• Air Warfare

  Bulgaria looks beyond MiG-29 retirement

  19th August 2022

  The Bulgarian MoD is examining various options to retain a crucial NATO Air Policing capability for the foreseeable future, including second-hand leasing as an interim solution before the introduction of recently ordered F-16V Block 70 aircraft.

• Land Warfare

  US Marine Corps seeks to apply lessons from Russo-Ukrainian war

  25th July 2022

  The US Marine Corps has been learning lessons from the war in Ukraine and is now focusing on the acquisition and deployment of UAVs and artillery systems with long-range capabilities.

• Air Warfare

  Farnborough 2022: Czech Republic opens F-35 double squadron negotiations

  21st July 2022

  The list of European F-35 operators is set to grow again, with plans in motion for the Czech Republic to acquire 24 of the fifth-generation jets.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy publishes new plan for more than 350 crewed ships and submarines by 2045

  28th July 2022

  The US Navy is pushing for a fleet of over 350 crewed ships and submarines and around 150 large USVs and UUVs under the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm Mike Gilday's Navigation Plan 2022.

• Training

  Military Training magazine: CBRN threats; fast pilot training; and more

  20th May 2022

  Read the latest edition of Military Training for free in our app or on your desktop.

• Naval Warfare

  Sweet sixteen for Austal with extra EPF deal

  4th May 2022

  EPF 16 will be the third Spearhead-class ship in the Flight II configuration for USN Military Sealift Command.

• Digital Battlespace

  US contracts L3Harris, Northrop Grumman for missile-tracking satellite layer to counter hypersonic threats

  19th July 2022

  The US Space Development agency has contracted with L3Harris and Northrop Grumman to deliver prototype satellites to provide a global missile warning and tracking capability that can detect hypersonic weapons.

• Defence Notes

  Australian Dash 8s for maritime surveillance to receive radar upgrade with SeaVue

  28th July 2022

  Under contract from Cobham Special Mission, Raytheon is upgrading a fleet of 11 Dash 8 aircraft with the SeaVue MR radar.

• Air Warfare

  Seoul approves plan to purchase new Chinooks

  20th July 2022

  South Korea has given a green light to buy new Chinooks, while KAI prepares to start series production of the LAH and researches a new high-speed helicopter design.

• Digital Battlespace

  FAAD C2 demonstrates counter-drone interface

  10th May 2022

  The Universal Command and Control interface, as used in a recent demonstration, forms part of a DoD initiative to create a universal language for situational awareness and C2.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Claims of Iran drone deal highlight Russia's UAS capability gaps

  2nd August 2022

  The US National Security Advisor's statement about the supply of Iranian drones to Russia has sparked considerable attention, but is this deal viable and really wanted by Moscow?

• Defence Notes

  Australia onshores Super Hornet and Growler maintenance elements

  27th July 2022

  New MRO contract between Boeing Defence Australia and RUAG Australia replaces work previously done in the US.

• Training

  Sales opportunities for advanced trainer jets open up in Eastern Europe

  22nd August 2022

  Following the Polish Air Force acquisition of 48 KAI FA-50 jets, other countries including Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia could also opt for a single-type solution for advanced trainer/light attack requirements.

• Land Warfare

  Echoshield 4D radar addresses C-UAS demands

  18th May 2022

  Several DoD and overseas customers have already pre-purchased the EchoShield 4D C-UAS radar ahead of testing, according to manufacturer Echodyne.

• Training

  Military Training magazine: Red Flag; live air training; and naval collective training

  20th July 2022

  Read the latest edition of Military Training for free in our app or on your desktop.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Puma 3 AE (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Military Aid - $300 Million On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine to "bolster Urkaine's capacity ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract (US Navy) [US]

  As of November 2020, the US DoD had signed 14 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches of ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  M1165 Special Ops HMMWV [USA]

  Programme Background The HHMWV or Humvee has been in US service since 1983. The M1165A1B3 is a special operations variant of the platform.  In 2015, the ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 300 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (16 March 2022 & 13 April 2022) On 16 March 2022, President Biden announced $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine through ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF

  According to the US FY2021 budget document, Turkey's removal from the JSF program and transition to the alternate supply chain sources may challenge to achieve ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35B STOVL - US Navy

  The JSF programme will develop and field a family of aircraft that meets the needs of the US DoD and US allies with the F-35A ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract [US Air Force]

  As of November 2020, the US DoD had signed 14 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches of ...

