• Defence Notes

  International military expenditure reaches new height of $2.1 trillion

  26th April 2022

  For the seventh consecutive year, world military expenditure has continued to grow, reaching an all-time high of $2.1 trillion.

• Naval Warfare

  Sweet sixteen for Austal with extra EPF deal

  4th May 2022

  EPF 16 will be the third Spearhead-class ship in the Flight II configuration for USN Military Sealift Command.

• Digital Battlespace

  USN orders relay ground stations for Pacific missile defence

  19th April 2022

  Relay ground stations are a component of the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution system to overhaul US missile warning and missile defence systems.

• Training

  IT2EC 2022: NATO and UK MoD deploy in numbers to Europe

  29th April 2022

  NATO exercises planned for this summer reflect a heightened posture and the need to send a message to Moscow — but are they sustainable?

• Land Warfare

  Russian deliveries of S-400 to India proceed

  21st April 2022

  Putin's invasion of Ukraine seems not yet to have affected the delivery of S-400 systems to India.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  XTEND develops second-generation ISR quadcopter

  4th May 2022

  Israeli company XTEND has created a second-generation Xtender sUAS, and it has also sealed two partnerships to improve perimeter security and AI capabilities.

• Naval Warfare

  Swiftships awarded contract for Egyptian patrol craft

  28th April 2022

  Swiftships has previously supplied a host of vessels to the Egyptian Navy, including minehunters, survey vessels, and patrol boats.

• Air Warfare

  Brazil acquires ex-commercial jets for multirole conversion

  5th May 2022

  Brazilian Air Force signs contract to convert two A330 airliners into tanker/transport configuration.

• Land Warfare

  USMC to revise Force Design 2030 but MBT removal plans remain unchanged

  10th May 2022

  The USMC is working on an updated version of the Force Design 2030 vision. Although the new document will take into account the current geopolitical scenario, it will not reassess the decision to divest the MBT fleet.

• Defence Helicopter

  Nigeria receives green light for AH-1Z attack helicopter deal

  19th April 2022

  Nigeria has been approved by the US to buy AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters.

• Air Warfare

  AeroVironment independently donates Quantix Recon UAS to Ukraine

  21st April 2022

  AeroVironment has announced it will donate over 100 Quantix Recon UAS to Ukraine, independently of the US government.

• Air Warfare

  USN seeks sharper data fusion for Advanced Hawkeye

  4th May 2022

  The USN has ordered mission computer upgrade kits with advanced software for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.

• Defence Notes

  Thales subsidiary to take full ownership of Advanced Acoustic Concepts

  26th April 2022

  Leonardo DRS is divesting its stake in Advanced Acoustic Concepts.

• Land Warfare

  Enhancing Cyber Electromagnetic Activity solutions to achieve spectrum dominance across multi-domain operations (sponsored)

  11th May 2022

  Activity in the Electro-Magnetic Environment (EME) is increasingly focused towards supporting digital sources.

• Defence Notes

  US approves new $800 million arms transfer package to Ukraine

  14th April 2022

  Switchblade loitering munitions, Mi-17 helicopters and additional Javelin missiles are among a host of weapons and equipment to be provided by the US to Ukraine in a new military aid package.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - mini

  RQ-20A Puma [Latvia]

  Programme Background The US DoD is financing military modernisation in the Baltic to improve the capabilities of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian militaries. This includes ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F Chinook [Saudi Arabia]

  Programme Background In addition to the aircraft, the request includes M134D mini-Guns, aircraft survivability equipment, infrared signature suppression system, fast rope insertion extraction system, extended ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow On

  Programme Background In March 2019, Airbus stated that it expected orders from the US Army for between 12 and 15 UH-72A helicopters. In March 2020, ...

• AGMV 1.1

  Programme Background The US Army has been seeking a lightweight, air-droppable, high mobility vehicle since as early as 2014, when it initiated its Ultra Light ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Surplus M1126 Stryker APCs (Thailand)

  Programme BackgroundAccording to reports from Thai and US media, the RTA planned to take delivery of 120 Strykers by the end of 2020. These would ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Multirole Fighter [Morocco]

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

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60M Black Hawk (Second Contract) [Croatia]

  Programme Background Western Technology With the help of the US, Croatia has attempted to improve its military technology, replacing Soviet equipment, such as the Mi-8/Mi-17. ...

