• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Russia accepts Orion MALE UAV

  27th April 2020

  The Russian MoD has completed the acceptance process for the Orion MALE UAV, according to Nikolay Dolzhenkov, chief designer at St Petersburg-based manufacturer Kronstadt Group. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  X-61A made to wait for first recoverable flight test

  8th April 2020

  Dynetics has revealed that the reshaping of flight test activities at the US Army’s Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, has led to a delay of a …

• Defence Helicopter

  Spotlight shines on US presidential helicopters

  29th April 2020

  A recent report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) acknowledges that the presidential helicopter programme is within cost goals but asserts that some technical …

• Land Warfare

  US Army looks at precision strike through a new prism

  1st May 2020

  The US Army and Lockheed Martin successfully conducted the third flight test in their next-generation long-range missile programme at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico on …

• Air Warfare

  USMC adjusts its air power priorities

  4th May 2020

  In issuing the Force Design 2030 report into the future direction of the USMC, the corps is attempting to steer the course of its development, …

• Land Warfare

  Ukraine restores eight 4x4 BRDM-2L1s

  16th April 2020

  Ukraine-based Nikolaev Armoured Plant (MBTZ, a subsidiary of Ukroboronprom) confirmed on 16 April that it has restored eight 4x4 BRDM-2L1 armoured reconnaissance patrol cars. The …

• Land Warfare

  Czechs buy thousands of small arms

  9th April 2020

  The Czech MoD has announced its intention to procure more than 39,000 assault rifles and pistols for its armed forces. A spokesperson for the ministry …

• Defence Notes

  Dutch Air Force delivers COVID-19 aid to Sint Maarten

  10th April 2020

  The Dutch Ministry of Defence reported on 8 April that medical supplies and equipment had been transported to Sint Maarten to support the Dutch overseas …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Laser-based technology seeks to plug C-UAS gap in border security

  19th March 2020

  Recent Israeli media reports indicate that the Light Blade (Lahav-Or) counter-UAS (C-UAS) system, developed by startup company OptiDefense, showed impressive results in field trials against …

• Training

  New KC-46 training scheme unveiled

  17th April 2020

  Despite the travails surrounding the USAF's KC-46 Pegasus tanker programme, the training show goes on and has just gathered pace. FlightSafety Services Corporation (FSC), the …

• Air Warfare

  Indonesia rolls out first F-16A eMLU fighter

  17th April 2020

  The Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) has unveiled its first F-16A enhanced Midlife Upgrade (eMLU) aircraft, with upgrades carried out locally by PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  FTUAS competitors take heart from US Army adjustments

  29th April 2020

  The US Army has approved Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) competitors to video test flights and associated acceptance procedures of their respective systems, as an alternative …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Coyote Block 2 UAV killer on target for IOC and sales

  17th March 2020

  Raytheon expects to begin full-rate production of Coyote Block 2 (pictured), a counter-UAS (C-UAS) UAV which is used with the Howler C-UAS system, in 2020. …

• Land Warfare

  New IADS capabilities tipped to topple Western fighter jets

  15th April 2020

  Leading Russian and Chinese Integrated Air Defence Systems (IADS) are on course to introduce active seeker missile capabilities that will drastically reshape target identification accuracy …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Boeing to deliver more MQ-25 refuelling UAS for USN

  3rd April 2020

  Boeing has been awarded a contract modification to provide three more MQ-25 unmanned refuelling aircraft for the USN, bringing the total order number to seven. …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - small

  Puma 2 AE [Germany]

  Programme Background The Germany navy had an urgent requirement for three UAS required for reconnaissance and identification in maritime operations. A platform was required that ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 (Qatar)

  Programme Background In 2018 at DIMDEX, it was revealed that Qatar had bought six Bayraktar TB2 UAVs from Turkey. The deal also included three ground control stations, ...

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

  Multidomian Micro Drones [USSOCOM]

  Background Special Notice On 14 November 2024, a Special Notice was released that informed the industry that the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was looking for ...

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

  Thor [Israel]

  Background Various Contracts On 3 December 2024, the Israeli Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced it had purchased “advanced drones and autonomous systems” from Elbit Systems in various ...

