (NATO reporting name Cock) is a heavy military transport aircraft developed by Antonov in the ...