• Naval Warfare

  US Navy to deploy UAVs with standard munitions in long-range strikes

  19th February 2026

  As part of the Runway Independent Maritime & Expeditionary Strike programme, the US Navy is pursuing drones capable of delivering palletised rounds or 1,000lb-class munitions.

• Air Warfare

  Textron firms up potential bid for US Navy Undergraduate trainer contract

  29th October 2025

  The company has said it would assemble its Beechcraft M-346N aircraft at its east Wichita campus with significant investment placed to modernise the hub if it wins the contract.

• Naval Warfare

  How powerful is the US fleet of nuclear submarines compared to Russian capabilities?

  7th August 2025

  Although both countries still operate Cold War-era platforms, they possess capable nuclear-powered and armed submarines and are investing in the development of new, advanced capabilities.

• 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

  Future of the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project is still unclear

  15th December 2025

  The Canadian government remains tight-lipped on the timeline and funding required for the next steps of its Canadian Submarine Patrol Project, which should offer improved capabilities for the country’s navy.

• Naval Warfare

  Raytheon will develop an advanced naval sensing and targeting system for DARPA

  3rd February 2026

  RTX’s solution for DARPA’s Pulling Guard programme is intended to provide advanced maritime defence technologies to protect platforms against uncrewed surface vehicles and other threats.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy to acquire and test uncrewed surface vessel prototypes by the end of FY2026

  30th March 2026

  The new autonomous surface vessels are planned to be operationally fielded in FY2027, following the completion of on-water trials.

• Air Warfare

  Focus on economy over capability highlights the cost imperative for CCA success

  20th February 2026

  Striking the right balance between cost and capability is likely to become more crucial in the increasingly competitive collaborative combat aircraft market. Shephard’s special CCA market report examines where the opportunities lie for suppliers.

• Naval Warfare

  Hanwha Ocean and TKMS are firming up their Canadian next-gen submarine proposals

  26th March 2026

  CPSP competitors are proposing platforms fitted with advanced, next-generation capabilities to be built and sustained in cooperation with the Canadian industry.

• Air Warfare

  GA-ASI confirms selection to support US Navy’s CCA programme

  21st October 2025

  The company is working on conceptual designs for the US Navy’s CCA programme alongside Anduril, Northrop Grumman and Boeing.

• Naval Warfare

  How the Anduril-HHI autonomous ship plan fits in with the US Navy’s MASC programme

  18th November 2025

  The new modular vessel is expected to be developed for both commercial and defence use, with a heavy focus on production speed and mission flexibility.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy seeks suppliers for Landing Craft Utility 1700-class

  17th September 2025

  With ongoing market research to find potential shipyards for building LCUs, NAVSEA intends to issue a request for proposals for the programme next year.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy approaches the award of a follow-on contract for Aegis production

  23rd October 2025

  Naval Sea Systems Command intends to grant a production agreement for the Aegis Weapon System covering the FY2026-FY2030 period.

• Naval Warfare

  South Korea displays domestic technology capabilities with KSS-III submarine launch

  24th October 2025

  Hanwha Ocean’s Jang Yeong-sil is the Republic of Korea Navy’s first 3,600t submarine and is the first of three boats in the military’s KSS-III programme.

• Air Warfare

  First confirmed US one‑way drone strike on Iran sharpens Pentagon UAV expansion

  2nd March 2026

  The US is currently escalating its efforts to acquire more than 300,000 low-cost one-way attack drones, with the confirmed use of these platforms against Iran in recent days emphasising their growing use in combat.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• AEW&C

  E-2D - USA

  The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) is an all-weather, twin engine, carrier-based, Airborne Command, Control and Surveillance aircraft designed to extend task force defense perimeters. The ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  AD(X) Destroyer Tenders [USN]

  Programme Background At Surface Navy 2026, General Dynamics NASSCO unveiled an internally developed concept, pitching a AD(X) Destroyer Tender to the USN. The destroyer tender ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Navajo Class (T-ATS)

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy (USN) are replacing the ageing three remaining T-ATF 166 class tugboats and two remaining T-ARS 50 class ships with ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | AD(X) Destroyer Tenders [USN]

  At Surface Navy 2026, General Dynamics NASSCO unveiled an internally developed concept, pitching a AD(X) Destroyer Tender to the USN. The destroyer tender would be ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | AD(X) Destroyer Tenders [USN]

  At Surface Navy 2026, General Dynamics NASSCO unveiled an internally developed concept, pitching a AD(X) Destroyer Tender to the USN. The destroyer tender would be ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The FVL-MS programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft utilised ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Submarine Resue Vessel Procurement [Poland]

