• Naval Warfare

  As uncrewed naval systems advance, capabilities to counter them are emerging

  28th April 2026

  Research programmes and system procurement efforts to counter uncrewed surface and underwater vehicle threats are accelerating as naval drone uptake spreads.

• Naval Warfare

  Australia’s revised defence investment plan: what it means for naval warfare

  17th April 2026

  The 2026 Integrated Investment Program allocates up to A$130 billion for undersea warfare, committing the Royal Australian Navy to nuclear-powered submarines, autonomous platforms and an expanded surface combatant fleet over the next decade.

• 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.

• Defence Notes

  UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour

  21st September 2026

  A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.

• Naval Warfare

  Babcock onshores 85% of Canada’s submarine supply chain as it eyes future CPSP programme

  30th July 2026

  By moving most of the Royal Canadian Navy’s submarine supply chain into Canada, Babcock Canada is driving to strengthen sovereign sustainment capabilities while preparing to compete to maintain the future Canadian Patrol Submarine Project.

• Naval Warfare

  Baltic naval priorities shift towards mine warfare and versatile platforms

  17th July 2026

  Baltic states are investing in mine warfare, uncrewed systems and multirole platforms as major warship purchases remain scarce, industry sources indicate.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy begins SPY-6(V)4 radar testing ahead of first Arleigh Burke destroyer backfit

  3rd August 2026

  Wallops Island trials will validate the next-generation radar's combat system integration before its installation aboard USS Pinckney, the first Flight IIA destroyer to receive the SPY-6(V)4 upgrade.

• Naval Warfare

  SAHA 2026: Aselsan seeks to replicate Turkey’s UAV success at sea

  7th May 2026

  Turkey’s defence electronics company has unveiled two new uncrewed naval systems at SAHA 2026 – but the harder test will be converting it into an export success.

• Naval Warfare

  Melting ice is rewriting Arctic naval requirements

  2nd September 2026

  As the High North opens to shipping, navies face rising demand for icebreakers, ASW vessels, uncrewed systems and surveillance assets far beyond the submarine fleet.

• Naval Warfare

  “We must end the mentality of ever larger platforms”: Why USVs are scaling

  30th April 2026

  Multiple USV programme milestones announced last week, aligned with a reinforcement of the Royal Navy’s vision for a hybrid fleet, point to innovation-led ambition but also to a structural calculation with resource ceilings that neither London nor Washington can ignore.

• Naval Warfare

  US turns to allies to tackle navy shipbuilding backlog

  19th August 2026

  A White House memorandum acknowledges US Navy shipbuilding backlogs and a weakened industrial base, opening a formal path for South Korean and Japanese yards to help rebuild capacity.

• Naval Warfare

  Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies

  5th June 2026

  A new Council on Geostrategy primer warns that NATO cannot defend its own supply lines. As the alliance faces a sealift and logistics escort deficit, a wave of unawarded procurement is beginning to take shape.

• Air Warfare

  Proteus: Forging the future of autonomous rotorcraft

  15th July 2026

  As the home of British helicopters, Leonardo has worked with the UK Ministry of Defence for over a decade to advance technologies underpinning uncrewed rotorcraft. Today, in partnership with UK Defence Innovation and the Royal Navy, Leonardo is spearheading the next step in that journey: from remotely piloted technologies to fully autonomous systems.

• Naval Warfare

  SOF Week 2026: US Navy USV completes record eight-day autonomous mission

  16th May 2026

  The MARTAC T38 Devil Ray USV has set a new endurance benchmark as the US Navy pushes deeper into autonomous maritime warfare.

• Naval Warfare

  Subsea surveillance: why connecting military and civilian assets could be crucial

  25th May 2026

  As costs rise and threats multiply, maritime awareness is shifting from platforms to networks, and civilian infrastructure plays a central role.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - small

  AR3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Background £270 Million investment On 15 September 2025, the UK MoD noted that, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK ...

• Military UAS - small

  Intra-Theatre Lift [UK]

  Background  Relationship to the Heavy Lift Challenge The Royal Navy (RN) embarked on the Heavy Lift Challenge, now called the Heavy Lift Capability (UASHLC), to explore cargo-carrying ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Project NYX: Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform (LACP) [UK]

  Background Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) strategy Reflecting on lessons from the cancellation of the Mosquito programme, the Royal Air Force (RAF) redefined the role of ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Intra-Theatre Lift [UK]

  On 27 June 2022, the MoD released a request for information (RFI) for a long-reach intra-theatre lift UAV. The RfI stated that the MOD had identified a ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Intra-Theatre Lift [UK]

  On 27 June 2022, the MoD released a request for information (RFI) for a long-reach intra-theatre lift UAV. The RfI stated that the MOD had identified a ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) (Project Vanquish) [UK]

