• Defence Notes

  Poland takes over NATO VJTF lead

  13th January 2020

  On 1 January 2020 the Polish Army took over the lead of NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) from Germany.The core of the …

• Special Operations

  Malaysian Army calls for special forces vehicles

  13th January 2020

  Malaysia issued two tenders on 9 January inviting Finance Ministry-registered companies to supply special operations vehicles (SOV) for the Malaysian Army’s Gerakhas special forces unit. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Malaysia decides to retire Nuri helicopter fleet

  9th January 2020

  The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) will phase out its Sikorsky S-61A Nuri fleet, said its newly appointed chief Gen Ackbal Samad on 7 January. …

• Training

  PLA is forced to alter its recruitment cycle

  30th January 2020

  The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently implemented important changes to the PLA’s recruitment processes, moving its intake of conscripts from once per year to twice, …

• Defence Helicopter

  US Army funds Apache remanufacture work

  30th December 2019

  Boeing has received a contract modification worth $564.5 million for the remanufacture of AH-64E Apacheaircraft, the US Department of Defense announced on 18 December. The …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing signs Apache FMS contracts

  6th January 2020

  Boeing has confirmed contracts with the US Army to remanufacture AH-64D Apaches for three nations under US FMS programmes. The contracts cover the remanufacture of …

• Defence Notes

  Opinion: Can India escape the morass of bungled procurements?

  23rd January 2020

  With India hosting its biennial DefExpo exhibition early next month, in yet another new and inconvenient location, it is a timely reminder to consider the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  France commissions stratobus platform study

  9th January 2020

  Thales Alenia Space and Thales have signed a contract with the French defence procurement agency, DGA, to carry out a concept study for the use …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Innovative Chinese UAVs appear, including a triple-engine platform

  22nd January 2020

  A large UAV from the Tengden Technology Company in China performed its maiden flight on 16 January, the platform being notable for the three turbocharged …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman awarded IBCS transformation contract

  8th January 2020

  Northrop Grumman will undertake a 28-month programme to transform the software development process for the US Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky receives Black Hawk funding

  31st December 2019

  Sikorsky has received funding from the US Army for Black Hawk production, the US Department of Defense announced on 18 December. The company was awarded …

• Military Logistics

  Rheinmetall to modernise more Buffalo vehicles

  3rd January 2020

  Rheinmetall will modernise a further 21 Buffalo armoured recovery vehicles (ARVs) for the Royal Netherlands Army under an order announced on 19 December for the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Australia details Land 1771 Tranche 1 investment

  6th January 2020

  The Australian government has detailed plans to invest $150 million in the Australian Army’s next-generation geospatial support capability. Forming part of the Land 1771 Tranche …

• Naval Warfare

  Naval review 2019: The never-ending Year of the (Royal) Navy

  27th December 2019

  Although 2017 was originally designated as the ‘Year of the Navy’ by the UK MoD, one could have been forgiven for thinking that this timeframe …

• Naval Warfare

  China commissions its most sophisticated surface combatant

  14th January 2020

  The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has commissioned the largest surface combatant ever built for China’s navy. The first Type 055 guided-missile destroyer was commissioned in …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) (Forecast) [US Army]

  Background USMC In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, which had been specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  eLRV [US]

  Programme Background Purpose The US Army unveiled a new concept for a more deployable IBCT structure at AUSA in October 2014. Built around three main types ...

• Loitering munitions

  Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) [US Army]

  Background Launch The Program Executive Office Soldier, a US Army organisation responsible for rapid prototyping, procurement, and equipment fielding, launched the effort in May 2023 and ...

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

  MQ-1 Gray Eagle [US Army]

  Programme Background Required Quantity Although the US Army first envisioned a requirement for 132 MQ-1C Gray Eagles, the US Army's Army Acquisition Objective (AAO) was ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions [Czechia]

  Programme Background KVAČR Concept In February 2024, the Czech Army unveiled the Construction of the Army of the Czech Republic (KVAČR) concept, which outlined a ...

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

  Parrot Anafi (Singapore)

  Programme Background On 7 February 2022, the Singapore Army posted photographs on Facebook that showed the Anafi UAV used as training devices in a five-day ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Viper (Nigeria)

  Programme Background Due to its ongoing campaign against Islamist insurgents in the north of Nigeria, the Nigerian Army has procured a wide range of mine-protected armoured ...

