• Air Warfare

  First Japanese Ospreys greet rising sun

  13th May 2020

  The first pair of Bell-Boeing MV-22B Block C Osprey tiltrotor aircraft arrived at long last on Japanese shores via a roll-on roll-off cargo ship on …

• Defence Notes

  Great power competition in the frozen North poses tough questions for UK

  12th June 2020

  The Arctic may be known for its freezing temperatures, but it is hard to escape the conclusion that in strategic terms, the temperature is rising …

• Air Warfare

  USMC adjusts its air power priorities

  4th May 2020

  In issuing the Force Design 2030 report into the future direction of the USMC, the corps is attempting to steer the course of its development, …

• Training

  CAE helo training triggers protest

  14th May 2020

  The US Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) in Fort Eustis, Virginia, has awarded Tampa-based CAE USA a $11.12 million contract for advanced helicopter …

• Defence Notes

  Tensions boil over along Sino-Indian border

  2nd June 2020

  India and China are the world’s two most populous nations, and their militaries are currently engaged in a faceoff high in the Himalayas. Confrontations have …

• Land Warfare

  ACV deals emerge unscathed from Force Design 2030

  27th April 2020

  The USMC Force Design 2030 blueprint, which intends to reduce the number of amphibious vehicle companies from six to four, does not affect agreements with …

• Naval Warfare

  USN hovercraft programme steers past rocky waters

  5th May 2020

  The Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC) programme cleared a major hurdle in April, when the USN awarded Textron a $386 million contract for a new batch of …

• Air Warfare

  US attack helicopters for Manila – will it or won’t it?

  1st May 2020

  The Philippine Air Force’s (PAF's) desire to obtain new dedicated attack helicopters lurched forward on 30 April, when the US State Department announced a potential …

• Defence Helicopter

  Spotlight shines on US presidential helicopters

  29th April 2020

  A recent report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) acknowledges that the presidential helicopter programme is within cost goals but asserts that some technical …

• Land Warfare

  USMC seeks exit route for tanks

  8th April 2020

  After announcing the planned removal of its entire MBT capability in its Force Design 2030 blueprint, the USMC is now working to define how these vehicles …

• Air Warfare

  Australia selects SUAS+ while TUAV contenders prepare bids

  7th May 2020

  The Australian Army has two important UAV projects under way at present. The Small UAS ‘Plus’ (SUAS+) project has recently selected a winning platform, while …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky demonstrates air-to-air refuelling of CH-53K

  14th April 2020

  Sikorsky has reported that a CH-53K King Stallion naval helicopter has completed an air-to-air refuelling test which took place above the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia with …

• Defence Notes

  US fixed-wing programmes look to rise above crisis

  1st May 2020

  Substantial investment by the US DoD in major fighter jet and tanker aircraft programmes — combined with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis — has put …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  USMC orders Centaur UGVs from FLIR

  6th April 2020

  FLIR Systems has received an $18.6 million contract for more than 140 Centaur UGVs for the USMC. The order has been secured as part of …

• Naval Warfare

  COVID-19 exposes USN fault lines

  23rd April 2020

  Worldwide disruption continues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the global response imposing many changes to normal routines and activity. For armed forces …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - small

  RQ-21A Blackjack / STUASLO - Replacement Units (USMC)

  Programme Background Joint USN and USMC Procurment The RQ-21 Blackjack, or STUALSO, was a combined United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) programme ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-1Z

  In issuing the Force Design 2030 report into the future direction of the USMC, the corps is attempting to steer the course of its development, ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV-30 (Batch 2) [USA]

  Background The ACV is a family of vehicles intended to modernise the USMC's vehicle fleet, particularly the Corps' ageing AAV7 vehicles. Development of the ACV ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV-30 (Batch 3) [USA]

  Background The ACV is a family of vehicles intended to modernise the USMC's vehicle fleet, particularly the Corps' ageing AAV7 vehicles. Development of the ACV ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV (USMC) (Batch 1) [USA]

  Background As of January 2021, the US DoD had signed 15 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV (USMC) (Batch 2) [US]

  Background The USMC was originally expected to procure 15,400 JLTVs to replace all of its HMMWVs on a like-for-like basis. In 2023, AM General unseated ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV-30 (Batch 4) [USA]

  Background The ACV is a family of vehicles intended to modernise the USMC's vehicle fleet, particularly the Corps' ageing AAV7 vehicles. Development of the ACV ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV-30 (Batch 5) [USA]

  Background The ACV is a family of vehicles intended to modernise the USMC's vehicle fleet, particularly the Corps' ageing AAV7 vehicles. Development of the ACV ...

