• Air Warfare

  Sophistication versus simplification: the divided future of air-to-air missiles

  12th October 2026

  As global air combat operations continue to evolve at a rate not seen for decades, what will the next generation of air-to-air weapons look like, and what missions will they need to fulfil?

• Air Warfare

  Europe risks losing control of CUAS production capacity as manufacturers look abroad

  16th September 2026

  European counter-drone developers are securing early orders in the Middle East while slow domestic acquisition processes threaten to redirect production capacity, expertise and investment away from Europe.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy starts acquisition process for uncrewed maritime systems for support missions

  10th November 2025

  The USN is interested in uncrewed capabilities that can carry out explosive ordnance disposal, mine countermeasures, force protection, ISR and anti-submarine missions.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy SPY-6 approaches FRP with Raytheon already having “a hot production line”

  2nd March 2026

  Jen Gauthier, Raytheon’s VP of Naval Systems and Sustainment, told Shephard that the company is awaiting the US Navy’s green light to move “fully into full-rate production”.

• Naval Warfare

  Turkey targets Italian market with strategic partnership on USVs and hybrid platforms

  19th February 2026

  Havelsan, VN Maritime and Piloda Defence will collaborate to develop and integrate a range of maritime solutions with a view to secure a first procurement contract in Italy in the first half of this year.

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Australian Navy sizes up modernisation plans for new and existing capabilities

  11th December 2025

  The Australian navy is pushing ahead with its efforts to modernise its workforce and capabilities while balancing risky submarine upgrades, ageing Collins-class boats and a shrinking minehunter fleet. Head of navy capability RAdm Stephen Hughes updated Shephard on the force’s progress.

• Naval Warfare

  Uncrewed fleets emerge as AUKUS nations’ answer to capability interval

  25th March 2026

  While their multibillion-dollar nuclear submarine ambitions move forward at a glacial industrial pace, all three countries are making a swifter bet: fleets of uncrewed vessels that can be built, deployed and iterated in years rather than decades.

• Air Warfare

  Attack drones versus CUAS – the future of warfare or just another trend?

  17th August 2026

  Demand signals for counter-drone technology are strong and the market is becoming crowded, but is this really the beginning of a new phase of warfare or will commentators be talking about something else 10 years from now?

• Land Warfare

  US Army seeks industry support to prepare acquisitions of Group 4+ UAVs

  2nd January 2026

  The US Army is keen to hear about vendor designs, strategies and potential hardware and software solutions to inform requirements for procurement efforts.

• 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

  “A staggering rate of change”: how experience combating IEDs is being applied to the C-UAS arena

  10th June 2026

  The scale of the current escalation in drone attacks is fuelling demand for C-UAS technology that must address a rapidly evolving and expanding threat. Against this background, important lessons can be learned from the battle against IEDs, with networked responses and dispersed capabilities essential to deliver enduring protection.

• 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.

• Defence Notes

  Leonardo unveils plans for Michelangelo air defence dome

  28th November 2025

  The new multi-layered defence system will harness AI to neutralise airborne threats and protect Europe from Russian aggression.

• Defence Notes

  How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?

  24th December 2025

  Disruption of infrastructure in Europe, whether by cyberattack, physical damage to pipelines or uncrewed aerial vehicles flying over major airports, as has happened more recently, is on the rise. What is the most effective way of countering the aerial aspect of this not-so-open warfare?

• Land Warfare

  Levelling up – how autonomous fire control tackles unmanned lethality head-on

  6th November 2025

  As autonomous weapon systems proliferate, it is now essential to use the same core technologies to counteract and neutralise them.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Minehunters

  MCMV 47 [Brazil]

  The original plan for the Brazilian Navy to acquire two new mine countermeasures vessels to replace the aging Aratu-class vessels which were delivered from Germany ...

• Minehunters

  Project SEA 1905 - MMCMMS [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirements Australia is looking to acquire up to eight new advanced mine countermeasures/hydrographic survey vessels under the Project SEA 1905 Maritime Mine Countermeasures ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H-145M (Serbia)

  Serbia's aircraft will be equipped with a fast roping system, high-performance camera, fire support equipment, ballistic protection as well as an electronic countermeasures system. The ...

• Minehunters

  Pulau Rengat Class MCMV Replacement [Indonesia]

  Programme Background Requirements The Indonesian Navy (TNI-AI) currently operate two ageing Dutch-built Pulau Rengat-class MCMVs, which entered service in March 1988. These are now fast approaching ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  T-50 [Thailand]

  The purchase had been earlier approved by the Thai cabinet on 11 July 2017.  AVM Pongsak Semachai revealed that the aircraft would be paid for ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  ReDrone [Romania]

  Background Romania signed a contract with Elbit Systems to receive its ReDrone multi-layered unmanned air defense systems (C-UAS). The ReDrone is equipped with a DAiR ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Skeldar V-200 (2020) [Netherlands]

  Background Joint programme For the joint MCM programme between Belgium and the Netherlands, the Dutch Ministry of Defence issued a notice in 2018 calling for ...

