• Naval Warfare

  UAE firm showcases three fast craft

  1st March 2021

  Three boats from Aksum Marine were included in the live demonstration programme at NAVDEX, as Gulf states pay closer attention to fast craft capabilities in the context of the continuing Iranian threat.

• Naval Warfare

  Spanish F110-class frigates to be equipped with iXblue navigation systems

  16th February 2021

  The five new F110 frigates will replace six Santa Maria-class frigates currently in service with the Spanish Navy.

• Naval Warfare

  Ultra to provide towed sonar for CSC programme

  3rd February 2021

  Variable-depth sonar to equip 15 new vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy.

• Naval Warfare

  Saab seeks 'efficiencies' at Kockums naval site

  11th February 2021

  Returning to a positive cash flow in 2020, Saab outlined generally positive Q4 and full year results amid the pressure brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Naval Warfare

  Chile picks design partner for Escotillón IV

  15th February 2021

  ASMAR and Vard Marine team up to construct new Chilean transport vessels.

• Naval Warfare

  Capability gaps hamper Varan aircraft carrier

  17th February 2021

  A somewhat unfamiliar design — and the lack in Russia of a carrier-based AWACS capability — suggest that the Nevsky Design Bureau has bitten off more than it can chew.

• Naval Warfare

  Hensoldt modernises radars for German Navy

  15th February 2021

  TRS-3D radars to be upgraded on two Braunschweig-class corvettes

• Naval Warfare

  Singapore takes delivery of new USVs

  2nd March 2021

  Singapore's navy is looking to the future with far greater utilisation of unmanned technology.

• Naval Warfare

  Ultra supports Danish acquisition of SeaScout

  27th January 2021

  Ultra to provide delivery support for mine-hunting sonar system from Kraken Robotic Systems.

• Naval Warfare

  UK awards maintenance contracts for Stringray and Spearfish

  28th January 2021

  £230 million contract aims to bolster Royal Navy torpedo capabilities.

• Defence Notes

  Bulgaria places faith in Programme 2032

  24th February 2021

  The draft of Programme 2032 was submitted to the National Assembly for approval this month. It foresees that 20% of the defence spending will be allocated to the acquisition of new equipment.

• Training

  Belgium joins NFTE

  23rd February 2021

  Will the NATO Flight Training Europe programme succeed where the Advanced European Jet Pilot Training scheme failed?

• Naval Warfare

  China ends corvette production run

  22nd February 2021

  The Type 056 corvette exemplifies the rapid pace and capability of Chinese naval shipbuilding, with 72 built in the past decade.

• Naval Warfare

  Bridging the Gulf – private sector moves to fill naval gaps

  2nd March 2021

  Amid widespread cuts to defence budgets, West African countries see private sector as way to boost naval capacity in Gulf of Guinea.

• Defence Notes

  A welcome but belated US response to the ‘China threat’

  19th March 2021

  'Strategic competition' is the name of the game in the Asia-Pacific region, as China throws its considerable weight around.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition (Royal Navy) [UK]

  Background Persistent Operational Deployment Systems (PODS) As the Royal Navy stated in 2022, Persistent Operational Deployment Systems (PODS) are “interchangeable modules that can be fitted to ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Project Dragonfire [UK]

  Background The UK Government's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has been working with MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ to develop a LASER Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) called ...

• Military UAS - small

  T-150 (Royal Navy) [UK]

  Background Deployment On 7 April 2025, the Royal Navy announced that, for the first time, nine T-150 drones would be operated from the HMS Prince ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Lanza 3D Radar [Thailand]

  Background Thailand is procuring the LANZA 3D radar to strengthen surveillance and protection of Sattahip Naval Base. The radar will be deployed by the Royal ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Flexible Tactical Uncrewed Air System (FTUAS) [UK]

  Background Tender notice and timeline On 25 May 2021, the MoD published a tender notice for the urgent acquisition of a UAS and ancillaries under ...

• Military UAS - small

  Puma 3 AE (UK)

  Programme Background Testing The Royal Navy announced in October 2020 that the Puma was undergoing its first operational testing on HMS Albion's autumn deployment to ...