• Loitering munitions

  Organic Precision Fire - Mounted (OPF-M) [USMC]

  Programme Background Armed Vehicles In June 2021, Shephard reported that the USMC had selected the HERO-120 for the OPF-M programme. The USMC planned to integrate ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Marine Unmanned Expeditionary (MUX) MALE [USMC]

  Background MUX umbrella Since 2016, the USMC has sought to acquire a UAV that could be deployed from a vessel, used for various missions and fly ...

• Military UAS - small

  RQ-21A Blackjack / STUASLO - Replacement Units (USN)

  Programme Background Joint USN and USMC Procurment The RQ-21 Blackjack, or STUALSO, was a combined United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) programme ...

• Loitering munitions

  Long-Range Attack Munition (LRAM) [USMC]

  Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to the ...

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

  XQ-58A Valkyrie [USMC]

  Programme Background Contract Award On 30 December 2022, the US DoD announced that it had awarded Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems a $15.52 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to ...

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

  Medium Range/Medium Endurance (MR/ME) [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary Logistics (MARV-EL) [USMC]

  Background Joint Army and USMC effort In October 2016, the USMC and Army began the Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial Resupply System (JTAARS) programme to determine ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  GATR e850 Outdoor Modem

  Cubic’s GATR e850 is a rugged broadband outdoor modem ideal for mobile/transportable communications, based on the iDirect e850 board set. Features include a waterproof enclosure ...

• Individual assault/anti-tank weapons

  M72 LAW FFE

  The M72 Light Assault Weapon Fire from Enclosure (M72 LAW FFE) was developed by Nammo to meet a USMC requirement for a version of the ...

• Military helicopters - maritime, Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-1Y Venom

  Originally planned as a UH-1N Twin Huey upgrade for the USMC, all but the first ten UH-1Ys now use new-build airframes. This new build prevents ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV

  BAE Systems teamed with Iveco Defence to offer a version of Iveco Defence Vehicle's Superav for the USMC's Armored Combat Vehicle Phase 1 Increment 1 ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-1W SuperCobra

  Bell’s AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter was developed from the AH-1T for the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The helicopter has been in service since 1986 to ...

• Air: mission management systems

  AFATDS

  Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) is a multi-service (US Army/USMC) joint and combined forces fire support battle command system. It provides automated support ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  LAV-25

  General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada has produced derivatives of the Piranha series, branded the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV), since the Canadian Army selected the 6x6 Piranha ...

• Air: transport/tanker simulators

  USMC KC-130J Training Devices

  CAE delivered a KC-130J cockpit avionics part-task trainer to MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. The device is used for classroom training of ground maintenance personnel ...

• EO/IR systems

  NTS/NTSA

  The Night Targeting System (NTS) was a joint Israeli Air Force and United States Marine Corps (USMC) program to provide AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters with ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  SAIC ACV 1.1 prototype

  SAIC unveiled its first prototype for the USMC Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) 1.1 (Phase 1, Increment 1) project on 21 February 2017. The SAIC prototype is ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-1 SeaCobra

  Bell developed the 209/AH-1 SeaCobra on the basis of the US Army’s single-engine AH-1G Cobra as the United States Marine Corps (USMC) determined that a ...

• Fighter - multirole, Fighter - naval

  F-35C

  The F-35C Lightning II, also known as the F-35 carrier variant (CV), is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft in carrier configuration. It has larger wings and ...

• Subsystems: software

  DI-Guy

  DI-Guy is an AI, scenario and SDK for real-time human visualisation, simulation and artificial intelligence. DI-Guy has thousands of realistic ready-to-use characters and motions. It ...

• Military helicopters - maritime, Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-53D Sea Stallion

  The twin-engine CH-53A (S-65) Sea Stallion was developed from 1960 to meet a United States Marine Corps (USMC) requirement for a heavy-lift helicopter. It entered ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  CH-53E Super Stallion

  The CH-53E (S-80) Super Stallion, manufactured by Sirkorsky,  is a three-engine heavy-lift helicopter derived from the CH-53D, which entered service with the United States Marine ...