• Minehunters

  P6359 Future Naval Mine Countermeasures system (NMCM) [Norway]

  Programme Background Requirements Norway's current inventory of mine countermeasures (MCM) vessels consists of two Oksøy-class mine hunting vessels and two Atla-class mine sweeping vessels with a ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  T-50 Follow-On [Thailand]

  Programme Background The Royal Thai Air Force  (RTAF) exercised its option to purchase additional two aircraft from an earlier deal. The RTAF purchased four T-50 jets in ...

• Minehunters

  Mine Countermeasures Platforms (1-12) [Germany]

  Background Requirements According to German media outlets, in 2018, Germany started the process for the acquisition of 11 new minehunters to bolster the current Type 332 ...

• Minehunters

  Awaji Class (1-4) [Japan]

  Programme Background Two Awaji class mine countermeasures vessels (MCMV) were ordered from the Japanese shipyard Japan Marine United (JMU) for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) initially. ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  KCR-60M (5-6) [Indonesia]

  Programme Background Timeline The KCR-60M (Kapal Cepat Redul) is a fast missile attack craft in service with the Indonesian Navy.  Also known as the Sampari-class, ...

• Minehunters

  Awaji Class (5-9) [Japan]

  Programme Background Timeline Two Awaji class mine countermeasures vessels (MCMV) were ordered from the Japanese shipyard Japan Marine United (JMU) for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Multi-Role Vehicle (Protected) (MRV-P) Package 1 (UK)

  Programme Background Requirement The MRV-P programme was intended to procure replacements for a diverse fleet of 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles purchased during the wars in Iraq ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Skeldar V-200 [Belgium]

  Background Joint Programme For the joint MCM programme between Belgium and the Netherlands, the Dutch Ministry of Defence issued a notice in 2018, calling for ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Naval: RF/IR/acoustic decoys

  RF and IR Countermeasures (Current)

  Chemring Countermeasures provides both radar-reflective and IR 130mm cartridges, as well as payloads in varying calibres up to 130mm for a range of current decoy ...

• Naval: RF/IR/acoustic decoys

  RF and IR Countermeasures (Developmental)

  Chemring Countermeasures' development of RF distraction capability is focused on a single-burst chaff payload that features variable range and height control of the deployment point. ...

• Air: chaff/flare/decoy systems

  Alloy Surfaces and Kilgore IRCM flares

  Chemring Countermeasures develops and manufactures the Alloy Surfaces and Kilgore range of airborne IR flares that are compatible with most available dispensers on a variety ...

• UAS: Integrated systems - uncrewed

  MRA

  The Miniature Radar Altimeter (MRA) provides a radar solution weighing 400g with a 105cm² footprint that is claimed to be one of the world’s smallest ...

• Naval: RF/IR/acoustic decoys

  C-Guard

  C-Guard, formerly known as SKWS, is a lightweight decoy launching system developed for small and large ships using standard NATO SeaGnat 130mm tubes in fixed ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming, Air: chaff/flare/decoy systems

  MEB Mk 3 Type 1

  Chemring’s MEB Mk.3 Type-1 is a chaff magazine which can equip standard NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) countermeasures dispensers. The company says in its official ...

• Light UGVs

  Zeus

  NIC Instruments' Zeus UGV is a development of its First Responder (see separate entry) platform and was unveiled at Milipol Paris in November 2017. The company ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming, Air: chaff/flare/decoy systems

  Chaff Pack BOL Mk2 Type 1

  Chemring developed the BOL Mk.2 Type-1 chaff pack to work with Saab’s BOL countermeasures dispenser. The latter is deployed widely on fast jets through the ...

• Air: chaff/flare/decoy systems

  RR129 Chaff Cartridge

  Chemring’s RR129 chaff cartridge is designed to equip fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft protecting them against radar-guided air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles. The company’s official literature says ...

• Air: chaff/flare/decoy systems

  Fighter Countermeasures

  Lacroix makes a range of chaff IR and EO decoy cartridges dedicated to the protection of all airborne platforms. Decoy cartridges are compatible with any ...

• Naval: RF/IR/acoustic decoys

  Naval Countermeasures

  Lacroix's naval countermeasures are shipborne expendable decoys for seduction, distraction and seduction/dissimulation, using both chaff and IR modules and chaff rockets. Chaff covers I/J band. ...

• Light UGVs

  Ibis

  Unveiled in September 2008, the 6x6 Ibis UGV has been designed for EOD clearance, reconnaissance and rescue operations. It features a manipulator arm possessing a ...

• Land: COMINT and ELINT systems, Land: Defensive Systems - DF systems

  Resolve EW Suite

  Resolve is a manpack electronic surveillance system designed for the interception, geolocation and exploitation of tactical communications. It has a true 40MHz instantaneous wideband capability, ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  AN/ALQ-214 IDECM RFCM

  The ALQ-214 Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures RF Countermeasures (IDECM RFCM) subsystem comprises an onboard technique generator developed by Harris integrated with an offboard fibre-optic towed ...

• Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  Broadshield- LCS

  The Lightweight Countermeasures Suite (LCS) is a small form factor manpack inhibitor. Utilising the company's modular countermeasures suite (MCS) technology, the LCS offers active only ...