• Air Warfare

  Will the Tu-22M3 bomber get another hypersonic missile?

  1st June 2020

  The status of a new type of Russian hypersonic missile may have been revealed following recent flight tests of a heavily-upgraded version of the Tu-22M3 …

• Land Warfare

  Rosomak broadens and deepens its engagement with Patria

  28th May 2020

  Rosomak SA, a subsidiary of the Polish Armaments Group (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, PGZ), is looking to extend its licence from Finnish OEM Patria Land Systems …

• Air Warfare

  Saab to provide more Erieye AEW&C aircraft

  18th May 2020

  Saab announced on 18 May that it has received an order from an unnamed customer for its Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C; solution, under a SEK1.55 …

• Defence Helicopter

  Egypt to gain Apache upgrade via FMS

  12th May 2020

  US companies are to upgrade 43 Apache attack helicopters for Egypt in an FMS deal worth an estimated $2.3 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency …

• Air Warfare

  Indonesia rolls out first F-16A eMLU fighter

  17th April 2020

  The Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) has unveiled its first F-16A enhanced Midlife Upgrade (eMLU) aircraft, with upgrades carried out locally by PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) …

• Air Warfare

  Taiwan sets sights on four Reapers

  18th May 2020

  The Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) in Taiwan is going to order four US-made MQ-9 Reapers in FY2021, a purchase that will cost about …

• Defence Notes

  Russia eyes new bases to project global power

  26th May 2020

  Recent statements from senior military commanders, as well as insight gleaned by Shephard from military analysts, indicate that Russia is intent on expanding and reinforcing …

• Land Warfare

  Japan boosts armoured vehicle fleet with new orders

  11th May 2020

  The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) has been severely pruning by half the number of tanks and artillery pieces in its inventory, but it continues …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Bundeswehr Heron 1 to continue Mali operations

  15th May 2020

  The Budget Committee of the German parliament on 13 May approved funding for the extension of the Heron 1 UAS deployment in Mali. Approximately €30 …

• Digital Battlespace

  AVT delivers X-MADIS CUAS to DoD customer

  13th May 2020

  Ascent Vision Technologies (AVT) on 13 May confirmed that it had delivered several units of its newest eXpeditionary Mobile Air Defence Integrated System (X-MADIS) to …

• Naval Warfare

  Harpoon to bolster Taiwanese coastal defence

  21st May 2020

  The Republic of China Navy (ROCN) is planning to order RGM-84 Harpoon Block II surface-to-surface missiles for coastal defence batteries in FY2021. The purchase, costing …

• Defence Helicopter

  First UK AH-64E Apache to arrive six months late

  14th May 2020

  The first of 50 UK-remanufactured AH-64E V6 Apache Guardian attack helicopters will arrive six months later than expected, Shephard has learned.   'A change in the development' …

• Defence Notes

  Tensions boil over along Sino-Indian border

  2nd June 2020

  India and China are the world’s two most populous nations, and their militaries are currently engaged in a faceoff high in the Himalayas. Confrontations have …

• Defence Helicopter

  US Army counts down to AH-64E V6 operations

  7th May 2020

  The US Army will aim to have the new AH-64E Apache Guardian V6 configuration in service during Q1 2022 following flight training with the first …

• Defence Notes

  Greek deal shows how far Israel-Turkey relations have fallen

  19th May 2020

  In an agreement that reflects major strategic shifts in recent years, the defence ministries of Greece and Israel signed a deal on 6 May for …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  Multirole Fighter [Morocco]

  Background FMS approval In March 2019, the US State Department announced that it had approved a possible FMS of 25 F-16V Block 72 aircraft to ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V [Turkey]

  Background Requirement Turkish Air Force ordered 100 F-35A aircraft as a partner nation, however, the country was removed from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme in ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  IAR-99 Replacement (Romania)

  On 29 August 2017, Leonardo announced that the IAR-99 trainer technology demonstrator (TD) will be fitted with company's Vixen 500E AESA radar. The Vixen 500E AESA ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Horizon 2 - Multirole Fighter Programme [Philippines]

  Programme Background Requirement The Philippines wants a fighter able to perform score missions such as air-to-air combat, air-to-ground tasks and reconnaissance, including over water. It ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Project Halcon I [Spain]

  Programme Background The Spanish Air Force began requirements assessments, although potential suppliers including Boeing (F/A-18E/F), Lockheed Martin (F-35), Airbus-BAE-Leonardo (Eurofighter Typhoon) are already engaged with ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Multi Role Combat Aircraft [Bangladesh]

  Programme Background The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) continues its quest to acquire a new multirole combat aircraft. Under the country’s Forces Goal 2030 plan, which ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V (9-16) [Bulgaria]

  Programme Background In April 2022, the US State Department approved a potential FMS worth $1.673 million to procure eight F-16Vs to Bulgaria. The aircraft are ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  AW101-Norway

  AgustaWestland is also providing initial support and training services, including spares at each of the operating bases and aircrew training. It will then provide performance ...

