• Land Warfare

  March land forces roundup: A new war confronts the old drone problem

  2nd April 2026

  The attack by the US and Israel on Iran which began at the end of February presented a Ukraine-like scenario of drone-led warfare – in fact the same drone type in the Shahed – and the problem of how to counter them.

• Air Warfare

  India revives Netra Mk-II AWACS after Airbus cost dispute

  22nd August 2025

  India has cleared higher retrofit costs for six ageing Airbus A321s to be converted into Netra Mk-II airborne surveillance platforms, marking progress in a long-delayed AWACS programme but raising questions over lifespan and operational value.

• Air Warfare

  US approves $16.5 billion in ‘emergency’ sales for air defence equipment for Middle East allies

  20th March 2026

  The United Arab Emirates has taken the lion’s share of this round, with the US supporting its F-16 fleet and signing off on possible sales for more AMRAAM AIM-120 missiles and a counter-drone system.

• Land Warfare

  Eurosatory 2026: Recovery, reconnaissance, autonomy and air defence shape land systems developments

  17th June 2026

  New recovery vehicles, reconnaissance platforms, autonomous fire-support systems and short-range air-defence capabilities on display at Eurosatory 2026 highlighted how land forces are adapting to evolving battlefield requirements.

• Naval Warfare

  Canada boosts Arctic presence as CCGS Donjek prepares for sea trials this year

  6th May 2026

  CCGS Donjek is currently being prepared to start testing and be handed over to the Canadian Coast Guard in the second half of 2026.

• Naval Warfare

  US Coast Guard prepares procurement of next-gen surface search radar

  25th November 2025

  The NXSSR will replace five in-service capabilities and be the US Coast Guard’s primary collision avoidance system.

• Land Warfare

  FIA 2026: MBDA launches low-cost interceptor for short-range air defence

  21st July 2026

  At FIA 2026, MBDA launched its Counter Mass Interceptor (CMI) which the company says is a mass-producible, low-cost effector for fire-and-forget engagements at range and altitude.

• Land Warfare

  Active vehicle protection comes to the forefront as Trophy and Iron Fist secure contracts

  16th February 2026

  Experience on the battlefield is accelerating the adoption of active protection systems as technologies continue to evolve to reflect shifting global defence needs.

• Air Warfare

  FIA 2026: Vectored thrust boosts Shield AI X-BAT's VTOL capability

  22nd July 2026

  Integration of the Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN) has been achieved by Shield AI and GE Aerospace on the X-BAT vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) uncrewed strike aircraft.

• Naval Warfare

  Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA

  11th June 2026

  The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.

• Air Warfare

  What will the replacement of A-10s by F-35s mean for the US Air Force?

  9th March 2026

  The USAF plans to phase out its 162 in-operation A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthogs by the end of FY2026, replacing them with F-35As which will bring a leap in capabilities in terms of lethality, survivability and speed.

• Naval Warfare

  Lockheed Martin confirms 2029 target date for US Navy’s Aegis/PAC-3 MSE integration

  23rd April 2026

  Enabling Aegis-equipped vessels to launch PAC-3 MSE interceptors will give the USN more options to engage highly manoeuvrable hypersonic missiles – including the ones China has been developing.

• Air Warfare

  How detection-led C-UAS solutions are transforming drone defense

  23rd March 2026

  Modern C-UAS solutions must detect threats early, integrate layered sensors, and deliver fast, scalable, adaptable defense against evolving drones.

• Land Warfare

  “Timelines are measured in seconds”: tackling the UAS threat with dispersed defences

  17th July 2026

  Small uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) have transformed the battlespace, posing a complex threat across all domains. Militaries now need counter-UAS (CUAS) capabilities that defeat the danger while meeting demands around readiness, manoeuvrability and adaptability, according to Mike Spina, Director, Global Sales and Business Development for Targeting and Sensor Systems (TSS) at L3Harris Technologies.

• Air Warfare

  Additional delays might hit Pentagon’s critical air programmes, GAO warns

  10th July 2026

  B-52 modernisation, Sentinel, MH-139A, T-7A and Air Force One replacement are among the US Air Force programmes the GAO says remain at risk of further schedule slips and cost growth due to acquisition and management challenges.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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

  F-15SA Saudi Arabia

  The aircraft deal includes 170 APG-63(v)3 AESA radar sets, 193 F-110-GE-129 Improved Performance Engines, 100 M61 Vulcan Cannons, 338 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems amongst ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Project Quadriga [Germany]

  Programme Background Under Project Quadriga, Berlin is seeking a replacement for its 33 Typhoon Tranche 1. Furthermore, Germany is offering its Tranche 1 fleet to ...

