• Special Operations

  Rangers to hone close combat skills

  8th May 2018

  The US Army’s 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment (1/75) wants enhanced training skills to increase their tactical efficiencies and combat lethality in extreme close quarters. A …

• Naval Warfare

  US DoD orders additional Tomahawks

  1st May 2018

  Raytheon will supply Tomahawk Block IV all-up-round vertical launch system missiles for the US Department of Defense under a contract modification announced on 27 April. …

• Land Warfare

  US Army eyes new Javelin missiles

  3rd May 2018

  The US Army is finalising a contract to purchase the new multipurpose variant of the FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles which provides enhanced capabilities against non-armoured …

• Digital Battlespace

  Zenoss to support USAF's DCGS

  30th April 2018

  Zenoss will provide software and services for the US Air Force’s Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) programme under a five-year contract announced on 25 April. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Insight: Weaponised hobby drones causing a headache for Mideast security

  4th May 2018

  On the evening of April 21 gunfire was heard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as a recreational drone was shot down by Saudi security forces as …

• Land Warfare

  AUSA Global: Army moving out on high-energy laser development

  29th March 2018

  The US Army is moving forward with plans to field a 50 kW high-energy laser on a 8x8 Stryker vehicle in FY2023, if not quicker, and …

• Naval Warfare

  HHI cuts steel on first Philippine frigate

  8th May 2018

  Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) hosted a ceremony on 1 May to mark the initial cutting of steel for the first of the Philippine Navy’s (PN) …

• Training

  Malaysia finally commissions two training ships

  3rd May 2018

  The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) formally commissioned two Samudera-class training ships on 26 April, five years past their targeted induction year of 2013. Both 75.9m …

• Naval Warfare

  Saudi Border Guard small boat programme close to completion

  3rd May 2018

  Plascoa, subsidiary of French shipbuilder Couach, is close to completing a large order for 79 Plascoa 1650 high speed interceptors for the Saudi Border Guard (SBG) …

• Naval Warfare

  Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen says island secure ahead of China drills

  17th April 2018

  Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen reassured residents on 17 April that the island was secure, a day before China is set to hold live-fire drills in …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Hatchet hits target in unmanned testing

  1st May 2018

  Orbital ATK is on target to reach technology readiness level (TRL) 7 with its Hatchet munition by the end of 2018. Previously, Orbital ATK and its …

• Land Warfare

  DSA 2018: Thai marines order 155mm SPHs from Israel

  11th April 2018

  The Royal Thai Marine Corps (RTMC) is acquiring new firepower to protect the country’s eastern border adjacent to Cambodia after a contract was signed to …

• Military Logistics

  Marine Corps seeks lighter machine gun ammo

  1st May 2018

  The US Marine Corps is exploring industry capabilities to provide a new lightweight .50 Caliber cartridge that will offer weight savings over currently fielded cartridges.The …

• Land Warfare

  Lasers are coming, but are personnel protected?

  23rd April 2018

  The US Army’s recent tests of high-energy laser systems, including on the Stryker combat vehicle, illustrates a potential problem with their use; the safety of personnel …

• Digital Battlespace

  German Army looks to 'smart' weapon sights

  20th April 2018

  The German Army is preparing to evaluate Elbit Systems’ SmartSight digital weapon sight as it considers how the technology could support dismounted close combat troops …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Destroyers

  Type 83 Future Air Defence System (FADS) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirements The Daring-class (Type 45) consists of six ships, although the original plan was to have 12 destroyers. This was cut to eight in ...

• Destroyers

  Next-Generation Large Surface Combatants (LSC) - DDG(X) [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy (USN) is acknowledging a need to move away from the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer design, which is slowly outgrowing. Flight III ...

• Frigates

  European Combat Vessel [Spain]

  Programme Background Requirements The European Combat Vessel (ECV) is currently a conceptual project that seeks to design a European collaborative multi-mission, modular warship. As of ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Data links

  Data links | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Multi-Role Strike Ship (MRSS) Programme [UK]

  Programme Background Requirements According to the UK MoD's March 2021 Defence Command Paper, entitled 'Defence in a Competitive Age', the RN will invest in six ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A400M [Germany]

  Programme Background Germany originally said it would but 60 A400Ms, but when the program was re-baselined in 2010 reduced its planed off take to 53, ...

• Destroyers

  Sejong the Great Class (KDX-III) Batch 2 (1-3) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Requirements The Sejong the Great class (KDX-III) Batch 2 will consist of three improved Sejong the Great-class (KDX-III) batch 1 guided-missile destroyers, which ...

• 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 ...

• Corvettes

  Continental Defence Corvette [Canada]

  Background Initial requirements Under the second pillar of its shipbuilding strategy, Canada is seeking to procure an undisclosed number of small vessels (below 1000t). Part ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Landing Platform Docks [India]

  Programme Background Requirements The LPD tender, although more akin to an LHD, specifies that the quartet of ships must be built within India, although collaboration ...

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

  Alpha 900 [Uruguay]

  Background Acqustiion In October 2022, the Alpha 900 from Alpha Unmanned Systems was reportedly jointly purchased by the Uruguayan state energy company UTE and the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Laser-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 ...

• Laser-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 ...

• Laser-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 ...

• Laser-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 ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  Italian LDEW (Leonardo/MBDA)

  As announced in December 2024, Leonardo and MBDA are collaborating to produce a Fire Unit Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) for the Italian Navy. The ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons, Self-propelled guns, Self-propelled missile 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 ...

• Laser-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 ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  Archimedes

  Archimedes, developed by Aurelius Systems, is a laser-directed energy weapon designed to stop drones at scale. The system is still in development, though Aurelius received ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  ALKA-KAPLAN

  ALKA-KAPLAN is a collaborative effort between Turkish manufacturers ROKETSAN and FNSS. The system is a mobile armoured anti-drone system, which integrates the ALKA directed energy-weapon ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  German LDEW (Rheinmetall/MBDA)

  Rheinmetall and MBDA Germany's collaborative work on laser-directed energy weapon (LDEW) technology has resulted in a German laser weapon system that is close to being ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  Guorong-1 Anti Drone System

  Guorong-1 is an anti-drone system developed by China. The system is jointly developed by the Chinese Electronics Technology Group (CETG), Guorong Technology, and the Chinese public ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  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, ...

• Destroyers

  Flight III Destroyer

  During Indo Pacific 2023, Navantia Australia unveiled a 10200t destroyer design. Dubbed as Flight III Destroyer, the Spanish shipbuilder is pitching the ship for the ...

• Counter-UAS 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, ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  SCATA Mk1

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