• Fighter - multirole

  H-X Fighter Programme [Finland]

  Programme Background In June 2020, Finnish MoD announced that the Hornet fleet life extension programme is neither cost-effective solution nor sufficient in terms of Finland’s ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A [Denmark]

  Programme Background  Denmark joined the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program in 2002 during the System Development and Demonstration phase and has influenced technical elements ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Mobile Short Range Radar [Austria]

  Background As part of its efforts to modernise its ground-based air defence (GBAD) network, Austria is seeking to acquire 14 mobile short-range radar systems. According ...

• Short Range Missile Defence Systems: 0 to 20 km range

  RapidRanger [Portugal]

  Background In October 2024, Portugal signed a contract through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) for the supply of three Thales RapidRanger systems, part ...

• AEW&C

  AEW&C Aircraft [India]

  Programme Background India is planning to increase its AEW&C; capabilities with indigenous radar systems.  A330 Bid In 2015, the IAF has requested to procure six ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)

  Programme Background Five prototypes will be manufactured for developmental tests. Indian Air Force will buy 36 AMCA Mark-I aircraft from 2029-30. The Mark-I configuration will ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V [Jordan]

  Background 2022 FMS On 3 February 2022, the US State Department announced that it has approved a potential sale of 12 F-16 C Block 70 aircraft,  ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-83 SABR

  The AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) is an active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire control radar being developed by Northrop Grumman using its own ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V Block 70/72

  The F-16 Block 70/72, also referred to as the F-16V, is a fourth-generation multirole fighter aircraft. It is the latest version of Lockheed Martin's F-16 ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  Raven ES-05

  The Raven ES-05 is an AESA fire-control radar developed by Leonardo in close collaboration with Saab for the Gripen E/F. It features a repositionable AESA ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-81

  AN/APG-81 is operating in the X-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire control radar designed by Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems for the F-35 “Lightning” all-weather ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-63(V)2

  The AN/APG-63(V)2 is a significant radar upgrade for the U.S. Air Force F-15C aircraft. This upgrade replaces the mechanically-scanned antenna (MSA) with an AESA antenna,  ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-68

  The AN/APG-68 is a pulse-Doppler radar with increased range, modes, and resolution compared to the APG-66 radar. The F-16C/D Block 25 was the first Fighting ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  USAF F-16 Training System

  L3Harris Technologies is supporting approximately 180 F-16 pilot and maintenance trainers as part of the USAF’s F-16 Training System. Programme contract options extend through 2019. ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-82(V)1

  The AN/APG-82(V)1 is an X-band active electronically scanned array radar system that combines the AN/APG-79 processor with the AESA antenna of the AN/APG-63(V)3. The system ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16C/D Block 25, 30/32, 40/42

  The F-16C/D ('C' one-seat, 'D' two-seat designation) is the second generation of the F-16 Fighting Falcon family. The production of the F-16C/D began in 1983 with ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16C/D Block 50/52/52+

  A member of the F-16 Fighting Falcon family, the F-16C/D Block 50/52 ('C' single-seat, 'D' dual-seat) is a third-generation multirole fighter that was rolled out ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-76

  The AN/APG-76 is a Ku-band multimode radar system providing high-resolution synthetic aperture radar capabilities with moving target indicator overlays. The system was developed primarily for ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-79

  The AN/APG-79 is an agile beam radar with a solid-state digital array that scans at nearly the speed of light, enabling detection and tracking of ...

• Air: Displays

  F-16 Center Pedestal Display

  Produced by Elbit Systems of America, the F-16 Center Pedestal Display (CPD) provides a high-resolution colour display that replaces several legacy instruments on F-16 aircraft. 

• Air: air combat simulators

  Air Combat Training

  Boeing has experience in delivering training for fixed-wing air combat platforms including F-15C/E, F-16, F/A-18E/F, EA-18G, F-22 and MV/CV-22.

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-63(V)3

  The AN/APG-63(V)3 is the latest advancement Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) upgrade of the APG-63 radar family, initially fielded on the F-15C/D Eagle. Evolving from the ...