• Air Warfare

  UK buys SPEAR 3 to arm naval aircraft

  6th January 2021

  High-subsonic missile from MBDA will equip F-35B aircraft on UK carriers.

• Defence Notes

  Belarus retains close procurement ties with Russia

  6th January 2021

  Moves to acquire extra multi-role fighters and helicopters reflect continued reliance on Russian materiel.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Egypt seeks more advanced UAV capabilities

  14th January 2021

  Egypt is believed to be interested in the Falco Xplorer ISR platform, in keeping with a strong defence business relationship between Italy and the North African country.

• Land Warfare

  Test on Sabre showcases MMP fire and forget capability

  6th January 2021

  MBDA missile achieved direct hit on target without operator intervention.

• Air Warfare

  Australian Army chooses new Guardian angel

  14th January 2021

  Australia strengthens its commonality with the US by deciding to introduce the AH-64E Apache attack helicopter.

• Naval Warfare

  First NZ frigate returns from upgrade

  5th January 2021

  Overbudget and behind schedule, HMNZS Te Kaha returns from Canada after its midlife upgrade.

• Air Warfare

  RAAF to expand Poseidon posse by a pair

  4th January 2021

  With maritime threats continuing to abound, Australia exercises an option for two more Boeing maritime patrol aircraft.

• Naval Warfare

  South Korea reveals imagery of LPX-II carrier

  7th January 2021

  South Korea has its heart set on a new light aircraft carrier capable of operating F-35B fighters and helicopters.

• Land Warfare

  Questions remain over fate of Armata

  31st December 2020

  The clock is ticking for the Armata programme to hit its delivery target.

• Defence Notes

  Taiwan is piggy in the middle amidst Sino-US competition

  15th January 2021

  A strategic 'Great Game' is going on between China and the US, with Taiwan unfortunately stuck in the middle and under pressure.

• Digital Battlespace

  The “get everything” sensors are going everywhere (sponsored)

  4th January 2021

  Wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) moves from large, bulky aerostats to small, tactical UAS

• Digital Battlespace

  FMS for third Italian G550 moves closer

  16th December 2020

  L3 Harris named as prime contractor for potential $500 million deal.

• Digital Battlespace

  Raytheon steps up again for QEWR

  9th December 2020

  Early warning radar system forms part of layered air and missile defence architecture

• Defence Notes

  Malaysian auditor takes aim at A400Ms and submarines

  14th December 2020

  The MoD comes under fire for its handling of the delayed A400M aircraft acquisition and the overhaul of Scorpene submarines.

• Training

  Joint Israeli Navy-NATO exercise to develop maritime medical procedures

  14th December 2020

  The latest casevac capacity-building demonstration is the most complex to date, following previous exercises in 2018 and 2019.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - mini

  Wolverine / Honeybadger [US]

  Programme Background During the Modern Day Marine (MDM) exhibition, held in Washington between 10-12 May 2022, XTEND announced it would supply hundreds of Wolverine platforms ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Embarked VTOL UAV [South Korea]

  Background VTOL Development In January 2024, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that it would commence development of a VTOL-capable rotary-wing UAV to be ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) (Tranche 2) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  Background The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) programme The RPUAS programme will provide the battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an organic, ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Short Range/Short Endurance (SR/SE) [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

• Loitering munitions

  Harop [Azerbaijan]

  Programme Background According to a December 2020 report by the Centre for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), Azerbaijan acquired an estimated 50 Harop loitering munitions ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  UH-60M Black Hawk [Mexico]

  Programme Background In April 2016, Mexico finalised an order for seven additional UH-60M platforms. At the time of procurement, the Mexican Air Force already had ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16 Block 52 Pakistan

  Programme Background The 2016 FMS was proposed to the US Congress as a way to help increase Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counterterrorism operations. ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-1Z [Romania]

  The Romanian MoD has a long-standing requirement for new rotary platforms, including troop transport, supply and attack configurations. According to the the Military Strategy document, ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Paraguay VAMTAC ST5

  Programme Background Paraguay's Joint Task Force is in need of new armoured vehicles that can provide sufficient protection against the small arms, mines and IEDs ...

