• Defence Notes

  Kim Jong-un reigns supreme as king of parades

  19th January 2021

  Submarine-launched ballistic missiles and short-range ballistic missiles debuted in North Korea's latest military extravaganza in the heart of Pyongyang.

• Land Warfare

  Test on Sabre showcases MMP fire and forget capability

  6th January 2021

  MBDA missile achieved direct hit on target without operator intervention.

• Land Warfare

  Turkish delight at two Philippine Army contracts

  6th January 2021

  FNSS has reaped two recent contracts in the Philippines - for armoured combat earthmovers and for one-man turrets.

• Defence Helicopter

  Development of Z-20 variants in full swing for PLA

  13th January 2021

  The PLA is exploring new missions for the Z-20 medium helicopter, as the aircraft looks set to become the backbone of rotary-winged fleets in China.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Salvaged sea glider shows wide extent of Chinese surveillance

  8th January 2021

  Chinese sea gliders are roving far and wide across regional seas, as the latest discovery in Indonesia indicates.

• Land Warfare

  Danish MoD awards GDELS-Mowag a $52 million contract for 57 Eagle V vehicles

  18th December 2020

  The Danish MoD awarded a CHF 46 million ($52 million) contract to GDELS-Mowag to deliver 57 Eagles V vehicles. This is the second order under the Armoured Patrol Vehicle (APV) framework agreement signed in 2017. Deliveries will begin by the end of 2021 and will be completed in 2022.

• Defence Helicopter

  US Army sends draft FLRAA RfP to industry

  21st December 2020

  A new FLRAA draft RfP signals the US Army is making steady progress with a key FVL programme.

• Digital Battlespace

  Raytheon steps up again for QEWR

  9th December 2020

  Early warning radar system forms part of layered air and missile defence architecture

• Naval Warfare

  Italy orders up to four more submarines via OCCAR

  9th December 2020

  ​New boats will be ‘the sole undeniable asset’ for the Italian Navy in the submarine domain, says MoD

• Defence Notes

  As rhetoric continues, are NATO-EU defence differences too great to be resolved?

  1st December 2020

  With the EU looking to move ever-closer towards the creation of its own de facto military alliance, the role of NATO in European security has been consistently questioned amid internal disputes and a shift in balance of power in light of Brexit.

• Defence Helicopter

  Philippines inducts first S-70i units

  11th December 2020

  The S-70i will be a workhorse in the Philippine Air Force, and even more of them could be procured.

• Defence Notes

  UK arms trade in the spotlight as export control report goes under the microscope

  15th December 2020

  Arms exports to countries such as Saudi Arabia have long been controversial, as UK parliamentary committee reviews current practices.

• Land Warfare

  Singapore introduces new solider personal equipment

  2nd December 2020

  New personal equipment the Singapore Armed Forces is rolling out to ground combat units will bring a range of improvements for troops.

• Naval Warfare

  BAE Systems to modernise USS Wasp again

  25th November 2020

  For the second time in four years, Wasp is undergoing work to sustain its warfighting capability

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Afghanistan to receive more ScanEagles

  23rd November 2020

  Latest FMS order will bring total fleet of ISR UAVs in Afghan service to approximately 120

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Transport

  Medium Transport Aircraft (DROP) [Poland​]

  Background Requirement Poland acquired the C-130E Hercules over a decade ago under the US FMS programme. Deliveries started in 2009 and ran through to summer ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Armoured Infantry Combat Vehicle (VBC Fuz) [Brazil]

  Programme background Technical requirements The Brazilian Army released two documents outlining the technical and operational requirements for the VBC Fuz in early 2020. These outline ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-130H Replacement [Sweden]

  Programme Background Requirements Sweden has five C-130H aircraft (designated Tp-84) and one KC-130H. Two C-130Es bought in the 1960s have retired, but the six H ...

• Loitering munitions

  Warmate [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Ukraine placed an order for an undisclosed number of Warmate systems in 2017. Shepherd believes units acquired in this order later were utilised ...

• Military UAS - small

  ScanEagle (11-20) [Czech Republic]

  Methodology PGO and programme status Since Defence Insight cannot find any evidence of a procurement, the effort has been marked as cancelled. Therefore, it has ...

• Minehunters

  Awaji Class (1-4) [Japan]

  Programme Background Two Awaji class mine countermeasures vessels (MCMV) were ordered from the Japanese shipyard Japan Marine United (JMU) for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) initially. ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Ejder Yalçın (Batch 1) [Qatar]

  Background In the face of deteriorating relations with some of its neighbours in the Gulf, Qatar has forged closer defence ties with Turkey. This has ...

