• Naval Warfare

  NATO tests use of “undetectable, jam-proof” laser communication in maritime scenarios

  17th December 2025

  As part of its effort to better prepare its capabilities for operations in contested and congested scenarios, NATO evaluated a Lithuanian ship-to-ship terminal designed to not be susceptible to enemy interference.

• Air Warfare

  F-35 buy decisions rear their head after US tariffs increase

  11th August 2025

  Following Spain’s decision not to procure F-35 aircraft in favour of Eurofighter and FCAS 6th-gen, Switzerland and Canada continue to weigh up their investment in Lockheed Martin’s F-35 aircraft.

• Land Warfare

  How Patria TREMOS redefines battlefield mobility

  17th November 2025

  The war in Ukraine has made it clear: the battlefield waits for no one. Military operations now take place in fast-paced environments, and speed is not just about the fight itself – it is about the entire ecosystem of warfare.

• Land Warfare

  Lithuania orders L3Harris manpack radios and AeroVironment small drones

  7th January 2025

  In the medium-term Lithuania has committed US$1.3 billion which includes Javelin ant-tank missiles, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs), Black Hawk helicopters, missile systems and missiles.

• Defence Notes

  Defence companies continue to ride procurement wave

  1st August 2025

  Vehicle and technology companies are reporting substantial growth compared to the first half of 2024. Italy’s Fincantieri saw revenues jump 24% for the first half of the year compared to 2024 and Thales up 6.8% for the same period. General Dynamics reported second quarter revenue growth of 8.9% for the second quarter compared to last year and MilDef reported organic order intake growth of 58%.

• Air Warfare

  Sweden signs contract for $552 million Gripen E/F sale to Thailand

  26th August 2025

  The confirmed order now makes Thailand the third country to operate the Gripen E/F aircraft, after sales to Sweden and Brazil.

• Defence Notes

  DroneShield to double its US footprint to meet growing demand for counter-UxS capabilities

  23rd September 2025

  DroneShield disclosed to Shephard its plans to increase its workforce and manufacturing capacities while strengthening partnerships with US suppliers.

• Land Warfare

  Indian Army’s new battle blueprint takes shape

  23rd January 2026

  The Indian Army’s modernisation plans reflect the lessons learned from ongoing conflicts and threats as it continues its push for indigenous capabilities.

• Land Warfare

  Romania set to order KF41 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles

  17th November 2025

  Romania’s effort to buy infantry fighting vehicles is expected to include five configurations: a standard platform with a 30mm autocannon, a command variant, an armoured recovery vehicle, a medical evacuation vehicle and a 120mm self-propelled mortar.

• Land Warfare

  British Army vehicle programme may be shifting gears again

  30th October 2025

  The UK’s effort to replace thousands of vehicles across a dozen base vehicle types has had a troubled history and statements from the UK’s Defence Minster Luke Pollard indicate change may be on the way.

• Land Warfare

  Scorpion light mortar completes tests with US Army and moves to next exercise

  29th October 2025

  Having completed five days of trials with the US Army, the two Scorpion Light mortar systems will stay in Hawaii to take part in planned Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center training exercises in early November.

• Land Warfare

  Lockheed picks Australian site for GMLRS support and possible missile manufacture

  20th August 2025

  A final decision on the siting of an Australian Weapons Manufacturing Complex (AMWC), which will produce all-up GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) rounds, will be made by the Australian Department of Defence (DoD).

• Air Warfare

  DSEI 2025: Ukrainian drone aimed at British Army Watchkeeper replacement programme

  9th September 2025

  Skyeton Prevail Solutions, a Ukrainian and British JV, has designed its Raybird UAV to meet the needs of defence, civilian and industrial industries.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy to deploy UAVs with standard munitions in long-range strikes

  19th February 2026

  As part of the Runway Independent Maritime & Expeditionary Strike programme, the US Navy is pursuing drones capable of delivering palletised rounds or 1,000lb-class munitions.

