• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Europe reignites UCAV development efforts

  29th October 2013

  Following lulls in the development of Europe’s two flagship UCAV programmes, flight testing has restarted for Neuron while Taranis is believed to have finally completed …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Elimco conducts Spanish UAV fire monitoring tests

  28th October 2013

  Elimco has conducted a series of tests in Spain using its E-300 Viewer UAV to prove the system’s ability to track fire lines at night. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Lockheed Martin to continue PTDS support

  22nd October 2013

  The Persistent Threat Detection Systems (PTDS) in use with the US Army in Afghanistan will continue to be operated and supported by Lockheed Martin under …

• Digital Battlespace

  AUSA 2013: Field and forget sensors showcased

  21st October 2013

  Lockheed Martin used AUSA to release more details on its Self-Powered Ad-hoc Network (SPAN) system of integrated ‘field-and-forget’ sensors. Designed to provide alerts for the …

• Digital Battlespace

  AUSA 2013: Raytheon showcases mast-mounted FLIR

  21st October 2013

  Raytheon has displayed its Long-Range Reconnaissance and Surveillance System (LRSS) with FLIR sensor on Danish company Falck Schmidt’s telescopic mast for the first time in …

• Digital Battlespace

  AUSA 2013: ROSS surviellance suite launched

  18th October 2013

  The new Remote Observation Sensor System (ROSS) will be launched by Seraphim Optronics at the AUSA exhibition in Washington, DC next week. Designed to be …

• Digital Battlespace

  China conducts anti-satellite test

  17th October 2013

  The Chinese government is believed to have conducted anti-satellite tests in September, an act that is being closely monitored by the US, Shephard has been …

• Naval Warfare

  Northrop Grumman wins French E-2C Hawkeye work

  16th October 2013

  Northrop Grumman has been issued a $34.5 million contract by the US Navy to upgrade the French Navy’s fleet of three E-2C Hawkeyes with an …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUSA 2013: UGV optimised for harsh terrain showcased

  16th October 2013

  Roboteam will unveil a new configuration of the Micro Tactical Ground Robot (MTGR) at the AUSA 2013 exhibition that is specifically designed to traverse harsh …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Bluefin Robotics acquires SeeByte

  8th October 2013

  Bluefin Robotics has enhanced its autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) software capabilities with the acquisition of SeeByte. The deal – the details of which have not …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Watchkeeper receives MAA approval

  7th October 2013

  The WK450 Watchkeeper UAV design has finally received certification from the UK’s Military Aviation Authority (MAA), Thales UK has announced. According to Thales, which manufactures …

• Defence Helicopter

  Elbit Systems announces DCoMPASS follow-on order

  7th October 2013

  Elbit Systems Electro-optics Elop will supply its Digital Compact Multi Purpose Advanced Stabilized System (DCoMPASS) electro-optical (EP) payload systems to the air force of an …

• Digital Battlespace

  RAF considers Tornado simulator extension

  7th October 2013

  As the RAF’s GR-4 Tornado simulator celebrates ten years in service, military and industry are considering ways to extend the life of the system to …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Army to use LTAS aerostats during NIE 14.1

  4th October 2013

  Trailer-mounted aerostat launcher systems supplied by Lighter Than Air Systems (LTAS) will be used during the US Army’s Network Integration Experiment (NIE) 14.1 to provide …

• Digital Battlespace

  US Army EMARSS programme transfers to PEO Aviation

  2nd October 2013

  The US Army’s Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System (EMARSS) programme has been transferred to the US Army’s Program Executive Office (PEO) Aviation, where …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• ISR/special mission

  MC-27J [Algeria]

  Programme Background Algeria has a long standing ISR aircraft requirement to support its Beech 1900 fleet comprised of six aircraft. The new ISR fleet is ...

• ISR/special mission

  C-208B ISR [Tunisia]

  Programme Background Requirement The acquisition of the C-208B Grand Caravan EX aircraft is part of Tunisia’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its ISR capabilities in response ...

• ISR/special mission

  King Air 350ER -Canada

  Programme Background Canadian Special Forces was looking to procure ISR aircraft to support their missions both overseas and domestically.  There were few Canadian suppliers to sell ...

• ISR/special mission

  King Air 350ER ISR - Kuwait

  Feb 2018: The US State Department has approved an estimated $259m potential foreign military sale of King Air 350ER intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• ISR/special mission

  Shadow R1 [UK]

  Programme Background The RAF is moving forward with an ambitious plan to transform its intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) force to enable greater ...

