• Defence Notes

  Sweden seeks defence growth if budget demands met

  22nd May 2019

  With increased military activity in the Baltic Sea and Russia’s aggression in the air and on the ground, it is hardly surprising Sweden is looking …

• Naval Warfare

  Construction of fourth AOPS begins

  8th May 2019

  Irving Shipbuilding has begun construction of the fourth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), the future HMCS William Hall, for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). …

• Land Warfare

  Poland receives first serial production Krab howitzers

  17th April 2019

  The Polish Army has taken delivery of the first batch of serial production 155mm Krab self-propelled howitzers (SPH) from Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW). The handover …

• Military Logistics

  US Navy to receive new class of tugboats

  8th May 2019

  The US Navy’s Military Sealift Command is set to receive new Navajo-class towing and salvage vessels in 2021, the navy announced on 3 May.   …

• Naval Warfare

  China building third aircraft carrier: think tank

  8th May 2019

  Recent satellite photographs indicate China's construction of its third aircraft carrier is well underway, a Washington think tank reported Tuesday.  ChinaPower, a unit of the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris receives F/A-18 EW contract modification

  1st May 2019

  Harris Corporation has received a $212 million contract modification to supply the next production lot of electronic jammers for US Navy and foreign military sales …

• Military Logistics

  KBR to support UK MoD

  1st May 2019

  KBR has received a contract to support the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in the Middle East, the company announced on 26 April. Under the …

• Naval Warfare

  Sea-Air-Space 2019: US Navy official ‘optimistic’ about unmanned funding

  8th May 2019

  A US Navy official who oversees the development of various unmanned maritime systems expects his initiatives to proceed despite fresh uncertainty about future defence funding.  …

• Land Warfare

  Expal ammunition completes Spain's firing tests

  16th April 2019

  Expal’s extended range 155mm ammunition has successfully completed firing tests with the Spanish Army, carried out at the Torregorda Test Center in Cádiz, Spain. The …

• Defence Helicopter

  Leonardo receives Polish AW101 contract

  30th April 2019

  Leonardo has received a €380 million contract from the Polish Ministry of National Defence to supply four AW101 helicopters for the Polish Navy, the company …

• Naval Warfare

  Naval Group launches Alsace FREMM frigate

  26th April 2019

  Naval Group has launched the first of two FREMM frigates with reinforced air defence capabilities being built for the French Navy at its shipyard in …

• Land Warfare

  Germany orders Rheinmetall artillery shells

  11th April 2019

  Rheinmetall has received a contract from the German Bundeswehr to supply its 155mm DM121 artillery ammunition, the company announced on 8 April. The five-year contract, …

• Digital Battlespace

  Australia speeds up transport fleet communications

  30th April 2019

  Australia’s Department of Defence (DoD) has announced that it would roll out broadband on more of the country's C-130J Hercules aircraft fleet. Honeywell will provide …

• Land Warfare

  Australian Army tests SMArt 155 projectile

  9th April 2019

  The Australian Army has successfully tested its new Sensor-fused Munition for Artillery (SMArt) 155mm round, the Australian Department of Defence announced on 4 April. The …

• Defence Notes

  Athens investing in its air force

  25th April 2019

  A wide-ranging fleet upgrade effort of the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) is set to see an upgrade of significant proportion to its existing Lockheed Martin …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Self-propelled guns

  Wheeled self-propelled howitzer [Italy]

  Background The Italian Army has a future requirement for 60 155mm 52-calibre wheeled self-propelled artillery systems, which will enable the force to have a mix ...

• Self-propelled guns, APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Mobile Fires Platform [UK]

  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 a ...

• Loitering munitions

  Larinae: Medium-range loitering munition [France]

  Background Origins French Ministry of Armed Forces spokesperson Hervé Grandjean stated at a press conference in May 2022 that the General Directorate for Armament (DGA) ...

• Self-propelled guns

  Caesar [Croatia]

  Background Croatia currently operates the Soviet 2S1 Gvozdika, alongside a small number of German PzH 2000s.  Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, multiple ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 300 [France]

  Programme Background Plans to Purchase At Eurosatory 2022, Col. Arnaud Goujon, the French Army's chief of plans, told the media that the French Army was ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  VBA (Navy) (Batch 1) [Italy]

  Background The Italian Army and Italian Navy originally planned to run a joint programme to procure a new VBA to replace the legacy BAE Systems ...

• Self-propelled guns

  Donar 10x10 [Switzerland]

  Background Switzerland currently operates the M109 Paladin as its only SPH. As with many M109 operators, Switzerland is now looking for a replacement, as the ...

• Loitering munitions

  Deep-strike, low-cost, loitering munition [Ukraine]

  Background 30,000 On 2 December 2024, Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told Reuters that Ukraine was targeting the production of 30,000 deep-strike loitering munitions in 2025. Three ...

