• Air Warfare

  How can you own the sky?

  28th August 2025

  With an unparalleled range of solutions, RTX is equipping pilots with a distinct advantage, before the mission even begins.

• Air Warfare

  Long-range drone acquisition axed as Norway announces $11.75 billion spending uplift

  31st March 2026

  Norway’s funding boost will help the country reach 3.5% of GDP on defence spending by 2035, with autonomous systems part of the long list of priorities alongside frigate acquisition and development of a new Finnmark Brigade.

• Naval Warfare

  How will the Canadian Coast Guard’s transfer to the DND umbrella affect its capabilities?

  4th December 2025

  By joining the defence department, the coast guard will need to acquire new solutions and adapt its in-service capabilities to ensure interoperability with the Canadian Armed Forces.

• Air Warfare

  Scaling for diverse fleet needs: How many CCA will be acquired per crewed aircraft?

  23rd February 2026

  There is currently no industry standard in the ratio of uncrewed to crewed aircraft. Because collaborative combat aircraft vary widely in capability and crewed-uncrewed teaming availability, while country-specific requirements vary, it is unlikely that a single CCA configuration will meet all operational needs.

• Land Warfare

  US Army moves towards calls for bids for medium UGV as competitors warm up

  26th March 2026

  The US Army’s Medium Modular Equipment Transport Trailer (M-METT) programme is planned to provide a platform between Increment II of Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport and the Palletized Load System.

• Air Warfare

  Indonesia receives first A400M, considers four more aircraft

  3rd November 2025

  The A400M aircraft that has been delivered was first ordered in 2021 with a second aircraft due to arrive next year.

• Naval Warfare

  First Canadian River-class destroyer to have its keel laid in June

  12th May 2026

  Currently at the block fabrication and construction stage, the HMCS Fraser’s keel-laying ceremony is scheduled to take place next month as a step towards increasing the Royal Canadian Navy's anti-submarine and air defence capabilities.

• Land Warfare

  Inside Pearson Engineering’s £8 million investment in future-ready manufacturing (Studio)

  8th September 2025

  Pearson Engineering’s home, Armstrong Works, has been an engineering hub for almost 200 years, delivering critical capabilities for the UK Armed Forces and customers around the globe. The company is now investing for the future, to meet customers’ evolving requirements for a battlespace defined by data and autonomous systems.

• Land Warfare

  Ukraine’s ground robot army still finding its feet

  31st October 2025

  Ukraine’s quest to replace soldiers with robots is hitting technical snags. Shephard spoke with industry leaders about difficulties in the field and what solutions are in the pipeline.

• Air Warfare

  Focus on economy over capability highlights the cost imperative for CCA success

  20th February 2026

  Striking the right balance between cost and capability is likely to become more crucial in the increasingly competitive collaborative combat aircraft market. Shephard’s special CCA market report examines where the opportunities lie for suppliers.

• Land Warfare

  British Army’s Project Stokes 120mm mortar bids due in March 2026

  18th February 2026

  Project Stokes could see a new 120mm mortar capability enter British service, with domestic production and international partnerships central to competing bids.

• Air Warfare

  Bayraktar TB2: The $4.11 billion market success of a cost-effective MALE UAV

  22nd January 2026

  The success of the Bayraktar TB2 stems from it fulfilling a niche of providing reasonable capabilities at a low cost, leading to its acquisition by more than 30 countries including many in Africa; but there are reasons to be cautious about its potential future prospects.

• Naval Warfare

  US Coast Guard’s Arctic Security Cutter ramp-up signifies turning point in Polar operations

  17th February 2026

  The USCG recently announced the award of a contract to Davie Defense for the supply of five ASCs, marking a major step in the acquisition programme as the US grows its presence in the Arctic.

• Air Warfare

  European CCA programmes see progress as industry narrows in on key flight milestones

  17th March 2026

  European defence firms including Airbus, Helsing, General Atomics and Anduril are accelerating development and testing of collaborative combat aircraft to meet Germany’s loyal wingman requirement, targeting operational deployment by the end of the decade.

• Defence Notes

  High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?

  20th January 2026

  Any potential ‘Arctic Sentry’ mission would be months in the planning, but with tensions high in the region given the US’s push for Greenland, NATO countries will need to continue to emphasise their commitment to the region, analysts have said.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BMPT Terminator

  Despite having earlier rejected the BMPT vehicle, the Russian MoD tested BMPT prototypes in Syria, where the vehicles performed well in combat conditions. This culminated ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | E-2D Advanced Hawkeye [Taiwan]

  According to a Taiwanese national newspaper, the Central News Agency, the Republic of China is planning to purchase six E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft to replace ...

• Data links

  Data links | E-2D Advanced Hawkeye [Taiwan]

  According to a Taiwanese national newspaper, the Central News Agency, the Republic of China is planning to purchase six E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft to replace ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | E-2D Advanced Hawkeye [Taiwan]

  According to a Taiwanese national newspaper, the Central News Agency, the Republic of China is planning to purchase six E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft to replace ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | E-2D Advanced Hawkeye [Taiwan]

  According to a Taiwanese national newspaper, the Central News Agency, the Republic of China is planning to purchase six E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft to replace ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Aksungur [Kyrgyzstan]

  Programme Background In January 2023, Daiyrbek Orunbekov, the Central Asian country's Presidential Press Service head, stated that Kyrgyzstan had bought "modern military equipment such as ...

