• Training

  PLA is forced to alter its recruitment cycle

  30th January 2020

  The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently implemented important changes to the PLA’s recruitment processes, moving its intake of conscripts from once per year to twice, …

• Naval Warfare

  Turkey set to increase submarine fleet

  9th January 2020

  The Turkish navy is about to enter a new era of underwater warfare as it prepares to induct a new class of submarine in to …

• Land Warfare

  Rheinmetall receives Puma spares order

  9th January 2020

  Rheinmetall has received orders for additional equipment for the German Army’s Puma infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) fleet, the company announced on 8 January. The orders …

• Special Operations

  Malaysian Army calls for special forces vehicles

  13th January 2020

  Malaysia issued two tenders on 9 January inviting Finance Ministry-registered companies to supply special operations vehicles (SOV) for the Malaysian Army’s Gerakhas special forces unit. …

• Naval Warfare

  Bangladesh receives two Chinese frigates amidst modernisation drive

  23rd December 2019

  In a handover ceremony at the Shenjia Shipyard in Shanghai on 18 December, the Bangladesh Navy (BN) took delivery of two former Chinese Type 053H3 …

• Defence Notes

  Opinion: Another year of instability amid Middle Eastern power plays

  22nd January 2020

  The new decade has opened, quite literally, with a bang. The drone strike by the US military on 3 January to kill the head of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Indonesia rolls out indigenous MALE UAV

  3rd January 2020

  On 30 December, PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) rolled out the first prototype of an indigenously developed MALE UAV that has been christened the Elang Hitam …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing signs Apache FMS contracts

  6th January 2020

  Boeing has confirmed contracts with the US Army to remanufacture AH-64D Apaches for three nations under US FMS programmes. The contracts cover the remanufacture of …

• Defence Helicopter

  US Army funds Apache remanufacture work

  30th December 2019

  Boeing has received a contract modification worth $564.5 million for the remanufacture of AH-64E Apacheaircraft, the US Department of Defense announced on 18 December. The …

• Defence Notes

  Podcast: The defence news of 2019

  20th December 2019

  Welcome to Episode 48 of The Weekly Defence Podcast. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and more. Sign up to an early email alert …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell 412EPI​ delivered to PT Dirgantara Indonesia

  9th December 2019

  Bell has delivered a Bell 412EPI helicopter to PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) as part a nine aircraft order from the Indonesian Army. This is the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  France commissions stratobus platform study

  9th January 2020

  Thales Alenia Space and Thales have signed a contract with the French defence procurement agency, DGA, to carry out a concept study for the use …

• Naval Warfare

  South Korea increases defence budget and pumps out patrol boats

  24th December 2019

  Domestic shipbuilders continue to produce multiple new vessels for the Republic of Korean Navy (ROKN), even as the Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced a …

• Defence Notes

  Defence Insight: Year in Review (Video)

  20th December 2019

  In 2019, Defence Insight has been improving its database improving existing content and upgrading the export functionality.  In the Sea domain, we expanded the scope …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky receives Black Hawk funding

  31st December 2019

  Sikorsky has received funding from the US Army for Black Hawk production, the US Department of Defense announced on 18 December. The company was awarded …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Nauru 1000C [Brazil]

  Background Contract award The Logistics Command (COLOG) of the Brazilian Army purchased three Nauru 1000C UAVs, training, 36-month integrated logistics support, two EO/MWIR XSIS 222A gimbals, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  WanderB or ThunderB [Colombia]

  Programme Background Expodefensa 2019 During Colombia's Expodefensa 2019 exhibition, BlueBird Aero Systems displayed its ThunderB VTOL small UAV. Reportedly, the Colombian Army requested information on ...

• VMOE

  Programme Background The Spanish Army's SOF units are procuring the VMOE to meet their requirements for an SOV with sufficient firepower, mobility and mine-protection to ...