• Self-propelled guns

  Caesar [Portugal]

  Background The Portuguese army currently operates the M109 Paladin, alongside a number of traditional towed platforms. As part of the wider European trend towards modernising ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  Long-Range Ground Strike (FLP-T) [France]

  Background The French Army currently operates the M270 as its only MLRS. France previously procured a total of 55, though this number had reduced to ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  4x4 Command and Reconnaissance Vehicle [Poland]

  Programme Background The Polish Army wants to replace legacy Soviet equipment procured during the Cold War with new NATO-standard platforms to enhance its interoperability with ...

• Self-propelled guns

  New tracked howitzer [Canada]

  Background Canada previously operated the M109 Paladin; however, it was withdrawn from service in 2005, having been judged surplus to requirements. Consequently, the Canadian army ...

• Loitering munitions

  Deluge (First batch) [France]

  Background Unveiling MBDA unveiled a scale model of the One-Way Effector (OWE), later named the Deluge, at the Paris Air Show 2025. As Breaking Defence reported at the ...

• Loitering munitions

  Colibri: Short-range loitering munition (Uncontracted) [France]

  Background Origins French Ministry of Armed Forces spokesperson Hervé Grandjean stated at a press conference in May 2022 that the General Directorate for Armament (DGA) ...

• Loitering munitions

  Deluge (Additional batches) [France]

  Background Unveiling MBDA unveiled a scale model of the One-Way Effector (OWE), later named the Deluge, at the Paris Air Show 2025. As Breaking Defence reported at the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Self-propelled guns

  Morana

  Developed by Excalibur Army, the Morana is a 155mm self-propelled-howitzer capable of hitting targets up to 41km away. The howitzer is mounted on a Tatra Force ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Boxer Tracked

  At Eurosatory 2022, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) has unveiled a tracked version of the 8x8 Boxer armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) with an increased gross vehicle weight and ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Caracal

  The Caracal from Rheinmetall is a special operations vehicle first unveiled at Eurosatory 2022. Designed for the German and Dutch markets, the Caracal is based ...

• Main battle tanks

  KF51 Panther EVO

  Rheinmetall unveiled the KF51 Panther at Eurosatory 2022. Following negotiations with Hungary, Rheinmetall announced the development of the Panther EVO, a lighter variant based on a ...

• Light UGVs

  Natrix

  The Natrix is a multipurpose UGV developed by Brasa Defence Systems. Conceived to carry equipment and conduct CASEVAC in a wide range of environments, the system ...

• Main battle tanks

  KF51 Panther

  Rheinmetall unveiled the KF51 Panther at Eurosatory 2022. The MBT uses Leopard 2 components in its bare chassis but with a brand new turret. Its main armament is the ...

• Military UAS - small

  Trojan

  In June 2022, Aeronautics launched the Trojan, an uncrewed platform that it describes as a hover plane. A user can control the electrically powered UAV via ...

• Towed guns

  105mm Light Gun

  The 105mm Light Gun was designed and manufactured by Royal Ordnance Nottingham (now BAE Systems), with the first guns introduced to the British Army in ...

• Air: helicopter radar, Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar, Air: UAS radar

  ELM-2022

  The ELM-2022, developed by IAI ELTA, is a maritime patrol radar family operating in the X-band designed for manned and unmanned, fixed- or rotary-wing airborne platforms. It is engineered for ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Aravis

  Nexter unveiled its 12.5t Aravis at Eurosatory 2008, and in April 2009, the company received a launch order for 15 vehicles to equip French Army ...

• Land: COMINT and ELINT systems

  ELK-6060

  ELK-6060 is a radio location system designed to address the need of the combat unit to collect on-the-move, real-time intelligence on hostile V/UHF communication transmissions' ...

• Self-propelled guns

  Caesar 6x6 MkII + 8x8

  Nexter’s Caesar (CAmion Equipé d’un Système d’ARtillerie) is a self-propelled 155mm/52cal artillery mounted available on either a 6x6 or 8x8 truck chassis. The configuration was chosen to provide ...

• Land: RWS

  Mangart 300

  The Mangart 300 unmanned turret is being developed by a consortium of seven Slovenian companies led by Valhalla Turrets. Armed with a Northrop Grumman XM813 ...

• Self-propelled guns

  Brutus

  AM General and Mandus produce the Brutus self-propelled howitzer. It is a truck-mounted system armed with the M776 155mm Howitzer.  Developed with hopes of securing a ...

• Guided munitions

  M1156 PGK

  The M1156 Precision Guidance Kit (PGK) is a guidance fuse that can be fitted within the fuse well of 155mm high-explosive artillery projectiles. The fuse ...