• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Second MQ-9B SkyGuardian flies

  8th October 2018

  General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ (GA-ASI's) second MQ-9B SkyGuardian RPA (aircraft YBC02) has completed its first flight at Laguna Army Airfield in Yuma Proving Grounds, Arizona, …

• Naval Warfare

  Naval Group CEO confident on export and cooperation strategy

  15th October 2018

  Naval Group's CEO teased an announcement on cooperation with Fincantieri as he expressed confidence in the company’s export strategy despite growing competition for key shipbuilding programmes. …

• Naval Warfare

  MBDA evolves maritime domain missile offerings

  2nd October 2018

  As the company expands its maritime missile offerings MBDA  revealed that it has tested its MMP anti-tank system in the naval domain for the first …

• Digital Battlespace

  Leonardo steps up Miysis DIRCM testing, eyes more exports

  15th October 2018

  Leonardo’s Miysis directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) system has undergone testing by the UK Ministry of Defence in collaboration with Thales UK, demonstrating that a capability …

• Naval Warfare

  Sri Lanka says no Chinese military base at port

  10th October 2018

  Sri Lanka rejected on Wednesday US claims that China might establish a forward military base at a strategic port leased to Beijing by the indebted …

• Naval Warfare

  South Korea begins naval event without Japan after Rising Sun flag row

  10th October 2018

  South Korea on Wednesday kicked off an international fleet review involving 13 nations, after Japan bowed out in protest at Seoul's demand it remove a …

• Naval Warfare

  ROK requests P-8A aircraft

  18th September 2018

  The US State Department has made a determination approving a potential foreign military sale of P-8A maritime patrol aircraft to the Republic of Korea, the …

• Naval Warfare

  USCG orders seven RB-S IIs

  5th October 2018

  The US Coast Guard has issued an order worth around $3 million to Metal Shark Boats for the supply of seven response boats-small II (RB-S …

• Special Operations

  SOF school teaches coastal patrol skills

  2nd October 2018

  As United States Special Operations Command’s only international security force assistance training center, the Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School (NAVSCIATTS) trains and …

• Military Logistics

  US unveils steps to shore up defence industrial base

  7th October 2018

  The Trump administration is pumping millions of dollars into the US defence industrial base to address some of the nearly 300 ‘gaps and vulnerabilities’ identified …

• Defence Notes

  Pentagon grounds global fleet of F-35s after crash

  11th October 2018

  The Pentagon grounded the global fleet of F-35 stealth fighters on 11 October, as a result of the first ever crash of the costliest plane …

• Naval Warfare

  Peerless Patrol

  1st October 2018

  Sweden’s military may have seen a decline in personnel numbers, but its naval prowess is well documented. Shephard investigates how the nation’s navy is altering its …

• Digital Battlespace

  Viasat introduces MDD cybersecurity software

  4th October 2018

  Viasat has introduced new integrated Mobile Dynamic Defense (MDD) cybersecurity software to provide added security for smartphones and tablets deployed for tactical use at sea, …

• Naval Warfare

  Polish MCM vessels under construction

  10th October 2018

  Construction of the second Kormoran II-class minehunter has commenced and the Polish Navy is now moving forward with the long term effort to enhance its …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  L3 Technologies acquires ASV Global

  28th September 2018

  L3 Technologies has acquired ASV Global, the company announced on 24 September. Based in Louisiana and the UK, the new company will be known as …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Seeker 400 - First Batch (UAE)

  Programme Background The UAE has a long history of transactions with Denel Dynamics. The country has been purchasing various Seeker systems from as far back ...

• Maritime patrol

  Challenger 650 ISR - UAE

  Programme Background In February 2019 at IDEX, the UAE announced that it will procure a new special mission aircraft with an option for the second ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Acquisition of an Initial Depth Support Drone Capacity (ADAPT) [France]

  Background Aftermath of SDT To fill the capability void left by the cancellation of the second section of the Tactical Drone System (SDT) programme, three ...

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

  Seeker 400 - Second Batch (UAE)

  Programme Background The UAE has a long history of transactions with Denel Dynamics. The country has been purchasing various Seeker systems from as far back ...

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

  Chinese UAVs [Bangladesh]

  Background Request for Proposals (RFP) In 2023, as reported by Shephard at the time, the Bangladesh Army released a 106-page tender document to gather information ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Jump 20 [Denmark]

  Background 2020 Tender In January 2018, Denmark's three main political parties signed the Danish Defence Agreement, a cross-party defence white paper covering the period between ...

