• Defence Notes

  China releases strategic White Paper

  27th May 2015

  China launched its defence White Paper this week, the ninth since 1998, with the focus on key strategic issues such as its relationship with the …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia (video): Exhibition round-up

  26th May 2015

  Shephard Media editor-in-chief Tony Skinner discusses the most notable events at this year’s IMDEX Asia exhibition, which took place in Singapore between 19-21 May. Among …

• Land Warfare

  HELLADS set for live fire testing against military targets

  25th May 2015

  The High-Energy Liquid Laser (HELLADS) has completed the US government acceptance test procedure, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) announced on 21 May. It will now …

• Defence Helicopter

  US mulls MH-60R sale to Saudi Arabia

  22nd May 2015

  The US State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale of MH-60R multi-mission helicopters, associated equipment and support to Saudi Arabia, as announced by …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: Hercules all at sea

  22nd May 2015

  Lockheed Martin is expecting that it will have its first customer for its Sea Herc concept in the near future. Speaking at IMDEX Asia, business …

• Digital Battlespace

  UK stalls on AWACS upgrades

  22nd May 2015

  The UK is falling behind with Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) upgrades due to budgetary constraints, according to officials at the Boeing San Antonio …

• Digital Battlespace

  ADF C-17A demos new SATCOM, display system

  21st May 2015

  An Australian Defence Force (ADF) C-17A Globemaster fitted with a new imagery display and Satellite Communication (SATCOM) system has demonstrated its capabilities to senior ADF …

• Digital Battlespace

  Maintenance completed early on E-4B

  20th May 2015

  Boeing has recently completed maintenance on one of the four US Air Force E-4B advanced airborne command posts earlier than planned. It was the first …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Airbus, Dassault, Finmeccanica welcome MALE UAS next steps

  20th May 2015

  Airbus Defence and Space, Dassault Aviation and Finmeccanica have welcomed an agreement between France, Germany and Italy to conduct a definition study of a European …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Strat Aero, AirFusion unveil WindSpect inspection solution

  20th May 2015

  Strat Aero and AirFusion unveiled the new WindSpect wind turbine blade inspection solution at the AWEA WindPower Conference & Exposition 2015 on 18 May. WindSpect …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Improved UAS batteries needed to boost endurance, says C-Astral chief

  19th May 2015

  Better battery technology is crucial for the continued development of small unmanned air systems, according to Marko Peljhan, co-founder and CEO of Slovenian aerospace firm …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UK, France conduct trials with counter-UAV system

  19th May 2015

  Three British technology companies say they have produced the first integrated counter-UAV defence system, having recently conducted trials with both the UK and French Ministry …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Robonic, Lockheed team for UAS launcher

  19th May 2015

  Robonic and Lockheed Martin have entered an agreement for the development of a fourth-generation pneumatic launcher for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) called OHTO. Under the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DeSIRE II demonstration project launches

  19th May 2015

  The European Space Agency (ESA) and European Defence Agency (EDA) have launched the DeSIRE II demonstration project to develop services provided by Remotely Piloted Aircraft …

• Military Logistics

  Australia conducts first AAR boom contact

  18th May 2015

  A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft made the first air-to-air refuelling (AAR) boom contact with another KC-30A, the Ministry …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Medium Range Reconnaissance (MRR) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) Programme The RPUAS programme will provide the battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an organic, on-demand ...

• Transport

  C-27J [Azerbaijan]

  Programme Background The Azerbaijani Air Force signed a contract with Leonardo in June 2023 to procure the C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft. This move is ...

• Main battle tanks

  NGCV: DLP

  Programme Background Requirement The DLP is one of five vehicle families being developed for the US Army's NGCV programme. Expanded to include five programmes in ...

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

  General-Purpose UAS [Australia]

  Programme Background Banned As reported by Shephard in August 2023, in the past, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) used commercial UAS from companies such as DJI for ...

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

  Mini Reconnaissance Drones [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Planned Purchases On 14 September 2022, the Lithuanian MoD announced in a short statement on Twitter, now X, that it had begun organising ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  ISTAR UAS project [Canada]

  Programme Background Objective The Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) main significant UAV project is the RCN Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Unmanned Aircraft System (RCN ...

