• Air Warfare

  Dubai Airshow 2023: Paramount completes first test phase for new composite rotor blades

  16th November 2023

  The composite rotor blades for Mil Mi-type helicopters have been developed by global aerospace and technology company Paramount and partner AAL Group.

• Naval Warfare

  Japan unveils new FFM frigate with advanced anti-air warfare capabilities

  15th November 2023

  Japan’s ATLA procurement and logistics organisation was present in strength at the Indo-Pacific 2023 exhibition in Sydney from 7-9 November indicating an uplift in the country’s engagement with Australia.

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2023: IAI launches new loitering munition with VTOL and changeable warhead

  12th September 2023

  IAI has developed a new VTOL recoverable loitering munition, the Rotem Alpha, which draws upon the companies Rotem L system and is being presented at DSEI alongside the concept of a mobile containerised system capable of launching more than a dozen weapons.

• Defence Helicopter

  KAI and Airbus Helicopters ink a supply contract for LAH and KUH helicopters

  12th September 2023

  Airbus Helicopters and KAI have agreed a contract covering the supply of helicopter components for the latter over the next decade.

• Defence Notes

  Ireland commits to major equipment procurement schedules

  23rd November 2023

  The Irish Defence Forces has a range of challenges to overcome including discontent in sections of the forces, a need for cultural change, pay rates and equipment shortfalls. An implementation plan released 21 November has, however, provided projected timelines for change and procurement.

• Naval Warfare

  HII wins contract to integrate Minotaur into marine platforms

  18th October 2023

  Awarded under the Multiple-Award Contract (MAC) vehicle, the deal involves integrating Minotaur software products into platforms of US maritime services.

• Defence Notes

  Pentagon will run out of funds to support Ukraine over the coming week

  10th November 2023

  The US Department of Defense has implored Congress to approve the national security supplemental request in order to continue to meet Kyiv's battlefield needs.

• Defence Notes

  Boom time has arrived for South Korean defence exports (Opinion)

  9th October 2023

  The Asian country to make the most spectacular and stellar success in terms of arms exports is none other than South Korea, a nation of 51.7 million citizens.

• Training

  DSEI 2023: Boeing and Red 6 partnership first to achieve successful AR integration on aircraft

  14th September 2023

  The partnership between Boeing and Red 6 has resulted in the successful flight testing of AR technology in a TA-4JA tactical aircraft, with plans to extend testing to the T-7 Red Hawk advanced trainer.

• Naval Warfare

  Finland ends long wait for construction on the first Pohjanmaa-class corvette

  30th October 2023

  The four Pohjanmaa-class corvettes will be built as part of the Squadron 2020 programme following setbacks that delayed the beginning of construction.

• Digital Battlespace

  Kratos wins $579 million space defence contract for ground control system

  27th November 2023

  Kratos Defense and Security Solutions to provide satellite control capabilities to US Space Force and US Space Command.

• Air Warfare

  General Dynamics begins first Portuguese P-3C modernisation

  4th October 2023

  The next installation of the Airborne Data Management System on Portuguese P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft is set to bolster communication and mission electronics, aligning with the nation's NATO mission commitments.

• Air Warfare

  Dubai Airshow 2023: How the MQ-9 Reaper UAS came to rule the skies

  10th November 2023

  Ahead of the 2023 edition of the Dubai Airshow, Shephard looks at the GA-ASI MQ-9A Reaper UAS, its role in shaping modern conflict dynamics, and its deployment for surveillance and precision strike throughout the Middle East.

• Training

  Exclusive: Full list of British Army $1 billion collective training programme bidders revealed

  23rd November 2023

  Internal documents obtained by Shephard have revealed a covert line up of companies, including Elbit Systems, joining the competition for the British Army Collective Training System (ACTS, previously known as CTTP).

• Naval Warfare

  Contracts signed for Polish coastal defence subsystems

  26th October 2023

  The deal for the coastal defence systems was signed in September and the latest contracts formalise the involvement of Polish companies.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  MALE UAV [Argentina]

  Background Requirement Argentina has an outstanding requirement for a MALE class UAV to conduct ISR operations in Argentina airspace and along the country's long coastline. ...

• Loitering munitions

  Harop [Morocco]

  Programme Background In November 2021, Haaretz reported that a $22 million drone sale between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Morocco had occurred. That publication and ...

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

  Heron TP [India]

  Programme Background Emergency Procurement The Narendra Modi-led Indian government granted the Armed Forces Rs 500 crores to upgrade their warfighting capabilities due to the ongoing ...

