• Naval Warfare

  Lawmakers plan to provide US Navy with multi-year procurement authority for US Marine Corps’ CH-53K

  4th June 2024

  The National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) proposal for FY2025 authorised the service to enter into multi-year acquisition contracts from the next fiscal year.

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate to use half the crew of the Type 23 and embrace automation

  10th February 2025

  The Royal Navy’s Type 31 frigate is incorporating automation, reduced crew requirements and enhanced living conditions into its design as the force attempts to meet modern operational demands.

• Defence Notes

  UK makes big moves to fix “broken” defence procurement system ahead of major review

  28th October 2024

  The changes are intended to meet greater need and deliver more value for money.

• Naval Warfare

  UK’s Type 32 frigate programme confirmed alive but embryonic

  16th October 2024

  Significant questions remain over whether the still-invisible Type 32 programme can survive the UK government’s upcoming Budget and the Strategic Defence Review.

• Air Warfare

  First Triton welcomed into RAAF service

  1st August 2024

  Northrop Grumman successfully completed the first flight of Australia’s MQ-4C Triton uncrewed aircraft at its Palmdale facility in 2023.

• Naval Warfare

  General Dynamics awarded $1.3 billion for Virginia submarines

  6th August 2024

  Around 50 Virginia class submarines are planned for the US Navy (USN) with a total of 38 currently ordered and 21 having been delivered from various blocks.

• Air Warfare

  Will Canada and Latin America seek new sources for combat aircraft?

  6th May 2025

  US-made combat aircraft are being passed over in favour of European types, as Latin America and Canada question their ageing fleet replacement choices.

• Naval Warfare

  RIMPAC 2024 brings more navies together than ever before for biennial warfare exercise

  17th July 2024

  RIMPAC 2024 offered 29 national navies opportunities to train together for combat readiness in multiple domains, including underwater.

• Air Warfare

  Embraer affirms “limited” US tariff impact with 72% growth in defence revenues for Q1 2025

  6th May 2025

  The growth in Q1 2025 was supported by strong C-390 Millennium sales, according to the company’s CEO. Of the US$1.1 billion revenue increase, defence aircraft sales accounted for 13% of the total.

• Air Warfare

  Skydio X10D becomes first UAS delivered for Tranche 2 US Army Short Range Reconnaissance programme

  8th May 2025

  The drone has equipped a US Army Transforming in Contact (TiC) to provide it with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.

• Air Warfare

  Why is the US far behind Russia and China in the space warfare domain?

  21st April 2025

  While Beijing and Moscow have been working on anti-satellite weapons at an accelerated speed, Washington still does not have capabilities to defeat them, with one US legislator describing the situation as “the Cuban Missile Crisis in space”.

• Naval Warfare

  Long-delayed polar icebreaker programme gets cash and impetus boost

  1st April 2025

  The US Government has awarded a significant contract to move along its Polar Security Cutter programme.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy places small boat order worth up to $290 million

  17th May 2024

  The Metal Shark 40 Defiant, a 40-foot, welded-aluminium pilothouse monohull patrol boat, features ballistic protection and can be armed with a range of remotely operated and crew-served weapons systems. The ReconCraft 40ft patrol boat is similar and offers waterjet, outboard and inboard/outboard propulsion.

• Air Warfare

  F135 engine upgrade completes preliminary design review

  16th July 2024

  The Pratt & Whitney F135 engine is an evolution of F119, which powers the US Air Force’s F-22 Raptor and features fifth-generation stealth capabilities, as well as advanced prognostics and health management systems.

• Air Warfare

  Collins Aerospace wins $80 million contract for US Army Black Hawk avionics upgrade

  19th March 2025

  The US$80 million contract will provide the US Army Black Hawk helicopters with faster and more flexible technology on the battlefield, with upgrade work “actively” ongoing.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Maritime patrol

  P-8A Poseidon [US]

  Programme Background The P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) system is a heavily modified and militarized derivative of Boeing's 737-800 ERX commercial aircraft. The P-8A is ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Constellation Class - FFG(X) (11-20)

  The US Navy ran the Next Generational Future Guided Missile Frigate (FFG X) programme to build a replacement for the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, the ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Constellation Class - FFG(X) (11-20)

  The US Navy ran the Next Generational Future Guided Missile Frigate (FFG X) programme to build a replacement for the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, the ...

• Maritime patrol

  P-8A Poseidon [UK]

  Programme Background In July 2016, the UK government announced that it had ordered nine aircraft for service with the RAF. Under this frame, in January ...

• Military helicopters - maritime, Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-53K - US Navy

  Programme Background The Marine Corps is replacing its aging CH-53E helicopters with the CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter. Designed as an evolution of the CH-53E, the CH-53K ...

