• Air Warfare

  Initial F130 engine tests for USAF B-52J bomber due to complete by end 2023

  8th September 2023

  Rolls-Royce is on track to complete initial testing of the F130 engine for the B-52J Stratofortress by year-end. The testing programme has achieved success and gathered significant data, de-risking the integration process.

• Naval Warfare

  New Zealand explores modular ship designs for future naval fleet

  11th September 2023

  The New Zealand Ministry of Defence has started an industry engagement effort that aims to gather information about the future make-up of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN), with a modular fleet based on just one or two basic ship designs being considered.

• Naval Warfare

  ECA Group and TechnicAtome partner on next-gen French nuclear subs

  4th October 2022

  ECA Group will produce onboard electrical systems for next-generation French SSBNs.

• Training

  DSEI 2023: Number of bidders continues to grow for British Army CTTP training contract

  14th September 2023

  Two more teams have announced their intentions to bid to become the British Army’s strategic partner for the Collective Training Transformation Programme during DSEI 2023 in London.

• Naval Warfare

  DSEI 2023: Can the Royal Navy's submarine fleet handle the pressure?

  12th September 2023

  The third and final instalment of Shephard’s focus on the UK Royal Navy (RN) examines the state of the submarine force. The SSN fleet is still in transition as the last Trafalgar-class boats retire and Astute-class boats struggles to get into service, and pressure on Vanguard-class SSBNs is increasing as the Dreadnought successor project gets under way following long delays.

• Air Warfare

  DSEI 2023: Leonardo UK bolsters Yeovil site in preparation for New Medium Helicopter programme

  15th September 2023

  'For us, it’s building helicopters, not just assembling. It’s not only about NMH but about enduring social value in terms of exports from the UK,' Leonardo UK told Shephard at DSEI 2023.

• Training

  DSEI 2023: BAE Systems and Hadean continue to collaborate on military training

  12th September 2023

  Under a new enterprise licence, BAE Systems will be able to exploit modern AI and Large Language Model integrations of the Hadean Platform for Defence.

• Defence Helicopter

  DSEI 2023: Lockheed to produce about 40% of Black Hawks on UK soil if it wins NMH contest

  13th September 2023

  Lockheed Martin promises a boost to the British job market and export opportunities, while strengthening ties with Poland and positioning the UK for a future in rotorcraft technology in the event of a New Medium Helicopter competition triumph.

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2023: Babcock beefs up Land Cruisers as British Army Land Rover replacement programme looms

  14th September 2023

  Babcock has unveiled a militarised version of the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 which retains the chassis, drive train, engine and other systems but features a modified body more suited to a soldier's height range of 4’8” to 6’6” including kit and helmet.

• Land Warfare

  Just released: Armoured Vehicles Technology Report 2023

  17th September 2023

  How remote weapon stations and vehicle self-protection systems are helping armed forces stay ahead of the game on the modern battlefield.

• Defence Helicopter

  Dart Aerospace to supply high-lift heliporter to US Navy

  11th September 2023

  The Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC) is has been awarded an indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract by the US DoD to provide a high-lift heliporter designed and manufactured by Dart Aerospace to the USN.

• Naval Warfare

  French fire up Duguay-Trouin SSN’s nuclear reactor

  5th October 2022

  The first controlled reaction has occurred inside the nuclear reactor aboard the submarine Duguay-Trouin.

• Air Warfare

  China and Iran look beyond Russian market for UAS and precision weapon exports

  6th September 2023

  Chinese and Iranian firms unveiled new UAS and smart munitions at Army-2023, claiming they reflected lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and were attracting international interest.

• Naval Warfare

  DSEI 2023: Kongsberg expects launch customer for Vanguard multrole ship imminently

  8th September 2023

  Testing and qualification of the Vanguard multirole ship by designer Kongsberg has been completed and the company expects a launch customer shortly. The vessel is optimised to be a 'mothership' for uncrewed systems.

• Naval Warfare

  Indonesian Navy moves forward on multiple ship programmes

  7th November 2022

  Indo Defence 2022 saw a raft of MoUs and announcement, as Indonesia seeks to bolster its indigenously built naval fleet.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Joint Light Helicopter (HIL) Programme

  Programme BackgroundThe French Ministry of the Armed Forces has elected to bring the launch of the French Armed Forces’ HIL programme forward to 2021. The ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH90 TTH [France]

  Programme Background In 2001, the French government made its first purchase of 34 NH90 Tactical Transport Helicopters, followed by a second order in 2013 for ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - mini

  Micro & Mini Drones (France)

  Programme Background RequirementOn 23 April 2021, an RfP was published by the Direction de la Maintenance Aéronautique (DMAé) to supply around 500 micro and nano drones for the ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | OPV Procurement (1-2) [Montenegro]

  During Euronaval 2024, the French Ministry of Armed Forces and Veterans announced that Montenegro signed a contract for the acquisition of two OPV 60. Both ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | OPV Procurement (1-2) [Montenegro]

  During Euronaval 2024, the French Ministry of Armed Forces and Veterans announced that Montenegro signed a contract for the acquisition of two OPV 60. Both ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT (13-15) [France]

  In June 2020, The French government has pledged to buy new military heavy-lift helicopters and accelerate plans for naval drone, ISTAR and tanker aircraft programmes as ...

