• Naval Warfare

  Fincantieri begins cutting steel for the Italian Navy’s new OPVs

  25th September 2024

  The company will build four offshore patrol vessels for the Italian Navy, with an option for another two. The first of the new vessels will not be expected to launch until 2027.

• Naval Warfare

  How PT PAL’s leading role in Indonesia’s disjointed naval modernisation is evolving

  12th June 2024

  The Indonesian Navy has turned to French and Norwegian technology to strengthen its domestic ship building capabilities and modernise its disparate fleet.

• Naval Warfare

  GD to build more replenishment ships under deal potentially worth more than $6.7 billion

  15th September 2024

  GD-NASSCO is currently under contract for the first nine ships of the class and has delivered three to date. With this award, the company is set to build 17 of the US Navy’s 20-ship programme of record.

• Land Warfare

  Babcock delivers first sample under new manufacturing process analysis

  29th November 2024

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) gave several companies a contract to establish the usefulness of additive manufacturing for defence equipment.

• Naval Warfare

  Taiwan multiplies mine-layer vessel and UAV inventories to deter PLA

  25th April 2025

  Taiwan is strengthening its deterrence against the PLA through an asymmetric arsenal that includes fast mine-laying vessels and domestically developed UAVs.

• Digital Battlespace

  Thales takes new HF communications system from ship to shore

  1st July 2024

  The HF XL family was unveiled at last month’s Eurosatory 2024 with the company pushing the system’s capability of searching out unjammed channels or channels with the highest data rate available.

• Naval Warfare

  What is happening with the Greek corvette competition?

  26th March 2024

  The Hellenic Navy has been in the process of replacing its nine remaining Elli-class (Kortaener/S-type) frigates with two new acquisition programmes for frigates and corvettes. The US offer of second-hand US Navy (USN) Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) as potential corvette replacement, however, has given the Greek government pause for thought.

• Air Warfare

  Gray Eagle UAS makes first ship-to-shore journey

  14th November 2024

  The Gray Eagle short take-off and landing (STOL) UAS has a different engine, wings, control surfaces and landing gear to earlier Gray Eagles, and is a production variant of the demonstrator Mojave UAS.

• Land Warfare

  The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle continues its success as the new variant rolls out

  20th March 2025

  The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) is becoming the dominant platform in its class as it replaces most of the massive US Army and US Marine Corps (USMC) fleets of HMMWV 4x4s, colloquially known as the Humvee. Shephard dives deep into the JLTV programme background and analyses the latest variants and contracts, including the controversial production switch to AM General and the continued contracts continuing to head Oshkosh's way.

• Naval Warfare

  Exercise Freezing Winds brings navies together to ease Finland into NATO

  6th December 2024

  The nine-day exercise off the Finnish coast was intended to boost interoperability in challenging weather conditions.

• Land Warfare

  EOS looks to improve CUAS capability as further development and deployment continue

  22nd October 2024

  EOS Defense Systems remote weapon stations (RWS) have been in service in Ukraine. The company has seen users deploy it for CUAS roles in a war where drones have been heavily used.

• Naval Warfare

  Virginia-class submarine USS Idaho launched

  15th August 2024

  The launch of the USS Idaho marks the halfway point of the Virginia-class series of submarines.

• Air Warfare

  Should the US be concerned about the state of its nuclear arsenal?

  26th November 2024

  “We are going to get spare parts out of museums,” warns a former commander of USSTRATCOM.

• Air Warfare

  How air forces are embracing augmented reality technology to maintain skillsets

  24th February 2025

  Augmented reality (AR) systems are helping combat pilots and other air force personnel gain, maintain or improve their various skillsets.

• Naval Warfare

  Naval Group launches first-of-its-kind uncrewed surface vessel for warships at Euronaval

  6th November 2024

  The Seaquest S is a modular add-on that enhances situational awareness – and could do much more.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Frigates

  Constellation Class - FFG(X) (1-10)

  Programme Background The FFG (X) programme was first announced with a Request for Information (RFI) released by the US Navy in July 2017 with a ...

• Frigates

  Constellation Class Frigates Procurement [Greece]

  Programme Background Requirements The Hellenic Navy (HN) seeks to modernize its Fleet by 2032 with second-hand and newly built ships. The main goal is to ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Constellation Class Frigates Procurement [Greece]

  The Hellenic Navy seeks to modernize its Fleet by 2032 with second-hand and newly built ships. In January 2024, the Greek Minister of Defence announced the ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Constellation Class Frigates Procurement [Greece]

  The Hellenic Navy seeks to modernize its Fleet by 2032 with second-hand and newly built ships. In January 2024, the Greek Minister of Defence announced the ...

• Frigates

  FREMM Frigates [Morocco]

  Programme Background It was first reported by local Italian media that Morocco has been in talks with Fincantieri for the potential acquisition of two FREMM ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Medium Landing Ship (1-8) [USMC]

  Programme Background Development As part of the US Marine Corps' future force structure, it is developing a new platform under the Medium Lading Ship programme ...