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2025: IAI pushes ahead with new systems as international interest is roused in Iron Dome

  18th February 2025

  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) CEO Boaz Levy spoke to Shephard about the company’s decades-long development of it missile portfolio, at a time when countries around the world have been demonstrating a growing appetite in procuring national missile defence systems.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT (1-9) [NATO]

  Programme Background Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawks [Norway]

  Programme Background NH90 NFH cancellation  The Norwegian government announced the termination of the NH90 NFH helicopter contract for 14 NH90s with NHIndustries in June 2022. Seahawk Acquisition ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT Follow-On [NATO]

  Programme Background Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that ...

• Main battle tanks

  New MBT [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Greece)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

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

  Penguin C VTOL [Croatia]

  Background Announcment Redwire Corporation announced on 12 November 2025 that its wholly owned subsidiary, Edge Autonomy, had been contracted to deliver the Penguin C VTOL ...

• Maritime patrol

  MAWS/PATMAR [France]

  Programme Background In 2017, Germany and France announced that they would be working towards developing an MPA to replace their current fleets in service. The ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Italy)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Kuwait]

  Background Contract Award On 18 January 2023, Baykar announced signing a $370 million export contract with Kuwait for the Bayraktar TB2. According to the announcement, ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton - Germany (Cancelled)

  Programme Background Germany requested to buy four MQ-4C Triton HALE UAVs from Northrop Grumman. On 5 April 2018, the US State Department announced that it ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Bidders and Suppliers The Leopard 2A8, the latest in the Leopard family, was selected by the Royal Dutch Army as per announcements in ...

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

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

  Background Request for Information (RfI) In September 2022, the Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) launched a request for information in preparation for a possible procurement ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [France]

  Programme Background Requirements The European Patrol Corvette (EPC) is one of the new PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defence and Security) projects. PESCO was established ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirements The 2021-2023 Documento Programmatico Pluriennale (DPP) - a multi-year defence planning document from the Italian MoD - includes a plan to acquire eight "Patrol Ships", ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: air defence radar

  APIS

  APIS is a passive high-resolution primary radar system developed by Indra. It is the first passive system in the world capable of offering images using ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  AE50R

  The AE50R is an aviation gasoline single rotary engine with an output of 40.4kW. The engine is certified according to European Aviation Safety Agency Part ...

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

  LOTUS

  The LOTUS, Low Observable Tactical Unnamed System, is a tactical UAV especially designed for border patrol ISR operations.  The development of the project is funded by ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2H

  Safran Helicopter Engines received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) engine type certification for its Arriel 2H engine, installed in the Avicopter AC312E, in April 2018. ...

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

  AR5

  First announced in October 2012, the AR5 is a MALE UAS designed for SAR, surveillance and maritime patrol missions. The AR5 can be flown manually or commanded ...

• Trainer

  Gabriel-TP

  Gabriel-TP is a low-wing, two-seat tandem trainer aircraft aimed at both military and civilian customers. It is certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in ...

• Air: NVGs

  PNL-3M Orlik

  PNL-3M are high-performance, lightweight, passive stereoscopic NVGs for helicopter crew members. Certification by European Aviation Safety Agency also enables civilian use. The device can be ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCH 170

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCH 170 is a fixed-wing loitering munition from MBDA. Similar in design to the Switchblade 300, the catapult launched system ...

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

  Capa-X

  The Capa-X is a VTOL-capable fixed-wing drone from Survey Copter, a subsidiary of Airbus. The drone has been linked with France's Système de Drone Tactique Léger (SDTL) ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  Tryzub Laser

  Ukraine's Tryzub (Trident) laser was revealed during the European Defence Industry: Prospects for Cooperation with the Ukrainian Defence Industry conference in 2025. Video footage from ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Standard 3

  Jointly developed by ATR and Thales, The Standard 3 avionics suite has been specifically designed for ATR-600 aircraft. It offers the pilot user-friendly interface, along ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCX 50

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCX 50 is a rotary-wing loitering munition from MBDA.  According to reports, the RCX 50 is designed to support ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  DroneGun

  DroneGun enables controlled management of an adversarial UAS, causing no damage to the UAV or surrounding area. It either forces the drone to perform a ...

• Military - USVs

  NOMARS

  The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) is a US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) effort to develop a first-of-its-kind large uncrewed surface vessel.

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  Trident 100TD2

  The Trident 100TD2 is a compression-ignition engine that is capable of operating on various types of heavy fuel. It is claimed to offer up to ...