• Uncrewed Vehicles

  IDEX 2017: Middle East market still relevant (video)

  16th February 2017

  The Middle East market still maintains its relevance, particularly for Western defence manufacturers, but also for emerging suppliers in China and Russia.However, low oil prices …

• Defence Notes

  IDEX 2017: Top Middle East trends right now (video)

  16th February 2017

  The Middle East remains a volatile region with at least four states experiencing violent civil wars, with no end in sight. Low oil prices have …

• Training

  SEA installs APT at UK defence academy

  16th February 2017

  SEA has installed an Aircraft Procedural Trainer (APT) at the UK Defence Academy at Shrivenham, the company announced on 14 February.The APT will provide an …

• Defence Notes

  Japan leads way with Li-ion submarines

  16th February 2017

  Japan's first submarine to be powered by lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries will be commissioned in March 2020, doing away with lead-acid batteries and a Stirling air-independent …

• Defence Helicopter

  SATCOM through rotor blades demonstrated

  15th February 2017

  Hughes Network Systems has demonstrated a 360-degree beyond-line-of-sight SATCOM capability transmitting HD video through the rotating blades of a NorthStar Aviation 407 helicopter, the company …

• Defence Helicopter

  UH-60V Black Hawk flies with digital cockpit

  14th February 2017

  The UH-60V Black Hawk helicopter has flown for the first time with Northrop Grumman's Integrated Avionics Suite digitized cockpit, the company announced on 13 February.Northrop …

• Naval Warfare

  IDEX 2017: Navies look to address militant threat

  13th February 2017

  Recent events off the coast of Yemen and an uptick in militant activity, including a suicide attack against a Saudi vessel last month, are expected …

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2017: The lay of the land

  13th February 2017

  The Middle East is about as unstable as anyone can remember with the civil war in Syria, the continuing fight against Daesh in Iraq and …

• Digital Battlespace

  DARPA selects SSL for RSGS programme

  13th February 2017

  DARPA has selected Space Systems Loral (SSL) as its commercial partner for its Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) programme, as it looks to lower …

• Land Warfare

  Belgian Army re-organises

  13th February 2017

  Changes to the structure of the Belgian Army mean an increase in the strength of its Medium Brigade under the military's Strategic Vision 2020-2030.The addition …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  German Heron 1 fully operational in Mali

  11th February 2017

  The Heron 1 deployed by the Luftwaffe to Mali last year reached its full operational capability (FOC) on 1 February after its first flight with …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SideArm launches, retrieves UAS

  8th February 2017

  DARPA's SideArm research effort has reached a new milestone, with Aurora Flight Sciences successfully testing a full-scale technology demonstration system capable of meeting project requirements.The …

• Land Warfare

  South Korea boosts rocket and missile inventory

  7th February 2017

  Due to the threat from its northern neighbour, South Korea is implementing plans to deploy greater quantities of Hyunmoo missiles, as well as a new …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Yuneec introduces H920 Plus UAS

  7th February 2017

  Yuneec International has introduced new improvements to its H920 UAS, creating the H920 Plus, the company announced on 1 February.The new features, which include improved …

• Naval Warfare

  Navy cannon gets coaxial enhancement

  6th February 2017

  The US Navy is approximately half way through an enhancement effort that adds coaxial machine gun capabilities to its Mk38 weapon system. Designed as a …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Medium-Range Loitering Munition with LEO Satellite Data Link [South Korea]

  Background New Project In April 2025, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) announced a new project titled “Development of Medium-Range ...

• Loitering munitions

  Long Range One-way Platforms [US]

  Solicitation In October 2024, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) released a solicitation for long-range, one-way platforms. The DIU noted recent conflicts highlighted the asymmetric impact of low-cost, ...

• Military UAS - small

  Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) GUARD [Ireland]

  Background Problem As stated on the project’s website in 2022, Ireland is the “softest target in the EU for smugglers” due to its 3,171 km ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Micro UAV [Argentina]

  Background Tender The EA and MoD in April 2021 announced Public Tender 0090/2021 (UOC: 84/135), which saw the General Directorate of Material begin the process of ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  CH-4 (First Batch) [Pakistan]

  Programme Background First Batch According to the Pakistan Exim Trade Info website, five aircraft were delivered to the country on 15 January 2021. According to a ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  BZK-005 [Sudan]

  Methodology PGO and programme status Defence Insight has assigned this programme a PGO of 100% since it is complete. Units required Defence Insight estimates that ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Bayraktar TB2 [Pakistan]

