• Air Warfare

  KAI develops MUM-T alongside fighter program

  28th February 2024

  KAI has been developing manned-unmanned teaming and air-launched effects technologies to be operated alongside its domestically developed KF-21 Boramae fighter.

• Air Warfare

  Skydio launches AI-powered X10D small reconnaissance UAV

  17th January 2024

  Skydio has introduced the X10D, an AI-enhanced UAV boasting 10 times the computing power of its predecessors.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Iranian UAV threat leaves Israel’s defence industry searching for answers

  11th March 2024

  Iran has continued to invest heavily in its drone-building capacity, supplying Russia and Iranian proxies throughout the Middle East, leading defence experts in Israel to call for more defensive solutions be developed to deter the threat from UAVs.

• Defence Notes

  US Pentagon to reduce investments in main acquisition programmes over FY2025

  12th March 2024

  The DoD requested nearly US$850 billion to fund operations over the next fiscal year. Despite the amount being 1% higher than the FY2024 budget request, it has not covered the 3% inflation rate, which could impact the DoD’s main programmes in the medium and long term.

• Land Warfare

  ST Engineering goes big on hybrid at Singapore Airshow with Terrex s5 and new 4x4 MRAP

  21st February 2024

  The company’s development effort in hybrid electric drive technology has yielded two new products which have been on display at Singapore Airshow 2024.

• Naval Warfare

  Boeing delivers first Orca UUV to US Navy

  21st December 2023

  Boeing's Orca, a large uncrewed submarine which builds upon the company's work with Echo Voyager, has been designed to provide long-range autonomous operations.

• Digital Battlespace

  Raytheon reveals details of wireless power plan

  18th December 2023

  DARPA is entering the first phase of the Persistent Optical Wireless Energy Relay (POWER) program, aimed at revolutionizing energy distribution through airborne wireless power transfer.

• Training

  How close are the US Armed Forces to having super soldiers within their ranks?

  27th December 2023

  Pentagon services are working on projects to increase warfighters’ abilities including brain stimulation.

• Training

  US Army to increase soldiers' AI use with new app

  12th December 2023

  Game-If-AI uses artificial intelligence and gamification techniques to train skills and competencies to build, interact with or manage systems.

• Air Warfare

  Preparing for mass deployments and improving aircraft fleet among US Air Force priorities for FY2025

  5th February 2024

  The branch’s main concerns for FY2025 will include integrating systems and equipment, improving software, cyber capabilities and aircraft fleet, and preparing for mass deployments.

• Land Warfare

  Pearson integrates AI-driven explosive detector with UAV

  13th December 2023

  Threat-Sense uses AI to identify the presence of ordnance and has been designed to enhance operational decision making in the field or on route.

• Air Warfare

  DARPA moves to next stage of fast cruise VTOL

  28th November 2023

  DARPA and SOCOM's SPRINT programme, an effort to create an X-plane to demonstrate the key technologies to enable a combination of aircraft speed and runway independence, has moved to the next phase.

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2023: US Marine Corps seek AI capabilities for training purposes

  28th November 2023

  The US Marine Corps is divesting its legacy training systems and simulations to adopt solutions that can enable replicating current and future operating environments with high fidelity.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Air Force enlists top five contenders for CCA wingmen programme: here are the details

  26th January 2024

  The US Air Force's flagship Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme has marked a significant step towards advanced uncrewed aviation, with contracts awarded to five companies.

• Land Warfare

  Babcock looks to test swarm technology in military environment

  7th December 2023

  SwarmCore, a technology designed to control swarming or individual uncrewed systems, offers protection in an environment where cyber threats can be present.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - small

  AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) [US]

  Background Aims & Timeline As stated by DARPA, the ANCILLARY programme aims to develop and fly an X-plane that will provide a “leap-ahead” in long-endurance, VTOL-capable ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - small

  Containerized Autonomous Drone Delivery System (CADDS) (Group 1-3) [US]

  Background Concept In early February 2026, the Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) stated that it required the ability to rapidly deploy large quantities of UAS while minimising the ...

• Military UAS - small

  LongShot [USA]

  Background Requirement As explained by GA-ASI in February 2026, LongShot is envisaged as an air-launched UAV that will fly from larger, mostly crewed aircraft and ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-47 Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  Background Requirement Originally conceived as a replacement for the F-22, the PCA was designed to counter various air threats, including integrated air defence systems and ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  IA-63 Pampa III (Follow-On) [Argentina]

  Programme Background After the previous procurement of six AI-63 Pampa III aircraft from 2018 and 2019 agreements, Argentina was left with a further need for 34 aircraft. ...

