• Training

  India completes Light Combat Aircraft NP5 trainer prototype test flight

  23rd August 2023

  In a stride towards bolstering India's indigenous naval aviation capabilities, the Aeronautical Development Agency has successfully completed the maiden flight of LCA Navy trainer prototype aircraft NP5.

• Land Warfare

  Russian Army to boost wheeled artillery forces with series of major contracts

  4th September 2023

  During the Army-2023 event in August, a series of major contracts were inked between the Burevestnik company and the Russian Ministry of Defence, aimed at pushing new wheeled artillery systems into service.

• Air Warfare

  Leidos and L3Harris partner on US Army ISR aircraft for ATHENA-S

  27th July 2023

  Leidos and L3Harris Technologies announced on 26 July they are teaming up for the US Army’s Theater Level High-Altitude Expeditionary Next Airborne – Signals Intelligence (ATHENA-S) proposal.

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell contracts Moog for FLRAA V-280 Valor sub-assemblies

  28th August 2023

  Moog has been placed under contract by Bell Textron to supply flight control content for the US Army's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), the Bell V-280 Valor.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ESEN Gördes demonstrates S-100 UAS navigation system

  25th July 2023

  The ESEN GöRDES vision based navigation system was successfully demonstrated on the Schiebel Camcopter S-100 UAS, showcasing its capability to operate in GPS-denied environments and offering a jam and spoofing resilient platform.

• Air Warfare

  PLA shows off new UCAV, while CH-5 achieves sale to Iraq

  27th September 2023

  China's aerospace industry continues to develop and sell advanced UAVs both at home and on the international market and has displayed UCAVs at the China Helicopter Exhibition in Tianjin.

• Defence Helicopter

  Poland sets course for Black Hawk helicopter procurement

  25th July 2023

  Poland is on the path to bolster its military capabilities as it launches a procurement drive for Lockheed Martin S-70i Black Hawk helicopters.

• 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

  Russia unveils experimental ZAK-23E self-propelled anti-aircraft gun for counter-UAS role

  28th August 2023

  Russia’s JSC Tulamashzavod and JSC Research Center Elins presented a new ZAK-23E self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) at the Army-2023 event near Moscow in mid-August. It is an experimental vehicle that is designed to combine robust and mass-produced components and is capable of firing programmable airburst rounds.

• Land Warfare

  Turkish Army makes rapid move to acquire new wheeled SP howitzer

  6th September 2023

  The Turkish Army will enhance its firepower with the Arpan Howitzer 155, a new wheeled sefl-propelled artillery system designed to complement the existing tracked Firtina.

• Land Warfare

  Indian Army issues RfI for new tracked armoured recovery vehicles

  13th September 2023

  India is looking for a large quantity of new indigenously built armoured recovery vehicles to serve its tank fleet.

• Digital Battlespace

  Collins Aerospace awarded contract for BLoS satellite communications pod

  11th August 2023

  Collins Aerospace has been awarded a $36 million contract to develop and demonstrate a platform-agnostic BLoS satellite communications pod for the USAF Research Laboratory (USAFRL).

• Air Warfare

  Indonesia orders Anka UAVs from Turkiye

  3rd August 2023

  Indonesia becomes the eighth customer for the Anka, as Turkiye further cements its positions as a major supplier of UAVs.

• Air Warfare

  Australia decides to expunge entire MRH90 helicopter fleet

  2nd October 2023

  Australia has decided to withdraw its MRH90 helicopter fleet, even though the aircraft had another 14 years of life left in them.

• Air Warfare

  Teal Drones boosted by order for more by USAF Security Forces and ID certification from FAA

  23rd August 2023

  Teal Drones has had its order book for USAF Security Forces doubled, and its Teal 2 UAS has received Remote ID certification. The latter meaning the platform can provide identification and location information, a requirement for operation in US airspace from next month.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• AEW&C

  GlobalEye (1-3) [UAE]

  Programme Background The GlobalEye is a modification of Bombardier's Global 6000 jet aircraft fitted with the S-band Erieye Extended Range (ER) radar and mission system ...

• OPVs

  OPVs Procurement (1-2) [Greece]

  Programme Background Requirements According to the RFI issued in late 2022, the Hellenic Coast Guard is seeking to procure two new OPVs. The vessels are ...

• ISR/special mission

  MC-27J - Algeria

  Programme Background Algeria has a long standing ISR aircraft requirement to support its Beech 1900 fleet comprised of six aircraft. The new ISR fleet is ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Landing Platform Docks [India]

  Programme Background Requirements The LPD tender, although more akin to an LHD, specifies that the quartet of ships must be built within India, although collaboration ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Landing Platform Dock [Qatar]

  Programme Background Close to a €4 billion ($4.67 billion) contract was awarded to Fincantieri in June 2016 for the construction of seven surface vessels, including the four ...

