• Digital Battlespace

  HAMMR time: Northrop demonstrates missile defence capability

  11th March 2020

  Northrop Grumman has successfully demonstrated its Highly Adaptable Multi-Mission Radar (HAMMR) during a test at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. A HAMMR system was …

• Naval Warfare

  Kongsberg signs NSM deal

  9th March 2020

  Kongsberg has signed a NOK203 million ($23.1 million) deal with Raytheon for Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) the Norwegian company announced on 9 March. These missiles …

• Naval Warfare

  Naval Warfare magazine: Arctic ops, destroyers, radar developments and more

  4th March 2020

  Read the latest edition of Naval Warfare for free in our app or on your desktop. Register below to be sent the download link and …

• Naval Warfare

  Babcock gets UK special operations contract

  9th March 2020

  Babcock has secured a five-year contract with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines to provide 200 inflatable boats for their Boat Support and dive teams. …

• Land Warfare

  Patria/SIA Unitruck JV to support Latvian programmes

  10th March 2020

  A new company has been established to support the readiness of the Latvian National Armed Forces (LNAF), after local company SIA Unitruck formed a JV …

• Defence Notes

  DefExpo 2020: India trumpets its supposed ascent with ASAT missile

  7th February 2020

  The largest item in the Defence Research & Development Organisation’s (DRDO) outdoor corral at DefExpo 2020 was an anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon. This pride of the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Elta to support Future Sensing programme

  26th February 2020

  Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI’s) Elta Systems has teamed up with the international accelerator MassChallenge office in Israel to offer an acceleration programme for Future Sensing …

• Naval Warfare

  Russian naval revamp to continue unabated

  20th March 2020

  Representatives of the Russian MoD and the General Staff have insisted to Shephard that the country’s naval modernisation programme will proceed as planned, despite a …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky receives Lot 2 HH-60W contract

  28th February 2020

  Sikorsky has received the Lot 2 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract award from the US Air Force for the HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) …

• Defence Notes

  Defence awakens to European COVID-19 nightmare

  18th March 2020

  The impact of COVID-19 has caused widespread disruption to the European defence industry which has introduced exceptional operational measures to protect the health of armed forces personnel, …

• Naval Warfare

  US to maintain two-carrier force in CENTCOM region

  13th March 2020

  The US will maintain two carriers in the Middle East for an undisclosed period of time following retaliatory strikes by its forces on Kata'ib Hezbollah …

• Digital Battlespace

  Turkish EW gets passive-aggressive in Syria

  6th March 2020

  Aselsan’s KORAL radar jamming system has been deployed to northern Syria in support of Turkish operations against Kurdish insurgents. The truck-mounted KORAL provides electronic support …

• Land Warfare

  French MoD announces digital innovations for the army

  24th February 2020

  France is increasing its efforts to simplify and optimise infantry operations by improving the routine use of network technology.  In early February, the French Ministry …

• Air Warfare

  Elbit Systems of America secures F-16 sustainment work

  6th March 2020

  Elbit Systems of America has been awarded a firm-fixed-price contract by the US Air Force Life Cycle Management Centre worth $471.63 million. The contract was …

• Digital Battlespace

  India gets defence export order from Armenia

  5th March 2020

  Four Indian Swathi weapon locating radars (WLRs) have been sold to Armenia for around $40 million. Deliveries are believed to have started, Shephard has learned. …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Long-Endurance UAV [US AFRICOM]

  Programme Background Ageing MQ-9A Reapers In November 2022, Shephard reported that GA-ASI would continue supporting contractor SMX with its MQ-9A after winning a $2.3 billion task ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  HH-60W - Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH)

  According to the FY2021 Base funding, the HH-60W helicopter unit cost is $43.2 million. The HH-60W will be capable of employment day or night, in ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Pakistan]

  Programme Background Requirement Following a 2019 skirmish with India, Pakistan placed newfound importance on EW and ISR, primarily due to the significant advantage gained during that ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Multidomian Micro Drones [USSOCOM]

  Background Special Notice On 14 November 2024, a Special Notice was released that informed the industry that the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was looking for ...

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

  MQ-9B SkyGuardian [Denmark]

  Background Arctic Capability Package In February 2021, Denmark published the Arctic Capability package, a commitment to invest in new technologies, particularly uncrewed systems, to improve surveillance ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Long-Range Drones [Norway]

  Background Andøya Ambition On 3 April 2023, the Norwegian MoD released a statement confirming its plans for Andøya, the northernmost island in its Vesterålen archipelago. In addition to ...