• OPVs

  Inlay Class (second OPV)

  Programme Background The Inlay class originally consists of a single OPV in service with the Myanmar Navy. However, a second Inlay-class OPV has been reported under construction since ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Aerostar [Mexico]

  Methodology Unit cost Based on the UAV’s MTOW and the Defence Insight database, Shephard estimates the aircraft’s 2026 gross and flyaway unit costs are $1.95 million and $1.58 million, respectively. Based ...

• Military UAS - small

  HUSAR (2023 Order) [Germany]

  Programme Background First Order In 2015, the German Army launched the HUSAR programme to identify a replacement for its Airbus Defence & Space KZO and ...

• OPVs

  Cyprus Second Sa'ar 62 OPV

  Programme BackgroundThe Republic of Cyrus' Ministry of Defence placed an order with Israel Shipyards for its first Sa'ar 62  OPV in December 2015 in a project valued ...

• Patrol boats

  Rajshree Class (Flight II)

  Programme BackgroundThe Rajshree class is to consist of 13 FPVs built in two separate flights. Flight I saw construction begin in 2010 and all eight vessels ...

• Maritime patrol

  P-8A Poseidon [Germany]

  Background 2017 MPA programme (cancelled) In 2017, Germany and France announced that they would be developing a maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) to replace their current ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Makassar Class LPD (7)

  Indonesia signed a contract for $150 million for two LPDs in the Makassar class, KRI Makassar and KRI Surabaya, with South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering ...

• Loitering munitions

  Warmate (2017) [Poland]

  Background Order In November 2017, Poland ordered 100 sets of Warmate loitering munitions, each consisting of ten platforms, for a reported 100 million Polish Zloty ($26.49 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Pistols

  Jericho Pistol 941

  Designed for military and law enforcement users, the Jericho Pistol 941 is available in 9mm, .40 S&W; and .45 ACP calibres and in standard, short ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Guará WS

  Avibras is marketing the 4x4 Guará WS light armoured vehicle, a further development of its 4x4 AV-VB4 RE Guará prototype. Developed in cooperation with the ...

• Land: manned turrets

  TORC30

  The TORC30 is a stabilised unmanned turret armed with a Rheinmetall MK30-2/ABM 30mm cannon being developed by Ares, an Elbit subsidiary, and the Brazilian Army’s ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  V-RAPTOR

  Unveiled at LAAD 2023 in Rio de Janeiro, the V-RAPTOR is a tactical police armoured vehicle from domestic manufacturer Combat Armor Defense do Brasil.

• Military UAS - mini

  Nauru 100D

  The Nauru 100D is a mini fixed-wing UAV from Xmobots. Unveiled at the 2025 LAAD Defence & Security tradeshow, the aircraft is VTOL-capable, developed for ISTAR, and ...

• Air: Displays

  Panoramic Cockpit Display

  Developed by L3Harris and Elbit Systems America, the Panoramic Cockpit Display (PCD) is a touchscreen MFD integrated into F-35 aircraft. It provides two electronically divided ...

• Anti-ship missiles

  MANSUP/MANSUP-ER

  MANSUP (Míssil Antinavio Nacional de Superfície) is a surface-to-surface anti-ship missile developed in Brazil. Its first test launch was conducted in 2018. MANSUP is going to ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  Armadillo TA-2

  The Armadillo TA-2 is an automatic or manned rocket launcher system designed to be fully retracted inside a 4x4 light vehicle.The concept, which was being ...

• EW test systems, Air: chaff/flare/decoy systems

  CAST-easy

  RUAG unveiled the Countermeasure Advanced System Test Equipment (CAST-easy) in 2017 earmarking it for the Panavia Tornado series of combat aircraft. The 2017 announcement stated ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-390/C-390 Millennium

  The KC-390 is a high-wing, twin-turbofan, T-tail design intended to meet the needs of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) for a tanker/transport aircraft. Developed and ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  Drone Deterrence System

  First unveiled at the LIMA 2017 exhibition by Mitsubishi Electric, the Drone Deterrence System began to be developed in 2014 and made its first sale in ...

• Individual assault/anti-tank weapons

  Fletcher

  Arnold Defense, which has produced more than 1.1 million 2.75in/70mm rocket launchers for airborne applications since 1961, unveiled the Fletcher 2.75in/70mm Weapon System at the September ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  FJ33-5A

  The FJ33-5A is a turbofan engine manufactured by Williams. The engine achieved EASA certification in April 2017, and is used onboard the XQ-58 Valkyrie UAV. 

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Albion Class

  The two Albion-class Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ships, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, were built for the UK Royal Navy to replace the older 1960s vintage ...

• Minehunters

  Kormoran II Class

  Three Kormoran II-class minehunters were budgeted for the Polish Navy in 2011, and a contract was placed for a prototype in 2013, with the first ...