• Frigates

  Littoral Combat Ships [Egypt]

  Requirements The Egyptian Navy is in the process of replacing four O. Perry-class frigates, two Knox-class frigates and two Descubierta-class corvettes. Although the O. Perry-class ...

• Frigates

  Constellation Class - FFG(X) (11-20)

  Programme Background Timeline The FFG (X) programme was first announced with a Request for Information (RFI) released by the US Navy in July 2017 with ...

• Frigates

  Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)

  Programme Background The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) programme was developed in 2003 as a cheap and fast way to increase the size of the fleet ...

• Frigates

  Fridtjof Nansen Frigates Replacement [Norway]

  Programme Background Requirements The Royal Norwegian Navy has four Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates. Five were originally built and delivered, but one sank in November 2018. Shephard forecasts that the ...

• Frigates

  Stop-Gap Frigate Procurement [Greece]

  Programme Background The Hellenic Navy is acquiring up to four new Frigates. This major equipment programme is the most discussed equipment issue on the Greek ...

• Frigates

  FREMM EVO (11-12) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirements As of October 2022, the Italian Navy operates a fleet of eight FREMM frigates, split equally between anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and General ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Navajo Class (T-ATS)

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy (USN) are replacing the ageing three remaining T-ATF 166 class tugboats and two remaining T-ARS 50 class ships with ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  LCAC 100 Class (SSC) [USN]

  Programme Background Timeline The major role of the SSC will be deployment from landing ships in support of USN and USMC operations and the transport ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Medium Landing Ship (9-18) [USMC]

  Programme Background Requirements As part of the US Marine Corps' future force structure, it is developing a new platform under the Medium Lading Ship programme ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Frigates

  Constellation Class FFG(X)

  The USN has selected Fincantieri Marinette Marine to build up to ten frigates under the FFG(X) next-generation future guided-missile frigate programme. The new Constellation-class will replace ...

• Frigates

  Australian Light Frigate

  During Indo Pacific 2023, Gibbs & Cox Australia unveiled the Australian Light Frigate design. Based on the new frigates being built for Taiwan and the USN ...

• Sea: sonar systems

  Captas-4 Sonar 2087

  Captas-4 is a low-frequency active and passive variable depth sonar for platforms heavier than 3,000 tons. The Captas-4 is part of Thales' family of Captas ...

• Sea: naval surveillance radar

  SPY-6(V)3

  The SPY-6(V)3 Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) is a fixed-face surveillance radar manufactured by Raytheon. The system is designed to defend against cruise missiles, anti-surface ...

• 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 ...

• Frigates

  Zulfiquar Class (F-22P/Sword Class)

  Pakistan’s Zulfiquar-class frigates are also known as the F-22P or Sword-class; they are a modernised version of China’s Type 053H3 frigate. The ships are built ...

• Frigates

  Jose Rizal Class (HDF-2600)

  The Jose Rizal-class frigates for the Philippine Navy (PN) are being built to the HDF-2600 design by Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries at its shipyard ...

• Sea: naval fire control radar

  AN/SPY-1 air search radar

  Aegis isan integrated missile guidance system used on USN and allied ships to performanti-air and ballistic missile defence missions. The S-band phased-array AN/SPY-1D(V) radar acquires ...

• Frigates

  Bergamini Class (FREMM)

  The Bergamini-class frigates for the Italian Navy are based on the Franco-Italian, European, multipurpose frigate design FREMM (European multi-mission Frigate/Fregata europea multi-missione). For Italy, the ...

• Sea: sonar systems

  AN/SQR-19

  The AN/SQR-19 is a Tactical Towed Array Sonar (TACTAS) produced by Lockheed Martin. The sonar is designed to detect and classify both submarines and surface vessels ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems, Sea: fire control systems

  Aegis Weapon System

  Aegis Weapon System is an integrated missile guidance system used on USN and allied ships to perform anti-air and ballistic missile defence missions.  The S-band phased-array ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  AN/SQQ-89

  The AN/SQQ-89 is an ASW combat system incorporates and processes all the sonar information and LAMPS sensor data. Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, there are currently ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  SM-2 Block IIIC/Block IIICU

  The SM-2 Block IIIC and Block IIICU are medium-range, surface-to-air missiles with active radio frequency seekers. Both missiles are modifications to legacy SM-2 Block III/IIIA/IIIB ...

• Data links

  Network Tactical Common Data Link

  Developed by BAE Systems, the Network Tactical Common Data Link (NTCDL) is a multi-link CDL system being produced for the US Navy. NTCDL provides the ...

• Sea: naval surveillance radar, Sea: navigation radar

  AN/SPS-67

  The AN/SPS-67 is a two-dimensional, short-range naval surface search and navigation radar manufactured by Leonardo DRS.  The system was designed to meet USN requirements for ...