• Military UAS - small

  Shield AI UAVs [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Reported talks Reporting from the World Defence Show (WDS) 2026, the Middle East Eye (MEE) noted that, according to two sources, Saudi Arabia was ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  X-Bat [Poland]

  Background Polish involvement Speaking in June 2026, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Shield AI offered Poland a role in the X-Bat programme, with the ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat [India]

  Background Make In India The ‘Make In India’ is an initiative by the Indian government to grow the domestic manufacturing industry. In the defence context, ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Group Unmanned Isr DronE (GUIDE) [Netherlands]

  Background Competition On 14 March 2025, the Netherlands announced a competition on the EU tendering website for the future procurement of 514 UAVs for intelligence, surveillance, ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Ship-Bourne VTOL UAV [Singapore]

  Background Multi-Role Combat Vessel  The Republic of Singapore Navy will retire its six Victory-class corvettes and replace them with a new platform, the Multi-Role Combat ...

• Military UAS - small

  Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services [USN]

  Background ISR services In April 2026, several companies announced that the USN had selected them to provide Contractor-Owned, Contractor-Operated (COCO) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat 128 [Brazil]

  Background Contract award On 7 February 2022, Shield AI announced on its website that it had, on 21 January 2021, signed a contract with VSK Tactical, through ...

• Loitering munitions

  Seth-X and Anubis (Ukraine aid) [Germany]

  Background German-built, Ukraine-bound The Auterion Airlogix Joint Venture GmbH was established in February 2026 at the Munich Security Conference by the German company Auterion and ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat [Netherlands]

  Background Contract award On 9 July 2025, Shield AI announced that the Netherlands MoD had acquired eight V-Bat aircraft, specifically the V-Bat 400, to enhance the maritime ...

• AEW&C

  GlobalEye [Canada]

  Background Canada and Sweden have been strengthening ties, particularly in defence, as middle powers continue to diversify their relationships due to increasingly strained relations with ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - tactical

  XRQ-73

  The US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) unveiled the flying design of the XRQ-73 in June 2024. The XRQ-73 designation places this aircraft in the experimental ...

• Military - UUVs

  Manta Ray

  Manta Ray is an uncrewed underwater vessel (UUV) developed by Northrop Grumman.

• Military UAS - small

  X-68A

  The X-68A is a developmental, host-platform-agnostic air-launched effect (ALE). After developmental contracts were first awarded in 2021 under the LongShot programme, General Atomics (GA-ASI) emerged as the preferred supplier ...

• Military - USVs

  NOMARS

  The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) is a US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) effort to develop a first-of-its-kind large uncrewed surface vessel.

• Sea: procedural training

  2 Sigma Digital Tutor

  A Digital Tutor that is designed to outperform schoolhouse instructors, bringing CTC training to a broad spectrum of sailors. Specifications include improving student outcomes for ...

• Major networking projects

  CHAIN

  The Compartmented High Assurance Information Network (CHAIN) is described as a robust architecture that improves interoperability of IT systems among the military services and security ...

• Tiltrotors

  X-76

  The X-76 is an operational crewed aircraft designed to combine the flexibility of a helicopter with the speed of a fixed-wing aircraft.  Bell Textron is ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  XV-24A LightningStrike

  The XV-24A LightningStrike, developed by Aurora Flight Sciences and its partners Rolls-Royce and Honeywell, was a project for a tilt-wing UAV powered by an electric-distributed ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Shrike

  The Shrike was a micro, portable, rugged VTOL-capable UAV designed for frontline day/night ISR.  Development of the Shrike began in 2008 under a $4.6-million contract from ...

• Data links

  QNT

  The QUINT Networking Technology (QNT) programme is intended to develop robust, affordable, miniature networked data link technologies suitable for use on weapons and by tactical ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar, Air: surveillance radar, Air: UAS radar

  AN/ZPY-5 VADER

  The Vehicle and Dismount Exploitation Radar (VADER) is an airborne radar system manufactured by Northrop Grumman. It is designed to track vehicles and foot traffic ...

• Data links

  TTNT

  The Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT) programme is intended to develop, evaluate and demonstrate reconfigurable, affordable, robust, interoperable and evolvable communications technologies to support emerging ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  X-61A Gremlin

  Dynetics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leidos, is developing the X-61A Gremlin. This low-cost swarming drone can be outfitted with different payloads, launched by a mothership, recovered ...

• Air: helicopter radar, Air: surveillance radar

  FORESTER

  The Foliage Penetration (FOPEN) Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Tracking and Engagement Radar (FORESTER) is an airborne radar system that provides stand-off, persistent, wide-area surveillance for situational awareness ...

• Sea: tactical training

  Fleet Command

  Fleet Command was developed by Sonalysts, released in 1999, and published by Electronic Arts. Command-level combat simulation where the player is responsible for navy battle ...