• Air Warfare

  Turkish indigenous fighter jet TF-X to be built at rate of two per month by 2029

  15th December 2022

  First deliveries of the TF-X jet fighter will take place in 2028, according to the CEO of manufacturer Turkish Aerospace. Meanwhile the Bayraktar Kizilelma uncrewed combat aircraft programme is running ahead of its original schedule.

• Defence Notes

  GSOF Symposium Europe 2022: Doing business with SOF (Sponsored)

  20th September 2022

  In preparation for GSOF Symposium Europe 2022, Hungary’s Special Operations Forces (HUNSOF) has laid out its top requirements and acquisition interests in order to focus efforts among the SOF industrial sector on their most relevant capabilities.

• Defence Helicopter

  Northrop Grumman expands knowledge base for UH-60V digital helicopter cockpit

  24th November 2022

  Northrop Grumman will provide UH-60V Black Hawk engineering support services as part of a KBR-led contract awarded by the DoD Information Analysis Center.

• Defence Helicopter

  Nigeria to receive new attack helicopters

  9th December 2022

  The Nigerian Air Force is to receive more than 50 attack air assets to strengthen its ability to fight insecurity within its borders.

• Air Warfare

  US awards missile and radar contracts to boost air defence

  23rd November 2022

  New modifications to existing Department of Defense contracts cover the latest AIM-9X air-to-air missiles and active electronically scanned array radars for the F-16.

• Land Warfare

  Claims of Iranian radar's F-35 detection capability remain unsubstantiated

  22nd November 2022

  The upgraded version of Iran's Bavar 373 air defence system is claimed to have an increased detection- and engagement range – but not enough to catch an F-35.

• Digital Battlespace

  How fiction can prepare us for a disruptive digital future – a conversation (podcast)

  5th December 2022

  In this special episode of the Shephard Defence Podcast, Dr. Keith Dear and August Cole discuss how new technologies are radically altering the national security landscape.

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2022: Hadean, British Army to showcase CTTP pathfinder progress

  21st November 2022

  The pathfinder agreement between the British Army and Hadean sought to transfer large portions of land-based physical training into a single synthetic environment. If the progress achieved is significant, this could be a big victory for distributed computing technologies in the defence sector.

• Land Warfare

  How Javelin missile launcher upgrades are increasing lethality of ground troops

  30th November 2022

  Recently demonstrated to the US Army, the latest Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Unit reduces soldiers’ burden and enhances their lethality.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  How cargo containers for UAVs can improve resupply capabilities

  22nd November 2022

  Describing its technology as akin to shipping containers for UAVs, TB2 Aerospace believes its cargo system for drones could yield benefits for tactical resupply.

• Land Warfare

  First NASAMs air defence systems reach Ukraine

  10th November 2022

  Kyiv's need for air defence systems has only grown with the introduction of Iranian-made Shahed-136 loitering munitions into the conflict by Russia.

• Training

  Northrop Grumman and Terma to develop EW sim for European market

  1st September 2022

  A new MoU between Northrop Grumman and Terma expands a long-standing partnership and will see the development of EW simulation and training systems for European customers.

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2022: KMW supplies vehicle exit trainer to Sweden

  1st December 2022

  The Swedish Army is acquiring an Archer self-propelled howitzer cabin egress trainer, expanding use of the KMW system already used by CV90 armoured vehicle crews.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Spain receives its first THeMIS vehicle

  9th August 2022

  Spain becomes the 13th country to introduce the THeMIS UGV from Milrem Robotics.

• Land Warfare

  Geopolitical context may force the British Army to revisit the decisions taken under the IR

  26th September 2022

  Lessons learned from the war in Ukraine have been putting in check decisions taken under Integrated Review.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT (1-9) [NATO]

  Programme Background Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT Follow-On (NATO)

  Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that the EDA ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawks [Norway]

  Programme Background NH90 NFH cancellation  The Norwegian government announced the termination of the NH90 NFH helicopter contract for 14 NH90s with NHIndustries in June 2022. Seahawk Acquisition ...

• Main battle tanks

  New MBT [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Greece)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

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

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

  Background Request for Information (RfI) In September 2022, the Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) launched a request for information in preparation for a possible procurement ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Italy)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

• Maritime patrol

  MAWS/PATMAR [France]

  Programme Background In 2017, Germany and France announced that they would be working towards developing an MPA to replace their current fleets in service. The ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Bidders and Suppliers The Leopard 2A8, the latest in the Leopard family, was selected by the Royal Dutch Army as per announcements in ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Kuwait]

  Background Contract Award On 18 January 2023, Baykar announced signing a $370 million export contract with Kuwait for the Bayraktar TB2. According to the announcement, ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton - Germany (Cancelled)

  Programme Background Germany requested to buy four MQ-4C Triton HALE UAVs from Northrop Grumman. On 5 April 2018, the US State Department announced that it ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [France]

  Programme Background Requirements The European Patrol Corvette (EPC) is one of the new PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defence and Security) projects. PESCO was established ...

• AEW&C

  Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (1-6) [NATO]

  Programme Background NATO’s E-3A AWACS fleet is set to retire in 2035, after 50 years of service. To plan for the required follow-on capability, NATO's ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirements The 2021-2023 Documento Programmatico Pluriennale (DPP) - a multi-year defence planning document from the Italian MoD - includes a plan to acquire eight "Patrol Ships", ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: air defence radar

  APIS

  APIS is a passive high-resolution primary radar system developed by Indra. It is the first passive system in the world capable of offering images using ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  AE50R

  The AE50R is an aviation gasoline single rotary engine with an output of 40.4kW. The engine is certified according to European Aviation Safety Agency Part ...

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

  LOTUS

  The LOTUS, Low Observable Tactical Unnamed System, is a tactical UAV especially designed for border patrol ISR operations.  The development of the project is funded by ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Mistral 3

  The Mistral 3 is the latest member of the Mistral family of very short-range surface-to-air missiles. It entered service in 2018 and has been chosen ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2H

  Safran Helicopter Engines received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) engine type certification for its Arriel 2H engine, installed in the Avicopter AC312E, in April 2018. ...

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

  AR5

  First announced in October 2012, the AR5 is a MALE UAS designed for SAR, surveillance and maritime patrol missions. The AR5 can be flown manually or commanded ...

• Trainer

  Gabriel-TP

  Gabriel-TP is a low-wing, two-seat tandem trainer aircraft aimed at both military and civilian customers. It is certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in ...

• Air: NVGs

  PNL-3M Orlik

  PNL-3M are high-performance, lightweight, passive stereoscopic NVGs for helicopter crew members. Certification by European Aviation Safety Agency also enables civilian use. The device can be ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCH 170

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCH 170 is a fixed-wing loitering munition from MBDA. Similar in design to the Switchblade 300, the catapult launched system ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Standard 3

  Jointly developed by ATR and Thales, The Standard 3 avionics suite has been specifically designed for ATR-600 aircraft. It offers the pilot user-friendly interface, along ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCX 50

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCX 50 is a rotary-wing loitering munition from MBDA.  According to reports, the RCX 50 is designed to support ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  DroneGun

  DroneGun enables controlled management of an adversarial UAS, causing no damage to the UAV or surrounding area. It either forces the drone to perform a ...

• Military - USVs

  NOMARS

  The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) is a US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) effort to develop a first-of-its-kind large uncrewed surface vessel.

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  Trident 100TD2

  The Trident 100TD2 is a compression-ignition engine that is capable of operating on various types of heavy fuel. It is claimed to offer up to ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...