  Programme Background Requirement Following a 2019 skirmish with India, Pakistan placed newfound importance on EW and ISR, primarily due to the significant advantage gained during that ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Seeker 400 (1-6) [UAE]

  Background Long history The UAE has a long history of transactions with Denel Dynamics. The country has been purchasing various Seeker systems from as far ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  CH-4 (Second Batch) [Pakistan]

  Background First Batch According to the Pakistan Exim Trade Info website, five CH-4 aircraft were delivered to the country on 15 January 2021. According to a satellite ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Wing Loong II [Pakistan]

  Background Original Effort On 6 October 2018, the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) announced on social media that it would acquire 48 Wing Loong II UAVs. ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  NH90 - NFH [Italy]

  Background  Programme history The Italian Navy took delivery of its first NH90 NFH helicopter in Full Operational Capability (or Step B) configuration in 2011. The ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-9A Reaper [Spain]

  Programme Background First Contract The US State Department approved a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of MQ-9 Block 5 aircraft and associated parts, equipment, and logistical ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Turkish UCAV [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Desired Procurement Saudi Arabia reportedly began negotiations to procure six Anka UAVs in 2013. It had not been disclosed which Anka variant was requested, ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60M Black Hawk (Second Contract) [Croatia]

  Programme Background Western Technology With the help of the US, Croatia has attempted to improve its military technology, replacing Soviet equipment, such as the Mi-8/Mi-17. ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  Long-Endurance UAV [US AFRICOM]

  Programme Background Ageing MQ-9A Reapers In November 2022, Shephard reported that GA-ASI would continue supporting contractor SMX with its MQ-9A after winning a $2.3 billion task ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Space: radar systems

  RISAT-1

  Radar Satellite-1 (RISAT-1) is a microwave remote-sensing satellite carrying an SAR payload operating in C band (5.35GHz), which enables imaging of surface features during both ...

• Naval: Radio and SATCOM

  OceanTRx 4MIL

  The OceanTRx 4MIL is a ruggedised maritime SATCOM solution featuring simultaneous multi-band communication and advanced antenna management capabilities.  It was introduced at the Euronaval 2022 ...

• Major networking projects

  Skynet 6 SATCOM

  Skynet 6 is designed to replace Skynet 5. The PFI contract for Skynet 5,  held by Paradigm Secure Communications and Airbus DS, ends in 2022. As ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Osprey u8 HGL

  Launched in 2023, Kymeta Osprey u8 HGL is a hybrid Geostationary/Low-Earth Orbit terminal that provides satellite communications on the move. Notably, it can be mounted ...

• Naval: Radio and SATCOM, UAS: communication systems

  Multi-Purpose Terminal (MPT)

  Orbit's Multi-Purpose Terminal (MPT) is a family of stabilised VSAT systems suitable for installation on smaller vessels and airborne platforms including uncrewed vehicles. 

• Military Satellites - ISR

  Radarsat-2

  Owned and operated by MDA, Radarsat-2 was launched in late 2007 as a follow-on radar satellite to Canada’s Radarsat-1. The satellite's resolution ranges from a ...

• Naval: Radio and SATCOM

  SURFSAT-L

  Produced by Thales, SURFSAT-L is a SATCOM terminal designed for medium to large surface vessels. According to the manufacturer, it is designed to achieve a ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MONDO Satellite Terminal

  The Multi Orbit Network, Dual Operation (MONDO) Satellite Terminal is a developmental SATCOM solution that provides continuous communication links on GEO, LEO and MEO networks. ...

• Military Satellites - ISR

  Helios

  The Helios system consists of the Helios 2A and Helios 2B satellites, the latter of which was launched in December 2009, five years after Helios ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Multi-Orbit Tactical Terminal

  Intelsat Multi-Orbit Tactical Terminal (MOTT) is a ruggedised terminal with a low-profile design. The vehicle-mountable terminal features an electronically steered array antenna, edge computing capabilities ...

• Data links

  GSNC

  Global Secure Network Connection (GSNC) provides a global data communications solution for military aircraft, including bomber, refuelling and transport aircraft. The GSNC system uses Iridium ...

• 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 ...

• Space: radar systems

  NISAR

  The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is a joint programme between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to build and launch an observation ...

• Space: radar systems

  TerraSAR-X and ​TanDEM-X

  TerraSAR-X and the more advanced TanDEM-X (TerraSAR-X add-on for digital elevation measurement) are designed to operate closely together to generate an accurate 3D image of ...

• Military - USVs

  USV-12

  The USV-12 is an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) developed by HAVELSAN and VN Maritime Technologies. The modular platform is designed for defence, maritime security, and search ...