• Defence Helicopter

  Russian military orders VIP-transport helicopters

  22nd January 2018

  The Russian MoD has ordered a batch of Mi-8AMTSh and Mi-8AMTSh-V helicopters in a VIP configuration to be built at the Ulan-Ude aviation plant. The …

• Land Warfare

  Singapore Airshow 2018: Soldier system pushes the boundaries (video)

  7th February 2018

  ST Kinetics showed its armed Stinger UAV, part of its advanced soldier system, at Singapore Airshow 2018. Far from being a conventional UCAV, this is …

• Special Operations

  French Navy using FusionSight

  23rd January 2018

  Bertin Instruments’ FusionSight handheld night and day vision device has been deployed by the French Navy in the Caribbean. According to the company the device …

• Military Logistics

  Orbital ATK to research hypersonic engines

  26th January 2018

  Orbital ATK has been selected by DARPA to study the integration of turbine and hypersonic engine technologies into a new aircraft propulsion system under its …

• Digital Battlespace

  ADECS 2018: Chinese EW capabilities roll inexorably onwards

  23rd January 2018

  The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is on the verge of commissioning its seventh intelligence collection vessel. The Type 815A spy ship was launched at …

• Naval Warfare

  ADECS 2018: ‘No naval arms race’ in Southeast Asia

  2nd February 2018

  It is ‘very hard to fit' the Southeast Asian region into the definition of an arms race, according to discussions at the maritime security section …

• Digital Battlespace

  European Space Agency to launch quantum satellites

  16th January 2018

  The European Space Agency (ESA) and its industrial partners are planning to launch two quantum key distribution satellites at the beginning of next decade, and …

• Digital Battlespace

  Deep learning solutions on the horizon for Harris

  25th January 2018

  Harris is positioning itself to roll-out deep learning driven automated image analysis solutions to its customers in the next twelve months. The technology was at …

• Naval Warfare

  Australia inks Sea 1180 OPV contract

  2nd February 2018

  A contract worth more than A$3 billion ($2.4 billion) for 12 OPVs for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has been signed with Lürssen, the Australian …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Protector deliveries yet to be finalised as IOC looms

  25th January 2018

  As development of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian continues with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA‑ASI) announcing the first SATCOM taxi of the system, the timeline for first deliveries of …

• Land Warfare

  With Russia and China in mind, US nuclear review calls for low-yield weapons

  2nd February 2018

  The Pentagon has unveiled the official version of its Nuclear Posture Review, which calls for a revival of nuclear sea-launched cruise missiles and a less powerful …

• Land Warfare

  Ecuador accepts ATMID delivery from Schiebel

  22nd January 2018

  Schiebel has delivered 35 All Terrain Mine Detector (ATMID) units to the Ecuador Ministry of National Defence, the company announced on 18 January. Schiebel received …

• Digital Battlespace

  Philippine C4ISTAR contract awarded

  22nd January 2018

  The US has contracted Harris Corporation to deliver a C4ISTAR system to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), with the FMS deal priced at …

• Defence Notes

  US looks to develop low-yield nuclear weapons

  18th January 2018

  The US military wants to overhaul its atomic arsenal and develop a new type of low-yield weapon that experts worry could lead to greater proliferation …

• Naval Warfare

  Leonardo to lead OCEAN2020 project

  17th January 2018

  Leonardo has been awarded the tender for the European Defence Fund’s OCEAN2020 initiative, the company announced on 12 January. The project aims to use unmanned …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Medium-Range Loitering Munition with LEO Satellite Data Link [South Korea]

  Background New Project In April 2025, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) announced a new project titled “Development of Medium-Range ...

• Loitering munitions

  Long Range One-way Platforms [US]

  Solicitation In October 2024, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) released a solicitation for long-range, one-way platforms. The DIU noted recent conflicts highlighted the asymmetric impact of low-cost, ...

• Military UAS - small

  Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) GUARD [Ireland]

  Background Problem As stated on the project’s website in 2022, Ireland is the “softest target in the EU for smugglers” due to its 3,171 km ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Micro UAV [Argentina]

  Background Tender The EA and MoD in April 2021 announced Public Tender 0090/2021 (UOC: 84/135), which saw the General Directorate of Material begin the process of ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  CH-4 (First Batch) [Pakistan]

  Programme Background First Batch According to the Pakistan Exim Trade Info website, five aircraft were delivered to the country on 15 January 2021. According to a ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  BZK-005 [Sudan]

  Methodology PGO and programme status Defence Insight has assigned this programme a PGO of 100% since it is complete. Units required Defence Insight estimates that ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Bayraktar TB2 [Pakistan]

