• Training

  India completes Light Combat Aircraft NP5 trainer prototype test flight

  23rd August 2023

  In a stride towards bolstering India's indigenous naval aviation capabilities, the Aeronautical Development Agency has successfully completed the maiden flight of LCA Navy trainer prototype aircraft NP5.

• Air Warfare

  South Korea seeks extra F-35A fighters

  15th September 2023

  South Korea is looking for more F-35A fighters to bolster its fleet, as development of the KF-21 Boramae continues apace.

• Air Warfare

  JetZero receives $235 million from the US Air Force to develop fuel-efficient blended-wing aircraft

  18th August 2023

  JetZero has won a $235 million award from USAF to accelerate the development of its blended-wing body aircraft which promises a 50% reduction in fuel burn and emissions.

• Air Warfare

  Double Dutch as Netherlands adds four more Reapers to first order

  22nd August 2023

  The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) will increase its fleet of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) MQ-9A Block 5 Reapers UAS from four to eight under a deal announced on 21 August.

• Naval Warfare

  Fleet support vessels are approved for the Indian Navy

  22nd August 2023

  India is set to proceed with the construction of five indigenously built replenishment vessels.

• Air Warfare

  Shield AI, Sentient Vision collaborate on AI-enabled wide-area imagery

  15th August 2023

  Shield AI and Sentient Vision Systems will jointly develop a wide area motion imagery (WAMI) solution, integrating Sentient's Visual Detection and Ranging (ViDAR) onto Shield AI's V-BAT UAS.

• Land Warfare

  Insight: Why the CV90 infantry fighting vehicle is making a clean sweep of Nordic markets

  19th September 2023

  Shephard Defence Insight explores the evolution of BAE Systems Hägglunds’ CV90 IFV from its inception in the late 1980s to the latest CV90 MkIV, detailing the order history and upgrade packages of its ten European customers.

• Land Warfare

  Poland orders more Spike LR anti-tank missiles

  7th August 2023

  Poland has ordered more Spike LR anti-tank guided missiles under a deal worth PLN400 million ($99.2 million) with deliveries to begin almost immediately through local manufacturer of the system, Mesko.

• Naval Warfare

  Insight: How rising tensions have fuelled the Type 26 frigate's development

  12th September 2023

  Slated to enter service in the late 2020s, the Type 26 frigate addresses the pressing need for enhanced ASW capabilities, particularly in light of heightened tensions with Russia. Shephard Defence Insight analyses the design and its equipment fit.

• Digital Battlespace

  Rafael demonstrates BNET tactical communications for Romanian special forces

  13th July 2023

  Rafael showcased the capabilities of its BNET communications system to Romanian special forces in an effort to demonstrate real-time battle management and information gathering in complex operational environments.

• Naval Warfare

  DSEI 2023: does the Royal Navy's surface combatant recapitalisation go far enough after a decade of neglect?

  6th September 2023

  The UK Royal Navy (RN) operates one of the world’s premier fleets with the ability to deploy high-end warships globally and retains key competencies in carrier aviation, amphibious and undersea warfare that few can boast. It also provides the UK’s nuclear deterrent submarines. Despite this potential, it needs to recover from a decade of neglect to sustain these capabilities.

• Naval Warfare

  HII awarded contract for aircraft carrier maintenance in San Diego

  26th July 2023

  HII's Newport News Shipbuilding division has received a contract from the USN for aircraft carrier maintenance in San Diego. The award has a potential value of $528.4 million over five years.

• Air Warfare

  Insight: What does the future hold for the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft?

  11th September 2023

  The Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 3A has been adopted by Middle Eastern air forces as well as the European partner nations. Shephard Defence Insight analyses its next-generation radar, cockpit technology and future upgrade plans.

• Land Warfare

  How the US Army is getting ready to succeed in contested multidomain scenarios

  24th July 2023

  The service has been working on the improvement of strategy, inventory and training in addition to conducting several acquisition, development and modernisation efforts.

• Defence Helicopter

  US approves $203 million sale of Hellfire missiles for French Tiger helicopters

  10th July 2023

  The US State Department has approved the sale of AGM-114R2 Hellfire missiles to France for use on Tiger HAD attack helicopters.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - micro

  Xtender [US]

  Programme Background Previous Procurement In early 2021, the US Department of Defence awarded a contract to XTEND for the platform in partnership with Isreal's MoD. ...