• Military UAS - micro

  NX70 Microdrone (First Batch)

  Programme Background The French Army procured the NX70 to meet an urgent operational requirement for a small UAS that could provide short-range ISR for dismounted ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  CU172 Blackjack (Second System) [Canada]

  Programme Background Requirement The Canadian Army identified a requirement for two new tactical UAV systems after recognising that the squadron and company-level Aerovironment RQ-11 Raven ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  US Army Maneuver Support Vessel Light (MSVL)

  Programme BackgroundThe Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) or MSV(L) contract was awarded by the US Army to Vigor in 2017 and are being built to replace ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow On

  Programme Background In March 2019, Airbus stated that it expected orders from the US Army for between 12 and 15 UH-72A helicopters. In March 2020, ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  French Operational Pocket Drone / DrOP (France)

  Programme Background French UAV Procurment / DrOP Under its 2019-2025 Military Programming Law (LPM), France aims to introduce 1,200 new UAVs into service with the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Puma IFV (Batch 1) [Germany]

  By March 2019, 269 of the 350 Pumas on order had been delivered to the German Army. Deliveries of the remaining 81 vehicles are scheduled ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Bayraktar TB2 (Pre-War) [Ukraine Army]

  Programme Background The Ukraine Army purchased 12 TB2 units in January 2019 for a reported $69 million. The units were reportedly delivered from June 2019 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Rosomak [Poland - Second Batch]

  Programme Background Requirement The Polish Army selected Patria's XC-360 Armored Modular Vehicle (AMV) to meet its requirement for a new 8x8 armoured vehicle to replace ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  CU172 Blackjack (First System) [Canada]

  Background Requirement The Canadian Army identified a requirement for two new tactical UAV systems after recognising that the squadron and company-level Aerovironment RQ-11 Raven (CU173 ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement In 2018, the US Army initiated the FARA project to develop a replacement for Army attack and scout helicopters, such as the OH-58D Kiowa and AH-64 ...

• AGMV 1.1

  Programme Background The US Army has been seeking a lightweight, air-droppable, high mobility vehicle since as early as 2014, when it initiated its Ultra Light ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Project Land 4503 [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian Army has begun its search for a successor to the Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH), with an RfI issued by the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  LCU 2000 (Runnymede-class)

  The LCU 2000 class is in service with the US Army. They were built by VT Halter Marine and first entered service in February 1990. The ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Nauru 1000C

  Manufactured by XMobtos, the Nauru 1000C, or V2-1 Nauru, is a VTOL-capable small fixed-wing UAV. The UAV features a hybrid propulsion system, autopilot and a gyro-stabilised payload.  In ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  WZ-8

  First shown in October 2019, the WZ-8 is HALE UAV. Two closed-cycle liquid-fuelled rocket engines power the WZ-8 to a claimed supersonic speed of Mach 3.  In ...

• Land: RWS

  Guardian 2.0

  The Guardian 2.0 RWS is an upgraded version of Escribano's Guardian RWS in service with the Spanish Army, which offers improved sensors and better stabilisation. ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Sapsan-Bekas

  Unveiled at ARMY-2019 in Moscow, the Sapsan-Bekas is a C-UAS system comprising active radar, video and EO tracking, signal detection and jamming subsystems. The system ...

• Main battle tanks

  C2 Ariete

  The C2 Ariete is an upgraded variant of the C1 Ariete, designed for the Italian Army in the 1990s. Work on the C2 began in ...

• Land: battle management systems

  Comm@nder Army

  Comm@nder Army is an integrated C4I system suitable for use in command post operational environments (infrastructure, shelter-based), providing specialised application services from the HQ of ...

• Sniper rifles

  SV-18

  The SV-18 is a light sniper rifle in a 12.7mm calibre, designed to be easier to carry and operate than existing rifles of that family. 

• Military helicopters - light/training

  LUH

  The Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) is being developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to meet the requirements of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  RBS 70 missile

  The RBS 70 missile was produced to meet the requirements of the Swedish Army's short-range air defence needs. The missile is unique in being the ...

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT)

  The Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT) is an in-development UAV from Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) based on an MD 500 twin-seat American commercial helicopter airframe. With the ...

• Light UGVs

  T7

  The T7 is a multi-mission robotic system designed for military, police and hazardous missions. At DSEI 2017, the UK MoD awarded the Harris Corporation a ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Ezuwgu

  The Ezuwgu is an MRAP 4x4 APC designed and produced by the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON). 

• Land: air defence radar, Land: indirect fire location radar

  AN/TPQ-50

  The AN/TPQ-50 is a lightweight, L-Band counterfire radar that performs early warning for indirect fire, target acquisition, and air surveillance modes. Part of SRC’s Lightweight ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  BTR-82AT

  The BTR-82AT is an upgraded version of the BTR-82A and BTR-82AM 8x8 IFVs developed for the Russian Army. Introduced in 2019, it features a new, ...