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

  Replicator 1 [US]

  Background Announcement & Requirement In late August 2023, then Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks announced the Replicator programme, an effort to galvanise an industry that ...

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

  Ship-Bourne VTOL UAV [Singapore]

  Background Multi-Role Combat Vessel  The Republic of Singapore Navy will retire its six Victory-class corvettes and replace them with a new platform, the Multi-Role Combat ...

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

  Group 4/5 UAV [US Army]

  Background Request for Information (RFI) On 5 June 2024, the American DoD published an RfI with an original response date of 19 July 2024. The ...

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

  Mini Reconnaissance Drones [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Planned Purchases On 14 September 2022, the Lithuanian MoD announced in a short statement on Twitter, now X, that it had begun organising ...

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

  ISTAR UAS project [Canada]

  Programme Background Objective The Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) main significant UAV project is the RCN Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Unmanned Aircraft System (RCN ...

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

  Small Reconnaissance Drones [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Planned Purchases On 14 September 2022, the Lithuanian MoD announced in a short statement on Twitter, now X, that it had begun organising ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-15SA Saudi Arabia

  The aircraft deal includes 170 APG-63(v)3 AESA radar sets, 193 F-110-GE-129 Improved Performance Engines, 100 M61 Vulcan Cannons, 338 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems amongst ...

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

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

  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, on-demand ...

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

  Skyborg [USA]

  Background Programme Intention Skyborg was one of three USAF Vanguard programs outlined in the Air Force Science and Technology 2030 initiative. The program aimed to develop ...

• 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 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Artemis [US]

  Background Origin Artemis began in 2024 at the request of the US European Command and the Indo-Pacific Command for UAVs that met the following requirements. ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• 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 ...

• Data links

  CLIP

  Common Link Integration Processing (CLIP) is a software product that performs data transformation and processes protocols for dissimilar communications formats. It meets requirements for common ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  X-MADIS

  The eXpeditionary Mobile Air Defense Integrated System (X-MADIS) is a portable, fully integrated C-UAS system for fixed-site, mobile and on-the-move operations.  Combining four all-threat air ...

• EO/IR systems

  CM202U

  The CM202U is a field-proven gyro-stabilised imaging system for counter small uncrewed aerial systems (C-sUAS) operations and ground ISR applications.  Manfuaucted by AVT Australia, it includes high-definition ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Dronekiller

  The IXI Dronekiller is a handheld C-UAS device that employs software-defined radio technology to detect and affect Class 1 and Class 2 UAS devices without ...

• Loitering munitions

  Revenger

  The Revenger is a loitering munition developed by SRB Aerial Systems.  Not much is known about the platform; however, at IDEX 2023, two units were ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Howler C-UAS

  Developed by Raytheon, the Howler is a counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS), which includes a Ku-band Radio Frequency Sensor (KuRFS), a command-and-control system, and a Coyote ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Skylock C-UAS

  Skylock, an Avnon Group company, has developed a C-UAS system that is intended to bring sensors, jammers and a laser effector into a single deployable ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Cobham C-UAS

  Unveiled at the AUVSI 2017 trade show in Dallas, Texas, the Cobham C-UAS primarily consists of wideband omnidirectional, directional helix (single- or dual-band), directional flat ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Airfence 5.0

  Airfence 5.0 is a C-UAS RF technology released by Sensofusion. It is designed to protect airports, personnel, prisons and private companies from rogue UAS in ...

• 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 ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Pitbull C-UAS Jammer

  In June 2018, MyDefence launched the Pitbull wearable C-UAS solution, which utilises smart jamming to defeat enemy drones. Pitbull was developed to have a minimal ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  ADRIAN

  ADRIAN is a family of Counter-UAS solutions manufactured by ELT Group. The family is designed to intercept and neutralise mini and micro-UAS and includes versions ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  SkyTracker

  SkyTracker is a technology suite that detects, identifies, tracks and mitigates UAS threats. The system provides continuous 24h automated monitoring in all weather conditions. The ...

• EO/IR systems

  miniVUX-SYS

  The RIEGL miniVUX-SYS is a lightweight laser scanning system designed for integration with UAS/RPAS platforms. Manufactured by RIEGL, it features a miniVUX-series LiDAR sensor (e.g., ...