• Defence Notes

  Malaysia publishes its first White Paper

  9th December 2019

  Malaysia’s parliament passed the country’s first ever Defence White Paper on 2 December to guide defence planning and development from 2020-30. Amidst opposition criticism on …

• Naval Warfare

  Wärtsila divests shares in Wärtsilä ELAC Nautik

  12th December 2019

  Wärtsilä has divested shares in Wärtsilä ELAC Nautik (ELAC Nautik) to Cohort, the company announced on 12 December.ELAC Nautik became part of Wärtsilä as a …

• Digital Battlespace

  Cerberus at the gate

  24th December 2019

  The French government has announced the completion of test flights for its aerostat-based CERBERE signals intelligence system, nine years after the programme first got underway. …

• Naval Warfare

  Thales sonars for F110 frigates

  13th December 2019

  The Spanish Navy’s five F110 frigates will be equipped with Thales sonars to provide the vessels’ anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability, the company announced on 12 …

• Naval Warfare

  Bangladesh Navy Dornier 228s complete MRO inspection

  9th December 2019

  RUAG MRO International has completed a 72-month inspection on the Bangladesh Navy’s Dornier 228-212 special mission aircraft, the company announced on 9 December. The maintenance, …

• Digital Battlespace

  Boeing contracted for targeting processor kits for US, Australian F/A-18s

  7th November 2019

  The US Navy has awarded Boeing $35.2 million to produce Distributed Targeting Processor-Network retrofit kits for the F/A-18 fighter.  It covers the delivery of kits …

• Special Operations

  Croatian helicopter training centre opens

  13th December 2019

  Croatia’s Multinational Special Aviation (MSAP) training centre formally opened at the Pukovnik Mirko Vukušić Barracks in Zemunik on 11 December. The MSAP will train special …

• Digital Battlespace

  IBCS demonstrates non-US sensor system

  27th November 2019

  Northrop Grumman, MBDA and Saab have jointly demonstrated the ability to integrate the Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) family and Giraffe radar system family into …

• Naval Warfare

  Myanmar commissions LPD and patrol boats

  27th December 2019

  Myanmar’s Navy marked its 72nd anniversary on 24 December by commissioning eight vessels, including its largest ever ship – the LPD UMS Moattama (pennant 1501) …

• Naval Warfare

  US nearshore patrol explores its place in Great Power world

  29th November 2019

  The revamp of the US Navy’s nearshore maritime patrol capability continues apace following the merger in 2012 of the Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) Maritime Expeditionary …

• Military Logistics

  Work begins on Fiji wharf redevelopment

  4th December 2019

  Work has begun on a major upgrade to Stanley Brown Wharf in Suva, Fiji, under a programme being carried out with the Australian government. Australia …

• Military Logistics

  New field equipment for the ADF

  18th December 2019

  The Australian Department of Defence has signed a $30 million agreement with Sea to Summit for field equipment for the Australian Army. Under the Standing …

• Naval Warfare

  OCEAN2020 demonstration kicks off

  20th November 2019

  The first OCEAN2020 demonstration is set to commence today, 20 November, in the Gulf of Taranto. OCEAN2020 is a European Defence Fund pan-European military research …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  LARS successfully recovers USV in sea state 4/5

  2nd December 2019

  Naval Group has successfully tested its USV Launch and Recovery system (LARS) at up to and including sea state 5/6, confirming that the system can …

• Naval Warfare

  UK carrier roadmap plots route to 2021 deployment

  11th December 2019

  With the formal commissioning into service of the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales the UK Royal Navy has two aircraft carriers in its fleet for …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (28-68) [USN]

  Background Requirement The MQ-4C Triton programme, developed under the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) programme, required an uncrewed system to provide persistent, broad-area intelligence, surveillance ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-8C Fire Scout (USA)

  Programme Background Timeline According to the Naval Air Systems Command, having first ordered the MQ-8B in 2009, the UAV has become a pillar of the ...

• 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 ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Medium Landing Ship (1-10) [USMC]

  Programme Background Development As part of the US Marine Corps' future force structure, it is developing a new platform under the Medium Lading Ship programme ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Medium Landing Ship (11-33) [USMC]

  Programme Background Requirements As part of the US Marine Corps' future force structure, it is developing a new platform under the Medium Lading Ship programme ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (1-27) [USN]

  Background Requirement The MQ-4C Triton programme, developed under the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) programme, required an uncrewed system to provide persistent, broad-area intelligence, surveillance ...

• 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 ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The FVL-MS programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft utilised ...

• Military UAS - small

  Long Range/Long Endurance (LR/LE) [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 - 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Global Fast Sealift [USN]

  At Sea Air Space 2026, Hanwha Ocean and Gibbs and Cox displayed the Global Fast Sealift concept design. The vessel is intended as a next-generation ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Global Fast Sealift [USN]

  At Sea Air Space 2026, Hanwha Ocean and Gibbs and Cox displayed the Global Fast Sealift concept design. The vessel is intended as a next-generation ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  SECAT

  In 2022, Textron Systems unveiled its new Surface Effect Cargo Amphibious Transport (SECAT) craft, designed to support logistics behind the US Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations and ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-53E Sea Dragon

  Sikorsky developed the MH-53E (S-80) Sea Dragon variant of its CH-53E to provide the USN with a dedicated airborne mine countermeasures helicopter. Equipped with enlarged ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Tactical Mission System for Helicopter Applications

  The Saab tactical mission system is a system for transport, utility, C2 and combat helicopters intended to operate in a net-centric environment. It is designed ...

• Major networking projects

  CANES

  The Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) programme is a USN-wide effort to rationalise shipboard computing assets. It is designed to create a common ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  MQ-9 MTD

  SDS’s ROVATTS-based MQ-9 Mission Training Device (MTD) was developed to provide high-fidelity simulation to support US Air National Guard operational Reaper crew training. The PC-based ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  MQ-8C Fire Scout

  The MQ-8C is a newer version of the Fire Scout and is based on a Bell 407 commercial helicopter. It offers a greater range, endurance and ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - national programmes

  MERS

  The Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad (MERS) takes a systems engineering approach to equipping the USMC’s fundamental fighting unit. The integration and configuration management of all ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  MQ-8B Fire Scout

  The MQ-8B Fire Scout is a rotary-wing UAV that provides situational awareness and precision targeting support for the US Armed Forces. The MQ-8B Fire Scout, ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Military - UUVs

  Mission Specialist Defender

  The Mission Specialist Defender is a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) developed by VideoRay, now part of BlueHalo's unmanned maritime systems. The ROV is known ...

• Military - USVs

  TUFAN

  TUFAN is a is a kamikaze unmanned surface vehicle (USV) developed by ASELSAN in partnership with ARES Shipyard for offensive operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The platform combines ...

• Guided munitions

  AGM-154 JSOW

  The AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) is a joint United States Navy (USN)/United States Air Force (USAF) programme with the USN as the lead service. ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Air Operations Systems of Systems

  Air Operations System of Systems is designed to enable management of airspaces across large states and/or regions focusing on strategic planning. The system integration approach ...

• Trainer

  Saab 340 trainer

  The Saab 340 trainer aircraft is based on the Saab 340 regional airliner. It is used by the USN for pilot training. The aircraft replaced ...