• 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 ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH90 Special Forces [France]

  Programme Background In French service, advanced H225M Caracals with aerial refuelling capabilities are used by SOF units of the French Air Force (FAF) and French ...

• OPVs

  OPV Procurement (1-2) [Montenegro]

  Programme Background Timeline During Euronaval 2024, the French Ministry of Armed Forces and Veterans announced that Montenegro signed a contract for the acquisition of two ...

• OPVs

  OPV 58 S [Senegal]

  Programme Background Senegal ordered three OPV 58 S patrol vessels on 17 November 2019. A procurement contract was signed between the Ministry of Armed Forces ...

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

  French MALE UAVs [France]

  Programme Background Requirements The French Ministry of the Armed Forces wishes to develop a French MALE offering comparable with the MQ-9 Reaper, the Eurodrone and the ...

• Loitering munitions

  Colibri [France]

  Programme Background Origins French Ministry of Armed Forces spokesperson Hervé Grandjean stated in a press conference in May 2022 that the Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA) ...

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

  UX11 (Ukraine Aid) [France]

  Programme Background First Batch On 6 September 2023, Sébastien Lecornu, the French Minister of Defence, announced Delair was providing Ukraine with more than 150 drones. ...

• Loitering munitions

  Larinae [France]

  Programme Background Origins French Ministry of Armed Forces spokesperson Hervé Grandjean stated in a press conference in May 2022 that the Direction Générale de l'Armement ...

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

  Tactical Drone System Light (SDTL) [France]

  Programme Background The French 2024-2030 military programme unveiled the SDTL for the special forces and the French Army. According to reports, the requirement would cover 30 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Counter-UAS systems

  Boreades

  Boreades is a modular anti-UAV system developed by CS. This suite combines multi-sensors and multi-effectors in order to enable the detection, identification and neutralisation of rogue ...

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

  UAS 100

  The UAS 100 is an autonomous, three-engined platform, modular UAS manufactured by Thales in partnership with Issoire Aviation, Hionos and with the support of the ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Vespa-15

  The Vespa-15 is a first-person view (FPV) rotary-wing UAV manufactured by a Ukrainian company.  In May 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Ukraine announced it ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH90 TTH

  Developed as a multinational programme between France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, the European NH90 was designed to meet NATO requirements for multirole capability from ...

• EO/IR systems

  Euroflir 350

  The Euroflir 350 is an out-of-production gyro-stabilised optronic system. According to Safran, it is effective at long ranges, can track mobile targets, designate important areas for ...

• OPVs

  OPV 60

  The OPV 60 is designed to conduct surveillance missions in coastal and EEZ waters. The ship can be armed with a 40mm naval gun and ...

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

  Lanner

  Unveiled at Eurosatory 2024, the Lenner is a modified variant of the Pengion C VTOL drone, specifically modified to meet the SDTL (Light Tactical Drone System) program ...

• Military helicopters - light/training, Military helicopters - multirole, Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  H160M

  Airbus is developing the H160M to meet the requirements of the French military for the Joint Light Helicopter (Hélicoptère Interarmées Léger, or HIL) programme. It ...

• Land: handheld NV devices

  O-NYX

  The Thales O-NYX is a Ultra-Compact Night Vision Goggle used by the French armed forces. They have an enlarged field of vision to 51° compared ...

• Pistols

  Glock Pistol

  The Glock family of pistols have been in widespread service since the Glock 17 was selected for Austrian military and police service in 1982. The company's ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Mistral 2

  MISTRAL is a man-portable, fully digital, heat-seeking missile designed to meet the requirements of all branches of the armed forces to defend against air threats. ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers

  TDS-FA/-TA/-H

  Thales’ TDS family is comprised of Radar Warning Receivers (RWRs) designed to equip a range of fixed-wing aircraft. The product series includes the TDS-FA designed ...

• Loitering munitions

  Toutatis

  The Toutatis is an in-development loitering munition from Thales. According to Thales, the platform is effective against groups of fighters and unarmored and light-armoured vehicles. Unveiled at ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Trapper VT4

  A militarised version of the commercial Ford Everest 4x4 sports utility vehicle, the Trapper VT4 light all-terrain vehicle has been selected as the French Army's ...

• Trucks and utility vehicles - 4x4, Trucks and utility vehicles - 6x6, Trucks and utility vehicles - 8x8

  Kerax Family

  The Kerax family consists of off-road trucks available in 4x4, 6x6, and 8x8 configurations, designed to meet the specific requirements of armed forces while utilizing ...