• Defence Notes

  Croatia launches a new fighter procurement drive

  31st May 2019

  Croatia has launched a second fighter procurement attempt after a widely-publicised failure to secure secondhand F-16s offered by the Israeli government. Defence minister, Damir Krstičević …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Inmarsat makes UAV play as emerging partnerships take-off

  30th May 2019

  The UK mobile satellite provider Inmarsat is seeking to increase its civil UAV sector footprint having established a set of five new partnerships with drone …

• Military Logistics

  Saudi Arabia requests aircraft support services

  30th May 2019

  The US State Department has made a determination approving a potential foreign military sale of aircraft follow-on support and services to Saudi Arabia, the Defense …

• Defence Notes

  Defence Capability Plan expands NZ’s military

  10th June 2019

  The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) will increase the size of its military and acquire new amphibious ships under the latest Defence Capability Plan (DCP) …

• Naval Warfare

  Belgium Naval and Robotics receives minehunter contract

  24th May 2019

  The Belgium Naval and Robotics consortium has received a contract to supply 12 mine-hunting vessels to the Belgian and Dutch navies, ECA Group announced on …

• Defence Notes

  The price is right for US F-16s to Sofia

  5th June 2019

  Priced at US$1.673 billion, the sale to Bulgaria of eight Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70 fighters has received the green light from the US State …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Army deploys first SBS UAS

  22nd May 2019

  The US Army recently fielded the Soldier Borne Sensors (SBS) UAS to soldiers of 3rd Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North …

• Digital Battlespace

  Kratos to develop THREAT system

  21st May 2019

  Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has received a contract to develop and demonstrate a Tethered High-power-microwave Recorder and Electronic Attack Target (THREAT) system, the company …

• Training

  Allied Spirit X exercise held in Germany

  15th May 2019

  More than 5,600 personnel from 15 nations participated in the 7th Army Training Command’s exercise Allied Spirit X in Hohenfels, Germany, the US Army announced …

• Military Logistics

  USS John C Stennis arrives for overhaul

  20th May 2019

  The US Navy aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis has arrived in Norfolk, Virginia after concluding a seven-month deployment from Bremerton, Washington, the navy announced …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Citadel to defeat weaponised UAS

  7th May 2019

  Citadel Defense has received a contract from the US Air Force to continue development of its Titan counter-UAS (C-UAS) solution to defeat weaponised UAS and …

• Digital Battlespace

  Saab's Arexis jamming pod nears flight testing

  23rd May 2019

  Ahead of schedule the Saab electronic attack jamming pod for its Arexis electronic package is moving forward to flight tests this year after an original …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX 2019: C-Flex Patrol mission system for MATV

  15th May 2019

  In April 2019, Terma confirmed an update to the C-Flex mission system on MV Sycamore to the newest member of the C-Series family, C-Flex Patrol, …

• Training

  European Spartan 2019 C-27J exercise kicks off

  17th May 2019

  Five European C-27J Spartan military aircraft operators are participating in the fourth edition of the European Spartan exercise at Otopeni airbase in Romania, the European …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Camcopter S-100 selected for Arctic 2030 project

  7th May 2019

  Schiebel’s Camcopter S-100 UAS has been selected by Norway’s Andøya Test Center for extensive SAR trials as part of the Arctic 2030 project, the company …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• 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 ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Indirect Fire Protection Capability - Generation II – High-Power Microwave [US]

  Background In July 2025 Epirus received a US$43,551,060 contract from the US Army for two Generation II systems developed from the HPM (Leonidas). Previously, in ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Indirect Fire Protection Capability – High-Power Microwave [US]

  Background In May 2024, the US Army took delivery of four High-Powered Microwave (HPM) Directed-Energy Weapons (DEW) to fulfil its Indirect Fire Protection Capability – High-Power ...

• Military UAS - small

  Medium Range Reconnaissance (MRR) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  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 organic, ...

• Military UAS - mini

  U&C reconnaissance drones [US Army]

  Methodology PGO The programme has been assigned a PGO of 100%, as a contract has been awarded. Unit cost It has not been clarified what ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  C-UAS [Portugal]

  Background Portugal's Military Programming Law 2023–2034 includes $8.8724 million (€8.2 million) to acquire counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) by 2034. It is assumed that this acquisition requires ...

• Transport

  C-27J [Azerbaijan]

  Programme Background The Azerbaijani Air Force signed a contract with Leonardo in June 2023 to procure the C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft. This move is ...

• Hybrid effector systems

  Border C-UAS Defence [Latvia]

  Background Latvia's long-term blueprint for its armed forces lists a comprehensive C-UAS element with an approximate range of three to four km. This programme is ...

