• Defence Notes

  ADECS 2018: Babcock contributes to South Korean submarines

  23rd January 2018

  Babcock International has already commenced manufacture of weapons handling and launch equipment in fulfilment of a contract to equip South Korean KSS-III conventional submarines, each …

• Naval Warfare

  Babcock strengthens UK Type 31 bid team

  8th January 2018

  In an effort to unsettle BAE Systems' decades-long monopoly over Royal Navy shipbuilding, Babcock and BMT have expanded their team for the UK's Type 31e …

• Training

  ETPS to continue to train RNLAF pilots

  11th January 2018

  QinetiQ has signed a training contract on behalf of the Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS) - a five-year deal worth £5.5 million with the Royal …

• Naval Warfare

  Leonardo to lead OCEAN2020 project

  17th January 2018

  Leonardo has been awarded the tender for the European Defence Fund’s OCEAN2020 initiative, the company announced on 12 January. The project aims to use unmanned …

• Digital Battlespace

  Elbit’s Mercury Radio System achieves UK FOC

  5th January 2018

  Elbit Systems’ Mercury Radio System has achieved full operational capability (FOC) and is now in service with the UK's Army Cadet Force (ACF), the company …

• Training

  Qatar boosts Hawk trainer purchase

  17th January 2018

  Qatar intends to increase its purchase of Hawk training aircraft from BAE Systems, the country's defence minister has announced. Speaking at the Royal United Services …

• Digital Battlespace

  MASS extends support to NATO JEWCS

  11th January 2018

  MASS has had its service support contract extended with the NATO Joint Electronic Warfare Core Staff (JEWCS) based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, the …

• Training

  MoD Shoeburyness to be upgraded

  4th January 2018

  QinetiQ and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) have announced a £20 million investment to upgrade the Environmental Test Centre (ETC) at the MoD Shoeburyness …

• Naval Warfare

  Surface Navy 2018: Orbital ATK moving forward with counter-UAS

  11th January 2018

  As Pentagon leaders grapple with ways to counter unmanned aerial systems, Orbital ATK is moving forward with developing an attack capability to down small UAS …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Elbit Systems' Seagull in maritime exercise

  2nd January 2018

  Elbit Systems’ Seagull unmanned surface vessel (USV) has taken part in a joint UK-Israeli exercise in Haifa Bay. The USV performed a mine counter measure …

• Defence Helicopter

  Airbus Helicopters to support RAF’s Puma Mk2

  2nd January 2018

  Airbus Helicopters and the UK Ministry of Defence have signed a follow-on support arrangement contract to provide support to the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Puma …

• Defence Notes

  Opinion: Time to get the UK’s house in order

  28th December 2017

  There have been reports that the UK Ministry of Defence is in the midst of yet another budget crisis, suffering from the challenge of trying …

• Naval Warfare

  First UK P-8s under contract

  22nd December 2017

  Christmas has come early for the UK as the US Department of Defense (DoD) announced that Boeing has been awarded the first production contract for …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2017: 3D Perception delivers Northstar to Lockheed

  29th November 2017

  Projection display specialists, 3D Perception, has now delivered its Northstar visual display system to Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems and completed factory acceptance testing.The Northstar …

• Defence Notes

  Opinion: Qatari Typhoon buy looms as an RAF threat

  22nd December 2017

  Qatar and the UK have signed a contract for the provision of 24 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft for the Qatari Air Force. This deal takes the …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H135 (UK)

  Programme BackgroundAirbus Helicopters UK announced on 2 February 2022 that it has won an order to provide five additional H135 twin-engine helicopters for the MoD. The ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme [UK]

  Programme Background The next-generation platform concept is part of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, which sought to deliver a Future Combat Air System ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  FPV & Attack Drones (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Background £450 million On 11 April 2025, the UK MoD announced a £450 million package for Ukraine, which included £350 million from the UK from this ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Fleet Solid Support (FSS) (1-3) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirement The 2015 Strategic Defence & Security Review (SDSR) highlighted the requirement for three Military Afloat Reach & Sustainability (MARS) Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ...

