• Defence Helicopter

  Defiant reaches new speed milestone but test progress questioned

  17th June 2020

  An experimental SB>1 Defiant X2 coaxial test aircraft has successfully recorded a speed of 205kt, Boeing and Sikorsky have revealed. The flight at Sikorsky’s West …

• Land Warfare

  Czechs start negotiations for CAESAR

  5th June 2020

  The Czech MoD reported on 4 June that it has entered into negotiations with Nexter to procure 52 CAESAR 155mm self-propelled howitzers, to replace Dana …

• Digital Battlespace

  US to gift radars to Indonesia and Malaysia

  11th June 2020

  The US will provide three Lockheed Martin mobile radars to Malaysia and Indonesia, as revealed by a notice of contract action dated 9 June on …

• Air Warfare

  Kongsberg secures F-35 air-to-air pylon contract

  3rd June 2020

  Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace confirmed on 3 June that it has secured a contract with Marvin Engineering, for the provision of air-to-air pylons for the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Japan orders its first series UH-X helicopters

  10th June 2020

  The Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) in Japan has placed orders for the first six production UH-X helicopters for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force …

• Land Warfare

  Portugal rolls out Glock 17 Gen5 for army

  10th June 2020

  The Soldier Combat Systems (SCS) programme for the Portuguese Army passed another milestone in early June, with delivery of Glock 17 Gen5 9mm pistols to …

• Air Warfare

  IAF commissions second Tejas squadron

  10th June 2020

  The Indian Air Force (IAF) commissioned its second squadron of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) in a ceremony at Air Force Station Sulur in southern …

• Training

  UK launches Project VULCAN

  4th June 2020

  The UK is looking to streamline its armour training, through what MoD Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S;) describes as ‘provision of a suite of comprehensive simulator …

• Land Warfare

  Norway accelerates CV90 upgrade

  5th June 2020

  In order to support its defence industry to handle the impact of COVID-19, the Norwegian government has announced that it will accelerate investments in defence …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell 429 positioned for Australian SOF requirement

  28th May 2020

  Babcock is offering the Bell 429, in conjunction with the helicopter OEM, for the Australian Army’s requirement for special operations helicopters under Project Land 2097 …

• Land Warfare

  Baltic nations order Carl-Gustaf M4

  21st May 2020

  The armed forces of Latvia and Estonia have submitted a joint order to Saab for the Carl-Gustaf M4 shoulder-fired 84mm anti-tank weapon system. An undisclosed …

• Naval Warfare

  VLS demand drives contract modifications for Lockheed and DRS

  22nd May 2020

  Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems and DRS Laurel Technologies were each awarded contracts from the US Naval Surface Warfare Center on 21 May, for …

• Digital Battlespace

  ​US-fielded EW systems to undergo LVC tests

  20th May 2020

  Mercer University in Warner Robins, Georgia, is to provide LVC closed-loop engineering test and evaluation of newly developed EW systems for the USAF, under a …

• Training

  France asks for encore with extra CAE simulator

  20th May 2020

  CAE has been awarded a contract to deliver an additional Pilatus PC-21 full-mission simulator for training French Air Force pilots, the Canadian company announced on …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Bundeswehr Heron 1 to continue Mali operations

  15th May 2020

  The Budget Committee of the German parliament on 13 May approved funding for the extension of the Heron 1 UAS deployment in Mali. Approximately €30 …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Rosomak (Batch 3) [Poland]

  Background The Polish Army selected the Rosomak 8x8 armoured vehicle (a version of Patria's Armored Modular Vehicle (AMV) 8x8 produced under licence by Rosomak) to ...

• Frigates

  Frigates Procurement Programme [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Requirements The Royal Saudi Navy urges to enhance its combat capabilities and to replace older vessels. Riyadh has recently embarked on major naval procurement ...

• Submarines: conventional/attack

  Submarines procurement programme [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Requirements The Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) is in the process of a fleet transformation plan which, so far, has seen the procurement of ...

• Military UAS - small

  Shield AI UAVs [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Reported talks Reporting from the World Defence Show (WDS) 2026, the Middle East Eye (MEE) noted that, according to two sources, Saudi Arabia was ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Wing Loong 10B [Saudi Arabia]

  Methodology PGO and programme status The programme was announced at WDS 2024, but has seemingly not been contracted. Therefore, Defence Insight has assigned it as ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60M (National Guard) [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Broader order The Saudi Arabian UH-60M order in 2017 was part of a broader contract with the US Army, which covered 257 total helicopters ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  Hawk Mk 165 Advanced Jet Trainer- Saudi Arabia

  Background Requirement The Hawk Mk 165 fleet will be used to train Saudi pilots before they transition to the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-15 in service with RSAF.  Under ...

