• Air Warfare

  Additional delays might hit Pentagon’s critical air programmes, GAO warns

  10th July 2026

  B-52 modernisation, Sentinel, MH-139A, T-7A and Air Force One replacement are among the US Air Force programmes the GAO says remain at risk of further schedule slips and cost growth due to acquisition and management challenges.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force awards Boeing $131 billion F-15 contract to sustain Eagle fleet through 2037

  26th August 2026

  The agreement supports F-15 production, modernisation and sustainment for the US and seven international operators.

• Air Warfare

  US military plans multi-UAV trials with Northrop Grumman quantum-navigated Lumberjack

  8th October 2026

  An undisclosed US military branch is preparing to evaluate multiple Lumberjack Group 3 drones equipped with SandboxAQ’s AQNav magnetic-navigation system. Shephard spoke with Northrop Grumman and SandboxAQ to find out more.

• Land Warfare

  Push strengthens for a second JLTV supplier

  5th August 2026

  A move, launched in May, could lead to a second supplier for the US Marines Corps’ Joint Light Tactical Vehicle requirement. Meanwhile, Wisconsin elected representatives have been pushing for necessary funding to be included in the FY27 budget.

• Land Warfare

  HIMARS rising: sales, industrial cooperation and missile tests are driving the weapon forward

  17th April 2026

  Australia's milestone Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System test and a wave of fresh contracts and production ramp-ups highlight the building momentum behind long-range strike systems globally, with HIMARS leading the way.

• Defence Notes

  Six critical capability gaps shaping the US Golden Dome implementation

  4th June 2026

  How emerging technologies and capability priorities will shape America’s next-generation missile defence system.

• Air Warfare

  The new generation of defence companies emerging from the US UAV boom

  16th October 2026

  As the Pentagon accelerates procurement of low-cost, lethal UAVs through its Drone Dominance Program, emerging suppliers will need to demonstrate manufacturing capacity, supply chain resilience and reliability.

• Defence Notes

  Canada seeks to strengthen industrial ties with the US on classified programmes

  15th July 2026

  Ottawa explores expanding defence-industrial cooperation with Washington into sensitive programmes, an approach that could reshape NORAD modernisation, strengthen North American supply chains and create new opportunities for defence contractors.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force to increase JASSM anti-interference and accuracy capabilities

  24th March 2026

  The USAF is conducting market research to inform the procurement process for a new GPS/GNSS M-code receiver for the JASSM.

• Naval Warfare

  RTX Raytheon enhances SM-3 and SM-6 production capacity

  16th March 2026

  The expansion of the Redstone facility in Alabama will enable Raytheon to increase production of Standard Missiles in the location by 50% and support Washington in refilling stockpiles after recent operations have depleted the Pentagon’s reserves.

• Defence Notes

  US Air Force pushes Sentinel’s initial capability to early 2030s despite China’s nuclear progress

  25th February 2026

  While the US struggles to modernise the 50-year-old land leg of its nuclear triad, China has been rapidly developing and fielding new nuclear capabilities.

• Air Warfare

  Lockheed’s deal to triple PAC-3 MSE production opens doors to portfolio boost

  7th January 2026

  The framework agreement with the US Department of Defense would see Lockheed Martin increase production capacity from 600 to 2,000 interceptors per year.

• Land Warfare

  Australia backs up investment promises with US$2.1 billion for Bushmaster and HIMARS

  28th April 2026

  The Australian government is ordering another 268 Thales Bushmaster medium protected mobility vehicles along with HIMARS for a second long‑range fires regiment.

• Defence Notes

  White House calls on Pentagon contractors to “rapidly and aggressively” boost weapon production

  5th March 2026

  Intended to sustain Operation Epic Fury against Iran, efforts to increase the production of weapons and ammunition could expose long-standing weaknesses in the US defence industrial base.

• Naval Warfare

  How Operation Epic Fury could reduce US readiness to face China

  11th March 2026

  The offensive against Iran could impact training and maintenance cycles and accelerate the degradation of the US arsenal on top of depleting Washington’s stockpiles.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• 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

  M1165 Special Ops HMMWV [USA]

  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 US ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 - 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 ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  M1152A1B2/M1165A1B3 HMMWV [USA]

  Background The HMMWV has been in US service since the 1980s. Despite the introduction of newer platforms, the US DoD continues to utilise the platform ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  M1165A1B3 HMMWV [USA]

  Background The HMMWV has been in US service since the 1980s. Despite the introduction of newer platforms, the US DoD continues to utilise the platform ...

• Loitering munitions

  Phoenix Ghost (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Background Presidential Drawdown Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, on 21 April 2022, President Biden announced an $800 million Presidential Drawdown security ...

• Military UAS - small

  Puma 2 AE [Estonia]

  Programme Background The US DoD announced that it had awarded AeroVironment an $8.868 million firm-fixed-price contract to supply an undisclosed number of RQ-20B Puma AE ...

• Loitering munitions

  Lethal Unmanned Systems (LUS): Switchblade [US]

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

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV-30 PRTV [USA]

  Background The Armoured Combat Vehicle (ACV) programme is intended to provide a replacement for the USMC's fleet of Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7 (AAV7) tracked vehicles. ...

• 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 ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) (TH-57 Replacement)

  Programme Background Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single ...

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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Air: aerial targets

  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

  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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 - 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 ...

• Directed energy weapons

  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 ...

• Weapon sights for day use

  CompM4/M4s

  The US DoD has bought over one million Aimpoint sights since 1997. The US Army is now fielding the CompM4s as the latest version of ...

• Heavy machine guns

  M2HB

  US Ordnance is one of two US M2HB heavy machine gun manufacturers which has received multi-year contracts to supply weapons to the US DoD. The ...

• 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 ...