• Defence Notes

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  12th June 2019

  Join Shephard's Premium News community and get access to the latest aerospace and defence news, insights and opinions written by our dedicated Air, Land and …

• Naval Warfare

  JFD demos submarine rescue system in exercise

  18th June 2019

  JFD has successfully completed a comprehensive submarine rescue exercise to mobilise the entire NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS).During Exercise Golden Arrow the NSRS was fully …

• Military Logistics

  KC-46 refuels air force bomber

  7th June 2019

  The US Air Force’s new KC-46 refuelling tanker has made its first mid-air connection with the B-2 Spirit.The air force took first delivery of the …

• Naval Warfare

  LCS 21 launched and christened

  17th June 2019

  The US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 21, has been launched at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard and christened as the future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul. …

• Digital Battlespace

  Lockheed Martin enhances C2BMC system

  24th June 2019

  Lockheed Martin has modernised the command, control, battle management and communications (C2BMC) system, enhancing the US Missile Defense Agency's Ballistic Missile Defense System. C2BMC enables …

• Naval Warfare

  Combat system concentration for Lockheed Martin after FFG(X) withdrawal

  30th May 2019

  Following the decision by Lockheed Martin to withdraw from the US Navy’s FFG(X) process, the company will focus its efforts on the programme’s future combat …

• Digital Battlespace

  The rise of military AI and machine learning (Studio)

  20th June 2019

  This video is brought to you in partnership with Raytheon. Beth Maundrill, Deputy Editor, Shephard Media, speaks to Todd Probert, Vice President, IIS, Raytheon, about the role …

• Naval Warfare

  Philippine Navy seeks two LPDs and other new vessels

  19th June 2019

  On 17 June the Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) issued an invitation to bid for two LPDs for the Philippine Navy (PN), assets that …

• Defence Notes

  Insight: Japan seeks to eliminate vulnerabilities in the southwest

  14th June 2019

  The Liaoning aircraft carrier and five accompanying surface ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) passed through the Miyako Strait, which separates Okinawa and …

• Land Warfare

  Paris Air Show: Uvision presents new multi-canister launcher

  18th June 2019

  Uvision has developed the Hero-400EC Multi-Canister Launcher, designed for a range of land and naval applications. The Hero-400EC, originally unveiled in 2017, is a long-range …

• Digital Battlespace

  Thales gets Syracuse 4 ground segment work

  21st June 2019

  Thales has received a contract from the French defence procurement agency (DGA) to design and build the ground segment for the next-generation Syracuse 4 satellite …

• Special Operations

  USSOCOM looks to mobile messaging

  19th June 2019

  United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) is seeking to gain knowledge of potential sources to explore industry capabilities for a Secure Mobile Messaging Solution (SMMS). …

• Naval Warfare

  Adelaide class deployments complete

  14th June 2019

  The final deployment by a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Adelaide class guided missile frigate is now complete, with HMAS Newcastle arriving back in Australia. HMAS …

• Special Operations

  New grenade launcher sight explored

  17th June 2019

  The Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC Crane) is seeking industry information for market research purposes relative to technologies for a Low to Medium …

• Digital Battlespace

  NATO AGS Terma system verified

  19th June 2019

  Terma announced on 17 June that its Automated Target Recognition/Automatic Target Identification Capability (ATR/ATID) for NATO’s Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) programme has passed formal verification …

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, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  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 ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Global Fast Sealift [USN]

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

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

  MQ-25 Stingray (13-76) [USN]

  Background Initial Requirements - Unmanned Carrier Launch Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) The programme looked different when it began. In 2013, the USN awarded four ...

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

  MQ-25 Stingray (10-12) [USN]

  Background Initial Requirements -  Unmanned Carrier Launch Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) The programme looked different when it began. In 2013, the USN awarded four Preliminary ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawk (India)

  Programme Background On 25 February 2020, a letter of acceptance for 24 MH-60Rs, worth approximately $2.12 billion, was signed by India and the US in Delhi. ...

• AEW&C

  E-2D [USA]

  Programme Background The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) is an all-weather, twin engine, carrier-based, Airborne Command, Control and Surveillance aircraft designed to extend task force defence ...

• 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 - fixed-wing

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [USN]

  Background Requirement The USN wants to acquire carrier-capable loyal wingman drones. These drones will have a high level of autonomy, allowing them to work alongside crewed aircraft.  ...

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

  MQ-25 Stingray (1-9) [USN]

  Background Initial Requirements - Unmanned Carrier Launch Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) The programme looked different when it began. In 2013, the USN awarded four ...

• Military - USVs

  MUSV [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements In March 2026, the US announced it would be replacing its Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC) programme with a Medium Uncrewed Surface ...

• 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 helicopters - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) (TH-57 Replacement)

  Programme Background Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single ...

• OPVs

  Hisar Class (1-2) [Turkey]

  Background Requirements The thoughts behind the acquisition of this type of OPV, which comes in a baseline and a convertible variant, is an OPV that ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Anti-ship missiles

  Naval Strike Missile (NSM)

  The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is a subsonic, sea-skimming, anti-ship and land-attack missile. The original name was the Nytt sjømålsmissil, but this was later dropped ...

• Frigates

  FF(X) Frigate

  The FF(X) frigate is a vessel derived from Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HHI) National Security Cutter (NSC). It was designed in response to the cancellation of ...

• Land: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Low Band Transmitter

  The Low Band Transmitter-Antenna Group (LBT-AG), developed by Cobham, has been in production since 2005. The LBT is designed to protect strike aircraft, ships and ...

• Air-to-surface missiles, Anti-ship missiles

  JSM

  The Joint Strike Missile (JSM) is a multi-role version of the Naval Strike Missile. Norway funded the programme to develop and produce the JSM for the ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, 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, ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

  The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet was developed to perform naval strike missions for the USN. The primary mission for the F/A-18E/F is a strike fighter that ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, 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 ...

• Frigates

  Independence Class (LCS)

  The USN’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) programme was originally envisaged to be 50 ships, which would provide a coastal platform that would take over from ...

• Destroyers

  Zumwalt Class

  The DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class is formed by a series of next-generation multi-role destroyers 21st century. They were designed to host the latest in sensors and weapons ...

• Frigates

  Hunter Class Guided Missile Frigate

  During Indo Pacific 2023, BAE Systems Australia unveiled a Guided Missile variant of the Hunter-class frigate (ASW). Compared to the baseline ASW configuration, the proposed ...

• Frigates

  Constellation Class (FFG)

  The USN has selected Fincantieri Marinette Marine to build up to ten frigates under the FFG(X) next-generation future guided-missile frigate programme. The new Constellation-class will replace ...

• OPVs

  Hisar Class

  Turkish Military Factory and Shipyard Management company ASFAT has built two Hisar-class OPVs at Istanbul Naval Shipyard for the Turkish Navy. Four more platforms are on order, but the ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  SCOTT

  The Synthetic Cognition for Operational Team Training (SCOTT) system was developed for the USN to train teamwork and communication skills for E-2C flight crews interfacing ...

• Air: aerial targets

  GQM-163A Coyote SSST

  The GQM-163A Coyote Supersonic Sea Skimming Target (SSST) was developed for the USN to emulate two-stage anti-ship cruise missiles in support of air defence weapon/combat ...

• 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 ...