• Main battle 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 ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | KC-130J [Saudi Arabia]

  Royal Saudi Air Force is seeking to purchase three KC-130J tanker aircraft in addition to two units acquired under foreign military sale (FMS) programme. On 9 ...

• Data links

  Data links | KC-130J [Saudi Arabia]

  Royal Saudi Air Force is seeking to purchase three KC-130J tanker aircraft in addition to two units acquired under foreign military sale (FMS) programme. On 9 ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | KC-130J [Saudi Arabia]

  Royal Saudi Air Force is seeking to purchase three KC-130J tanker aircraft in addition to two units acquired under foreign military sale (FMS) programme. On 9 ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-64E Apache (Follow-On) [Morocco]

  Programme Background Morocco has placed a request with the US government for AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. On 20 November 2019, it was announced that the ...

• UAE Surplus MaxxPro MRAP

  Programme Background Following the withdrawal of many of its forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, the US has sought to divest of many of its MRAPs ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Switchblade 300 (USA)

  Programme Background AeroVironment has been providing the Switchblade 300 loitering munition to the US Army under the long-standing Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile Systems (LMAMS) programme ...

• Military UAS - mini

  RQ-11 Raven (US Army)

  Programme Background The AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven began to be deployed by the US Army in 2004 and was selected as its sole small UAS in ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Maritime patrol

  US-2

  The ShinMaywa US-2 is an amphibious short take-off and landing aircraft used primarily by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) for SAR. 

• Data links

  GNOMAD US Domestic

  The US domestic version of GNOMAD (see separate entry) is a ruggedised system comprising a satellite antenna and baseband modular chassis that can be installed ...

• 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 ...

• US Navy T-44C training services

  In late 2013, CAE received a contract to provide the USN with comprehensive T-44C aircrew training services at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. CAE USA is ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army Flight School XXI OFT/RCTD

  L3Harris Technologies is a major subcontractor to CSC on the US Army’s Flight School XXI (FSXXI) programme. L3Harris Technologies has built or is under contract ...

• Towed mortars

  M120/M120A1

  The M120/M120A1 120 mm Towed Mortar System is a US-built version of the Soltam K6 mortar that was accepted into US Army service in 1990.

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

  ScanEagle 3

  Insitu unveiled the ScanEagle 3 at the Xponential exhibition in Denver in May 2018. The platform has twice the payload capacity of its ScanEagle predecessor ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  RG33

  BAE Systems RG33 is a family of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles available in both 4x4 and 6x6. The medium-weight class of BAE Systems MRAP ...

• Military - USVs

  Voyager

  Voyager is an Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) built by US-based Saildrone. Voyager has been used by the US Navy (USN) and is one of three ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-119 (TH-73A Thrasher )

  The US Navy announced on 13 January 2020 that Leonardo had been awarded a US$176.5 million contract for the production of 32 TH-119 helicopters in ...

• Frigates

  Oliver Hazard Perry Class

  The Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigates (FFG) were initially designed for the US Navy in the mid-1970s as cost-efficient surface combatants. The robust design has ...

• Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  AN/PLT-5 Thor-II

  Sierra Nevada Corporations’s (SNC's) AN/PLT-5 Thor-II Counter Improvised Explosive Device (CIED) system is designed to equip CIED teams and is used throughout the US armed ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - MLDS, Air: Defensive Systems - Laser Warning Receivers

  LIMWS

  BAE Systems is leading the US Army’s Limited Interim Missile Warning System (LIMWS) initiative. This is intended to enhance the missile protection provided to US ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  OH-58 Kiowa

  The single-engine OH-58 Kiowa, derived from the Bell 206, entered US Army service in 1969 as a light observation helicopter. More than 2,200 were built for ...

• Trailers

  M900 Series

  Heil’s M900-series tactical refuellers are designed and built to meet US military performance standards. The M967A2 ground equipment refueller and the M969A3 aircraft refueller are ...