• Air Warfare

  Eurosatory 2026: L3Harris prepares ground for future Polish AEW&C replacement

  17th June 2026

  L3Harris is positioning its AERIS X aircraft and a planned Polish industrial partnership as it anticipates a competition to replace Poland’s Saab 340 fleet.

• Air Warfare

  Can laser-guided rockets and light aircraft help tackle the CUAS cost-curve?

  22nd April 2026

  While the move to integrate lower-cost missiles onto more combat aircraft is long overdue, there is also an opportunity for cheaper turboprop platforms to perform CUAS roles.

• Air Warfare

  US Navy keeps Super Hornet production restart option open, but without defined cost or timetable

  29th October 2026

  The US Navy plans to preserve Super Hornet and Growler tooling as production winds down, with restart costs unassessed and final F/A-18 deliveries expected in late 2027.

• Air Warfare

  How geopolitics and new military alliances are disrupting combat aircraft procurement

  8th September 2026

  Selection of fighter aircraft by national governments has always been political. As markets and allegiances shift against a background of global realignment, who will be the winners and losers as new entrants compete with established suppliers?

• Air Warfare

  Germany could secure greater influence through sixth-generation fighter partnership with Sweden and Spain

  27th October 2026

  Germany is assessing potential pathways for a future sixth-generation fighter capability, including discussions with GCAP partners and Sweden.

• Defence Notes

  UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour

  21st September 2026

  A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force CCA programme to achieve multiple milestones in the coming months

  1st October 2026

  The US Air Force is preparing to select mission-autonomy software, fire a missile from the FQ-42 Vengeance and test both CCA designs alongside crewed fighters at 2026 Emerald Flag.

• Air Warfare

  Rapid APKWS integration sparks “strong” demand from Typhoon customers

  24th June 2026

  The recent operational use and success of the APKWS laser-guidance kit on the UK RAF's Typhoons has driven demand from other Eurofighter customers for integration of the system on their own combat aircraft fleet, according to BAE Systems.

• Air Warfare

  FIA 2026: Vectored thrust boosts Shield AI X-BAT's VTOL capability

  22nd July 2026

  Integration of the Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN) has been achieved by Shield AI and GE Aerospace on the X-BAT vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) uncrewed strike aircraft.

• Air Warfare

  FIA 2026: Boeing pitches Ghost Bat as mature answer to growing CCA demand

  23rd July 2026

  Boeing said demand for collaborative combat aircraft could outstrip what any single supplier can provide, as BAE Systems and Anduril unveiled new platforms at Farnborough International Airshow 2026.

• Air Warfare

  FIA 2026: Raytheon UK offers Red Kite as ‘high-low mix’ weapon for RAF

  21st July 2026

  Raytheon UK has unveiled Red Kite, a sovereign precision weapon built on the Stormbreaker airframe, betting on digital engineering to deliver affordable stockpile mass for the Royal Air Force.

• Air Warfare

  Swedish Air Force faces up to the challenge of new aircraft and an uncrewed horizon

  31st August 2026

  Sweden is an outlier as a smaller nation with its own indigenous fighter aircraft and airborne early warning platform and is now looking at how local company Saab Aerospace can meet the plans for a collaborative combat aircraft.

• Air Warfare

  Optimism remains for GCAP and FCAS future despite programme stumbling blocks

  22nd May 2026

  Both sixth-generation combat aircraft programmes are still awaiting major key decisions from respective governments with regards to funding or future direction, but industry and governmental officials remain optimistic of progress going forward.

• Land Warfare

  BAE Systems looks beyond the M113 replacement as it tests 30mm AMPV

  28th September 2026

  The development demonstrates how the platform could provide additional firepower and growth potential while the US Army progresses its long-term replacement for the Bradley.

• Air Warfare

  July air forces review: Farnborough steals the headlines as programmes develop

  30th July 2026

  The biannual Farnborough International Airshow 2026 was the backdrop in July for scores of deals, partnerships and announcements, including developments in the multinational next-generation Global Combat Air Programme and the UK’s $486 million trainer aircraft requirement.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - MALE

  XQ-58A Valkyrie [USMC]

  Programme Background Contract Award On 30 December 2022, the US DoD announced that it had awarded Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems a $15.52 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to ...

• Fighter - multirole

  JAS-39C/D Gripen replacement [Czech Republic]

  Background Requirements The Czech Republic Air Force operates 14 Gripens (12 JAS 39C and two JAS 39D variants) under a lease agreement that runs until ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) [Japan]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that GCAP's Japanese, British and Italian components are tracked in separate entries. Programme Timeline 2020: The Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency of Japan issued ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Typhoon Tranche 3A [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Timeline In June 2018, Saudi Arabia agreed to procure 48 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter aircraft from BAE. However, Germany's defence export ban to Saudi ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Kaan additional units [Turkey]

  Background Requirement Geopolitical factors have spurred aircraft development in Türkiye. With its removal from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project following the Russian S-400 air ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A [Turkey]

  Background Programme involvement Turkish involvement in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme began in the early 2000s, with the country's participation beginning in the concept demonstration ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Eurofighter new build fleet [Turkey]

  Background Requirement The Turkish Air Force has operated two main fighter platforms, the F-16 and F-4, for several decades. As older F-16 airframes and F-4s ...

