• Military Logistics

  Belgium builds hangar for A400Ms

  28th August 2020

  A new hangar to accommodate Airbus A400M military transport aircraft is being built at Melsbroek Air Base near Brussels, Belgium. Laying the foundation stone on 24 …

• Land Warfare

  Thai marines to get First Win IIs

  1st September 2020

  Chaiseri won a contract last month from the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) for the procurement of two First Win II 4x4 armoured vehicles. The Naval …

• Defence Notes

  PODCAST: AI for training, US Army modernisation priorities and Israeli UH-60 problem

  21st August 2020

  Welcome to Episode 33 of the second series of The Weekly Defence Podcast. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and more. Sign up to an early email alert …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Army gears up for new round of RQ-7B Shadow Block III tests

  13th August 2020

  The US Army will soon move to a RQ-7B Shadow Block III Follow-On Operational Test and Evaluation (FOT&E;) phase as it looks to bolster capabilities …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  India wants UAVs plus a counter-UAS system fast

  19th August 2020

  Vulnerability of UAVs is a concern to the Indian Army, so it is looking at the matter ‘from a strategic perspective and for tactical applications,’ …

• Training

  Training for the Future Capability Profile (Studio)

  1st September 2020

  The world of work is changing, with COVID-19 and emerging technologies accelerating existing trends in defence and wider afield. Raytheon UK believes the training sector …

• Land Warfare

  First Armenian-made AK-103s set for delivery

  24th August 2020

  The first batch of 1,000 domestically made AK-103 Kalashnikov assault rifles is ready to be delivered to the Armenian Army, according to government-run media. Public …

• Land Warfare

  Portugal accepts more VAMTAC vehicles

  13th August 2020

  More VAMTAC ST5 4x4 high-mobility tactical vehicles have been received by the Portuguese Army. The 15th Infantry Regiment received four of the vehicles via the …

• Land Warfare

  Spanish industry team seals 8x8 combat vehicle deal

  26th August 2020

  An industry team led by General Dynamics European Land Systems- Santa Bárbara Sistemas (GDELS-SBS) is to manufacture an initial 348 Dragon 8x8 VCR wheeled combat vehicles …

• Land Warfare

  New AM General owners will not alter HMMWV contracts for US Army

  13th August 2020

  The prospective new owners of AM General, the supplier of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), have shed little light on the possibility of changes …

• Digital Battlespace

  SRC to carry on support for Medusa programme

  25th August 2020

  SRC is continuing its involvement with the USAF Medusa programme under a maximum $90 million sole-source contract, the DoD announced on 24 August. The deal …

• Defence Helicopter

  Russian Helicopters displays upgraded Mi-171Sh

  24th August 2020

  The initial flying prototype of the upgraded Mi-171Sh helicopter is being exhibited for the first time on 23-29 August during the Army 2020 show. The ‘Storm’ …

• Military Logistics

  Spain seeks new naval logistics vessel

  19th August 2020

  The Subdirectorate General for Armament and Material Acquisitions (DGAM) in the Spanish MoD has published a tender calling for procurement of a second-hand logistics vessel. …

• Digital Battlespace

  Teledyne to help cool X-band radars

  21st August 2020

  Teledyne Brown Engineering announced on 20 August that it has been awarded a $29 million contract from Raytheon to produce and sustain cooling equipment units …

• Training

  US Army Europe faces future training questions

  13th August 2020

  With President Trump’s decision to remove nearly 12,000 troops from Germany, questions are being asked about the long-term viability of 7 Army Training Command’s two …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  J-10 [China]

  Programme Background The aircraft performed its maiden flight in 1998 and entered service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in 2004. According to ...

• 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 ...

• Corvettes

  Jiangdao Class (Type 056)

  Programme Background The Type 056 corvette is referred to by the Chinese as the new-generation light guided-missile frigates. They have been built for the People's Liberation ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  Rapid Minelayers Procurement (1-4) [Taiwan]

  Development and Procurement Four new rapid minelayers are being built for the Taiwanese Navy in a bid to counter the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  Rapid Minelayers Procurement (5-10) [Taiwan]

  Programme Background Requirements The revelation of a Chinese bridge-barge landing system for amphibious operations, designed for a Taiwan invasion, has underscored the need for Taipei ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Kalyani M4 (India)

  Programme Background In the wake of border clashes with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 2020, the Indian Army has accelerated several of its ...

