• Training

  European military training shifts gear (Sponsored)

  19th April 2023

  This article is brought to you by Clarion Events As the international training and simulation market reconvenes in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for IT²EC 2023 later …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX 2023: Two more Shaldag Mk V interceptors arrive in the Philippines

  2nd May 2023

  In April, two more Israel Shipyards-built Shaldag Mk V fast attack interdiction craft (FAIC) arrived in the Philippines.

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX 2023: Italian PPA makes IMDEX debut

  2nd May 2023

  At IMDEX Asia 2023 in Singapore, the Italian Navy Pattugliatori Polivalenti d'Altura (PPA) class ship Francesco Morosini made its show debut.

• Naval Warfare

  US lacks clear plan to meet amphibious ship requirements, Marine Corps chief says

  30th March 2023

  Speaking to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee during a hearing on the Fiscal Year 2024 budget request for the USN and USMC, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen David Berger said there was 'no plan' for the US to meet its statutory minimum requirements for amphibious warships.

• Naval Warfare

  Are Australia’s SSN ambitions ‘sub-optimal’? (Opinion)

  20th March 2023

  Some describe Australia's SSN plans as marking the country's coming of age, but there are still too many questions whether it will work out the way planners imagine.

• Defence Notes

  Malaysia’s military acquisition mayhem and malfeasance (Opinion)

  15th June 2023

  Malaysia has succeeded in producing some prime examples of unsuccessful military procurements and corruption. Unfortunately, it is the Malaysian Armed Forces that bears the consequences.

• Training

  IT2EC 2023: CAE links small-footprint virtual training devices

  26th April 2023

  CAE has unveiled an interconnected system that links three of its simulation devices: the VISTA, JTC TRS, and ASGARD.

• Air Warfare

  Turkish-US F-16 deal remains in deadlock

  17th January 2023

  US lawmakers remain adamant while the F-16 deal seems to be Ankara's best shot to bring its air power capabilities up to speed until it can produce its fight-generation TF-X fighter jet in a meaningful numbers.

• Land Warfare

  The five most significant land stories of 2022

  2nd January 2023

  The war in Ukraine has been showing how land capabilities will remain crucial on the current and future battlefield. The conflict boomed the defence market in 2022 resulting in advancements in development and acquisition programmes. At the same time, it brought serious concerns.

• Air Warfare

  US finalises $30 billion F-35 deal for nearly 400 jets

  5th January 2023

  The new contract includes aircraft for the US and a number of allies with the first jets to feature the latest hardware that powers Block 4 capabilities.

• Air Warfare

  Boeing's Insitu launches VTOL Integrator UAS for ship-based operations

  12th April 2023

  Insitu's vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) Integrator UAS uses a detachable quadcopter element that allows it to be launched from anywhere while retaining heavier payload carrying capabilities.

• Training

  Varjo-Aechelon partnership on US Air Force training programme continues run of success for Finnish company

  24th March 2023

  Aechelon and Varjo are collaborating to provide mixed reality (MR) technology for the USAF's 31st Combat Training Squadron to enhance readiness to combat evolving threats.

• Land Warfare

  How NATO countries plan to overcome ammunition shortages

  28th March 2023

  Measures include ramping up production, facilitating acquisitions, improving infrastructure and logistics and increasing cooperation and joint procurements.

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman hones US Space Force satellite design in virtual environment

  16th March 2023

  The company has applied its Highly Immersive Virtual Environment technology to the design process of polar overwatch satellites ordered by the US Space Force.

• Defence Notes

  Japan’s security circumstances prompt it to introduce longer-range missiles

  17th April 2023

  With growing threats such as China and North Korean missiles, Japan is developing long-range, standoff missiles to enhance its deterrence posture.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Puma 3 AE (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Military Aid - $300 Million On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine to "bolster Urkaine's capacity ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract (US Navy) [US]

  As of November 2020, the US DoD had signed 14 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches of ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  M1165 Special Ops HMMWV [USA]

  Programme Background The HHMWV or Humvee has been in US service since 1983. The M1165A1B3 is a special operations variant of the platform.  In 2015, the ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 300 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (16 March 2022 & 13 April 2022) On 16 March 2022, President Biden announced $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine through ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF

  According to the US FY2021 budget document, Turkey's removal from the JSF program and transition to the alternate supply chain sources may challenge to achieve ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35B STOVL - US Navy

  The JSF programme will develop and field a family of aircraft that meets the needs of the US DoD and US allies with the F-35A ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract [US Air Force]

  As of November 2020, the US DoD had signed 14 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches of ...

