• Digital Battlespace

  Multi-beam antenna undergoes US trials

  3rd June 2021

  The US Army and USAF are exploring how optical beamforming antenna technology can be used to transmit data at high speed over commercial and military satellites.

• Naval Warfare

  USN and industry tackle shipyard delays

  3rd August 2021

  The USN is ‘getting after delay days’ as the impact on shipbuilding of COVID-19 abates, says CNO.

• Digital Battlespace

  JetWave broadband SATCOM finds a use in defence

  3rd June 2021

  Honeywell develops a version of its JetWave solution for the Airborne Mission Networking communications suite.

• Naval Warfare

  Australasian tankers meet Supply and demand

  21st April 2021

  Australia and New Zealand are both sporting new replenishment ships as their fleets modernise.

• Air Warfare

  DoD awards Polish F-35 support contract

  1st June 2021

  Lockheed Martin receives a support contract from the US DoD for F-35s on order from Poland.

• Naval Warfare

  Congress funds extra guided missile destroyer but scuppers LCS withdrawals

  5th July 2021

  In a mark-up of the Biden administration’s FY2022 defence funding bill, US lawmakers are funding the procurement of an additional destroyer while blocking plans to retire three struggling Littoral Combat Ships and axing funding for the USN nuclear cruise missile project.

• Air Warfare

  BAE Systems provides missile warning capability to US Army

  14th July 2021

  BAE Systems has received a $62million contract from the US Army to deliver their 2CAWS.

• Land Warfare

  Tempo continues on VBL Ultima and Hornet production

  23rd July 2021

  Efforts are stepping up to provide 800 enhanced VBL vehicles for the French Army and new remote weapon stations for vehicles in the Scorpion programme

• Land Warfare

  US Army awaits long-range cannon study

  5th August 2021

  The US Army needs more long-range artillery systems and is embarking on a series of modernisation and technology development efforts, of which SLRC is one.

• Land Warfare

  6 (UK) Division to lead grey zone fight

  10th June 2021

  The UK has outlined plans to better execute grey zone operations, with the British Army's 6 (UK) Division set to play a leading role in engaging enemy forces.

• Naval Warfare

  USN orders additional Aegis modernisation kits and VLS modules

  21st July 2021

  Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Constellation-class frigates will benefit from combat system upgrades.

• Defence Helicopter

  The Survivor - 40 Years of the Chinook in the UK (Studio)

  16th July 2021

  Over the past 40 years, the helicopter known as Bravo November has become symbolic of the qualities of the CH-47 Chinook, earning itself the nickname The Survivor along the way.

• Air Warfare

  Bird AeroSystems delivers surveillance solution

  5th July 2021

  Bird AeroSystems has completed a delivery of its ASIO Maritime Surveillance Task Force solution to an unspecified African country.

• Defence Notes

  Raytheon demonstrates eJPALS in Yuma tests

  28th July 2021

  The expeditionary Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (eJPALS) is a land-based version of its carrier-borne JPALS capability designed to support dispersed operations and flights from austere runways.

• Digital Battlespace

  Artificial intelligence and warfare - an introduction (podcast)

  22nd July 2021

  Introducing Shephard Studio’s Artificial Intelligence on the Battlefield podcast, sponsored by our partner Systel.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light attack, Trainer

  PC-21 (Project Air 5428) [Australia]

  The new PTS, including aircraft, flight training simulators and learning environments is being acquired from a single capability contractor, Team 21, which consists of Lockheed ...

• Transport, Transport/tanker aircraft

  Project Air 7404 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement Australia is thinking ahead to an enlarged transport fleet to replace the current C-130Js. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was the second ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (Project Air 6000 Phase 2A/B) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) took delivery of 18 F-35A aircraft as of March 2020 and the remaining aircraft are expected to ...

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

  Loyal Wingman [Australia]

  Background Older Efforts On 23 April 2021, the US State Department's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) approval announcement revealed that Australia had requested to buy up ...

