• Air Warfare

  Why tactical UAVs are winning on the future battlefield (Podcast)

  9th May 2025

  In Conversation: In this special edition of the Shephard Defence Podcast, Tony Skinner sits down with Dan Slasky, President and CEO of Aeronautics, to explore how cutting-edge tactical unmanned aerial systems are reshaping today’s battlefields.

• Land Warfare

  Babcock and Patria join up to compete for the British Army’s medium vehicle requirement

  22nd January 2025

  Patria’s 6x6 armoured personnel carrier (APC) forms the basis of the trans-European Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS). The Finnish company and Babcock want to offer it for the UK’s Land Mobility Programme (LMP) medium protected requirement.

• Naval Warfare

  New deals awarded for US submarine electronic warfare systems and the USS Ronald Reagan

  4th February 2025

  The US Government has awarded contracts to upgrade electronic warfare systems, missile availability, and the USS Ronald Reagan for future missions.

• Air Warfare

  L3Harris moves forward with aerial, CUAS and software solutions

  10th April 2025

  L3Harris Technologies is investing in new systems and software for maritime operations and modernising the US Navy’s fleet of MPAs

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force pushes back T-7A production to 2026

  21st January 2025

  The US Air Force (USAF) and Boeing have agreed to adjust parts of the T-7A Red Hawk acquisition, with four more test T-7As being acquired to help improve manufacturing readiness and boost testing capacity.

• Air Warfare

  Israeli MoD signs $40 million in deals for Elbit Systems drones

  4th December 2024

  The deal will allow the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) to upgrade its operational capabilities in the field, particularly for intelligence gathering and targeted strikes.

• Special Operations

  SOF Week 2025: Global threats and industry opportunities in focus (video)

  5th May 2025

  At SOF Week 2025 in Tampa, Florida, Stu Bradin, President and CEO of the Global SOF Foundation (GSOF), underscored the increasing operational demands placed on special operations forces (SOF) as global tensions mount.

• Naval Warfare

  Future of the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke programme remains unclear

  1st July 2025

  The US Navy does not have a precise date for the award of the procurement contract for the third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer despite having the funds to advance with the programme in FY2025.

• Naval Warfare

  HII revenues down in 2024, but Mission Technologies arm blooms

  6th February 2025

  The shipbuilder has been dealing with a pre-Covid 19 backlog as well as winning new business.

• Air Warfare

  Turkey’s Baykar strengthens European links with Leonardo and Piaggio Aerospace deals

  3rd February 2025

  Recent collaborations with Italian aerospace and defence firms have bolstered Baykar’s links throughout Europe and strengthened its credibility as an important player on the continental stage.

• Air Warfare

  US fires approximately 75 precision-guided weapons against Iran’s nuclear facilities

  22nd June 2025

  In the operation Midnight Hammer, the Pentagon deployed 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators and more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles.

• Naval Warfare

  UK Royal Navy begins training with autonomous mine counter measures vessel

  17th March 2025

  The uncrewed surface vessel (USV) is the first of four autonomous mine vessels the UK Royal Navy (RN) will deploy this year.

• Naval Warfare

  New anti-mine technology delivered to French and Royal Norwegian navies

  11th February 2025

  Thales and Patria are among the companies to have supplied European navies with systems to combat the growing sea mine threat.

• Naval Warfare

  IDEX 2025: Saab launches new Coast Control Radar to protect waterways

  13th February 2025

  According to Saab, the new radar will work to safeguard territorial waterways and maritime traffic, improving safety and security of vessels in key economic lifelines.

• Naval Warfare

  Mitsubishi to build new OPV for Indonesia to enhance security coverage

  4th February 2025

  The offshore patrol vessel (OPV) will join its predecessor vessel in enforcing security around Indonesia’s coastline.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Bandit (US)

  Programme Background Goal As stated by Alyson Turri, the AFRL Bandit programme manager, the goal is to "develop an unmanned platform that looks like a fifth-generation ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Data links

  Data links | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Light Replenishment Oiler (T-AOL) [USN]

  The US Navy wants to procure a new class of medium-sized supply ships aimed at refuelling, rearming, and resupplying naval assets. The Navy’s proposed FY2025 budget requests $7.7 ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Light Replenishment Oiler (T-AOL) [USN]

  The US Navy wants to procure a new class of medium-sized supply ships aimed at refuelling, rearming, and resupplying naval assets. The Navy’s proposed FY2025 budget requests $7.7 ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Polar Support Vessel [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirements In June 2020, the Brazilian Navy released a Request for Proposal (RfP) to procure a new Antarctic vessel to be manufactured in Brazil. The ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Command Insertion Craft (CIC) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirements The Royal Navy is seeking a replacement for its fleet of LVPs Mk5 amphibious landing craft. The vessels entered service in the ...