  In October 2025, the Royal Navy (RN) issued a request for industry proposals for Project Vanquish, an initiative to develop and test a Tier 2 ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) (Project Vanquish) [UK]

  In October 2025, the Royal Navy (RN) issued a request for industry proposals for Project Vanquish, an initiative to develop and test a Tier 2 ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  AR5 [Portugal]

  Methodology PGO The PGO has been set to 100% because the programme has been contracted, with deliveries due very shortly. Units required No details were ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Project Corvus [UK]

  Background Retirement and replacement In November 2024, speaking in the House of Commons, Defence Secretary John Healey stated that the WK 450 Watchkeeper was to be ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) (Project Vanquish) [UK]

  Background Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) Strategy Reflecting on lessons from the cancellation of the Mosquito programme, the Royal Air Force (RAF) redefined the role of ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (1) [Malaysia]

  Malaysia is procuring a Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS-1) designed to perform multiple maritime operations, including maritime law enforcement, EEZ protection, surveillance, and counter-trafficking. The Malaysian ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (1) [Malaysia]

  Malaysia is procuring a Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS-1) designed to perform multiple maritime operations, including maritime law enforcement, EEZ protection, surveillance, and counter-trafficking. The Malaysian ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (2) [Malaysia]

  Malaysia is procuring a second Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS-2) designed to perform multiple maritime operations, including maritime law enforcement, EEZ protection, surveillance, and counter-trafficking. The ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (2) [Malaysia]

  Malaysia is procuring a second Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS-2) designed to perform multiple maritime operations, including maritime law enforcement, EEZ protection, surveillance, and counter-trafficking. The ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | C295 MPAs [India]

  In February 2024, India's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to purchase 15 maritime patrol aircraft for about $3.5 billion. The Indian ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - tactical

  AR5

  First announced in October 2012, the AR5 is a MALE UAS designed for SAR, surveillance and maritime patrol missions. The AR5 can be flown manually or commanded ...

• Military UAS - small

  AR3

  The AR3, or AR3 Net Ray, is an autonomous small-UAS designed to support land-based and maritime missions.  In May 2025, the Royal Air Force announced ...

• Military UAS - small

  AR3 EVO

  Unveiled at DSEI 2025, the AR3 EVO is a small fixed-wing UAV from Tekever. The system is highly modular and can be configured in a ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  ARX

  Unveiled at Xponential 2024, the ARX is a fixed-wing drone developed by Tekever.  It features common electronics and software with other Tekever drones. Unlike those ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  AR6

  Unveiled in mid-2026, the AR6 is an autonomous heavy-lift drone from Tekever. It features a unique digital-displacement hydraulic powertrain and has been designed from the ...

• EO/IR systems

  PT-8DN

  The PT-8DN is a versatile day-night payload from Overwatch Imaging.  It has dual RGB sensors of different focal lengths and an HD LWIR sensor. It also ...

• Military UAS - small

  AR2 Carcará

  The AR2 Carcará is a hand- or catapult-launched mini-UAV designed to support search and rescue, surveillance and patrol operations in amphibious and maritime environments. It is ...

• Military UAS - mini

  AR4

  The AR4 is a hand-launched mini-UAS designed for rapid mobile deployment. Manufactured by Tekever, the UAS is suitable for both military and commercial ISTAR applications.  A ...

• EO/IR systems

  PT-8N

  The PT-8D is an IR system from Overwatch Imaging. It is fitted with multiple HD thermal cameras and has been designed to conduct missions at dusk ...

• EO/IR systems

  PT-8D

  Marketed as a cost-effective solution, the PT-8D is a wide-area search and ISR payload from Overwatch Imaging. It features an RGB colour camera and a ...

• Subsystems: hardware

  Maritime Console

  The Discovery Machine Maritime Console can create highly intelligent entities for use in simulated training events. It is designed to work with the USN Joint ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish Maritime

  The FlyingFish Maritime SIGINT system is one of several derivatives of the FlyingFish Airborne Satellite Monitoring System developed by Horizon Technologies. Designed to be mounted ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  SitaWare Maritime

  Developed by Systematic, SitaWare Maritime is a C4ISR system that emphasises interoperability, the ability to provide a recognised maritime picture, and data-led decision-making aids. According ...

• Maritime patrol

  Cessna Maritime Patrol

  The Cessna 'special mission' Maritime Patrol Aircraft is a variant of the Cessna Citation Longitude business jet developed by Textron aviation. Textron has stated the onboard systems, ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Torch-X Maritime

  Produced by Elbit Systems, the Torch-X Maritime is a combat management system which combines mature COTS components into an open-architecture C4I suite. Notably, the system ...