• Defence Notes

  Sweden commits another $1.3 billion to Ukraine

  29th May 2024

  Sweden’s 16th military support package to Ukraine will include new capabilities to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence and armoured tracked vehicles.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUKUS nations test AI-enabled UAV that destroys ground targets

  12th August 2024

  Australia, the US and the UK have been collaborating on the AI aerial vehicle.

• Air Warfare

  Kongsberg to invest $110 million to increase production capacities in the US

  19th September 2024

  Expected contracts from the US Armed Forces will see the company build a new facility in Virginia, as well as improving and expanding its manufacturing capabilities in Pennsylvania.

• Land Warfare

  MBDA's Enforcer missile system: Locked, loaded and Euro-funded for rapid expansion

  22nd March 2024

  MBDA's Enforcer missile system production has received an additional boost as the company was set to receive funding by the European Commission's ASAP programme.

• Naval Warfare

  Three CB90 patrol boats delivered to Ukraine

  1st July 2024

  Combatboat (Stridsbåt) 90 (CB90) is a class of small, rapid attack boats designed for raiding and inshore/nearshore coastal protection operations or deploying up to 20 troops and equipment.

• Land Warfare

  Israeli Defence Forces aims to make remote-controlled ground systems autonomous

  8th July 2024

  The IDF has turned some of its unmanned M113 APCs into remotely controlled vehicles but it has also been exploring moves towards making the vehicles completely autonomous.

• Land Warfare

  M10 Booker advances towards service

  13th September 2024

  The M10 Booker will be the US Army’s first new light tank in decades and last month’s low-rate initial production (LRIP) contract for continued manufacture was a major step in a programme which will substantially reshape the force’s Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs).

• Naval Warfare

  Regent’s Viceroy seaglider prepares for trials

  9th August 2024

  A US-based company has been preparing to test its full-scale prototype by late 2024 with potential for defence applications including intelligence, surveillance and rapid deployment in contested environments.

• Land Warfare

  Thai marines induct new 8x8 amphibious vehicles from Chaiseri

  9th October 2024

  Designed specifically for the requirements of the Royal Thai Marine Corps, the domestically built Armoured Wheeled Amphibious Vehicle will be fitted with a Guardian 1.5 remote-controlled weapon station and have a payload capacity of 2.5t.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy’s Navigation Plan 2024 to focus on rapid integration of uncrewed capabilities

  20th September 2024

  The service’s Navigation Plan 2024 and “Project 33” targets outlined robotic and autonomous systems as core focus areas up until 2027.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UAVs in multiple classes proliferate in South Korea

  6th September 2024

  South Korea is rapidly advancing its UAV programmes and counter-drone capabilities in response to increasing threats from North Korea’s unmanned aerial systems.

• Air Warfare

  Greece joins the F-35 Lightning II world alliance

  30th July 2024

  Greece has signed an offer for 20 F-35 aircraft with an option on 20 more platforms.

• Land Warfare

  CV90 upgrade programme helps BAE meet growing demand for IFV

  3rd June 2024

  The CV90 IFV has seen demand rockets leading its manufacturer to increase investments in production facilities. Tarkan Turkcan, CV90 platform director for BAE Systems Hägglunds, outlined the latest CV90 updates for Shephard.

• Digital Battlespace

  Space defence assets under growing threat says Lockheed executive

  19th September 2024

  Chinese innovation and interference means it will only continue to get harder for western nations to defend their space assets.

• Naval Warfare

  Naval Warfare Review 2024: Business as usual overshadowed by geopolitics and budgets, but innovation promised solutions

  13th December 2024

  There was solid programme advancement around the world in 2024, but a combination of more threats, fleet unreadiness and a financial squeeze darkened naval horizons as the year advanced.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• Tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams [Poland]

  Programme Background Requirement Since the early 2010s Poland wanted to upgrade its Soviet-era tank fleet due to modernisation requirements, the need to increase interoperability with NATO ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Drone40 (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background In August 2022, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a think tank, held a podcast with Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, in which ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Land 400 Phase 2 - Boxer CRV [Australia]

  Programme Background History The Land 400 Phase 2 programme will procure a replacement for the ASLAV, a derivative of the General Dynamics Land Systems Light Armoured Vehicle ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel - Medium (Project Land 8710 Phase 1A) [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirements Australia has set out requirements for a fleet of up to 18 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels - Medium (LMV-M) with the release of ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Second Hand SSNs [Australia]

  Programme Background Timeline In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams [Poland - Forecast]

  Programme Background Requirement The Polish Army wants to replace its legacy Soviet T-72 MBTs with new NATO-standard platforms to increase interoperability with its allies and ...