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

  Magni-X (UK)

  Programme Background On 12 January 2022, Elbit Systems UK announced it had been awarded a contract from the UK MoD's Defence Equipment & Support's Future Capability ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Typhoon Tranche 3A - Qatar

  As a part of the agreement to sell Typhoon, the UK is establishing a ‘Joint Operations Squadron’ (to be known as 12 Squadron) with the ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Mobile Fires Platform [UK]

  Programme Background Post-Cold War Requirements Following the end of the Cold War, the UK operated a single 155mm artillery system, the AS90. The UK procured ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  Ukraine - UK supplied Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FIAC)

  Programme Background It was first reported in late September 2020 that the UK could provide eight Barzan-class fast attack craft to Ukraine. The platform has been ...

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

  AR3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Background £270 Million investment On 15 September 2025, the UK MoD noted that, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Multi-Role Vehicle (Protected) (MRV-P) Package 1 (UK)

  Programme Background Requirement The MRV-P programme was intended to procure replacements for a diverse fleet of 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles purchased during the wars in Iraq ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35B [United Kingdom]

  Programme Background The total cost of the currently funded programme as reported through the UK Major Projects Report is expected to be £10.5 billion ($13.5 ...

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

  30,000 FPV Drones (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background IDCC On 9 January 2025, the UK MoD announced that 30,000 FPV drones would be sent to Ukraine after the awarding of £45 million ...

• Maritime patrol

  P-8A Poseidon [UK]

  Programme Background In July 2016, the UK government announced that it had ordered nine aircraft for service with the RAF. Under this frame, in January ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CATV [UK]

  Programme Background CATV The CATV programme was initiated in 2019, when the UK, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden signed an MoU to share acquisition costs for ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  New Medium Helicopter (NMH) [UK]

  Programme Background NMH Market Interest Day On 11 November 2021, the MoD communicated the requirements of the £1 billion ($1.34 billion) New Medium Helicopter (NMH) ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  UK MFTS

  The Military Flying Training System (MFTS) programme, is a private finance initiative involving the MoD and Ascent, a JV of Lockheed Martin and Babcock, which was ...

• Trainer

  Phenom 100

  Phenom 100 is a very light jet originally developed for single owner-pilot operation but later gained popularity as a jet trainer aircraft. The platform first ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  CAE 700MR

  The CAE 700MR FTD is a full mission simulator platform for military helicopter-specific flight and mission training. It is a fixed-base system based on CAE's ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  UK MSHATF

  The Medium Support Helicopter Aircrew Training Facility (MSHATF) opened for training at RAF Benson, England in July 1999. It provides training services to personnel from ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  UK/ARC341 (ADRA)

  The Advanced Digital Radio Airborne (ADRA) provides a Bowman VHF radio capability to helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. It is fully compatible with the Bowman VHF ...

• 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 ...

• Major networking projects

  Project Marshall

  The Joint Military Air Traffic Services project was initiated by the UK MoD in November 2005 to identify and evaluate options for the future delivery ...

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  ASTOR FBFCT

  The Fixed Base Flight Crew Trainer (FBFCT) is a Level 5+ FTD for the UK RAF’s Airborne Standoff Radar (ASTOR) platform. The ASTOR FBFCT is ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BvS10 Beowulf

  BAE Systems Hägglunds launched the BvS10 Beowulf articulated tracked ATV at the September 2015 DSEI exhibition in the UK. The Beowulf is an unarmoured variant ...

• Light UGVs

  T7

  The T7 is a multi-mission robotic system designed for military, police and hazardous missions. At DSEI 2017, the UK MoD awarded the Harris Corporation a ...

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

  CAPSTONE

  CAPSTONE is a rotary-wing UAV manufactured by Certe Aerospace, which collaborates with various UK-based defence companies.  Described as a sovereign, scalable, air power capability, CAPSTONE performed ...

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

  Sparta

  Unveiled in mid-2025, the Sparta is a fixed-wing small UAV from Quantum Systems. It is a mothership that can host and launch smaller drones, such ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  ADR+ Bowman VHF/Centaur

  The ADR+ is the VHF vehicle and manpack radio member of the ADR family of VHF radios developed initially for the UK Bowman programme. The ...

• Air: chaff, flare and decoy systems

  Vicon 78

  Thales’ Vicon-78 is a lightweight countermeasures dispensing system. The system is featured in several integrated defence systems, and is capable of firing both chaff and ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  Storm Shadow/SCALP EG

  The Storm Shadow is an air-launched cruise missile developed by France, Italy and the UK. It is known as the Storm Shadow in the UK ...