• Air Warfare

  April drone digest: Why militaries are rethinking high-end drones

  27th April 2026

  From France to Romania, there has been a clear shift away from expensive, vulnerable MALE UAVs in April towards lower-cost, expendable systems. Hard lessons from Ukraine and Iran have driven this shift.

• Air Warfare

  Spain air focus: Demand builds with $19.7 billion up for grabs in unawarded contracts

  29th January 2026

  Despite Spain’s modest GDP spend on defence, the country still has a range of fixed-wing and UAV programme requirements as yet unawarded, with a potential US$3.10 billion set to be spent over the next decade.

• Air Warfare

  June drone digest: Landmark CCA contract and deep-strike capability flourishes at Eurosatory

  29th June 2026

  June 2026 saw the landmark acquisition of the first fighter-type Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), while the month also hosted Eurosatory, which showcased deep-strike capabilities and production deals with the civilian industry.

• Land Warfare

  Textron unveils a smaller, low-cost variant of the Ripsaw family of UGVs

  29th April 2026

  Ripsaw M1 has been designed to support the US Marine Corps’ littoral missions by carrying diverse types of payloads and performing multiple missions. Shephard spoke with Textron to find out more.

• Land Warfare

  Dedicated drone munitions could unlock modular mission potential

  31st December 2025

  Top attacks have proven effective against heavily armoured vehicles in Ukraine. A new family of uncrewed aerial system-delivered munitions is looking to press that advantage further.

• Land Warfare

  MAAF to test Britain’s shift from armour to distributed lethality in Estonia

  10th September 2026

  The bilateral agreement between the UK and Estonia comes as both countries explore how dispersed troops, drones, digital targeting, anti-tank weapons and increasingly long-range fires can complement the combat mass traditionally provided by heavy armour.

• Land Warfare

  Indian Army’s new battle blueprint takes shape

  23rd January 2026

  The Indian Army’s modernisation plans reflect the lessons learned from ongoing conflicts and threats as it continues its push for indigenous capabilities.

• Defence Notes

  NATO signs agreements worth billions of dollars on missiles, air defence and aircraft

  9th July 2026

  Announcements on aircraft deals and agreements for trans-alliance cooperation to boost the production and purchase of weapons and equipment were key takeaways from this week’s NATO summit.

• Land Warfare

  “No single technology is enough”: why an integrated approach to uncrewed warfare is essential

  16th July 2026

  In Conversation… Ahmet Akyol, CEO of ASELSAN, talks to Shephard’s Gerrard Cowan about how the rapid evolution of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) is transforming the battlespace, with militaries focused on both deploying these platforms to maximum effect and developing the defensive systems needed to counter them.

• Air Warfare

  Lithuania air focus: Majority of $235.98 million drone investment to be spent before 2030

  4th May 2026

  Lithuania has committed significant funding towards expanding its UAV capabilities, with more than $54 million already spent and substantial additional investment planned through to 2029. Alongside domestic procurement, the country has also acquired various drones to support Ukraine.

• Land Warfare

  US Army signs for $982 million loitering munition deal as demand rises and industry follows

  6th October 2025

  The Hero-120 loitering munition has a 4.5 kg multi-purpose warhead designed to engage armoured targets. It is manufactured in the US by Mistral in partnership with Israel’s Uvision.

• 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.

• Land Warfare

  Why cost-effective flexible networks are the key to C-UAS success

  18th May 2026

  The widespread use of drones and loitering munitions in current conflicts has tilted the balance in favour of the attacking force, both operationally and economically. EOS’s Dr Andreas Schwer tackles the question of what kind of C-UAS defences are needed to protect battlefield forces, and even entire countries.

• Land Warfare

  US Army seeks CAML-Lite autonomous launcher prototypes for 2027 live-fire trials

  20th October 2026

  The optionally crewed, C-130-transportable platforms would combine modular offensive and defensive fires with autonomous resupply, with demonstrations planned for Talisman Sabre 2027.

• Air Warfare

  AUSA 2025: AeroVironment showcases new variant of Switchblade loitering munition family

  15th October 2025

  The new Switchblade 400 was on display alongside new variants of existing drones: the Switchblade 600 Block 2 and Switchblade 300 Block 20.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition 1 [Taiwan]

  Programme Background 2023 At Taichung in March 2023, NCSIST unveiled the loitering munition. The munition showed the country's focus on asymmetric capabilities to defend itself ...

• Loitering munitions

  Medium-Range Loitering Munition with LEO Satellite Data Link [South Korea]

  Background New Project In April 2025, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) announced a new project titled “Development of Medium-Range ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering munitions [Sweden]

  Background Uncrewed acquisition package The Swedish Ministry of Defence announced a SEK 4 billion ($450 million) acquisition package for various types of uncrewed systems in Janurary 2026, with ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions [Thailand]

  Programme Background Roadmap In February 2024, the RTAF unveiled its White Paper 2024. Incorporating lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel-Hamas War, and other events such ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Aerial Munitions (LAM) [India]

  Programme Background Kadet Defence Systems announced in May 2024 that 50 of its Loitering Aerial Munitions (LAM) drones would be delivered to the Indian Armed ...