• CUAS - jammers

  NEROD RF [France]

  Background France has procured an unconfirmed number of MC2's NEROD RF C-UAS rifles ("fusils brouilleurs") for short-range counter-drone use. In a 2024 Senate report, it ...

• CUAS - jammers

  C-UAS [Taiwan]

  Background Taiwan announced a requirement for portable C-UAS systems with capabilities that include passive detection, takeover, spoofing and jamming. The systems are planned to strengthen ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  Finnish Border Guard C-UAS Capability

  Background In response to the growing UAS threat, the Finnish Border Guard was given €44 million for procurements to strengthen drone detection, identification, and countering capabilities. ...

• CUAS - jammers

  C-UAS [Australia]

  Background The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is accelerating the acquisition of state-of-the-art counter-drone technologies through Project LAND 156. The ADF signed a contract with HighCom ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  SAN C-UAS [Poland]

  Background In January 2026, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and its Polish partner Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) signed a contract with the Polish Armaments Agency for the delivery ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  US SOF CUxS (Static) [US]

  Background The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is procuring a Family of Systems (FoS) design to defeat drones. The programme includes development, integration, prototyping, and test of ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  US SOF CUxS (Mounted) [US]

  Background The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is procuring a Family of Systems (FoS) design to defeat drones. The programme includes development, integration, prototyping, and test of ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  MEHEL 2.0

  The Mobile Expeditionary High-Energy Laser (MEHEL) is a C-UAS-capable vehicle that employs directed energy to neutralise targets. MEHEL 2.0 was first seen at AUSA 2016, ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Fractl:2

  Fractl:2, developed and manufactured by AIM Defence, is an Australian laser directed energy weapon (LDEW). The high-powered portable system is Australia's first acquisition of a directed ...

• CUAS - jammers

  DroneDefender

  DroneDefender is a directed-energy UAS countermeasure that disrupts the adversary's control of the aircraft, neutralising it so that no remote action (including detonation) can occur, ...

• CUAS - jammers

  EJDERHA HPEM System

  The EJDERHA is a high power electromagnetic system manufactured by Aselsan. It generates high-amplitude electromagnetic fields and directs them to potential targets such as IEDs ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Apollo

  Apollo is a High-Energy Laser Weapon System manufactured by Electro Optic Systems (EOS). Apollo's laser utilises directed energy to disable or destroy aerial targets without ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  SCATA Mk1

  The SCATA Mk1 is the first military vehicle developed by Finland's SCATA.

• Directed energy weapons

  Leonidas High-Powered Microwave DEW

  Leonardo's US-based subsidiary Epirus has received funding from both the US and Singapore to develop its Leonidas High-Powered Microwave (HPM) directed-energy weapon (DEW).

• Directed energy weapons

  GÖKBERK 10 Laser DEW

  Turkish company ASELSAN's GÖKBERK 10 laser directed-energy weapon (DEW) is designed to destroy cheap, class-I drones. The system is designed to work with other components ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Locust

  BlueHalo's Locust is a laser weapon system. The system delivers a complete kill chain, providing a layered and broadband detection capability that is coupled with electronic ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Minotaur

  Minotaur, developed by Soukos Robots, is a Greek laser directed energy weapon (LDEW). Minotaur is an anti-drone platform with the ability to shoot down unmanned ...

• Hybrid effector systems

  SkyRanger 30

  SkyRanger 30 is a mobile ground-based air defence (GBAD) laser directed energy weapon (LDEW) system designed by Rheinmetall. The system comprises automatic cannons, guided missiles, and a ...

• OPVs

  PPA/MultiPurpose Combat Ship (MPCS) EVO

  The PPA/MultiPurpose Combat Ship (MPCS) EVO is an enhanced version of the Thaon di Revel-class PPAs unveiled at Euronaval 2024. The PPA/MPCS EVO retains the core platform ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Royal Thai Army Laser DEW

  Under Government instructions, the Royal Thai Army is developing a Laser-based Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) to counter drones in its border regions. The unit cost ...

• Directed energy weapons

  CROSSBOW MINI

  CROSSBOW MINI, developed by IPG Photonics, is a laser-directed energy weapon (LDEW). The LDEW has multiple deployable configurations and is a part of the manufacturers ...

• Directed energy weapons

  DIAL

  The Laser Weapon Instrumental Demonstrator (DIAL), in joint development with Indra and Escribano Mechanical Engineering, is a Spanish laser directed energy weapon (LDEW). The system ...