• Naval Warfare

  How China’s naval advancements are pushing the US Navy to innovate

  21st January 2026

  The US Navy is set to invest $30 billion in artificial intelligence, cyber, space and autonomy research and development efforts in FY2026 as the force rethinks how it fights in light of China’s naval rise.

• Air Warfare

  Viper Shield electronic warfare suite for F-16s enters low-rate initial production

  18th November 2025

  The L3Harris Viper Shield is seen as a key component in keeping the newest generation of F-16s up to date and providing a retrofit capability to earlier aircraft.

• Air Warfare

  Air forces review: Combat aircraft missile milestones hit as tanker and transport orders climb

  28th May 2026

  As countries look to improve their combat aircraft capabilities, May has highlighted strong demand from European countries for aerial refuelling platforms as industry pushes forward next-generation missile test updates for eventual UK combat aircraft integration.

• Digital Battlespace

  World Defense Show 2026: Northrop Grumman to present improved C2 management system

  4th February 2026

  The Northrop Grumman Integrated Battle Command System is in service with Poland and the US Army with another 20 countries believed to have expressed an interest.

• Air Warfare

  Saab eyes fresh market opportunities for its GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft

  8th January 2026

  As the E-7 Wedgetail faces prolonged production and technical delays as well as a recently abandoned contract from NATO, its competitor, the GlobalEye, may find new avenues for market growth.

• Air Warfare

  Sweden confirms order for four C-390 Millennium aircraft

  8th October 2025

  The firm order also included options for seven more aircraft as part of the joint European procurement for the multi-role aircraft, allowing for potential future European acquisitions.

• Air Warfare

  BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace team up on UAS opportunities

  7th November 2025

  The two companies will work together to explore ways to collaborate on the development of uncrewed air systems.

• Air Warfare

  Ukraine fighter jet plans accelerate with Sweden and Belgian updates

  12th May 2026

  The country could be on the cusp of finalising an historic deal with Saab for up to 150 aircraft, with Belgium also increasing its number of donated F-16 aircraft to 53 with refreshed delivery timelines.

• Land Warfare

  DVD2026: Connected for Combat

  5th June 2026

  As the land equipment sector prepares for the premier biennial event at UTAC Millbrook on 16 and 17 September 2026, the narrative for this year’s exhibition has officially been set: Connected for Combat - Aligning People, Systems and Decisions.

• Air Warfare

  UK firm Skycutter comes out top in first US Drone Dominance Program competition

  12th March 2026

  The startup was the only UK company to take part in the first Gauntlet for the programme, joining forces with its Ukraine partner to participate in the event.

• Land Warfare

  Eurosatory 2026: MARSS and parent company EOS expand air defence capability

  24th June 2026

  MARSS became part of EOS Defence earlier this year, bringing together the former’s C2 NiDAR and Nation Shield air defence products with the latter’s suite of effectors and sensors.

• Defence Notes

  US Pentagon pushes for major reform of defence acquisition system

  3rd August 2026

  The US Department of Defense has requested new contracting authorities from Congress, using the Army's MV-75 Cheyenne programme to demonstrate how competition, digital engineering and closer industry collaboration could accelerate acquisitions.

• Land Warfare

  Finding the balance between armour and air defence as UAVs proliferate

  11th May 2026

  While the growing drone threat has sharpened the focus on air defence solutions, Dr Peter Magill looks at why protected mobility remains crucial.

• Land Warfare

  “Timelines are measured in seconds”: tackling the UAS threat with dispersed defences

  17th July 2026

  Small uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) have transformed the battlespace, posing a complex threat across all domains. Militaries now need counter-UAS (CUAS) capabilities that defeat the danger while meeting demands around readiness, manoeuvrability and adaptability, according to Mike Spina, Director, Global Sales and Business Development for Targeting and Sensor Systems (TSS) at L3Harris Technologies.

• Air Warfare

  Franco-German alliance aims to resolve FCAS woes by end of April as dispute rolls on

  1st April 2026

  The disagreement between French-German industry continues as both governments work to keep the programme alive and on track to develop and deliver a sixth-generation fighter jet.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  The United States Air Force (USAF) is working on the F-47 Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft, which is intended to replace F-22s in service and ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  The United States Air Force (USAF) is working on the F-47 Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft, which is intended to replace F-22s in service and ...

• Data links

  Data links | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  The United States Air Force (USAF) is working on the F-47 Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft, which is intended to replace F-22s in service and ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  The United States Air Force (USAF) is working on the F-47 Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft, which is intended to replace F-22s in service and ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  The United States Air Force (USAF) is working on the F-47 Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) aircraft, which is intended to replace F-22s in service and ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60M Black Hawk [Latvia]

  Programme Background In August 2018, the Latvian government approved the acquisition of four UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters. The UH-60Ms are intended for both military and ...