• Loitering munitions

  Hero-30 [Italy]

  Background Italian Budget As revealed by the Italian MoD's Multi-Year Defence Programme Document for 2021-2023, a new procurement programme to acquire a loitering munition began ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering munitions [Brazilian Navy]

  Background Growth Acceleration Plan (PAC) As reported by Shephard, in August 2023, the Brazilian government announced plans to invest BRL 52.8 billion ($10.6 billion) in new ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions (Special Mission Brigade) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Drone Ambition As reported by Shephard, South Korea has ambitions to possess a large arsenal of drones. In May 2024, the presidential office ...

• Loitering munitions

  Medium-range loitering munitions (Framework Contract) [Germany]

  Background Framework contract value Hartpunkt, reporting in March 2026, noted that the German Army has a €2.4 billion ($2.83 billion) framework contract for the procurement of ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering munitions [Portugal]

  Background Drone testing In 2025, at the Santa Margarida Military Camp, various flight tests were conducted within the scope of the STRONG IMPACT 25 Artillery Exercise ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition (Royal Navy) [UK]

  Background Persistent Operational Deployment Systems (PODS) As the Royal Navy stated in 2022, Persistent Operational Deployment Systems (PODS) are “interchangeable modules that can be fitted to ...

• Loitering munitions

  Mini-Harpy [Israeli Navy]

  Programme Background MADEX 2023 At MADEX 2023, IAI displayed the Mini-Harpy, dubbed the Green Dragon, loitering munition in a 12-system launcher mounted to an Israel Navy Sa'ar 6 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Harop [Israeli Navy]

  Programme Background MADEX 2023 At MADEX 2023, IAI displayed the Mini-Harpy, dubbed the Green Dragon, loitering munition in a 12-system launcher mounted to an Israel ...

• Loitering munitions

  KaGeM-V3 [Pakistan]

  Programme Background In August 2023, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) released a video showcasing the KaGeM V3, Akinci and other Baykar products. According to SavunmaSanayiSt, ...

• Loitering munitions

  N-Raven / IRIX [Greece]

  Programme Background Unveiled during the Defence Exhibition Athens (DEFEA 2023) exhibition, IRIX is a Greek version of the N-Raven loitering munition developed by Paramount in ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  ALX Loitering Munition

  At BEDEX 2026 in Brussels, ALX Systems introduced its loitering munition. The UAV is a sovereign Belgian aircraft developed to meet the requirements of the ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition 1

  In March 2023, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) unveiled a tube-launched loitering munition known as the Loitering Munition 1. Similar to the configuration ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition 2

  The so-called Loitering Munition 2 is an evolution of the Chien Hsiang. Manfuaucted by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST),,the system is ...

• Loitering munitions

  VTOL Loitering Munition

  As its name suggests, the VTOL Loitering Munition is a VTOL-capable loitering munition. The UAV is manufactured by Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace, operating from Bangalore. ...

• Loitering munitions

  HERO-30

  The HERO-30 is a short-range loitering munition manufactured by UVision. It is man-pack portable and can be deployed from a canister within minutes. Once airborne, ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - small

  Havoc

  The Havoc is an attack UAV manufactured by Astra Systems for long-range strikes and operations that require increased lethality. The Havoc comes in various variants: the ...

• Loitering munitions

  Mini Harpy

  The Mini-Harpy is a multi-purpose loitering munition manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries. Equipped with an EO/IR camera payload and up to an 8kg warhead, the loitering ...

• Loitering munitions

  DEV-3

  The DEV-3 is an Armenian loitering munition manufactured by Davaro. Visually similar to Isreal Aerospace Industries' (IAI) Harop, the platform is fitted with a 10kg ...

• Air: aerial targets

  Scrab II

  The SCRAB II is a twin-turbine drone used for air defence training, air-to-air weapons training and evaluation. Manufactured by SCR, it can host various payloads and, ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - micro

  Lanius

  The Lanius is a micro-UAV and loitering munition manufactured by Elbit Systems. It can conduct BLOS ISR and attack missions autonomously in complex environments, a capability ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - micro

  Viper 300

  Viper 300 is a tube-launched loitering munition from SpearUAV. Part of the wider Viper family of drones, the loitering munition is designed to equip the dismounted soldier with ...

• Loitering munitions

  Scalpel

  The Scalpel is a Russian loitering munition produced by Vostok Design Bureau. Similar in design to the Lancet-3, the munition is described as a multipurpose loitering munition ...

• Loitering munitions

  Harop

  The Harop, and the Maritime Harop variant, is a standoff loitering munition system manufactured by Isreal Aerospace Industries (IAI). Equipped with EO/IR seekers, the combat-proven platform ...

• Loitering munitions

  KYB

  The KYB, or Kub, is a loitering munition manufactured by the  Zala Aero Group.  The platform features a flying-wing design with a pusher propeller. It is designed to deliver ...

• Loitering munitions

  Chaser

  The Chaser is a Czech tube-launched loitering munition from Excalibur International. It can be launched from air, sea and ground platforms using a Power Take-Off (PTO) System, with ...