• Defence Notes

  Western reinforcement helping Ukraine protect itself, UK defence exports director says

  8th August 2022

  Western equipment sent to Ukraine is helping reinforce Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s invasion, the head of the UK's Defence and Security Exports agency told Shephard.

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Navy to extend RFA Argus service life beyond 2030, retaining medical capabilities

  29th June 2022

  Medical facilities aboard RFA Argus will eventually be replaced by a capability hosted on the future Multi Role Support Ships (MRSS).

• Training

  Is the British Army training for the right fight? (Opinion)

  22nd July 2022

  Analysts and experts will scrutinise the conflict in Ukraine for years to come, but the past few months have certainly been enough to highlight some of the gaps in the British Army’s capabilities. Are the lessons learned in the east being applied correctly?

• Defence Notes

  UK closes in on E-7 AEW&C full business case with full fleet ready for production

  15th July 2022

  Boeing and STS Aviation are set to start production of a third UK E-7 AEW&C aircraft, as the UK MoD focuses on developing a full business case for the programme.

• Air Warfare

  UK RAF finds Guardian for aerial threat protection

  28th June 2022

  RAF approves the Guardian system for improved detection and management of aerial threats.

• Training

  Ascent to boost training with FIRCTS

  13th July 2022

  The Future ISTAR and Rear Crew Training System competition in the UK is likely to generate interest from major suppliers such as Collins Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, CAE, Elbit and Thales.

• Land Warfare

  Sweden and UK double down on NLAW procurement

  30th June 2022

  Following the success of NLAW in the defence of Ukraine, the UK and Sweden have signed an agreement for increased procurement of the system.

• Defence Helicopter

  Lethality, survivability and ergonomics hold key to AH-64E success, says Army Air Corps

  14th July 2022

  The British Army is training helicopter crews to transition to operating the Apache AH-64E V6 Guardian platform.

• Naval Warfare

  UDT 2022: Seebyte nets UK Mine Hunting Capability contract

  8th June 2022

  Work will support the UK RN’s development of fully autonomous Minehunting capabilities.

• Defence Notes

  Something’s got to give (Opinion)

  6th July 2022

  UK defence policy lacks coherence as the gap between rhetoric and reality remains as wide as ever, while the government remains focused on self-preservation instead of giving clear direction.

• Defence Notes

  Technical trouble forces UK to delay SPEAR 3 first firing

  21st June 2022

  Technical issues are preventing the UK from meeting its original timeline to test-fire the MBDA SPEAR 3 weapon set for entry into service on F-35B fighter jets.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  RCO defends Project Mosquito cancellation, claiming investment stopped making sense

  4th July 2022

  Despite the UK MoD awarding Spirit Aerosystems a Project Mosquito Phase 2 design and development contract for a low-cost, uncrewed fighter aircraft valued at £30 million, the project has been cancelled without a demonstrator being built.

• Training

  ST Engineering Antycip and Nova Systems to accelerate RAF synthetic training

  7th June 2022

  The Capability Concept Demonstrator is based on a four-cockpit simulator system and will explore low-cost mission training solutions for the RAF.

• Land Warfare

  Fix it or scrap it: frustrated PAC urges stark choice on Ajax

  23rd June 2022

  It remains unclear whether the proposed remedies for the Ajax programme will succeed.

• Digital Battlespace

  Armies need to build more trust in AI, experts say

  5th July 2022

  A newly published paper suggests that to fully harness the potential of AI, militaries need to change the way they think about trust and machine-human collaboration.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  AR3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Background £270 Million investment On 15 September 2025, the UK MoD noted that, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  30,000 FPV Drones (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background IDCC On 9 January 2025, the UK MoD announced that 30,000 FPV drones would be sent to Ukraine after the awarding of £45 million ...

