• Land Warfare

  New Type 100 AFVs help China leapfrog ahead of other Western concepts

  19th September 2025

  China’s fourth-generation armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) have pulled ahead of international analogues in their concept of operations, but questions remain about the reliability of their advanced technologies further down the line.

• Naval Warfare

  New UK-Norway pact covers warship, missile and autonomous system collaboration

  5th December 2025

  The Lunna House Agreement represents multiple opportunities for cooperation between the two navies, and follows on from last year’s declaration of a joint strategic partnership between the countries.

• Air Warfare

  DSEI 2025: Helsing and Systematic join forces to revolutionise drone recce-strike missions

  12th September 2025

  The partnership will integrate Helsing’s AI-powered systems with the Systematic SitaWare suite of C4ISR currently used by more than 50 nations, enabling faster data exchange between ISR UAVs and Helsing’s HX-2 loitering munitions.

• Naval Warfare

  Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development

  9th June 2026

  Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2025: Belgium will be fourth user of 40mm 40CT cannon

  11th September 2025

  The cannon is currently used by the French Army, French Navy and British Army. It has an elevation of +85° with a cyclic rate of fire of 200 rounds per minute.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force is eyeing cost-effective automated counter-drone solutions

  31st March 2026

  The USAF is seeking on-the-move systems, subsystems or technologies capable of defending airbases and fixed and semi-fixed sites against small drone attacks.

• Land Warfare

  Companies looking to develop integrated, mobile CUAS systems for frontline troops

  22nd July 2025

  Systems to detect and counter uncrewed aerial systems (CUAS), like drones and loitering munitions, are being integrated into tactical and light armoured vehicles to protect frontline units in a race to keep up with threats.

• Naval Warfare

  US Coast Guard awards contracts for the construction of up to 150 aids to navigation vessels

  2nd September 2025

  Agreements with Inventech Marine Solutions and North River Boats cover the acquisition of trailerable aids to navigation boats and cutter boats - aids to navigation – small.

• Naval Warfare

  Germany’s F126 delays open the door for Rheinmetall’s naval ambitions

  18th May 2026

  Germany’s F126 frigate crisis has handed Rheinmetall an opening it had been working towards for years, and the company intends to make the most of it.

• Air Warfare

  Eurosatory 2026: First public flight of Teledyne FLIR Black Recon reconnaissance system

  16th June 2026

  The drone took flight as undisclosed European customers are testing the system. Defence Insight highlights the Nordic region and existing Black Hornet users as potential early customers amid growing demand for micro-UAVs.

• Air Warfare

  Germany acquires additional 20 H145M helicopters

  15th December 2025

  The order for the extra helicopters comes from an agreement penned in December 2023, with the German Army receiving the bulk of the platforms.

• Land Warfare

  Ukraine’s ground robot army still finding its feet

  31st October 2025

  Ukraine’s quest to replace soldiers with robots is hitting technical snags. Shephard spoke with industry leaders about difficulties in the field and what solutions are in the pipeline.

• Naval Warfare

  Netherlands to acquire Finnish littoral assault craft in LCVP replacement programme

  17th October 2025

  The Dutch navy had reportedly been considering BAE Systems’ Littoral Strike Craft to replace its ageing landing craft fleet.

• Digital Battlespace

  Thales looks to boost DigitalCrew system through AI and human-machine teaming trials

  22nd January 2026

  The Thales DigitalCrew package, first unveiled at last year’s Defence IQ International Armoured Vehicles conference, is designed to merge imaging and apply a layer of decision-making and observation algorithms to support crew and other personnel.

• Land Warfare

  Axe swings on US Army procurements

  6th May 2025

  The US Army was undergoing a large refresh of its land vehicles but this seems to have come to a whiplash stop. Procurements have been reduced, legacy vehicles and systems are on the chopping block and even the number of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) is under threat.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• 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 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Launched Effects - Short Range (LE-SR) [US]

  Background Air-launched effect (ALE) In 2022, the US sought a family of systems comprising an air vehicle, payload, mission systems applications and support equipment to ...