• Frigates

  Second-hand LCS [Greece]

  Programme Background Timeline In January 2024, Tasos Chatzivasileiou, a Member of the Hellenic Parliament and Secretary General of the Standing Committee of National Defence and Foreign ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 1700 [USN]

  Programme Background Timeline The US Navy LCU 1700 amphibious landing craft are being procured to replace the ageing LCU 1610 class, which has an average ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | F-35B STOVL Future Procurement - US Navy

  The US Navy is planning to order 115 F-35B STOVLs between FY2026 and FY2031 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase is estimated ...

• Data links

  Data links | F-35B STOVL Future Procurement - US Navy

  The US Navy is planning to order 115 F-35B STOVLs between FY2026 and FY2031 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase is estimated ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | F-35B STOVL Future Procurement - US Navy

  The US Navy is planning to order 115 F-35B STOVLs between FY2026 and FY2031 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase is estimated ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | F-35B STOVL Future Procurement - US Navy

  The US Navy is planning to order 115 F-35B STOVLs between FY2026 and FY2031 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase is estimated ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | F-35B STOVL Future Procurement - US Navy

  The US Navy is planning to order 115 F-35B STOVLs between FY2026 and FY2031 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase is estimated ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-53K - US Navy Follow-On

  Programme Background The Marine Corps is replacing its ageing CH-53E helicopters with the CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter. Designed as an evolution of the CH-53E, the CH-53K ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | F-35C Carrier Variant (CV) Future Procurement

  The US Navy is planning to order 130 F-35Cs between FY2026 and FY2030 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase is estimated be ...

• Data links

  Data links | F-35C Carrier Variant (CV) Future Procurement

  The US Navy is planning to order 130 F-35Cs between FY2026 and FY2030 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase is estimated be ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• US Navy T-44C training services

  In late 2013, CAE received a contract to provide the USN with comprehensive T-44C aircrew training services at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. CAE USA is ...

• Maritime patrol

  US-2

  The ShinMaywa US-2 is an amphibious short take-off and landing aircraft used primarily by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) for SAR. 

• Military - USVs

  Voyager

  Voyager is an Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) built by US-based Saildrone. Voyager has been used by the US Navy (USN) and is one of three ...

• Destroyers

  Kee Lung (Kidd) Class

  The Kee Lung-class consists of four ex-US Kidd-class guided missile destroyers in service with the Republic of China Navy (ROCN). The ships were originally built for ...

• Military - UUVs

  Orca

  Orca is an extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle (XLUUV) developed by Boeing for the US Navy (USN).

• Military - UUVs

  Mission Specialist Defender

  The Mission Specialist Defender is a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) developed by VideoRay, now part of BlueHalo's unmanned maritime systems. The ROV is known ...

• Military - USVs

  Explorer

  Saildrone's Explorer is the smallest of three USVs designed and built by the US-based USV manufacturer Saildrone. The system is used by the US Navy (USN) ...

• EO/IR systems, Sea: ship surveillance and fire control systems

  SeaFLIR 380-HD

  The SeaFLIR 380-HD is a long-range, multispectral surveillance system for surface vessels. Manufactured by Teledyne FLIR, the system combines HD IR, colour or SWIR spectral information. According to ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Integrated Combat System

  The Integrated Combat System (ICS) is a combat management system being developed for the US Navy. The project, currently led by Lockheed Martin, aims to ...

• Military - UUVs

  Snakehead LDUUV

  The Snakehead Large Displacement Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (LDUUV) is a US Navy (USN) Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (UUV) designed to be launched from submarine Dry Dock Shelters ...

• Data links

  GNOMAD US Domestic

  The US domestic version of GNOMAD (see separate entry) is a ruggedised system comprising a satellite antenna and baseband modular chassis that can be installed ...

• Sea: sonar systems

  AN/SQS-53

  The AN/SQS-53 is a computer-controlled sonar system with both active and passive operating capabilities. It can perform ASW search, detection, localisation and tracking tasks. In addition ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Navy Multiband Terminal (NMT)

  The Navy Multiband Terminal is the next-generation maritime military SATCOM for the US Navy and allied nations. The terminal integrates EHF and AEHF systems with ...

• Minehunters

  Lerici/Gaeta Class

  The Lerici- and Gaeta-classes of minehunters are in service with the Italian Navy, and modified Gaeta variants entered into service with the Royal Australian Navy ...

• Sea: sonar systems

  AN/SQQ-89

  The AN/SQQ-89 is an ASW combat system incorporates and processes all the sonar information and LAMPS sensor data. Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, there are currently ...