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

  Anka-S (First Batch) [Turkey]

  Programme Background Orders In February 2018, TAI announced that it had delivered the first Anka-S UAVs to the Turkish Air Force. In late 2018, Savunmasanay ...

• Submarines: conventional, attack

  Isaac Peral Class (S-80A Plus) [Spain]

  Programme Background The S-80A SSK design for the Spanish Navy is based on the Franco-Spanish S-80 Scorpene design that both countries decided to cooperate on ...

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

  Anka-S [Chad]

  Programme Background Hurkus Trainer Aircraft On 10 July 2023, President General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno visited an air base to inspect the country's new Hurkus trainer ...

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

  Anka-S (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background Desired Procurement Saudi Arabia has reportedly been in negotiations to procure six Anka UAVs since 2013. It has not been disclosed which Anka ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  S-70i (Philippines)

  The Black Hawk is believed to have been the most expensive of the aircraft that had been shortlisted for the PAF project, others being the ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  EDA-S [France]

  Programme Background Following the announcement of the 14-ship contract, the DGA approved the design of the first two standard amphibious landing craft (EDA-S) in October 2019, ...

• Destroyers

  KDDX-S [South Korea]

  Programme Background Requirements During MADEX 2023, Naval News reported that there is an upcoming competition for new destroyers, namely the KDDX-S programme. According to the ...

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

  Anka-S [El Salvador]

  Programme Background As reported by InfoDefensa in September 2023, The Salvadoran Air Force (FAS) is considering purchasing the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) Anka-S and T625 Gokbey medium ...

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

  Anka-S (Second Batch) [Turkey]

  Programme Background First Batch Based on comments by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Turkish media in 2018, Shephard believes that Türkiye acquired 26 Anka-S drones ...

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

  Camcopter S-100 [Greece]

  Programme Background Trails A 2 August 2021 Schiebel press release announced the company had demonstrated the Camcopter S-100's capabilities to the Hellenic Navy. The UAV was ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Sea: commercial shipping radar

  FAR-21x7

  FAR-21x7 is a series of S-band and X-band radars with a 19in LCD display unit. The family consists of FAR-2117 and FAR-2127 X-band radars and ...

• Data links

  S-band TDMA Airborne Data Link

  Multiple-participant airborne S-band TDMA data link with up to 400 slots/s. Transmission rate is up to 625Kb/s. As an example, a data link built for ...

• Air: UAS radar

  Anka SATCOM Radome

  The Anka SATCOM Radome is a structural component specifically designed for the Anka-S UAV to protect satellite communication (SATCOM) antennas. Produced by Meteksan Defence, it ...

• Data links

  CMDL

  The Compact Multi-band Data Link (CMDL) operates in the Ku-, C-, L- or S-band, using both analogue and digital waveforms. It is interoperable with military ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  THPR1055

  Triad THPR1055 is a four-channel, S-Band radio system designed for long-distance uncrewed C2 and data link applications in particular.

• Major networking projects

  TST 111/X

  The TST 111/X X-band transportable satellite terminal provides voice and data communications through FDMA PAMA channels at 256kb/s (2Mb/s as an option) maximum. The outdoor ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar, Air: surveillance radar

  AN/APY-1/2

  The S-band AN/APY-1 radar is installed in a large rotodome above the fuselage of the Boeing KE-3A/E-3A/B Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft ...

• Land: weather radar

  Defender S-band Series

  Magnetron- and Klystron-powered Defender S-band series weather radars are designed and engineered with an output of 850kW to 1,000kW, which the company claims is the ...

• Data links

  TIGDL-II

  Tactical Interoperable Ground Data Link (TIGDL)-II is described as a transportable TDL surface terminal that supports military operations by providing a full duplex ground capability ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Giraffe 4A

  The Giraffe 4A is a multi-function S-band AESA radar system combining air surveillance, ground-based air defence, and weapon locating capabilities in a single platform.

• Land: weather radar

  Defender X200

  EEC’s shorter wavelength X-band weather radar is designed to be able to detect smaller particles such as high-altitude water droplets or light snow. The size ...

• Data links

  Naval TDMA Data Link Management Unit

  The multiple-participant naval TDMA data link updates a ship’s C2 via existing radios (HF, VHF, UHF, L- and S-band) and INMARSAT. The Data Link Update ...

• Naval: COMINT and ELINT systems

  C-Pearl-DV (S)

  The C-Pearl-DV (S) is a variant of the C-Pearl system adapted for submarines by integrating an antenna array with the submarine’s ESM mast, search periscope ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Series 320

  The Series 320 is a family of S-band air defence radars designed by ITT Gilfillan (now L3Harris) in the late 1970s.  It was used by ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  ULV MicroVSAT

  Ultra I&C;'s ULV MicroVSAT is a tri-band, lightweight SATCOM terminal that emphasises portability. First introduced in 2022, the modem-agnostic system supports WGS, Intelsat Flex, Inmarsat GX ...