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

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 1) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was ...

• Loitering munitions

  Launched Effects - Medium Range (LE-MR) [US]

  Background Air-launched effect (ALE) In 2022, the US sought a family of systems comprising an air vehicle, payload, mission systems applications and support equipment to ...

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

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) [US Army]

  Background USMC First, Army Second In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial Resupply ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) (MV-75 Cheyenne II) [USA]

  Programme Background US Army's Future Vertical Lift Programme The FLRAA is one of three strands of a broader army programme. The others are the Future ...

• Tiltrotors

  V-22 Osprey [Japan]

  Programme Background Procurement Contracts The Japanese government is the first export customer of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, having ordered 17 helicopters from the US across ...

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

  Large ULS-A / Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) [USMC]

  Background US Marine ULS-A programmes The US Marines are seeking a family of Unmanned Logistics Systems-Air (ULS-A), which will provide logistics and ground units with their ...

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

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 2) [US Army]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was intended to ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Data links

  Data links | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  V-247 Vigilant

  The V-247 Vigilant is a tiltrotor UAV from Bell. Officially introduced in 2016, it features an open modular architecture and can host several payloads. These include ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  SB-1 Defiant

  The SB-1 Defiant is a Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) aircraft. Sikorsky and Boeing announced in February 2013 that they would submit a joint proposal ...

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

  Aerosonde Mk 4.8 HQ FTUAS

  From the Texton family of Aerosonde UAS, the Aerosonde Mk 4.8 Hybrid Quad (HQ) FTUAS is a tactical drone purpose-built to meet the US Army's Future Vertical Lift ...

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Korean Future Vertical Lift (KFVL)

  Unveiled at KADEX 2024, the Korean Future Vertical Lift (KFVL) is a family of uncrewed helicopters from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). Despite being in the ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  S-97 Raider

  The S-97 Raider helicopter is based on the five-year, company-funded X2 Technology Demonstrator project. Like the X2, the S-97 Raider will feature twin coaxial, counter-rotating ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AVX JMR

  AVX Aircraft proposed a compound helicopter with coaxial rotors, small wings and dual ducted-fan propulsors for the US Army’s JMR-TD FVL programme. In April 2015, ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers

  APR-39E(V)2

  The AN/APR-39E(V)2 is a digital radar warning receiver manufactured by Northrop Grumman. The receiver is a modernised version of the AN/APR-39 radar warning receiver and ...

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

  HQ-60

  Similarly to other platforms in the L3 Technologies Hybrid Quadrotor (HQ) and Fixed-Wing Rotator family (see separate entries) of VTOL fixed-wing UAVs, the HQ-60 has ...

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

  H6 Poseidon

  Manufactured by Swarmly, the H6 Poseidon is a fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV. The second largest member of the Poseidon family, the vertical lift is provided through ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  X-Sight

  Elbit X-Sight is a developmental helmet-mounted display system designed for helicopters. According to the manufacturer, it will offer a high field of view and colour binocular ...

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Kargo II

  The Kargo II is a cargo-carrying rotary-wing UAV from Piasecki. It has a cargo capacity of 1,300 lbs, 500 lbs more than the original Kargo ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Bell 360 Invictus

  The Bell 360 Invictus was the company's prototype for the US Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) programme.  The helicopter features retractable weapon bays, two ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Veloce-15

  The ST Engineering Veloce-15 (V-15) is a hybrid fixed-wing UAV with four rotors for vertical lift and a tail-mounted two-bladed pusher propeller for horizontal propulsion.  ...

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

  Hexa

  The Hexa, or LIFT Hexa, is a rotary-wing aircraft developed by LIFT Aircraft for military and commercial markets. Due to its configuration and triple redundant autopilot computer, ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - industry programmes

  Warrior Systems

  General Dynamics Mission Systems is prime contractor and system integrator for the US Army’s Warrior soldier systems, which include Air Warrior, Future Force Warrior, Land Warrior ...