• Loitering munitions

  Long Range One-way Platforms [US]

  Solicitation In October 2024, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) released a solicitation for long-range, one-way platforms. The DIU noted recent conflicts highlighted the asymmetric impact of low-cost, ...

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

  V-Bat 128 [Canada]

  Programme Background Requirement Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) was seeking a platform for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) that would significantly expand its surveillance range ...

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

  Mini Intelligence Drone System (SMDR) [France]

  Background Requirement The French Army identified a need for a new tactical UAS to replace the Drac, which entered service in 2008. The Mini Reconnaissance ...

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

  M Solar-X [Thailand]

  Programme Background Roadmap In February 2024, the RTAF unveiled its White Paper 2024. Incorporating lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel-Hamas War, and other events ...

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

  Seeker 400 - First Batch (UAE)

  Programme Background The UAE has a long history of transactions with Denel Dynamics. The country has been purchasing various Seeker systems from as far back ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  NH90 NFH-Italy

  Programme Background  The Italian Navy has taken delivery of its first NH90 NFH helicopter in Full Operational Capability (or Step B) configuration in November 2013. ...

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

  CH-4 (First Batch) [Pakistan]

  Programme Background First Batch According to the Pakistan Exim Trade Info website, five aircraft were delivered to the country on 15 January 2021. According to a ...

• Loitering munitions

  Medium-Range Loitering Munition with LEO Satellite Data Link [South Korea]

  Background New Project In April 2025, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) announced a new project titled “Development of Medium-Range ...

• Military UAS - small

  Small UAV (Bulgaria)

  Programme Background The Bulgarian Army wants to procure UAVs to enhance the organic tactical ISR capabilities of its ground forces. According to Bulgarian media, a ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Caihong

  The Caihong (Rainbow), also known as the Cai Hong or CH, is a solar-powered HALE platform designed for near-space flight. It is suitable for military ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Morning Star

  Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s Morning Star is a quasi-satellite, near-space, solar-powered platform. It is designed for both military and civilian applications, including reconnaissance, navigation ...

• FL-3

  The FL-3 is a planned solar-powered, long-endurance, near-space platform with an 85,300ft ceiling. Speculated future uses include communication, ground observation, meteorological monitoring and operation as ...

• ISR/special mission, Maritime patrol

  A320neo M3A

  Currently under development by Airbus, the A320 M3A is the Maritime Patrol version of the civilian A320neo aircraft. The aircraft can be fitted with a wide ...

• Space: radar systems

  SARah

  SARah is the planned follow-on system for the SAR-Lupe radar satellite constellation operated by the German Armed Forces. In 2013, it was announced that OHB ...

• Major networking projects

  EAC

  The NATO Communications and Information Agency awarded ACTIA Sodielec a contract in June 2013 to provide NATO with an Extended Advanced SATCOM Network Monitoring and ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Vocality Pro Series

  The Pro Series includes the V25, V50, V150 and V20. These are designed to be used in a central communications hub or as part of ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish Maritime

  The FlyingFish Maritime SIGINT system is one of several derivatives of the FlyingFish Airborne Satellite Monitoring System developed by Horizon Technologies. Designed to be mounted ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  S-70UAS U-Hawk

  Unveiled at AUSA 2025, the S-70UAS U-Hawk is an uncrewed version of Sikorsky’s crewed UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter.  It will act as a delivery aircraft for medium-sized uncrewed ground vehicles ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish

  FlyingFish is an Airborne Satellite Monitoring System designed to detect and intercept SATCOM from airborne ISR platforms. As a passive system, it cannot be detected ...

• Guided munitions

  GP155B

  The GP155B is a 155mm artillery round developed by Norinco. The GP155B integrates satellite-based guidance systems that are compatible with both the Chinese Beidou Navigation ...

• Data links

  Space CDL

  The Space Common Data Link (CDL) system provides a wideband data link capability adaptable to a variety of space-based applications. It consists of separate transmitter ...

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

  ULTRA

  The Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft (ULTRA) is a fixed-wing drone from DZYNE Technologies.  It is described as a long-endurance, GPS-harded intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform with full ...

• Naval: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish Naval

  The FlyingFish Naval SIGINT system is one of several derivatives of the FlyingFish Airborne Satellite Monitoring System (ASMS) developed by Horizon Technologies. Whereas the original ...