• Loitering munitions

  Jaser [Saudi Arabia]

  Methodology PGO and programme status Serb Advanced Industries confirmed in 2026 that the Jeser loitering munition was being produced for the Saudi Armed Forces, with multiple ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Kaan [Saudi Arabia]

  Background 2024 and 2025 discussions Reports in the Saudi Arabian interest in the Kaan aircraft first emerged in 2024 during a visit of the commander ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Jais 4x4 [Saudi Arabia]

  Background The Saudi Arabian government is aiming to localise 50% of its investment into defence by 2030 in line with the country's Vision 2030 economic ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Rosomak (Batch 4) [Poland]

  Background The Polish Army selected the Rosomak 8x8 armoured vehicle (a version of Patria's Armored Modular Vehicle (AMV) 8x8 produced under licence by Rosomak) to ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Akinci [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Erdogan Visit On 17 July 2023,  President Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Jeddah for the first stop of his Gulf tour. The following day, 18 ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Landing Platform Docks [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Requirements The Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) is in the process of a fleet transformation plan (SNEP II) which, so far, has seen the procurement of ...

• Transport

  C-130 Replacement [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Requirement The Royal Saudi Air Force operates 33 C-130H, 7 KC-130H aircraft and two KC-130Js. The country has been seeking to replace its older ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Boraida Class replacement [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Requirements The Royal Saudi Navy urges the replacement of three Boraida-class minehunters. Based on the Durance-class design, the ships entered service in the mid-1980s ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• MPVs - 4x4

  Rhino

  The Rhino is a 4x4 MPV designed by ST Engineering and debuted globally at WDS 2026 in Riyadh.

• EO/IR systems

  PT-8N

  The PT-8D is an IR system from Overwatch Imaging. It is fitted with multiple HD thermal cameras and has been designed to conduct missions at dusk ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Samoom

  Unveiled at the World Defence Show 2022, the Samoon is a Saudi Arabian UCAV manufactured by Intra Defence Technologies.  It is powered by Belgian ULPower Aero ...

• EO/IR systems

  PT-8D

  Marketed as a cost-effective solution, the PT-8D is a wide-area search and ISR payload from Overwatch Imaging. It features an RGB colour camera and a ...

• EO/IR systems

  PT-8DN

  The PT-8DN is a versatile day-night payload from Overwatch Imaging.  It has dual RGB sensors of different focal lengths and an HD LWIR sensor. It also ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Milkor 380

  The Milkor 380 is a MALE UCAV with extensive mission payloads for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) and precision strike missions. This range of payloads can be attached ...

• Guided munitions

  Sabir

  The Sabir 155mm artillery-guided ammunition, presented by KNDS France at WDS 2024, is a locally produced precision munition aligned with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. The ...

• Air: helicopter radar, Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar, Air: UAS radar

  ELM-2022

  The ELM-2022, developed by IAI ELTA, is a maritime patrol radar family operating in the X-band designed for manned and unmanned, fixed- or rotary-wing airborne platforms. It is engineered for ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  BTR-22

  The BTR-22 is the latest member of Russia’s BTR family, first unveiled at WDS 2026. Developed by Rostec it is intended to draw upon combat ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  Milkor Commander

  At WDS 2024, Milkor UAE unveiled a new 16m patrol craft named Commander. Milkor revealed that more of the Commander’s capabilities will be showcased during ...

• Loitering munitions

  Jaser

  The Jaser is an electronically powered loitering munition manufactured by Serb Advanced Industries. It is pneumatically launched and is equipped with both day and thermal imaging cameras. At ...

• Air: aerial targets, Military UAS - small

  SRC 100 Razor

  Unveiled at the World Defence Show 2026, the SRC 100 Razor is a fixed-wing UAV designed for ISR and aerial target missions.  It is fully autonomous, ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Pars Alpha 8x8

  Unveiled at the World Defense Show 2024 in Riyadh, the Pars Alpha is the latest 8x8 Armoured Vehicle from Turkish manufacturer FNSS. Featuring improvements on ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Cockerill i-X

  The Cockerill i-X is a wheeled armoured vehicle designed as a light armoured platform with a modular turret for intercepting enemy forces. John Cockerill Defense unveiled the new ...

• Military UAS - mini

  SKAT 350

  Based on the Supercam 350, the SKAT 350 is a mini fixed-wing UAV manufactured by Kalashnikov Concern JSC. The drone was revealed in early 2024, ...