• Frigates

  Jiangkai II Class (Type 054A)

  Built by Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard and Huangpu shipyards the frigates were first seen being constructed from 2005. The class is referred to as the workhorses of China's ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  VP1/Type 89 (Nigeria)

  Programme Background The Nigerian Army has an ongoing need for new armoured vehicles to replace losses incurred in its conflict with extremist organisations operating within ...

• Corvettes

  Shadhinota Class (Type C13B)

  The Shadhinota class (Type C13B) corvettes are a platform based on the Type 056 Jiangdao class used by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), built by the ...

• Submarines: conventional, attack

  S26T [Thailand]

  Programme Background The Royal Thai Navy has been in the process of acquiring a new submarine for a number of years. They formally selected China's ...

• Frigates

  Jiangkai III Class (Type 054B / Type 057)

  Following the rapid production and relative success of the Type 054A Jiangkai II class frigates, the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) are developing a successor to ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• AEW&C, Transport

  Y-8

  The Y-8 (Yunshuji-8) medium-sized transport and multirole aircraft was developed by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation and is based on the Soviet Antonov An-12. More than 36 ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Z-8

  Developed by Changhe Aircraft Industry Group, the Z-8 (known also as Z-18) is a derivative of the AC313 civil helicopter, which is itself a copy of ...

• Submachine guns

  CS/LS2

  Norinco’s CS/LS2 is a 9mm bullpup SMG designed for use with a suppressor. It has been in service with the People's Liberation Army since about ...

• Fighter - multirole

  J-8

  The J-8 (NATO reporting name Finback) is a multirole fighter domestically developed by China. It has design similarities with Soviet MiG-21 and Su-15 aircraft.  The ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  KZ-800

  China National Electronics Import and Export’s (CEIEC) KZ-800 is an airborne Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) gathering system believed to be in widespread use onboard People’s Liberation ...

• Fighter - multirole

  J-10

  The J-10 (NATO reporting name Firebird) is a multirole fighter developed by China to replace second-generation J-7 and Q-5 aircraft. The aircraft is also known ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  Type GCZ110

  Norinco announced in 2014 that it had completed development of the Type GCZ110 armoured engineer vehicle based on a modified Type 79 tank chassis equipped ...

• Tanks

  VT2

  The 125mm-armed VT2 tracked MBT, which was unveiled at DSA 2012, is the export version of the People's Liberation Army Type 96A. As of early ...

• Fighter - ground attack

  J-16

  The J-16 is a multirole fighter developed by China. It is based on the J-11 air superiority fighter, itself a licence-built version of the Russian ...

• EO/IR systems

  Loong Eye LE380

  The Loong Eye (Dragon's Eye) LE380 is a two-axis stabilised gimbal incorporating EO/IR sensors, laser designators, and laser rangefinders. Originally developed by the Luoyang Opto-Electro ...

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

  Sky Saker FX400A

  The Sky Saker FX400A is a fixed-wing drone manufactured by Norinco. Capable of hosting both ISR and attack payloads, such as the Blue Arrow 7 ...

• Air-to-air missiles, Surface-to-air missiles

  TY-90

  TY-90 is a multi-purpose, short-range, IR-guided, tactical surface-to-air missile developed by China to defend against helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and cruise missiles at low and super-low ...

• Medium/general-purpose machine guns

  Type 80

  The Type 80 is a general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) manufactured by Norinco in China, based on the Soviet PKM. Certified in 1980, it entered PLA ...

• Air-launched ASW torpedoes, Ship-launched torpedoes

  Yu-11 lightweight torpedo

  Yu-11 is a Chinese-made surface and air-launched lightweight torpedo to repel submarine threats from long distances.

• Tanks

  Type 62

  The Type 62 light tank entered production for the Chinese People's Liberation Army in 1963. Essentially a smaller, lighter clone of the Type 59 MBT, it is ...