• Data links

  Data links | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

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

  Project Vixen [UK]

  Programme Background Project Goal The Royal Navy uses Leonardo crewed Merlin (AW101) helicopters fitted with CROWSNEST pods to provide airborne early warning capabilities for carriers. An early ...

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

  Project Air 7003 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [USN]

  Programme 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 ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (11-12) [Australia]

  Programme Background Austal was awarded a contract to build six 'Evolved'Cape-class patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on 1 May 2020 (see separate ...

• OPVs

  Arafura Class (Project SEA 1180) (1-6) [Australia]

  Programme Background Australia's new class of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), the Arafura-class, will replace the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) fleet of Armidale and Cape-class patrol ...

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

  MQ-28 Ghost Bat [Australia]

  Programme Background Goal As stated by the Head of Air Force Capability, Air Vice-Marshal Robert Denney, in March 2022, the Ghost Bat will be an "operational ...

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

  MQ-4C Triton (Option) [Australia]

  Programme Background Four Contracted Units In the summer of 2020, Northrop Grumman announced that the Australian Government provided $333 million for three MQ-4C Tritons and associated ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Australian Defence Force MRH90 Training

  As prime contractor for the ADF's MRH90 training programme, CAE has provided two MRH90 full-flight mission simulators (FFMS), training facilities and engineering and support services. ...

• Trainer

  King Air trainer

  Textron / Beechcraft King Air trainers are a family twin-engine aircraft based on King Air 90, 100, 200 and 350 utility aircraft. The King Air ...

• AMAS

  AMAS – Australian Minesweeping System – was developed with the assistance of the Defence Science & Technology Organisation and the Royal Australian Navy. It adopts ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  RAAF Hawk Mk 127 FMS

  Under subcontract to BAE Systems, CAE is designing and manufacturing three Hawk Mk 127 full-mission simulators (FMS) for the Royal Australian Air Force that will ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  NGJ

  Raytheon's Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) was selected by the USN in 2013 to replace the legacy ALQ-99 systems used on the EA-18G electronic attack aircraft. ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers

  AN/ALQ-210

  Lockheed Martin’s AN/ALQ-210 is an Electronic Support Measure (ESM) outfitting the Sikorsky MH-60R Romeo naval support helicopter. The manufacturer’s official literature says that the product ...

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

  Wanderer

  The Wanderer is a low-altitude, low-cost, long-endurance UAV produced in-house by the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) Jericho Disruptive Innovation Group and the Australian Government's Defense Science ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Air-5416 Project Echidna

  BAE Systems’ commenced its work on the Australian Department of Defence’s Air-5416 Project Echidna initiative in 2001. The rationale of the programme was to overhaul ...

• Light attack

  Hawk 200

  The Hawk 200 is a single-seat light attack iteration of the Hawk 100 (see separate entry) and Advanced Jet Trainer or AJT (see separate entry). ...

• Air: chaff, flare and decoy systems

  Vicon-XF

  Thales’ Vicon-XF is a countermeasure dispensing system which can equip an array of platforms, primarily large aircraft and rotorcraft, according to the manufacturer’s official literature. ...

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

  MQ-28A Ghost Bat

  The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is a loyal wingman type MALE fixed-wing drone being developed by Boeing Defence Australia. Its development began in 2013 and took its first ...

• Maritime patrol

  Challenger 604

  Bombardier Challenger CL-604 MPAs are in service with the Royal Danish Air Force and the Korea Coast Guard. The first of three Danish aircraft entered ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  Predator Mission Trainer (PMT)

  The CAE Predator Mission Trainer (PMT) is an integrated platform that combines the features of CAE's UAS mission trainer with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Predator-specific ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  AN/ALR-2001

  BAE Systems’ AN/ALR-2001 Electronic Support Measure (ESM) is thought to be based on Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Elta Systems division’s EL/M-8382 ESM. The AN/ALR-2001 is ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition

  In July 2025, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) unveiled an as-yet-unamnned loitering munition that had been developed through collaboration between the RTAF’s Navaminda Kasatriyadhiraj Air ...