• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Saab and UMS Aero Group form JV

  23rd December 2015

  Saab will form a joint venture with UMS Aero Group to target the defence and civil tactical UAS markets, the company announced on 21 December. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  NATO's AGS conducts test flight

  21st December 2015

  NATO's first Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) UAS has successfully completed a range of test points during a flight from Palmdale, California, to Edwards Air Force …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  New UAS traffic management system

  18th December 2015

  Passur Aerospace has established a UAS-Drone Traffic Management Integration service, the company announced on 17 December. The aviation intelligence platform is designed to give UAS …

• Defence Notes

  Philippines boosts defence spending

  18th December 2015

  The Philippine Congress gave the Department of National Defence (DND) a shot in the arm with a 9.2% increase for the 2016 defence budget. The …

• Digital Battlespace

  Elbit announces C-MUSIC order

  17th December 2015

  Elbit Systems will supply multi-spectral infrared countermeasures to an unnamed customer in the Asia-Pacific region under a two-year $26.5 million contract announced on 16 December. …

• Land Warfare

  Oshkosh resumes JLTV work

  16th December 2015

  The US Army has lifted the ‘stop work order’ and has directed Oshkosh Defense to resume the work on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) …

• Land Warfare

  Russia to double firepower

  16th December 2015

  The procurement of missile and artillery units alongside the establishment of more Army units means Russia is set to double its capability over by 2020. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UAS enthusiasts must register

  16th December 2015

  Small UAS enthusiasts and hobbyists in the US will be required to register their aircraft with the FAA through a web-based facility in order to …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SeaRobotics to build Marlin Mk3

  15th December 2015

  Lockheed Martin has appointed SeaRobotics to manufacturer its Marlin Mk3 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), the company announced on 14 December. The AUV is designed to …

• Military Logistics

  New HC-130J for US Air Force

  14th December 2015

  Lockheed Martin has delivered a HC-130J Combat King II personnel recovery aircraft to the US Air Force, the company announced on 11 December. The aircraft …

• Digital Battlespace

  Raytheon awarded C-130 radio contract

  11th December 2015

  Raytheon will install MXF-626K VHF communications systems on the US Air Force’s C-130H Hercules fleet under a $29.6 million contract announced on 10 December. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  FLIR Systems teams with DJI Innovations

  11th December 2015

  FLIR Systems has entered into a technology collaboration agreement with UAV manufacturer DJI Innovations, FLIR Systems announced on 10 December.  The companies intend to develop …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Shadows and Apaches team for Iraq ops

  10th December 2015

  Unmanned RQ-7B Shadow aircraft teamed with US Army Apache AH-64 attack helicopters have made a ‘significant impact’ during their first operational tour of Iraq, army …

• Digital Battlespace

  Turkish Peace Eagle fleet complete

  10th December 2015

  The Turkish Air Force’s Peace Eagle Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) fleet is now complete, with the final aircraft delivered by Boeing to the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Penguin B granted Section 333 exemption

  9th December 2015

  A UAV Factory Penguin B UAS owned by an unnamed customer has been granted a Section 333 exemption by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Directed energy weapons

  Project Dragonfire [UK]

  Background The UK Government's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has been working with MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ to develop a LASER Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) called ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Indirect Fire Protection Capability - Generation II – High-Power Microwave [US]

  Background In July 2025 Epirus received a US$43,551,060 contract from the US Army for two Generation II systems developed from the HPM (Leonidas). Previously, in ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Indirect Fire Protection Capability – High-Power Microwave [US]

  Background In May 2024, the US Army took delivery of four High-Powered Microwave (HPM) Directed-Energy Weapons (DEW) to fulfil its Indirect Fire Protection Capability – High-Power ...

• Military UAS - small

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

  Background 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, ...

• Military UAS - mini

  U&C reconnaissance drones [US Army]

  Methodology PGO The programme has been assigned a PGO of 100%, as a contract has been awarded. Unit cost It has not been clarified what ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  C-UAS [Portugal]

  Background Portugal's Military Programming Law 2023–2034 includes $8.8724 million (€8.2 million) to acquire counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) by 2034. It is assumed that this acquisition requires ...

• 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 ...

• Hybrid effector systems

  Border C-UAS Defence [Latvia]

  Background Latvia's long-term blueprint for its armed forces lists a comprehensive C-UAS element with an approximate range of three to four km. This programme is ...

• CUAS - jammers

  NEROD RF [France]

  Background France has procured an unconfirmed number of MC2's NEROD RF C-UAS rifles ("fusils brouilleurs") for short-range counter-drone use. In a 2024 Senate report, it ...

• CUAS - jammers

  C-UAS [Taiwan]

  Background Taiwan announced a requirement for portable C-UAS systems with capabilities that include passive detection, takeover, spoofing and jamming. The systems are planned to strengthen ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  Finnish Border Guard C-UAS Capability

  Background In response to the growing UAS threat, the Finnish Border Guard was given €44 million for procurements to strengthen drone detection, identification, and countering capabilities. ...

• CUAS - jammers

  C-UAS [Australia]

  Background The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is accelerating the acquisition of state-of-the-art counter-drone technologies through Project LAND 156. The ADF signed a contract with HighCom ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  SAN C-UAS [Poland]

  Background In January 2026, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and its Polish partner Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) signed a contract with the Polish Armaments Agency for the delivery ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  US SOF CUxS (Static) [US]

  Background The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is procuring a Family of Systems (FoS) design to defeat drones. The programme includes development, integration, prototyping, and test of ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  US SOF CUxS (Mounted) [US]

  Background The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is procuring a Family of Systems (FoS) design to defeat drones. The programme includes development, integration, prototyping, and test of ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• CUAS - hybrid effector 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, ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Fractl:2

  Fractl:2, developed and manufactured by AIM Defence, is an Australian laser directed energy weapon (LDEW). The high-powered portable system is Australia's first acquisition of a directed ...

• CUAS - jammers

  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, ...

• CUAS - jammers

  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 ...

• 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 ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  SCATA Mk1

  The SCATA Mk1 is the first military vehicle developed by Finland's SCATA.

• Directed energy weapons

  Leonidas High-Powered Microwave DEW

  Leonardo's US-based subsidiary Epirus has received funding from both the US and Singapore to develop its Leonidas High-Powered Microwave (HPM) directed-energy weapon (DEW).

• Directed energy weapons

  GÖKBERK 10 Laser DEW

  Turkish company ASELSAN's GÖKBERK 10 laser directed-energy weapon (DEW) is designed to destroy cheap, class-I drones. The system is designed to work with other components ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Locust

  BlueHalo's Locust is a laser weapon system. The system delivers a complete kill chain, providing a layered and broadband detection capability that is coupled with electronic ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Minotaur

  Minotaur, developed by Soukos Robots, is a Greek laser directed energy weapon (LDEW). Minotaur is an anti-drone platform with the ability to shoot down unmanned ...

• Hybrid effector 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 ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Royal Thai Army Laser DEW

  Under Government instructions, the Royal Thai Army is developing a Laser-based Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) to counter drones in its border regions. The unit cost ...

• Directed energy weapons

  CROSSBOW MINI

  CROSSBOW MINI, developed by IPG Photonics, is a laser-directed energy weapon (LDEW). The LDEW has multiple deployable configurations and is a part of the manufacturers ...

• Directed energy weapons

  DIAL

  The Laser Weapon Instrumental Demonstrator (DIAL), in joint development with Indra and Escribano Mechanical Engineering, is a Spanish laser directed energy weapon (LDEW). The system ...