• Defence Notes

  Paramount Group acquires controlling stake in Nautic Africa

  26th November 2013

  Paramount Group has acquired a majority stake in Nautic Africa, adding in-house shipbuilding capability to its portfolio.  The acquisition follows the growing demand of maritime …

• Defence Helicopter

  RAF commences training operations with Puma Mk2

  26th November 2013

  The Royal Air Force has begun training on the newly upgraded Puma Mk2 helicopters from RAF Benson in Oxford. Seven of the 24 aircraft being …

• Digital Battlespace

  More AN/TPS-78 radars for Royal Thai Air Force

  25th November 2013

  Northrop Grumman will supply additional AN/TPS-78 air defence and surveillance radar systems to the Royal Thai Air Force under a contract announced on 25 November. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Netherlands selects MQ-9 Reaper

  25th November 2013

  The Dutch ministry of defence plans to purchase the MQ-9 Reaper as its future medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAV, it has emerged. After a …

• Military Logistics

  GOCO at death’s door

  22nd November 2013

  The UK MoD’s plans to privatise its Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) equipment acquisition agency appear to be falling apart. With only one team remaining …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Dubai 2013: HammerHead demonstrator completes maiden flight

  19th November 2013

  The P.1HH HammerHead UAV demonstrator achieved its first full flight on 14 November, Piaggio Aero and Selex ES have revealed. Announcing the news at the …

• Naval Warfare

  Dubai 2013: Javelin adopted for naval applications

  17th November 2013

  The Lockheed Martin/Raytheon Javelin missile has been successfully fired from a Chemring Centurion naval launch system in the Salisbury Plain training area in the UK, …

• Defence Notes

  Lockheed Martin announces reorganisation of US facilities

  14th November 2013

  Lockheed Martin has announced closure and consolidation of its US facilities in response to a continuing decline in US defence spending.    The move follows …

• Defence Helicopter

  Pentagon raises Afghan Mi-17 concerns

  11th November 2013

  The planned withdraw of NATO forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 will leave Afghan special forces without adequate helicopter support, a Pentagon report …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  FAA unveils inaugural UAS roadmap

  8th November 2013

  The FAA has released its first UAS roadmap aimed at facilitating and guiding the integration of civil platforms into the national airspace system (NAS). The …

• Naval Warfare

  New OPVs for UK Royal Navy amid restructuring

  7th November 2013

  Three new offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) will be ordered by the UK MoD to plug the gap in construction work at BAE Systems’ shipbuilding facilities …

• Naval Warfare

  Northrop Grumman wins US Navy AN/SPQ-9B radar award

  7th November 2013

  Northrop Grumman will supply AN/SPQ-9B radar systems for the US Navy’s amphibious and Arleigh Burke class ships under a contract award worth $20.4 million. The …

• Digital Battlespace

  UK outlines future SATCOM vision

  5th November 2013

  The UK MoD has described how implementing its next-generation capability strategy for satellite communications (SATCOM) will be affected by difficult budget restrictions. Addressing the Global …

• Digital Battlespace

  German Air Force GM 400 radar enters service

  5th November 2013

  The first of six Ground Master 400 (GM 400) long-range air defence radar systems supplied by ThalesRaytheonSystems (TRS) to the German Air Force has entered …

• Land Warfare

  BAE awarded Paladin artillery upgrade contract

  31st October 2013

  Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) of the upgrade to the Paladin self-propelled artillery system is set to begin after a US Army contract awarded to BAE Systems. …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Xtender [US]

  Programme Background Previous Procurement In early 2021, the US Department of Defence awarded a contract to XTEND for the platform in partnership with Isreal's MoD. ...

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

  V-Bat [Greece]

  Background Contract Award In May 2025, Kathimerini, a Greek morning political and economic newspaper, reported that the Greek Army had acquired two V-Bat UAVs. Funded partly by ...

• Loitering munitions

  Echelon 0: Ground Organic Precision Strike Systems (GOPSS) [USSOCOM]

  Programme Background Requirements The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has made loitering capabilities a priority in its efforts to support counter-violent extremist organization (C-VEO) operations ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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, specifically the V-Bat 400, aircraft to enhance the maritime intelligence, surveillance ...

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

  V-Bat 128 [Colombia]

  Programme Background Procurement In August 2024, The Rio Times reported that the Columbian Navy had begun to equip its four Type FS 1500  frigates with the V-Bat ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Vertical & Horizontal UAV [Italy]

  Programme Background Speaking in late January 2024 at the SAE Maritime Reconnaissance and Surveillance Technology conference in London, Commander Mauro Ghezzi stated that the Italian ...