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

  FPV Drones [Czechia]

  Programme Background KVAČR Concept In February 2024, the Czech Army unveiled the Construction of the Army of the Czech Republic (KVAČR) concept, which outlined a mass ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions [Spain]

  Programme Background Fuerza 35 Project This project is a Spanish Army initiative to create and maintain an effective force by forming flexible and cohesive operational organisations, ...

• Military UAS - small

  Small UAS [Spain]

  Programme Background Fuerza 35 Project This project is a Spanish Army initiative to create and maintain an effective force by forming flexible and cohesive operational ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Titan-B

  Programme Background Colombia is understood to have a requirement for as many as 100 APCs capable of carrying up to 20 troops and protecting their ...

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

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 2) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was intended to ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  AMPV (USA)

  Programme Background The US Army initiated the AMPV programme to acquire a replacement for several variants of the M113 tracked APC, which has been in ...

• Tanks

  NGCV: DLP

  Programme Background Requirement The DLP is one of five vehicle families being developed for the US Army's NGCV programme. Expanded to include five programmes in ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Kalyani M4 (India)

  Programme Background In the wake of border clashes with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 2020, the Indian Army has accelerated several of its ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  SideHat

  The SideHat is a radio that attaches to existing US Army SINCGARS radio installations, providing interoperable wideband network communications for early IBCT deployments and other ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Infantry Squad Vehicle

  The General Motors (GM) Defense Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) is a fully-integrated military platform based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 mid-sized truck chassis with Roll ...

• Loitering munitions

  Atlas

  The Atlas is a loitering munition that AEVEX Aerospace manufactures. The Group II aircraft is lightweight and can host a 3.6kg munition or an ISR ...

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

  Dominator

  The Dominator is a loitering munition and UAV manufactured by AEVEX Aerospace. It has a twin-boom continuation with an inverted v-shaped tailplane. It can be utilised ...

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

  Disruptor

  Publically unveiled at AUSA 2024, the Disruptor is a loitering munition and UAV manufactured by AEVEX Aerospace. The Group III aircraft utilises a pneumatic launcher or Rocket Assisted ...

• Land: battle management systems

  Comm@nder Army

  Comm@nder Army is an integrated C4I system suitable for use in command post operational environments (infrastructure, shelter-based), providing specialised application services from the HQ of ...

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

  ALTIUS-600 / ALTIUS-600M

  Part of the ALTIUS family, the ALTIUS-600 is an air-launched, tube-integrated UAV that Area-I has designed to conduct ISR, SIGINT collection and electronic warfare missions.  At AUSA 2022, Anduril ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  German Army Aviation School

  CAE is the prime contractor for the German Army’s Night-Time Low-Level Flight Training Facility, commonly known as the German Army Aviation School, at Bückeburg. This ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army AVCATT PDSS

  L3Harris Technologies is the prime contractor for the US Army’s Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT) Post Deployment Software Support (PDSS) programme. L3Harris Technologies is ...

• Tanks

  MPF Prototype

  In 1992, the US Army selected the M8 to meet its requirement for an air-transportable Armored Gun System, but the programme was cancelled for budgetary ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker

  In 2000, the US Army selected a variant of the GDLS-Canada 8x8 LAV III to meet its requirement for a Medium Interim Armored Vehicle to ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  British Army Apache Training Facilities

  Aviation Training International (ATIL) – a Leonardo Helicopters/Boeing joint venture formed in 1998 - was selected to provide the attack helicopter training service to the ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  ROC Army UH-60M OFT

  L3 Link (now L3Harris Technologies) gained ready-for-training certification in 2015 on two UH-60M OFT delivered to the Taiwan Army. These training devices are similar to ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Australian Army S-70 Training System

  The Australian Army S-70A-9 Black Hawk is a turnkey programme including a full flight and mission simulator (FF&MS;), building, facilities and maintenance support. This CAE-built ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  German Army CH-53 Simulator Upgrades

  In 2011, CAE completed major upgrades on two CAE-built CH-53 full mission simulators operated at the German Army Aviation School at Bückeburg. Airbus Helicopters has ...