• Loitering munitions

  Point Blank [US]

  Programme Background As IAI stated in a 19 January 2023 press release, it had been awarded a multi-million-dollar contract by the Irregular Warfare Technical Support ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  BQM-177A [US Navy]

  Background Previous Purchases The BQM-177A was designed for the USN and has been in service with the USN for many years. Indeed, in August 2022, Shephard reported ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 600 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background $300 Million USAI (1 April 2022) On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine following ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35C Carrier Variant

  The US Navy is planning to order 130 F-35Cs between FY2026 and FY2030 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase is estimated be ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Phoenix Ghost (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (21 April 2022) Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, on 21 April 2022, President Biden announced an $800 ...

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

  Puma LE [Kosovo]

  Background Contract Award On 21 January 2022, the US Department of Defence (DoD) announced that AeroVironment had been awarded an $11.01 million firm-fixed contract for Puma ...

• Loitering munitions

  ALTIUS-600M (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background On 24 February 2023, the US DoD announced that the Biden Administration had released an additional aid package under the Ukraine Security Assistance ...

• Loitering munitions

  Lethal Unmanned Systems Directed Requirement (LUS DR) [US Army]

  Programme Background DoD Contract On 27 August 2024, the US DoD announced that AeroVironment had been awarded a ceiling $990 million hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract to provide ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Pistols

  M9

  M9 is the US DoD designation for the military-specification 9mm Beretta 92FS, selected in 1985 to replace the 45cal M1911A1 in US service. Sales to ...

• Man-portable missile systems

  Igla/SA-18

  The 9K38 Igla (US DoD designation SA-18, NATO reporting name Grouse ) IR-homing MANPADS was developed by KBM and entered service in 1983 to meet the requirements ...

• Loitering munitions

  Point Blank

  Point Blank Weapon System is a hand-launched electro-optical VTOL-capable loitering munition developed by Isreal Aerospace Industries (IAI). IAI has been awarded a contract by the US ...

• Air: aerial targets, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  BQM-177A/i

  The BQM-177A subsonic aerial target (SSAT) was designed for the USN, and the BQM-177i is the export variant. The BQM-177 provides realistic threat emulation for ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  BAT-850

  Pathfinder's BAT-850 VSAT is a carbon fibre, tri-band terminal with auto-acquisition capability. Suitable for flyaway (case-based) and vehicle-mounted applications, it is in service with the ...

• Autonomous GPADS

  Airborne Systems has developed a family of smart systems ranging in payload capacity from 90-4,536kg. Utilising the technology developed and used in ram-air canopies, Guided ...

• Crew-served grenade launchers

  Striker 40/MK47

  General Dynamics is systems integrator for the Striker 40 (MK47 AGL in US service). The complete system comprises the weapon, AN/PWG-1 Lightweight Video Sight and ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  URC-300

  The URC-300 is a software-defined radio designed for line-of-sight, ground-to-air communications in particular. Introduced in 2020, it adheres to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards as well ...

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

  ScanEagle 3

  Insitu unveiled the ScanEagle 3 at the Xponential exhibition in Denver in May 2018. The platform has twice the payload capacity of its ScanEagle predecessor ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Banshee Tactical Radio

  Developed by Fenix Group, the Banshee Tactical Radio (BTR) is a communications system that uses 4G/LTE connectivity to provide secure mesh networking capability on the ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/ARC-231 Skyfire

  The AN/ARC-231 Skyfire is an airborne VHF/UHF/LOS and DAMA SATCOM system. This system supports US DoD requirements for airborne, multi-band, multi-mission, secure anti-jam voice, data ...

• Air-to-air missiles

  9M39 Igla-V

  The 9M39 Igla-V (‘needle’) is a Russian IR homing SAM adapted for helicopter use. It is an air-launched version of the Igla MANPADS, which the ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Global Observer

  The AeroVironment Global Observer HALE UAV was a developmental HALE UAV designed for various civil, commercial and government applications.  Development of the platform began in 2007 ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  CLWS

  Developed by Boeing, Compact Laser Weapon System (CLWS or CLaWS) is a medium-range, low-power laser C-UAS system. According to the reports, the CLWS prototype has ...

• Data links, Land: Radio and SATCOM, UAS: communication systems

  QNT-200

  The Collins QNT-200 is a dual-channel software-defined radio (SDR) designed for size, weight and power-constrained platforms. Using IP-based mesh networks, it offers high-bandwidth mobile networking ...