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

  Gray Eagle 25M (1-12) [US National Guard]

  Programme Background Requirement In FY2021, the National Guard Association of the United States (NGUAS) announced that it was "critical" that it fielded the MQ-1C Gray Eagle ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Wolverine / Honeybadger [US]

  Programme Background During the Modern Day Marine (MDM) exhibition, held in Washington between 10-12 May 2022, XTEND announced it would supply hundreds of Wolverine platforms ...

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

  Maritime UAS (MUAS) [USCG]

  Background Contract Award In June 2024, the USCG awarded Shield AI an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity firm-fixed-price contract to supply UAVs for its cutter vessels. The contract, which will ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The OMFV programme is the latest of several attempts to develop a Bradley replacement.  Designed to be capable of operating with or without ...

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

  Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase II) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) provides short-range day and night ISR to US Army units at the squad, platoon and other small ...

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

  V-Bat [India]

  Programme Background Make In India The 'Make In India' is an initiative by the Indian government to grow the domestic manufacturing industry. In the context of ...

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

  Large ULS-A / Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) [USMC]

  Background US Marine ULS-A programmes The US Marines are seeking a family of Unmanned Logistics Systems-Air (ULS-A), which will provide logistics and ground units with their ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) [USA]

  Programme Background US Army's Future Vertical Lift Programme The FLRAA is one of three strands of a broader army programme. The others are the Future ...

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

  Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) (Tranche 2) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  Programme Background The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) Programme The RPUAS programme will provide the battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: mission management systems

  iCommand 2.5

  The iCommand 2.5 is the latest version of the iCommand integrated command suite, designed by Textron Systems Advanced Information Solutions. The system has been designed ...

• Military vehicle engines

  TCD 2015

  The TCD 2015 is a modern water-cooled four stroke diesel V-engine that is currently integrated on the RG41 armoured vehicle.

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Bradley NG/RB301

  BAE Systems introduced the Bradley Next Generation (NG) at AUSA 2016 to showcase a cost-effective option for extending the M2 Bradley's service life into the 2030s. Centred around ...

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

  Fang

  Fang is a first-person view (FPV) UAS for precision strike roles. The drone is aimed to launch in Q2 2025. Developed by Red Cat, the drone ...

• Loitering munitions

  L-Spike 4X

  The L-Spike 4X is a loitering munition first displayed by Rafael US at AUSA 2025.  iI will be offered with two primary warhead configurations: Tandem HEAT ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Golden Eagle HS

  The Golden Eagle HS (Heavy Strike) is a rotary-wing UAV that can be armed with Rafael's powerful Spike SR and LR2 missiles, providing ground troops with anti-armour ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 400

  At AUSA 2025, AeroVironment (AV) unveiled the Switchblade 400, a rocket-launched, medium-range, man-portable loitering munition. AV states the aircrat has been designed to defeat tanks and heavy ...

• Heavy UGVs

  Tracked Robot 10-Ton (TRX)

  The TRX (Tracked Robot 10-ton) is a UGV developed by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS). The vehicle has been intended to be an enabling technology in critical ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Twister

  Unveiled at AUSA 2023, the Twister is a mini fixed-wing UAV manufactured by Quantum-Systems. It is an eVTOL drone that performs ISR missions autonomously. It can be ...

• Loitering munitions

  HERO-400

  The HERO-400 is a loitering munition manufactured by UVision. Part of the HERO family, the HERO-400 can accurately strike against a range of targets. It ...

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

  P550

  Designed by AeroVironment, the P550 is a fixed-wing UAV that can host reconnaissance, EW or offensive payloads. It was developed in collaboration with Parry Labs and features ...

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

  Reliant

  The Reliant is a Quantum Systems VTOL-capable fixed-wing drone unveiled at the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week Exhibition 2024. The hybrid drone is due to ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  VAPOR CLE

  Unveiled at AUSA 2025, the VAPOR Combat Long Endurance (CLE) is the newest version of AeroVironment's (AV) rotary-wing VAPOR offerings.  Compared to the older versions, VAPOR ...

• Loitering munitions

  HERO-1250

  The HERO-1250 is the largest lethal loitering system in the HERO series by UVision. It is capable of long-range multipurpose operations. This weapon system is ...

• Loitering munitions

  HERO-900

  The HERO-900 is a lethal loitering system in the HERO series by UVision. It is capable of long-range multipurpose operations. This weapon system is designed ...