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

  Small Reconnaissance Drones [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Planned Purchases On 14 September 2022, the Lithuanian MoD announced in a short statement on Twitter, now X, that it had begun organising ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Multirole Underwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirements According to the presentation provided by the Italian Navy, the MultiroleUnderwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) will:operate a wide range of uncrewed systems, ...

• OPVs

  Harry DeWolf Class (AOPS) Coast Guard (7-8) [Canada]

  Programme Background Requirements The new vessels will replace the CCGS Leonard J Cowley, an ice-strengthened fisheries patrol vessel that entered service in 1984 and CCGS Cygnus, ...

• Destroyers

  Next-Generation Large Surface Combatants (LSC) - DDG(X) [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy (USN) is acknowledging a need to move away from the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer design, which is slowly outgrowing. Flight III ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Data links

  Data links | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Counter-UAS systems

  MEHEL 2.0

  The Mobile Expeditionary High-Energy Laser (MEHEL) is a C-UAS-capable vehicle that employs directed energy to neutralise targets. MEHEL 2.0 was first seen at AUSA 2016, ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  DroneDefender

  DroneDefender is a directed-energy UAS countermeasure that disrupts the adversary's control of the aircraft, neutralising it so that no remote action (including detonation) can occur, ...

• Counter-UAS systems, Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  EJDERHA HPEM System

  The EJDERHA is a high power electromagnetic system manufactured by Aselsan. It generates high-amplitude electromagnetic fields and directs them to potential targets such as IEDs ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  Apollo

  Apollo is a High-Energy Laser Weapon System manufactured by Electro Optic Systems (EOS). Apollo's laser utilises directed energy to disable or destroy aerial targets without ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons, Self-propelled guns, Self-propelled missile systems

  SkyRanger 30

  SkyRanger 30 is a mobile ground-based air defence (GBAD) laser directed energy weapon (LDEW) system designed by Rheinmetall. The system comprises automatic cannons, guided missiles, and a ...

• OPVs

  PPA/MultiPurpose Combat Ship (MPCS) EVO

  The PPA/MultiPurpose Combat Ship (MPCS) EVO is an enhanced version of the Thaon di Revel-class PPAs unveiled at Euronaval 2024. The PPA/MPCS EVO retains the core platform ...

• Naval guns, Land: RWS

  DragonFire

  Dragonfire is a new laser weapon system built for the UK MoD, receiving £30 million of funding in early 2017. The design of the gun ...

• Military - USVs

  C-Enduro

  C-Enduro is a long-endurance platform used to safely and cost-effectively collect data at sea. Built to operate in all marine environments, C-Enduro uses energy-harvesting technology ...

• Destroyers

  Flight III Destroyer

  During Indo Pacific 2023, Navantia Australia unveiled a 10200t destroyer design. Dubbed as Flight III Destroyer, the Spanish shipbuilder is pitching the ship for the ...

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

  Multi-Mission Launcher

  The Multi-Mission Launcher (MML) was developed by the U.S. Army's Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) as part of the Indirect Fire ...

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

  Silent Falcon

  The Silent Falcon is a solar-electric sUAS with long-endurance capabilities for extended-range missions. The UAS can be used for commercial and military applications. The entire ...

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

  MK4-RX

  Manufactured by Chartis Federal, the MK4-RX is a small cargo-carrying UAV that can autonomously deliver up to 45lbs of cargo over a range of 17.5k. The quadcopter ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Howler C-UAS

  Developed by Raytheon, the Howler is a counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS), which includes a Ku-band Radio Frequency Sensor (KuRFS), a command-and-control system, and a Coyote ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Skylock C-UAS

  Skylock, an Avnon Group company, has developed a C-UAS system that is intended to bring sensors, jammers and a laser effector into a single deployable ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Cobham C-UAS

  Unveiled at the AUVSI 2017 trade show in Dallas, Texas, the Cobham C-UAS primarily consists of wideband omnidirectional, directional helix (single- or dual-band), directional flat ...