• Main battle tanks

  T-14 Armata [Russia]

  Programme Background The first contract for 132 Armatas was signed by the Russian MoD in 2015. This will comprise sufficient T-14, T-15 heavy IFV and ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Eurodrone (Forecast) [Japan]

  Programme Background Japan's Application The Letter of Approval (LOA) for observer status in the programme was presented to the Japanese Ambassador to Germany, Hidenao Yanagi, by Joachim ...

• Main battle tanks

  T-14 Armata (Contracted)

  Programme Background The first contract for 132 Armatas was signed by the Russian MoD in 2015. This will comprise sufficient T-14, T-15 heavy IFV and ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  T-15 Armata [Russia]

  Programme Background The first contract for 132 Armatas was signed by the Russian MoD in 2015. This will comprise sufficient T-14, T-15 heavy IFV and ...

• Main battle tanks

  T-90M Proryv (New-Build)

  The first contract for the T-90M was disclosed in August 2017. Comprising 30 tanks in total, it covered the upgrade of 20 T-90As to T-90M ...

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

  SA2 & SA7 [New Zealand]

  Background Uncrewed Range As reported by Shephard, in February 2026, Syos Aerospace announced that it had been contracted by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) to ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  T-15 Armata (Contracted)

  Programme Background The first contract for 132 Armatas was signed by the Russian MoD in 2015. This will comprise sufficient T-14, T-15 heavy IFV and ...

• Military UAS - mini

  X10D (Base defence) [USAF]

  Background Contract award On 8 April 2026, Skydio announced that it had been awarded a $9 million contract by the US Air Forces Central (USAFCENT), the air component ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  VBMR-L Serval [Luxembourg]

  Programme Background Luxembourg currently operates a small military of just over 1,000 personnel. Despite its small size, Luxembourg has contributed troops to both NATO and EU ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Main battle tanks

  BMPT

  UVZ developed the BMPT Fire Support Combat Vehicle, nicknamed Terminator by the company, after studying the Russian Army's performance during the Chechen War. Designed to ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Protivnik-GE

  The Protivnik-GE is a mobile 3D surveillance radar distributed by Russian supplier Rosoboronexport and is currently used by the Russian Armed Forces and the Egyptian ...

• Land: COMINT and ELINT systems

  Borisoglebsk-2

  The vehicle-mounted Borisoglebsk-2 EW system performs frequency scanning for hostile RF emissions. Produced by JSC Sozvezdie, it can perform both electronic surveillance and RF suppression. ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  İhtar

  The İhtar is an anti-drone system manufactured by Aselsan. It is designed to counter mini and micro-UAS threats in urban and rural environments. It detects and tracks ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  TOS-2 Tosochka

  Russia unveiled the TOS-2 Tosochka MLRS at the 2020 Victory Day Parade. Like its TOS-1A predecessor, it is intended to neutralise and suppress enemy positions ...

• Self-propelled guns

  PLC-161

  The PLC-161 (also known as PLC161) is a 4x4 truck-mounted 122 mm self-propelled howitzer that was first identified in July 2020. Few specific details concerning ...

• Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  Palantin

  The Russian Army’s United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation Palantin is a truck-mounted COMINT and communications jamming (COMJAM) system. Official information released by Russia’s MoD states that ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Gnat

  The Gnat is a medium-altitude, long-endurance, multi-mission UAS that has been produced in several different variants. Although originally intended for export customers, the platform was ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range, Self-propelled missile systems

  S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler)

  The S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) long-range air defence system, previously known as the S-300PMU-3, was developed by the Almaz Central Design Bureau ...

• Major networking projects

  SITCEN

  The Situation Centre (SITCEN) is the central agency for providing situational awareness within NATO HQ. It is responsible for receiving, exchanging and disseminating political, economic ...

• Land: battle management systems

  ASOC

  Under a contract awarded to Lockheed Martin by the USAF Electronic Systems Center in May 1997, the company is providing Air Sovereignty Operations Centers (ASOCs) ...

• Land: manned turrets

  B05Ya01 Berezhok

  KBP Tula developed the B05Ya01 Berezhok turret (also referred to as a 'combat module') to provide an upgrade option for the legacy Soviet BMP-1 and BMP-2 ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Kamaz-53949 Taifun-K

  The Kamaz-53949 Taifun-K (Typhoon-K) is a 4x4 MRAP vehicle manufactured in Russia by Remdiesel, a subsidiary of Kamaz.  Originally developed in 2010 as a private ...

• Land: battle management systems

  Command View C4I

  In operation with many of the world’s military forces, Command View is designed to access and integrate different sources of data and present it to ...

• Surface-to-surface missiles

  Iskander-M/E/K

  The Iskander-M (NATO reporting name: SS-26 'Stone') is a short-range ballistic missile. It was the second attempt by Russia to replace the Skud after its ...