• Frigates

  Hamilton Class Cutter [Bahrain]

  Background Very little has been said about the transfer of an ex-Hamilton-class cutter to Bahrain, but it is one of the final two to leave ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (1-6) [Australia]

  Programme Background Austal was awarded a contract to build six 'Evolved' Cape-class patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on 1 May 2020. The contract ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (7-8) [Australia]

  Programme Background Austal was awarded a contract to build six 'Evolved'Cape-class patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on 1 May 2020 (see separate ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Boraida Class replacement [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Requirements The Royal Saudi Navy urges the replacement of three Boraida-class minehunters. Based on the Durance-class design, the ships entered service in the mid-1980s ...

• Minehunters

  Lat Ya Class Replacement Programme [Thailand]

  Programme Background Requirements The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) currently operates two Lat Ya-class minehunters, commissioned in the late 1990s. The units are based on the ...

• Frigates

  Air Defence Frigates Procurement [Denmark]

  Background Requirements After focusing on the procurement of new highly capable patrol ships and new Arctic frigates as a replacement for the Thetis-class, Shephard had initially estimated ...

• Frigates

  Karel Dorman Class (Chile)

  Programme Background  Chile currently operates two ex-Karel Doorman-class frigates which were sold in 2004. The Royal Netherlands Navy are in the process of replacing the ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat [Netherlands]

  Background Contract award On 9 July 2025, Shield AI announced that the Netherlands MoD had acquired eight V-Bat aircraft, specifically the V-Bat 400, to enhance the maritime ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS) (3) [Malaysia]

  Programme Background Requirements The Royal Malaysian Navy are in the process of a fleet transformation plan known as the 15 to 5 Transformation Plan, which ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Submarine-launched torpedoes

  Mk 48 Mod 7AT CBASS

  The MK 48 MOD 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) is the latest variant of the Mk 48 torpedo family manufactured by Lockheed Martin and ...

• Military - UUVs

  XV Excalibur

  XV Excalibur is an Extra Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV) built by UK-based MSubs, in conjunction with the Royal Navy. It is an experimental vessel ...

• Frigates

  Hunter Class (Type 26)

  The Hunter-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy are based on the Type 26 design. The ships are set to replace the Anzac-class under the ...

• Sea: naval fire control radar

  Ceros 200

  The Ceros 200 is a radar and optronic tracking system designed for use on naval vessels. When interfaced with modern missile or gun systems, it ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Royal Danish Navy MH-60R MOFT

  In January 2014, CAE was awarded an FMS contract by the USN to develop an MH-60R mission operational flight trainer (MOFT) for the Royal Danish ...

• Frigates

  Naresuan Class

  The Naresuan-class guided-missile frigates are a modified variant of the Chinese-built Type 053 frigate. The two ships-in-class were built by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation ...

• Destroyers

  River Class (Type 26)

  The Type 26 Anti-Submarine Warfare frigate has been designed for the UK Royal Navy, but with an emphasis on export. Both the Royal Canadian Navy ...

• Sea: naval surveillance radar

  AN/SPY-7(V)1

  The AN/SPY-7(V)1 is a solid-state naval surveillance radar produced and manufactured by Lockheed Martin. The system is expected to be fully integrated into programmes for ...

• Frigates

  Jacob Van Heemskerck Class

  The Jacob van Heemskerck class frigates were ex-Royal Netherlands Navy frigates that also served under the Chilean Navy, also known as the Latorre-class. Two anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Walrus

  The Walrus is a mini rotary-wing UAV manufactured by the Royal Navy's 700X Naval Air Squadron.  As stressed during the December 2022 announcement, Walrus has been ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  RD-170BT

  The RD-170BT is a man-portable surveillance radar deployed ashore to protect moored patrol boats of the Royal Norwegian Navy. 

• Minehunters

  Sandown Class

  The Sandown class vessels are coastal minehunters and OPVs in service with the UK Royal Navy and Royal Saudi Naval Forces as the Al Jawf class. Additionally, ...

• 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 ...

• Frigates

  Type 22 (Batch 1)

  The Type 22 frigates were previously the Broadsword-class in service with the UK's Royal Navy. The vessels were built in three batches, with the first ...

• Sea: weapon training

  Inflatable Naval Gunnery Targets

  GeoData produces a range of Naval Gunnery Target Balloons (NavTGTs) for use by marine, navy, coast guard and army units to maintain target acquisition and ...