  On 27 December 2024, the Polish Armament Agency and the industrial consortium signed a contract for the construction and delivery of the submarine rescue ship Ratownik ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Submarine Resue Vessel Procurement [Poland]

  On 27 December 2024, the Polish Armament Agency and the industrial consortium signed a contract for the construction and delivery of the submarine rescue ship Ratownik ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Submarine Rescue Vessel Procurement [Poland]

  On 27 December 2024, the Polish Armament Agency and the industrial consortium signed a contract for the construction and delivery of the submarine rescue ship Ratownik ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Submarine Rescue Vessel Procurement [Poland]

  On 27 December 2024, the Polish Armament Agency and the industrial consortium signed a contract for the construction and delivery of the submarine rescue ship Ratownik ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Blackwing (Second Batch) [USA]

  Programme BackgroundFirst Batch The Blackwing originated from a 2013 initiative to develop a low-cost submarine-launched UAS for the US Navy. Following successful tests with the ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  SSN(X) Programme [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The CRS SSN(X) report states the USN is examining three broad design options for future submarines. One is based on the current ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Submarine Rescue Vessel Procurement [Poland]

  Programme Background Timeline For a long time, Poland has been trying to procure submarine rescue vessels. A contract for the acquisition of up to two ...

• Maritime patrol

  P-8 Poseidon [South Korea]

  Programme Background South Korea is facing an imminent submarine threat from North Korea. The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) is operating an aging fleet of P-3C ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | AS Submarine Tenders [USN]

  The USN is in the process of procuring three new submarine tenders aimed to replace the ageing USS Memory S. Land and USS Frank Cable, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military - UUVs

  Snakehead LDUUV

  The Snakehead Large Displacement Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (LDUUV) is a US Navy (USN) Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (UUV) designed to be launched from submarine Dry Dock Shelters ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Poseidón - Buques de Acción Marítima de Intervención Subacuática (BAM-IS)

  The Buques de Acción Marítima de Intervención Subacuática (BAM-IS), Poseidon (A-21), is a submarine rescue vessel being built by Navatia. The ship will enter service ...

• Submarines: conventional/attack

  Kronos

  At NAVDEX 2023, Highland Systems unveiled the Kronos submarine for the first time. According to the manufacturer, the submarine is suitable for commercial, rescue and military ...

• Rescue Baskets

  The Collapsible Rescue Basket combines compact storage capabilities of rescue nets with the ruggedness, rigidity and safety of solid-frame rescue baskets, claims the company. The ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Special & Diving Operations-Submarine Rescue Ship (SDO-SURS)

  The Special & Diving Operations-Submarine Rescue Ship (SDO-SURS) is a Submarine Rescue Ship set to join the Italian Navy by 2025. In June 2021, the Italian ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Navajo Class

  The Navajo-class is the USN's new class of towing, salvage, and rescue ships to replace the current T-ATF 166 and T-ARS 50 class ships. This ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Blackwing

  Manufactured by AeroVironment and based on the Switchblade loitering munition, the Blackwing is a tube-launched UAV designed to deliver rapid ISR capabilities through its EO/IR ...

• Gelibolu 1500

  Gelibolu 1500 is a lightweight, work-class ROV able to perform submarine rescue, deep-sea survey, seismic observation and sample collection. The system includes manipulator arms, lights ...

• Sea: optronic masts and periscopes

  OMS 200

  Airbus DS Optronics unveiled the OMS 200 at the September 2013 DSEI exhibition. It combines the capabilities of the OMS 110 with intelligent target acquisition ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  Belgorod (Project 09852)

  Belgorod (Project 09852) is a special-purpose nuclear-powered submarine designed to launch the new Poseidon nuclear-armed UUV. Belgorod was originally meant to be an Oscar-II-class multi-purpose submarine, but ...

• Patrol boats

  Tapper Class

  Tapper (Type 80) patrol boats were ordered in the 1990s, the first seven in 1992 and five more in 1995, and were designed as small, ...

• Ship-launched torpedoes, Submarine-launched torpedoes

  Mk-48 Mod 6AT ADCAP

  The Mk-48 ADCAP (Advanced Capability) is the improved version of the Mk-48 family. Development started with the Mk-48 Mod 5 and continues to the present ...

• ISR/special mission

  E-6B Mercury

  The E-6B Mercury is an airborne command post and communications relay for US nuclear forces, including submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The USN operates a fleet of ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  Los Angeles Class

  The US Navy’s (USN’s) Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) have been the mainstay of the US sub-surface fleet since the 1970s. Known as the ...

• Sea: weapon training

  Inflatable Naval Gunnery Targets

  GeoData produces a range of Naval Gunnery Target Balloons (NavTGTs) for use by marine, navy, coast guard and army units to maintain target acquisition and ...