• Military UAS - small

  Bug Nano UAS (UK)

  Programme Background The British Army previously took delivery of 160 first-generation Black Hornet PD-100 nano UAS in 2013 to support operations in Afghanistan. After these ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Air Launched Effects (ALE) [UK]

  Programme Background Acquisition Pipeline First published on 13 June 2022, the Acquisition Pipeline is a forward look at potential procurement activity undertaken by the UK MoD.  ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) Programme Block II [UK]

  Under Block II of the RN's Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) programme, the UK is expected to acquire three Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs) designed to be ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) Programme Block II [UK]

  Under Block II of the RN's Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) programme, the UK is expected to acquire three Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs) designed to be ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  New Medium Helicopter (NMH) [UK]

  Programme Background NMH Market Interest Day On 11 November 2021, the MoD communicated the requirements of the £1 billion ($1.34 billion) New Medium Helicopter (NMH) ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Land Mobility Programme (Light Mobility Vehicle) [UK]

  This programme briefly introduces the wider Land Mobility Programme and then focuses on the Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) programme. Information on the LPM and MPM can ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Tactical Multirotor ISR UAV (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background Invitation To Tender (ITT) On 17 February 2025, the UK MoD released an Invitation to Tender (ITT) seeking Tactical Multirotor ISR UAVs. The effort is valued ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | AUKUS-SSNs/SSN(R) Astute Replacement Programme [UK]

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has begun the planning process for the Astute class replacement programme referred to as SSN-Replacement (SSN(R)). In September 2021, it was announced ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | AUKUS-SSNs/SSN(R) Astute Replacement Programme [UK]

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has begun the planning process for the Astute class replacement programme referred to as SSN-Replacement (SSN(R)). In September 2021, it was announced ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Multi-Role Vehicle (Protected) (MRV-P) Package 1 (UK)

  Programme Background Requirement The MRV-P programme was intended to procure replacements for a diverse fleet of 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles purchased during the wars in Iraq ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

• Data links

  Data links | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Standalone Field Generator

  HGI is a supplier of standalone field generators to the UK MoD. It has supplied systems for communications, C2, field hospitals and workshop facilities. The ...

• Light UGVs

  T7

  The T7 is a multi-mission robotic system designed for military, police and hazardous missions. At DSEI 2017, the UK MoD awarded the Harris Corporation a ...

• Major networking projects

  Skynet 5 SATCOM

  Airbus is the service provider for the UK MoD Skynet 5 private finance initiative contract, signed in October 2003 and now worth $5.6 billion. Airbus ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Warthog

  The Warthog is based on the ST Kinetics Bronco all terrain tracked carrier (ATTC) and was developed to meet a UK MoD urgent operational requirement ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Buster

  The Buster is a small UAS that is designed for carrying out close-range surveillance in all weather conditions. It can carry several different payloads and ...

• Land: vehicle surveillance/target acquisition systems

  DNGS-T3

  DNGS-T3 is a single or dual-axis stabilised Day/Night Gunner Sight. It entered service with the UK MoD in 2004 on tracked AFVs. There are more ...

• Data links

  NMS

  The Network Management System (NMS) provides the ability to monitor and manage tactical data links (Link 11A, Link 11B, MIDS/JTIDS Link 16 and legacy links) ...

• Osprey

  Morgan has supplied over 100,000 Osprey body armour plates to the UK MoD. Osprey Enhanced Combat Body Armour Mk 4 offers improvements in fit and ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  AW159 Wildcat

  The AW159 is a twin-engine, multirole maritime and utility aircraft that was developed as a replacement for the Lynx family of helicopters. Designated 'Wildcat' by ...

• Deployable Shelter Systems

  Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group provides integrated deployable shelters for C2, ground control of unmanned systems, C4ISTAR and laboratories. Examples include the Watchkeeper UAV GCS, ...

• Trucks and utility vehicles - 6x6, Trucks and utility vehicles - 8x8

  SLDT(P)

  Following the success of the Trakker 6x6 in the engineer support role, the UK MoD identified a UOR for a fleet of protected self-loading dump ...

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  TTF

  BAE Systems manages the Typhoon Training Facility (TTF) for the UK MoD at RAF Coningsby, England. The facility supports the operational conversion unit and squadron ...

• Major networking projects

  ARRC C2IS

  In August 2006, the UK MoD appointed Thales as prime contractor for the delivery of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) – Command Control and ...

• Naval guns, Land: RWS

  DragonFire

  Dragonfire is a new laser weapon system built for the UK MoD, receiving £30 million of funding in early 2017. The design of the gun ...

• High-G Trainer Service

  Thales will provide the design, build and operation of a new high G-force training service for the UK MOD to help pilots build and maintain ...