• Loitering munitions

  Mini Harpy [Estonia]

  Programme Background Russia's Aggression In February 2023, Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said the country was set to procure loitering munitions to enhance its indirect ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions [Japan]

  Programme Background Appreciation of Loitering Munitions After years of not operating loitering munitions and armed UAVs, Japan's position towards them has changed. Belatedly, the MoD realised ...

• Loitering munitions

  Harop (Amphibious Transport Ships) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Multifunctional Support Vessels In September 2024, the Dutch MoD announced that the Royal Netherlands Navy would receive two new Multifunctional support vessels from Dutch ...

• 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 ...

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

  Orbiter 3 (Croatia)

  Programme Background The Croatian government launched a competitive tender for the procurement of a short-range UAV in October 2017. Although the tender was opened on ...

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

  Artillery UAV [Thailand]

  Programme Background Requirement & Replacement The Royal Thai Army (RTA) was understood to be seeking a new tactical UAV to replace four legacy Israel Aerospace Industries ...

• 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 ...

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

  Intra-Theatre Lift [UK]

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

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition PODS [UK]

  Programme Background PODS As the Royal Navy states, Persistent Operational Deployment Systems (PODS) are "interchangeable modules that can be fitted to the surface fleet. Similar in ...

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

  WanderB (Morocco)

  Programme Background History Morocco has a history of UAV deals with Isreal. In 2021, Morocco reportedly acquired four Hermes 900 units from Elbit Systems. Equally, according ...

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

  ThunderB (Morocco)

  Programme Background History Morocco has a history of UAV deals with Isreal. In 2021, Morocco reportedly acquired four Hermes 900 units from Elbit Systems. Equally, according ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-46A (Israel)

  Programme Background Boeing, according to reports, would not grant Israel Aerospace Industries permission to convert used 767s into tanker planes. Consequently, according to Channel 12 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military - UUVs

  BlueWhale

  BlueWhale is an autonomous uncrewed underwater vessel (UUV) developed by Israel's Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  ELL-8385

  Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) ELL-8385 is an integrated electronic support measure designed to equip Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Open source imagery intelligence indicates that the ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Rotem

  The Rotem, or Rotem L, is a loitering munition based on a multi-rotor UAV. Manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the quadcopter features an EO/IR camera payload ...

• Heavy UGVs

  RobDozer

  The RobDozer, or Panda, is an uncrewed ground combat engineering system manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and ELTA Systems.  The UGV is designed for breaching tasks, ...

• Loitering munitions

  ASN-301

  The ASN-301 is a Chinese anti-radiation loitering munition. Likely based on Israel's Harpy drone, the ASN-301 features a delta-wing configuration and a pusher propeller, and ...

• Anti-ship missiles

  Gabriel IV

  The Gabriel IV is a significant advancement in the Gabriel family of anti-ship missiles. It incorporates a jet engine, enabling over-the-horizon (OTH) attack capabilities and ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  ELI-3120

  Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) ELI-3120 is a Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) system designed for use at the operational and tactical levels. The ELI-3120 architecture also includes ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  ELK-7071

  Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) EL/K-7071 is an integrated electronic support measure designed to equip UAVs. While not explicitly stated by the system’s manufacturer, it is ...

• Loitering munitions

  Kargi (Improved)

  At ADEX 2022, Lentatek unveiled a new, as-yet-unnamed version of the Kargi loitering munition.  Instead of Kargi's radio frequency (RF) seeker, this new version features an under-nose EO/IR ...

• Heavy UGVs

  RobARC

  The RobARC, or Sahar, is a military UGV manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The UGV's payload comprises a variety of sensors, allowing the Sahar to detect above-ground, ...

• Heavy UGVs

  RoBattle

  The RoBattle, or LR3, is a six-wheeled military UGV developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).  Intended to assist troops engaged in mobile operations, it is a ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range, Self-propelled missile systems

  ABISR

  The ABISR is a medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), introduced around 2017.  ABISR is a more compact and mobile counterpart ...

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

  Forpost / Forpost-R

  The Forpost was a variant of the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Searcher Mk II produced under license in Russia until 2016. Following US pressure, Israel refused to ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  ELI-3001 AISIS

  Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) ELI-3001 Airborne Integrated Signals Intelligence System equips the Israeli Air Force’s (IAF) three Gulfstream G-550 Shavit SIGINT aircraft. IAI’s official literature ...

• Short Range Missile Defence Systems: 0 to 20 km range

  SPYDER-SR

  Rafael Advanced Defense Systems developed the SPYDER-SR (Short-Range) air defence system with support from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to provide rapid-response, all-weather protection against various ...