  Programme Background Requirement Following a 2019 skirmish with India, Pakistan placed newfound importance on EW and ISR, primarily due to the significant advantage gained during that ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Seeker 400 (1-6) [UAE]

  Background Long history The UAE has a long history of transactions with Denel Dynamics. The country has been purchasing various Seeker systems from as far ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  CH-4 (Second Batch) [Pakistan]

  Background First Batch According to the Pakistan Exim Trade Info website, five CH-4 aircraft were delivered to the country on 15 January 2021. According to a satellite ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Wing Loong II [Pakistan]

  Background Original Effort On 6 October 2018, the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) announced on social media that it would acquire 48 Wing Loong II UAVs. ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  NH90 - NFH [Italy]

  Background  Programme history The Italian Navy took delivery of its first NH90 NFH helicopter in Full Operational Capability (or Step B) configuration in 2011. The ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-9A Reaper [Spain]

  Programme Background First Contract The US State Department approved a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of MQ-9 Block 5 aircraft and associated parts, equipment, and logistical ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Turkish UCAV [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Desired Procurement Saudi Arabia reportedly began negotiations to procure six Anka UAVs in 2013. It had not been disclosed which Anka variant was requested, ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60M Black Hawk (Second Contract) [Croatia]

  Programme Background Western Technology With the help of the US, Croatia has attempted to improve its military technology, replacing Soviet equipment, such as the Mi-8/Mi-17. ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  Long-Endurance UAV [US AFRICOM]

  Programme Background Ageing MQ-9A Reapers In November 2022, Shephard reported that GA-ASI would continue supporting contractor SMX with its MQ-9A after winning a $2.3 billion task ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Space: radar systems

  RISAT-1

  Radar Satellite-1 (RISAT-1) is a microwave remote-sensing satellite carrying an SAR payload operating in C band (5.35GHz), which enables imaging of surface features during both ...

• Naval: Radio and SATCOM

  OceanTRx 4MIL

  The OceanTRx 4MIL is a ruggedised maritime SATCOM solution featuring simultaneous multi-band communication and advanced antenna management capabilities.  It was introduced at the Euronaval 2022 ...

• Major networking projects

  Skynet 6 SATCOM

  Skynet 6 is designed to replace Skynet 5. The PFI contract for Skynet 5,  held by Paradigm Secure Communications and Airbus DS, ends in 2022. As ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Osprey u8 HGL

  Launched in 2023, Kymeta Osprey u8 HGL is a hybrid Geostationary/Low-Earth Orbit terminal that provides satellite communications on the move. Notably, it can be mounted ...

• Naval: Radio and SATCOM, UAS: communication systems

  Multi-Purpose Terminal (MPT)

  Orbit's Multi-Purpose Terminal (MPT) is a family of stabilised VSAT systems suitable for installation on smaller vessels and airborne platforms including uncrewed vehicles. 

• Military Satellites - ISR

  Radarsat-2

  Owned and operated by MDA, Radarsat-2 was launched in late 2007 as a follow-on radar satellite to Canada’s Radarsat-1. The satellite's resolution ranges from a ...

• Naval: Radio and SATCOM

  SURFSAT-L

  Produced by Thales, SURFSAT-L is a SATCOM terminal designed for medium to large surface vessels. According to the manufacturer, it is designed to achieve a ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MONDO Satellite Terminal

  The Multi Orbit Network, Dual Operation (MONDO) Satellite Terminal is a developmental SATCOM solution that provides continuous communication links on GEO, LEO and MEO networks. ...

• Military Satellites - ISR

  Helios

  The Helios system consists of the Helios 2A and Helios 2B satellites, the latter of which was launched in December 2009, five years after Helios ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Multi-Orbit Tactical Terminal

  Intelsat Multi-Orbit Tactical Terminal (MOTT) is a ruggedised terminal with a low-profile design. The vehicle-mountable terminal features an electronically steered array antenna, edge computing capabilities ...

• Data links

  GSNC

  Global Secure Network Connection (GSNC) provides a global data communications solution for military aircraft, including bomber, refuelling and transport aircraft. The GSNC system uses Iridium ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...

• Space: radar systems

  NISAR

  The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is a joint programme between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to build and launch an observation ...

• Space: radar systems

  TerraSAR-X and ​TanDEM-X

  TerraSAR-X and the more advanced TanDEM-X (TerraSAR-X add-on for digital elevation measurement) are designed to operate closely together to generate an accurate 3D image of ...

• Military - USVs

  USV-12

  The USV-12 is an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) developed by HAVELSAN and VN Maritime Technologies. The modular platform is designed for defence, maritime security, and search ...