• Loitering munitions

  Echelon 0: Ground Organic Precision Strike Systems (GOPSS) [USSOCOM]

  Programme Background Requirements The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has made loitering capabilities a priority in its efforts to support counter-violent extremist organization (C-VEO) operations ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat 128 [Colombia]

  Programme Background Procurement In August 2024, The Rio Times reported that the Columbian Navy had begun to equip its four Type FS 1500  frigates with the V-Bat ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat 128 [Brazil]

  Background Contract award On 7 February 2022, Shield AI announced on its website that it had, on 21 January 2021, signed a contract with VSK Tactical, through ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Multirole helicopter requirement [Argentina]

  Background  Argentina lost a significant portion of its medium/multi-role helicopter requirement during the Malvina war in the early 1980s, according to Argentinian Air Force leadership. The ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Gray Eagle 25M (1-12) [US National Guard]

  Background Requirement In FY2021, the National Guard Association of the United States (NGUAS) announced that it was “critical” that it fielded the MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Wolverine / Honeybadger [US]

  Programme Background During the Modern Day Marine (MDM) exhibition, held in Washington between 10-12 May 2022, XTEND announced it would supply hundreds of Wolverine platforms ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Maritime UAS (MUAS) [USCG]

  Background Contract Award In June 2024, the USCG awarded Shield AI an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity firm-fixed-price contract to supply UAVs for its cutter vessels. The contract, which will ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat [Greece]

  Background 2025 Contract award In May 2025, Kathimerini, a Greek morning political and economic newspaper, reported that the Greek Army had acquired two V-Bat UAVs. Funded partly ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle [US]

  Background Requirement The OMFV programme is the latest of several attempts to develop a Bradley replacement.  Designed to be capable of operating with or without a ...

• Self-propelled guns

  Mobile Tactical Cannon [US]

  Background The US Army began using the M777 in 1995. Since then, it has served as a field artillery piece providing fire support for American ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase II) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) provides short-range day and night ISR to US Army units at the squad, platoon and other small ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) [USMC]

  Background US Marine ULS-A programmes The US Marines are seeking a family of Unmanned Logistics Systems-Air (ULS-A) that will provide logistics and ground units with their ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) (MV-75 Cheyenne II) [USA]

  Programme Background US Army's Future Vertical Lift Programme The FLRAA is one of three strands of a broader army programme. The others are the Future ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) (Tranche 2) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  Background The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) programme The RPUAS programme will provide the battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an organic, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: mission management systems

  iCommand 2.5

  The iCommand 2.5 is the latest version of the iCommand integrated command suite, designed by Textron Systems Advanced Information Solutions. The system has been designed ...

• Military vehicle engines

  TCD 2015

  The TCD 2015 is a modern water-cooled four stroke diesel V-engine that is currently integrated on the RG41 armoured vehicle.

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Bradley NG/RB301

  BAE Systems introduced the Bradley Next Generation (NG) at AUSA 2016 to showcase a cost-effective option for extending the M2 Bradley's service life into the 2030s. Centred around ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Fang

  Fang is a first-person view (FPV) UAS for precision strike roles. The drone is aimed to launch in Q2 2025. Developed by Red Cat, the drone ...

• Military UAS - small

  Golden Eagle HS

  The Golden Eagle HS (Heavy Strike) is a rotary-wing UAV that can be armed with Rafael's powerful Spike SR and LR2 missiles, providing ground troops with anti-armour ...

• Loitering munitions

  L-Spike 4X

  The L-Spike 4X is a loitering munition first displayed by Rafael US at AUSA 2025.  iI will be offered with two primary warhead configurations: Tandem HEAT ...

• Heavy UGVs

  Tracked Robot 10-Ton (TRX)

  The TRX (Tracked Robot 10-ton) is a UGV developed by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS). The vehicle has been intended to be an enabling technology in critical ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Twister

  Unveiled at AUSA 2023, the Twister is a mini fixed-wing UAV manufactured by Quantum-Systems. It is an eVTOL drone that performs ISR missions autonomously. It can be ...

• Loitering munitions

  HERO-400

  The HERO-400 is a loitering munition manufactured by UVision. Part of the HERO family, the HERO-400 can accurately strike against a range of targets. It ...

• Loitering munitions

  HERO-1250

  The HERO-1250 is the largest lethal loitering system in the HERO series by UVision. It is capable of long-range multipurpose operations. This weapon system is ...

• Loitering munitions

  HERO-900

  The HERO-900 is a lethal loitering system in the HERO series by UVision. It is capable of long-range multipurpose operations. This weapon system is designed ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 400

  At AUSA 2025, AeroVironment (AV) unveiled the Switchblade 400, a rocket-launched, medium-range, man-portable loitering munition. AV states the aircrat has been designed to defeat tanks and heavy ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Collaborative Transformational Rotorcraft (CxR)

  Unveiled at AUSA 2025, the Collaborative Transformational Rotorcraft (CxR) is a tiltrotor rotary-wing UAV from Boeing.  The system has a modular core that can meet a range ...

• Loitering munitions

  HERO-250

  The HERO-250 is a gasoline-powered loitering munition manufactured by UVision. This weapon system is designed for operating units in urban areas carrying out strikes against armoured ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  S-70UAS U-Hawk

  Unveiled at AUSA 2025, the S-70UAS U-Hawk is an uncrewed version of Sikorsky’s crewed UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter.  It will act as a delivery aircraft for medium-sized uncrewed ground vehicles ...