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

  ISR Civilian-Made UAVs [Taiwan]

  Background Civilian-made, Military-specification As reported by Shephard, to accelerate the acquisition process and urgently create a larger UAV inventory, Taipei is enlisting the help of the ...

• Military UAS - small

  Black Hornet 3 PRS (UK)

  Programme Background The British Army operated approximately 160 first-generation Black Hornet PD-100 nano UAS between 2013 and 2017, when the decision was made to retire ...

• ISR/special mission

  Baekdu-II [South Korea]

  Programme Background This ISR aircraft programme, which first appeared on the 2020-24 Mid-Term Defense Acquisition Plan, comprises four Baekdu-II aircraft. These will add to two ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  SW-4

  The SW-4 is aimed at the basic and advanced pilot training, troop transport and ISR missions. Its Polish designation is Puszczyk. The SW-4s are based ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  A-29 Super Tucano Afghanistan

  Media reports suggest that with the hourly cost of $1000, the A-29 is a successful platform for counter-insurgency missions. Its operational capability from unprepared airstrips, ...

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

  ISR Drones (First Batch) (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background First Batch On 20 March 2024, Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, announced that, following a 19 March Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting, ...

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

  Drone Action Plan (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background APOS On 6 October 2024, the Dutch Minister of Defense, Ruben Brekelmans, visited Kharkiv and Kyiv. During his visit to Ukraine, he announced a new ...

• Maritime patrol

  Multi-Mission Aircraft (Canada - Option)

  Programme Background Canadian Air Force is operating 15 C-3P (Canadian designation CP-140) special mission aircraft in service. They were acquired between 1980-91 and expected to ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Ukrainian Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Military Package On 5 March 2025, the Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof announced the Netherlands would reserve €3.5 billion ($3.8 billion) to continue ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  Silent Falcon

  The Silent Falcon is a solar-electric sUAS with long-endurance capabilities for extended-range missions. The UAS can be used for commercial and military applications. The entire ...

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

  ULTRA

  The Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft (ULTRA) is a fixed-wing drone from DZYNE Technologies.  It is described as a long-endurance, GPS-harded intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform with full ...

• DT18 Airframe

  The DT18 is a civilian UAV with approval for BVLOS operations by the French Civil Aviation Authority. Its applications include linear infrastructure monitoring, precision agriculture ...

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

  Jackal

  The Jackal is a small UAV manufactured by FLY BVLOS, Flyby Technology and Maxwell Innovations. The system features a plug-and-play system, meaning new equipment and technologies can be ...

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

  Delta

  The Delta is a UAV with a VTOL capability before rotating and operating as a conventional fixed-wing aircraft when airborne.  Manufactured by Fly BVLOS, Nigeria was expected ...

• Freya

  An easy-to-use system which requires minimal training, Freya can be operated in difficult situations and weather conditions, including strong winds and mountainous areas. A tracker ...

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

  Indago

  Indago is a small quadrotor UAV with VTOL. It is equipped with a large-screen handset and is marketed as 'whisper-quiet' with a noise level of ...

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

  Canary

  Volatus Aerospace has stated that its civilian Canary rotary-wing cargo-carrying UAV can be adapted for military use in last-mile resupply operations.  Payloads are housed internally ...

• Land: battle management systems

  AIMS-ISR

  AIMS-ISR is a software package used to process the video footage and data gathered from the cameras and other sensors fitted to airborne, ground-based and ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Ageon ISR

  Ageon ISR is a multi-INT C2/PED solution supporting cross-domain collection, ingestion, processing, exploitation and dissemination from tactical units to the global enterprise and cloud. Ageon ...

• UAS: communication systems

  muLTElink

  Produced by uAvionix, the muLTElink is a multiple-link airborne radio system designed for uncrewed platforms in particular. It combines C-Band, LTE, ISM and Viasat L-Band communications, ...

• Air: UAS radar

  EchoFlight

  The Echoflight radar by Echodyne is a Lightweight Metamaterials ESA (MESA®), a Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) 4D radar designed for mid-sized UAVs flying below the visual line of sight (BVLOS) ...

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

  DrN-15 (series)

  The DrN-15 is a hexacopter mini-UAV from ST Engineering. The platform is highly customizable and can carry various payloads depending on a user's requirements.  All DrN ...

• AR100C

  The AR100C is a quadcopter UAV designed for surveillance and reconnaissance missions at low-altitude BVLOS during day and night operations. The system is an improved ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  ENVOY

  The ENVOY is a multi-mission rotary-wing UAV with a tandem-rotor design and a payload carrying capacity of 180kg. General Dynamics renamed the system ENVOY in mid-2025.  ...