• Military UAS - small

  Aerosonde Mk 4.7 [Qatar]

  Background Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) At DIMDEX 2016, a QAR 54.7 million ($14.97 million) MoU between the Qatar Armed Forces and the US company Textron Systems for ...

• Maritime patrol

  Fixed-Wing Search And Rescue Aircraft Replacement Project- Canada

  Background The fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft replacement project was launched to replace the Canadian CC-115 Buffalo and CC-130H Hercules aircraft.  The initial request for ...

• Loitering munitions

  Organic Precision Fire - Light (OPF-L) (Contracted) [USMC]

  Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. In May 2022, an ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  CH-4 [Jordan]

  Methodology PGO and programme status The CH-4Bs appear to have been delivered in 2016, meaning the programme is complete and has therefore been assigned a ...

• 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 ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  Tejas LCA - India Follow-On

  According to the HAL's chairman R Madhavan, 'apart from all the capabilities of IOC aircraft, the FOC variant additionally comes with an air-to-air refuelling capability, close-combat ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BTR-MDM

  The BTR-MDM Rakushka is an amphibious tracked armoured vehicle developed by Kurganmashzavod to meet the Russian Airborne Forces' (VDV) need for a new air-droppable APC. ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MDM-HF

  The MDM-3001, MDM-2201 and MDM-2501 multi-mode HF data modems provide single-tone (serial) HF data communications capability in accordance with the requirements of MIL-STD-188-110A (para 5.3). ...

• Data links

  Link 11 DTS

  The programmable Data Terminal Set (DTS) uses real-time processor architectures and signal processing algorithms. It is designed for controlled network operation in a Link 11 ...

• Data links

  MDM-2X02N

  The MDM-2X02N is a tactical data link modem that combines the functionalities of a Link 11 DTS and Link 22 signal processor controller (SPC) into ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MDM-Q9604

  Collins Aerospace’s MDM-Q9604 high-speed, high-data-rate HF modem is capable of transmitting data over a standard 3KHz single sideband at 9,600b/s or a 6kHz ISB at ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BMD-4M

  The BMD-4M is based on the BMD-4, which has been in the Russian Army's airborne forces (VDV) service since 2004. It was developed to provide an ...

• Military - USVs

  High-Speed Intercept Boat

  Poly Technologies displayed its High-Speed Intercept Boat at DSA in Malaysia in 2016. 

• MPVs - 4x4

  Bars-6

  Bogdan publicly unveiled the 7t Bars-6 (Panther) 4x4 light APC at IDEX 2015, and in July 2016, the company introduced an upgraded version ready for ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Mini UAV Fixed Wing I

  The Jordan Design and Development Bureau (JODDB) unveiled the hand-launched Mini UAS (also known as Mini UAV Fixed-Wing I) at SOFEX 2016, along with a wider family ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Mysterious Bee

  The Mysterious Bee hybrid, fixed-wing/quadcopter UAV was unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow 2016. It is designed to operate from ships, small islands, mountainous areas and ...

• Self-propelled mortars

  2S42 Lotos

  The 2S42 Lotos (Lotus) is a self-propelled artillery system that is being developed by Rostec subsidiary TsNIITochMash to replace the Russian VDV airborne forces' and ...

• Land: RWS

  Asgard RCT

  The Asgard RCT (Remote Control Turret) is the unmanned member of the Asgard 127 modular one-person turret family introduced in 2016. It is suitable for ...

• Military - USVs

  SeaFly-01

  The SeaFly-01 USV, developed by Beijing Sifang Automation, was showcased at the 11th Zhuhai Airshow in China in November 2016. It is designed for various ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Phoenix

  The Phoenix UAV is a delta-wing platform designed largely for civilian applications such as policing, border patrol, coast guard, fire-fighting and surveillance, as well as ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  VN2C

  The VN2C 6x6 armoured vehicle was introduced at the Zhuhai Airshow in November 2016. Aimed at the export market, it appears to be an updated version ...