• 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 UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  ISTAR UAS project [Canada]

  Programme Background Objective The Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) main significant UAV project is the RCN Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Unmanned Aircraft System (RCN ...

• 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

  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 ...

• 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 ...

• Maritime patrol

  Sea Sultan [Pakistan]

  Programme Background On 10 January 2020, Pakistan issued a tender for a single unconfigured long-range twin-jet MPA. In October 2020, Adm Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, the PN’s soon-to-retire ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V [Türkiye]

  Programme 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 ...

• Frigates

  FFX Batch III - 1 [South Korea]

  Programme Background The new Chungnam-class (FFX Batch III) will consist of six new improved anti-aircraft detection vessels to replace the ageing escort and patrol ships ...

• 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 ...

• Frigates

  FFX Batch III - 2 [South Korea]

  Programme Background Timeline The new Ulsan-class (FFX Batch III) will consist of six new improved anti-aircraft detection vessels to replace the ageing escort and patrol ships ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  Grifo E

  The Grifo-E is an advanced fire-control radar developed by Leonardo, featuring Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology for enhanced situational awareness. It employs Active Electronically Scanned ...

• Land: air defence radar

  ELM-2090S

  IAI-ELTA's ELM-2090S Spectra is an S-band search and track radar designed to autonomously detect and simultaneously track Ballistic Missiles (BMs), Air Breathing Targets (ABT) and ...

• Land: air defence radar

  KRONOS Grand Mobile HP

  The KRONOS GRAND Mobile HP is an upgraded version of the KRONOS Grand Mobile using GaN (Gallium Nitride) technology for the AESA antenna. The radar ...

• 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 ...

• Sea: naval surveillance radar

  Sea Fire Multi Function Radar

  The Sea Fire is a four-panel, multifunction, four-dimensional radar developed by Thales. The radar was designed to conduct ship self-defence, extended air defence missions, and ...

• Land: air defence radar

  KRONOS Land

  KRONOS is a mobile multifunctional C-band radar system designed by Leonardo to support air and coastal defence tactical operations.  The system simultaneously performs surveillance, dedicated target ...

• Sea: naval surveillance radar

  TRS-4D Fixed Panel

  The TRS-4D Fixed Panel is the fixed panel version of the TRS-4D, manufactured by Hensoldt. It is a three-dimensional multi-functional naval radar designed for surveillance ...

• Land: air defence radar

  TMMR

  The Tactical Multi-Mission Radar (TMMR) is Leonardo’s C-band AESA radar designed for detecting, classifying, and tracking small, high-maneuvering targets. It’s designed for various applications, including counter-UAS, ...

• Land: air defence radar

  iMOTR

  The Innovative Multiple-Object Tracking Radar (iMOTR) system has been designed to provide military test ranges with more accurate time, space and position information for several ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  ELM-2052

  The ELM-2052 is an X-band active electronically scanned array fire control radar designed for air-to-air superiority and advanced strike missions. The system features solid-state active ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Weapon Locating Radar

  The Weapon Locating Radar (TPQ-74K), developed by South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), designed to address North Korea's artillery threats. This radar system can ...

• Sea: naval surveillance radar

  NS100

  The NS100 is a four-dimensional naval air surveillance and three-dimensional surface surveillance radar manufactured by Thales in the Netherlands. It can also provide weapons support ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers, Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming, Air: Electronic Attack - Pod, Naval: COMINT and ELINT systems

  Arexis

  The AREXIS EW suite from Saab is an ECM, ISR, and radar warning receiver system designed to enhance the situational awareness and survivability of fighter pilots. ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Smart-L MM/F

  The SMART-L MM/F (Multi-Mission Fixed) is a next-generation, long-range, multi-mission radar developed by Thales for air and space surveillance and ballistic missile detection. It features ...

• Fighter - electronic warfare

  Eurofighter EK (Electronic Combat)

  The Eurofighter EK is the  jamming and escort electronic attack version of the Eurofighter fighter jet. Developed by Airbus and incorporating Saab's Arexis EW suite ...