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

  Naval Collaborative Combat Air Vehicle (N-CCAV) [India]

  Programme Background CATS Warrior The Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) is a planned, uncrewed and crewed family of aircraft in development by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Project Mosquito [UK]

  Programme Background Inception and Capabilities In 2019, in collaboration with the RAF, the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) released details of its new UAS ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) [Thailand]

  Programme Background Roadmap In February 2024, the RTAF unveiled its White Paper 2024. Incorporating lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel-Hamas War, and other events ...

• 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.  ...

• Aircraft carriers

  CVX (South Korea)

  Programme Background Requirements HHI was awarded a contract for the conceptual design of the LPX-II in October 2019. The project now aims to build a ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  Hybrid Tiger

  Manufactured by the Naval Research Laboratory, the Hybrid Tiger is an electric UAV. As its name suggests, the platform features a hybrid power generation unit. ...

• Air: UAS radar

  RASAR

  The real-time, autonomous, synthetic aperture radar (RASAR) is a self-contained radar designed for installation under the wing of UAS for counter-IED and FOPEN (Foliage Penetration) missions. It is ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  SA-400 Jackal

  The SA-400 Jackal is a heavy-payload-capability, long-endurance VTOL UAS that had its first flight in 2013. It is an optionally piloted vehicle, so it can ...

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

  Outlaw SeaHunter

  Outlaw UAVs are used by military and research agencies for training, testing, data collection and system development. In the 114-137kg maximum take-off weight class, SeaHunter ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  ShadowHawk

  The ShadowHawk is a VTOL UAV that can be transported and launched/recovered within a small area. The ShadowHawk is able to maintain aerial surveillance at ...

• Air: EO/IR – Jamming Systems

  AN/AAQ-45

  Leonardo’s AN/AAQ-45 Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasures is designed to equip rotorcraft. The system is being installed on Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk medium-lift utility helicopters used ...

• Air-launched ASW torpedoes, Ship-launched torpedoes

  Shyena/TAL

  Shyena, also known as TAL (The Advanced Light Torpedo), is an Indian lightweight anti-submarine torpedo developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (affiliated to ...

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

  Havoc

  Havoc is a MALE modular payload UAS designed for customers with varying missions and payload requirements. Features include tool-less assembly, rolling take-off and landing and ...

• Military - USVs

  MAST

  The Maritime Autonomy Surface Testbed (MAST) was developed by ASV Global and Roke Manor Research under funding from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. It ...

• Subsystems: software

  SWARM

  CHI Systems worked with Lockheed Martin on a programme for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to build software models that imitate human behaviour, and ...

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

  Bat

  Northrop Grumman is developing the Bat family of medium-altitude, multi-mission UAS. The company announced two variants of the UAS (3.7m and 4.3m) and a rotary-wing ...

• Light UGVs

  Dragon Runner

  The Dragon Runner UGV, manufactured by QinitiQ, has two versions: the Dragon Runner 10 (DR10) and the slightly larger Dragon Runner 20 (DR20). All Dragon ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  CLS-200

  The CLS-200 is part of the Yates Electrospace Corporation Silent Arrow family. It is a powered cargo-carrying one-use UAV, based on the company's GD-2000 glider.  In ...

• Light UGVs

  Jackal

  Launched in September 2014, Clearpath Robotics' Jackal is a small, portable, integrated and weatherproof UGV. It has been built on a metal chassis and has four wheels ...

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

  Skate

  The Skate is a small, man-packable VTOL UAV designed for performing short-range ISR at the tactical level. A thrust-vectoring system provides a near-VTOL capability, enabling ...