• Tanks

  Viatura Blindada de Combate-Carro de Combate (VBC-CC) [Brazil]

  Programme Background Several key technical requirements have been outlined by the Brazilian MoD. Among the most important are that the platform should weigh less than ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  Programme Background AUKUS Australia announced on 16 September 2021 that the contract with Naval Group signed in 2016 had been cancelled. Although not a surprising ...

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

  Project Air 7003 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R [Spain]

  Programme Background On 16 March 2022, the US State Department approved an FMS to Spain for eight MH-60R helicopters and associated equipment and weaponry for $950 ...

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

  MQ-4C Triton (Contracted) [Australia]

  Programme Background Three Contracted Units In June 2018, the Government provided Second Pass (Tranche 1) Approval to procure the first of six air vehicles, supporting ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Carl-Gustaf M3

  The Carl-Gustaf M3 is the third generation of the 84mm shoulder-fired recoilless antitank gun, first fielded by the Swedish Army in 1946. Since then, it ...

• Naval: RF, IR and acoustic decoys

  Nulka

  The Nulka active anti-ship missile decoy was originally conceived in Australia, and developed under a joint Australian-US programme. BAE Systems Australia is prime contractor, while ...

• S-64 Helitanker Fire-fighting Equipment

  Erickson's 10,031l tank for the S-64 helitanker drops water, retardant or foam mix at a rate of around 95l/h. Microprocessor-controlled tank doors offer eight individual ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition

  The Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition (NGVA) is a family of ammunition being developed by the US Army's Armaments Center and manufactured by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems ...

• Tanks

  M1/M1A1 Abrams

  The 105mm-armed M1 Abrams tracked MBT was introduced into US Army service in 1980 as a replacement for the 105mm-armed M60 MBT. In April 1991, ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  AUKUS SSN

  The AUKUS-SSN will be the submarine design resulting from the AUKUS trilateral pact between Australia, the US and the UK. Expected to incorporate technology from ...

• Tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3

  The M1A2 System Enhancement Package 3 (M1A2 SEPv3, also known as M1A2C) is the latest production-standard variant of the Abrams MBT. Designed primarily to address ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  CVTESS

  Saab's Combat Vehicle Tactical Engagement Simulation System (CVTESS) is a laser-based simulator which supports every version of the Abrams Main Battle Tank and the Bradley ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Spike LR2

  The Spike LR2 (also known as NT-S) is Rafael's fifth-generation anti-tank guided missile system. It is a long-range, multi-purpose, multi-platform weapon designed for infantry, armored ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  HATS

  In October 2014, the Australian government approved a A$700 million (US$530 million) contract award to Boeing Defence Australia, teamed with Thales Australia, to provide the ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  FGM-148 Javelin

  The FGM-148 Javelin is a man-portable, fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system developed by the Lockheed Martin-Raytheon Javelin Joint Venture. Key features include fire-and-forget imaging ...

• Guided munitions

  M-712 Copperhead

  The M-712 Copperhead is 155mm artillery projectile that is guided to it's target via a laser guidance system. It was the first smart artillery round ever ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  ATGL-H

  The ATGL-H is an improved derivative of the Russian SPG-9 tripod-mounted, man-portable 73mm recoilless gun manufactured by Arsenal. It fires fin-stabilised, rocket-assisted HE and HEAT ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  AS21 Redback

  First unveiled in scale model form at the Land Forces 2018 exhibition, the AS21 Redback is a tracked IFV developed to meet the Australian Army's Land ...

• EO/IR systems

  CM262

  Manfuaucted by AVT Australia, the CM262 is a ground-based imaging system combining four sensor configurations into a compact and ruggedised system for C-UAS and ISR ...