• ISR/special mission

  ISTAR Aircraft [South Korea]

  Programme Background 2018 - Issue of RfI The South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) stated that Seoul planned to procure additional aircraft to minimise potential surveillance ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  RQ-4 Global Hawk [Japan]

  Background Selection and contract award In 2015, Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4 Global Hawk UAS and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft were selected by Japan ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  RQ-4 Global Hawk [South Korea]

  Background Requirments Seoul required UAS assets to help monitor its neighbour to the north and, increasingly, Chinese activities in waters and in the air near ...

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

  MQ-9A Reaper (First Batch) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Acquisition Decision The Netherlands cancelled a project to procure a MALE UAV in 2007. Six years later, in 2013, it was revealed the Dutch ...

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

  MQ-9A Reaper Block 5 [Italy]

  Programme Background Initial Procurement Italy submitted a $330 million FMS request through the Defence Security Cooperation Agency for four MQ-9A aircraft, four GCS and five ...

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

  Gladius [Poland]

  Programme Background Contract Signing On 6 May 2022, the Minister of National Defense, Mariusz Błaszczak, the president of the WB GROUP, Piotr Wojciechowski and the head ...

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

  Tactical UCAV [Czechia]

  Programme Background Inception In November 2017, the Chief of Staff of the Army of the Czech Republic (ACR) announced that the service had earmarked CZK1 billion ...

• 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 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  AN/APY-10

  The AN/APY-10 is an airborne maritime surveillance radar manufactured by Raytheon. It is designed to equip the USN'S Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and has ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  AN/ZPY-1 STARLite

  The AN/ZPY-1 Small Tactical Radar-Lightweight (STARLite) is a synthetic aperture radar and GMTI sensor for UAVs, manufactured by Northrop Grumman. It offers strip and spot synthetic ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar, Air: surveillance radar

  AN/APS-137B(V)5

  The AN/APS-137B(V)5 is a maritime patrol radar manufactured by Raytheon. It provides both multi-resolution synthetic aperture radar and inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR), allowing performance over the ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  TriSAR

  The Tri-mode Synthetic Aperture Radar (TriSAR) is a real-time, high-resolution land and maritime surveillance radar designed by Array Systems Computing in Canada. It is suited ...

• Air: helicopter radar

  AN/DPY-1 Lynx Block 30

  The multi-mode AN/DPY-1 Lynx Block 30 is a reduced weight, power and volume variant of the AN/APY-8. It is a high-resolution, wide-area surveillance, Ku-band synthetic ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  Seaspray 7500E V2

  The Seaspray 7500E V2 is a long-range, maritime-focused multi-mode surveillance radar produced by Leonardo and manufactured in the UK. The system can rapidly interleave radar modes ...

• Subsystems: software

  Radar Simulation Systems

  The Digital Radar Landmass Simulator (DRLMS) model accurately simulates real-world terrain and cultural feature returns, as well as weather patterns and targets. Configurable parameters allow ...

• Air: surveillance radar

  AN/APY-3

  The AN/APY-3 is a large, phased-array, ground surveillance, side-looking airborne radar with synthetic aperture radar/moving target indication (MTI) capability. It is the primary sensor of ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  TacSAR

  The Tactical Synthetic Aperture Radar (TacSAR) is an airborne reconnaissance system designed by Collins Aerospace (now part of Raytheon). It is intended for land and ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  MOSAIC

  The MOSAIC is a three-dimensional, AESA-based, multi-mode surveillance radar manufactured by Telephonics. It is designed for maritime, littoral and overland surveillance missions for rotary- and fixed-wing ...

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

  Black Swan

  The Black Swan is a cargo-carrying drone manufactured by Dronamic.  In February 2026, the company released the Detect & Defend version, a military variant of the platform ...

• Air: surveillance radar

  ASTOR

  The Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) is abattlefield surveillance synthetic aperture radar/moving target indication (MTI) system installed in the UK RAF's Raytheon SentinelR1 aircraft, a version ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  Seaspray 7300E V2

  The Seaspray 7300E V2 radar is an airborne, maritime, multi-mode surveillance radar manufactured by Leonardo. It is designed for the detection of small maritime targets in ...