• Fighter - multirole

  TF-X Kaan Next Generation Fighter [Turkey]

  Background Requirement Geopolitical factors have spurred aircraft development in Türkiye. With its removal from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project following the Russian S-400 air ...

• Trainer

  Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirements The RAAF is seeking a future solution that provides a ‘relevant, adaptable, affordable and safe LIFTS out to 2050’ for training pilots ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A [Denmark]

  Programme Background  Denmark joined the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program in 2002 during the System Development and Demonstration phase and has influenced technical elements ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Project Halcon I [Spain]

  Programme Background The Spanish Air Force began requirements assessments, although potential suppliers including Boeing (F/A-18E/F), Lockheed Martin (F-35), Airbus-BAE-Leonardo (Eurofighter Typhoon) are already engaged with ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-18 Replacement Phase II/Project Halcon II [Spain]

  Programme Background The Spanish Air Force began requirements assessments, although potential suppliers, including Boeing (F/A-18E/F), Lockheed Martin (F-35), and Airbus-BAE-Leonardo (Eurofighter Typhoon), are already engaged ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Japan

  In 2019, Japan requested to be an official partner in the F-35 programme, but this request was rejected by the Pentagon. The F-35 Joint Strike ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35B (1-30) [Italy]

  The 2019 and 2020 budget contained significant funding for the F-35 programme: €690 million ($775 million) in 2019 and €859 million ($962 million) in 2020, ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (61-75) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirement In 2009, the Italian MoD planned to purchase 131 F-35 aircraft, which was later reduced to 90. According to the MoD documentation, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  F-35 Training System

  BAE Systems is involved in F-35 Lightning II Training System design and sustainment, working with prime contractor Lockheed Martin. BAE Systems leads the instructional systems ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers, EW test systems

  Model 527

  The Model 527 radar signal simulator is used for end-of-runway and walk-around radiated RWR testing to verify the operational status of the aircraft and its ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming, Air: chaff/flare/decoy systems

  AN/ALE-55 FOTD

  The ALE-55 Fibre Optic Towed Decoy (FOTD) is a high-powered electronic off-board countermeasure that works with an aircraft’s onboard EW equipment to defeat radiofrequency (RF) threats. It ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  SPEAR-EW

  The SPEAR-EW missile, developed by MBDA in collaboration with Leonardo, is an air-to-surface weapon designed to perform Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) missions. This ...

• EW test systems

  A2PATS

  Advanced Architecture Phase Amplitude and Time Simulator (A2PATS) is a real-time EM test environment simulator for military platforms and installed systems, designed to deliver mission ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  HAPS / PHASA-35

  The High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) is a solar-electric Persistent High Altitude Solar Aircraft (PHASA-35).  Produced by BAE Systems and Prismatic, the platform is designed to provide a persistent, ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-81

  AN/APG-81 is operating in the X-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire control radar designed by Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems for the F-35 “Lightning” all-weather ...

• Fighter - multirole

  MiG-35

  The MiG-35 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum F) is a multirole fighter, the latest variant of the MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter family.  The production of the MiG-35 ...

• EO/IR systems

  F-35 Lightning II Advanced EOTS

  The F-35 Lightning II Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) is a sensor that combines targeting forward-looking IR (FLIR) and IR search and track (IRST) capabilities for ...

• Fighter - multirole, Fighter - naval

  F-35B

  The F-35B Lightning II is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft with short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capability. The USMC is the main customer for the F-35B, ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35I Adir

  The F-35I Adir is an F-35A Lightning II variant customised to meet the requirements of the Israel Defense Forces to replace the F-16 fleet in ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  F-35 Gen III HMDS

  The F-35 Gen III helmet-mounted display system (HMDS) is provided by a joint venture between Elbit Systems of America and Rockwell Collins, developed for the F-35 ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  AN/ALQ-178V(5)+

  The AN/ALQ-178(5)+ is an internally mounted self-protection system designed and developed by Aselsan and BAE Systems for the Turkish F-16C fighter aircraft. The system comprises ...

• Air-to-surface missiles, Anti-ship missiles

  JSM

  The Joint Strike Missile (JSM) is a multi-role version of the Naval Strike Missile. Norway funded the programme to develop and produce the JSM for the ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A

  The F-35A Lightning II is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft with CTOL capabilities. It is a multinational programme led by the US DoD, bringing together ...