• Naval Warfare

  Kongsberg awarded C4I CORTEX system contract

  23rd April 2014

  Kongsberg’s C4I CORTEX system will provide the C4I infrastructure solution for the Tactical Computer System onboard the Combatant Craft Medium Mark One (CCM Mk1) vessel …

• Defence Helicopter

  Optionally Piloted Black Hawk takes off

  23rd April 2014

  The Optionally Piloted Black Hawk (OPBH) demonstrator currently in development between Sikorsky and the US Army has completed a successful first flight at Sikorsky’s Development …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris awarded US Navy broadband SATCOM contract

  21st April 2014

  Harris Corporation will provide the US Navy with additional shipboard terminals to provide crew access to high-bandwidth voice and data communications under a new contract …

• Digital Battlespace

  US Army awards vehicular SRW IDIQ contracts

  15th April 2014

  The US Army has issued indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts to four companies as part of its programme to extend the Soldier Radio Waveform …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Defence Services Asia: CPMIEC realistic in UAS export market

  14th April 2014

  China National Precision Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CPMIEC) is due to complete development of its WJ-600 surveillance/strike UAS this year but highlighted trade restrictions …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Defence Services Asia: Denel planning rotary wing UAS for maritime ops

  14th April 2014

  Denel Dynamics plans to extend its UAV family with the addition of a rotary wing capability for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), company …

• Land Warfare

  Defence Services Asia: Malaysian Army boss highlights developments

  10th April 2014

  General Datuk Raja Mohamed Affandi Bin Raja Mohamed Noor, Chief of the Malaysian Army, spoke to Shephard about how the service is overcoming the difficulties …

• Digital Battlespace

  Defence Services Asia: Malaysian service chiefs to tackle 21st Century cyber threat

  10th April 2014

  Malaysia’s minister of defence, Dato Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, has highlighted cyber security as a ‘crucial’ and ‘unconventional threat’ that must be tackled. Speaking ahead …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SAS14: USN reveals extended test plans for UCAS-D

  9th April 2014

  The US Navy PM for the UCAS-D programme has outlined a series of objectives for X-47B following the award of additional funding to continue testing …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SAS14: UCLASS draft RfP expected within weeks

  9th April 2014

  The highly anticipated draft RfP for the air vehicle segment of the US Navy’s future Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) programme is …

• Land Warfare

  GD assesses AMPV options

  8th April 2014

  General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) has announced an internal review following the US Army Materiel Command’s (AMC) decision to deny the company’s protest regarding the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Global Hawk demos expanded SATCOM capability

  4th April 2014

  A US Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) has demonstrated its ability to use an additional Satellite Communications (SATCOM) link to improve …

• Defence Helicopter

  Kratos to upgrade CH-47F Chinook Avionics Trainers

  2nd April 2014

  Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has been awarded a contract to upgrade CH-47F Chinook Avionics Trainers (CAT) in use at the US Army's 128th Aviation …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  FIDAE: EXPAL displays Shepherd UAV

  31st March 2014

  Spanish defence manufacturer EXPAL unveiled its hand-launched Shepherd-MIL UAV at the FIDAE exhibition in Santiago, Chile. Designed for silent, autonomous aerial reconnaissance, the platform is …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  FIDAE: ScanEagle offered to Brazil

  27th March 2014

  The Insitu ScanEagle UAV completed a maritime demonstration with the Brazilian Navy on 17 February, Shephard has learned. Speaking at the FIDAE exhibition in Santiago, …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Project Brakestop [UK]

  Background Information Notice On 25 September 2024, the UK MoD published a prior information notice on Project Brakestop, which informed the industry about the upcoming competition ...

• Loitering munitions

  Medium Range Precision Strike (MRPS) [UK]

  Programme Background Prior Information Notice (PIN) On 21 October 2024, the MoD published a PIN in collaboration with the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S;). The notice ...

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

  Dominator XP [Thailand]

  Programme Background Purchase As reported by Shephard, in September 2023, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) inducted three Dominator XPs. The RTAF purchased the trio ...

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

  Project Corvus [UK]

  Programme Background Retirement In November 2024, speaking in the House of Commons, Defence Secretary John Healey stated that the WK 450 Watchkeeper was to be retired ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F Chinook (Singapore)

  Programme Background In July 2020, photos have emerged on the internet of the first Boeing CH-47F Chinook destined for the Republic of Singapore Air Force ...

• Transport

  VC-25B - USAF

  The modifications to the 747-8 aircraft will include an electrical power upgrade with dual Auxiliary Power Units that are usable in flight, a mission communication ...

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

  MQ-9B SkyGuardian (US)

  Programme Background On 6 March 2023, GA-ASI announced that the Air Force Special Operations Command (ASFOC) had contracted three MQ-9B SkyGaurdians, making it the first US customer of the ...