• Transport

  C-130J [USA]

  Programme Background The C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop transport aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin to replace aging C-130 variants. The US and foreign ...

• Transport

  King Air 360 [Nigeria]

  Programme Background On 7 October 2021, Nigeria’s Budget Office published its proposed budget details. The Nigerian Air Force requested 10.86 billion Nigerian Naira (US$26.4 million) ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF

  Background The programme’s early competitive phase included three different airframe designs. Boeing submitted one design, Lockheed Martin submitted another, and McDonnell Douglas submitted a third ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  Light Attack/Trainer Aircraft - Ghana

  In 2013, the Chief of Ghana Air Force stated that A-29 is their preferred platform and this position was also submitted to the Government. In ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  T-2E Replacement - Greece

  The average unit cost is estimated to be around $12 million based on the Czech Republic's $48.5 million deal for the purchase of four L-39NG ...

• Bomber

  B-21 Raider [USA]

  Programme Background Development The US DoD is developing a new long-range bomber called the B-21 Raider, previously known as LRS-B. At least 100 units are ...

• Trainer

  Trainer Aircraft (1-12) [Vietnam]

  Programme Background After years of operating Russian-built military equipment, Vietnam is more willing to procure US-supplied equipment following the lifting of the arms embargo in ...

• Military UAS - mini

  RemoEye-006A [Bolivia]

  Background Ceremony In June 2013, the Bolivian air force inducted its first two UAVs into service, with the models, FAB 0001 and FAB 0002, being ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | NAFSA Eagle [Nigeria]

  The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is planning to acquire multirole light utility aircraft. In January 2017, the NAF signed a MoU with Comp Air Aviation ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: EO/IR – Jamming Systems

  AN/AAQ-45

  Leonardo’s AN/AAQ-45 Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasures is designed to equip rotorcraft. The system is being installed on Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk medium-lift utility helicopters used ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  J/ALQ-8

  Like Israel, Japan elected to outfit its McDonnell Douglas/Boeing F-15J/DJ combat aircraft with an indigenous self-protection system. This takes the form of Mitsubishi Electric’s J/ALQ-8 ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  FAB-T Force Element Terminal

  The Family of Advanced Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminals - Force Element Terminal (FAB-T FET) is a nuclear-hardened SATCOM solution designed for airborne applications. Produced by Raytheon, ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  25mm PGU-48/B

  The 25mm PGU-48/B is a medium-calibre armour-penetrating round manufactured by American Rheinmetall. The US Air Force uses the PGU-48/B with its F-35 aircraft.

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  25mm PGU-23/U

  The 25mm PGU-23/U is a medium-calibre training round manufactured by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. The US Air Force utilises it with its AC-130 and ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - industry programmes

  Warrior Systems

  General Dynamics Mission Systems is prime contractor and system integrator for the US Army’s Warrior soldier systems, which include Air Warrior, Future Force Warrior, Land Warrior ...

• Air: mission management systems

  TBMCS

  Theater Battle Management Core Systems (TBMCS) is a US joint C2 integrated BMS used to plan and execute air campaigns in theatres of operations worldwide. ...

• Fighter - air superiority

  F-5E/F Tiger II

  The F-5E (single-seat)/F (twin-seat) Tiger II is an air superiority fighter developed by Northrop Grumman based on the original F-5 Freedom Fighter. Production of the ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  30mm PGU-13B High Explosive Incendiary

  The 30mm 30mm PGU-13B High Explosive Incendiary (HEI) is a medium-calibre munition manufactured by Northrop Grumman. The US Air Force uses the PGU-13B HEI with ...

• Trainer

  King Air trainer

  Textron / Beechcraft King Air trainers are a family twin-engine aircraft based on King Air 90, 100, 200 and 350 utility aircraft. The King Air ...

• Trainer

  T-6A/B Texan II

  The T-6 Texan II is a single-engine trainer aircraft, which was developed from the Pilatus PC-9 to meet the training requirements of USAF and USN ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  CLS-200

  The CLS-200 is part of the Yates Electrospace Corporation Silent Arrow family. It is a powered cargo-carrying one-use UAV, based on the company's GD-2000 glider.  In ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-4 Phantom II family

  The F-4 Phantom II is a two-seat multirole fighter developed originally by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) to meet USN interceptor requirements. It soon became a unified ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  EMB-312 Tucano

  The EMB-312 Tucano (Brazilian designation T-27) is a trainer and light attack aircraft developed by Embraer to meet the training requirements of the Brazilian Air ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  AN/ALQ-213(V) DAC

  Terma’s AN/ALQ-213(V) electronic warfare management unit is used extensively on General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon series combat aircraft around the world. The AN/ALQ-213(V) is ...