• Loitering munitions

  Point Blank [US]

  Programme Background As IAI stated in a 19 January 2023 press release, it had been awarded a multi-million-dollar contract by the Irregular Warfare Technical Support ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  BQM-177A [US Navy]

  Background Previous Purchases The BQM-177A was designed for the USN and has been in service with the USN for many years. Indeed, in August 2022, Shephard reported ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 600 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background $300 Million USAI (1 April 2022) On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine following ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35C Carrier Variant

  The US Navy is planning to order 130 F-35Cs between FY2026 and FY2030 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase is estimated be ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Phoenix Ghost (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (21 April 2022) Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, on 21 April 2022, President Biden announced an $800 ...

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

  Puma LE [Kosovo]

  Background Contract Award On 21 January 2022, the US Department of Defence (DoD) announced that AeroVironment had been awarded an $11.01 million firm-fixed contract for Puma ...

• Loitering munitions

  ALTIUS-600M (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background On 24 February 2023, the US DoD announced that the Biden Administration had released an additional aid package under the Ukraine Security Assistance ...

• Loitering munitions

  Lethal Unmanned Systems Directed Requirement (LUS DR) [US Army]

  Programme Background DoD Contract On 27 August 2024, the US DoD announced that AeroVironment had been awarded a ceiling $990 million hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract to provide ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Pistols

  M9

  M9 is the US DoD designation for the military-specification 9mm Beretta 92FS, selected in 1985 to replace the 45cal M1911A1 in US service. Sales to ...

• Man-portable missile systems

  Igla/SA-18

  The 9K38 Igla (US DoD designation SA-18, NATO reporting name Grouse ) IR-homing MANPADS was developed by KBM and entered service in 1983 to meet the requirements ...

• Loitering munitions

  Point Blank

  Point Blank Weapon System is a hand-launched electro-optical VTOL-capable loitering munition developed by Isreal Aerospace Industries (IAI). IAI has been awarded a contract by the US ...

• Air: aerial targets, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  BQM-177A/i

  The BQM-177A subsonic aerial target (SSAT) was designed for the USN, and the BQM-177i is the export variant. The BQM-177 provides realistic threat emulation for ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  BAT-850

  Pathfinder's BAT-850 VSAT is a carbon fibre, tri-band terminal with auto-acquisition capability. Suitable for flyaway (case-based) and vehicle-mounted applications, it is in service with the ...

• Autonomous GPADS

  Airborne Systems has developed a family of smart systems ranging in payload capacity from 90-4,536kg. Utilising the technology developed and used in ram-air canopies, Guided ...

• Crew-served grenade launchers

  Striker 40/MK47

  General Dynamics is systems integrator for the Striker 40 (MK47 AGL in US service). The complete system comprises the weapon, AN/PWG-1 Lightweight Video Sight and ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  URC-300

  The URC-300 is a software-defined radio designed for line-of-sight, ground-to-air communications in particular. Introduced in 2020, it adheres to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards as well ...

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

  ScanEagle 3

  Insitu unveiled the ScanEagle 3 at the Xponential exhibition in Denver in May 2018. The platform has twice the payload capacity of its ScanEagle predecessor ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Banshee Tactical Radio

  Developed by Fenix Group, the Banshee Tactical Radio (BTR) is a communications system that uses 4G/LTE connectivity to provide secure mesh networking capability on the ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/ARC-231 Skyfire

  The AN/ARC-231 Skyfire is an airborne VHF/UHF/LOS and DAMA SATCOM system. This system supports US DoD requirements for airborne, multi-band, multi-mission, secure anti-jam voice, data ...

• Air-to-air missiles

  9M39 Igla-V

  The 9M39 Igla-V (‘needle’) is a Russian IR homing SAM adapted for helicopter use. It is an air-launched version of the Igla MANPADS, which the ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Global Observer

  The AeroVironment Global Observer HALE UAV was a developmental HALE UAV designed for various civil, commercial and government applications.  Development of the platform began in 2007 ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  CLWS

  Developed by Boeing, Compact Laser Weapon System (CLWS or CLaWS) is a medium-range, low-power laser C-UAS system. According to the reports, the CLWS prototype has ...

• Data links, Land: Radio and SATCOM, UAS: communication systems

  QNT-200

  The Collins QNT-200 is a dual-channel software-defined radio (SDR) designed for size, weight and power-constrained platforms. Using IP-based mesh networks, it offers high-bandwidth mobile networking ...