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

  Anka-S (Second Batch) [Turkey]

  Programme Background First Batch Based on comments by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Turkish media in 2018, Shephard believes that Türkiye acquired 26 Anka-S drones ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-390 [Poland]

  Programme Background Reports of a possible purchase of the C-390 by Poland began circulating in June 2024 after a Polish journalist revealed that Embraer executives ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Mi-28NE Night Hunter

  Algerian military's follow-up order suggests that the country is satisfied with the Mi-28NE Night Hunters' performance in operational conditions in the desert environment featuring sandstorms ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | SSN(X) Programme [USN]

  The US Navy may be far from reaching the end of procuring the current Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines (SSNs), but that does not mean planning for ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | SSN(X) Programme [USN]

  The US Navy may be far from reaching the end of procuring the current Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines (SSNs), but that does not mean planning for ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  F-5E/F Adversary Trainer US Navy

  The F-5N is a single seat, dual engine supersonic land based fighter. It is designed to a service life of 9000 flight hours. The aircraft ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Mobile Strike Force Vehicle (Ukraine Aid) [USA]

  Programme Background The US first provided Ukraine with the M1117 ASV in September 2022, when 250 vehicles were donated as part of a $400 million ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  HH-60W - Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH)

  According to the FY2021 Base funding, the HH-60W helicopter unit cost is $43.2 million. The HH-60W will be capable of employment day or night, in ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: surveillance radar

  AN/APQ-181

  The AN/APQ-181 is a low-probability-of-intercept radar fitted to USAFNorthrop Grumman B-2 stealth bombers. During the B-2 Radar ModernizationProgram – completed in 2012 – the B-2’s legacy ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  CreoLand HP

  CreoLand HP is a 10W MANET radio designed for command centres, long-range applications, artillery and special forces units. Notably, it offers a data throughput of 100Mbps ...

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

  H10 Poseidon

  The H10 Poseidon is a fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV manufactured by Swamrly. Due to the UAV's electric propulsion system, small-radar cross-section, lack of detachable thermal signature and ability to operate ...

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

  Gogol-M

  The Gogol-M is a Ukrainian fixed-wing drone carrier, or mothership, from Strategy Force Solutions. The system can deliver two first-person view (FPV)-type attack drones to hit precision ...

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

  DT-101

  The DT-101 is a small fixed-wing UAV from Deftech. The VTOL-capable platform features SATCOM with up to 10Mbs bandwidth capability. DefTech lists various payloads for ...

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

  ARX

  Unveiled at Xponential 2024, the ARX is a fixed-wing drone developed by Tekever.  It features common electronics and software with other Tekever drones. Unlike those ...

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

  DT-001

  The DT-001 is a tandem wing UCAV from Deftech. It can host a range of non-offensive payloads, such as IO/EO cameras and an airborne LIDAR. ...

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

  Khronos

  The Khronos is a tethered, fully automated UAV for ISR missions in GPS/GNSS-denied and RF-denied environments. The drone's manufacturer, Elistair, stated that it could be deployed from a ...

• Loitering munitions

  Q-SLAM-100

  Unveiled at DSEI 2025, the Q-SLAM-100 is a man-portable loitering munition. Manufactured by Arquimea, the system is designed for medium-range missions with 120 minutes of flight autonomy ...

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

  Spider VTOL

  The Spider VTOL is a mini electrical fixed-wing UAV. Unlike traditional VTOL UAVs with dedicated motors, propellors and structural parts for performing take-off and landing, the Spider ...

• Data links

  MAQA Terminal 3.8m Flyaway Variant

  The Modular Aperture Quad-Band Antenna (MAQA) Terminal is designed to provide a ruggedised, mobile, quad-band SATCOM terminal that supports operations with the WGS constellation, legacy ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/VRC-118(V)1

  The AN/VRC-118(V)1 is a Mid-tier Networking Vehicular Radio (MNVR) which provides warfighters with the ability to share situational awareness. The MNVR utilises two joint tactical ...

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

  BLADE-55

  The Ballistic Loitering Attack Drone (BLADE, or BLADE-55) is a multi-role, weaponised rotary-wing UAV from Alare Technologies.  The drone can notably host two NAMMO M72 LAW weapons. Additionally, the ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/ARC-231 Skyfire

  The AN/ARC-231 Skyfire is an airborne VHF/UHF/LOS and DAMA SATCOM system. This system supports US DoD requirements for airborne, multi-band, multi-mission, secure anti-jam voice, data ...

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

  Disruptor

  Publically unveiled at AUSA 2024, the Disruptor is a loitering munition and UAV manufactured by AEVEX Aerospace. The Group III aircraft utilises a pneumatic launcher or Rocket Assisted ...