• Digital Battlespace

  Next-gen DAS order for F-35 aircraft

  6th January 2020

  Lockheed Martin has received a $98.9 million order to integrate the next generation electro-optical Distributed Aperture System into all variants of the F-35 aircraft.The work …

• Digital Battlespace

  Osprey 50 radar flies for the first time

  2nd January 2020

  Leonardo has carried out the first flight trials of its Osprey 50 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. The flight trials were carried out in …

• Military Logistics

  Keel laid for future HMCS Protecteur

  20th January 2020

  A ceremonial keel laying event has been held for the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN’s) first of two Joint Support Ships (JSS), the future HMCS Protecteur. …

• Defence Notes

  India’s naval Tejas achieves carrier milestones

  14th January 2020

  The naval prototype of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) achieved a crucial milestone on 11 January when it undertook the maiden arrested landing aboard the …

• Naval Warfare

  Turkey set to increase submarine fleet

  9th January 2020

  The Turkish navy is about to enter a new era of underwater warfare as it prepares to induct a new class of submarine in to …

• Digital Battlespace

  Thales Alenia Space to develop EGNOS version V242B

  10th December 2019

  Thales Alenia Space has signed a new €78 million contract with the European Space Agency (ESA), on behalf of the European Commission, to upgrade Europe’s …

• Training

  RAAF completes US-based F-35A training mission

  20th January 2020

  Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F-35A Lightning II pilots, maintainers and aircraft have begun returning to Australia from Luke Air Force Base (AFB) in the …

• Training

  UK adds long-overdue helicopter aircrew training capacity

  22nd January 2020

  The UK MoD has signed a £183 million ($240 million) Military Flying Training System (MFTS) contract to add capacity to train rotary-wing pilots, filling a long-overdue shortfall. This …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Dynetics team flies X-61A Gremlins​ Air Vehicle

  20th January 2020

  Dynetics has successfully flown its X-61A Gremlins Air Vehicle for the first time, the company announced on 17 January. Part of the DARPA Gremlins programme, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Airbus Helicopters awarded UH-72 support IDIQ contract

  14th January 2020

  Airbus Helicopters will provide performance-based logistics (PBL) support for US military UH-72 aircraft, the US Department of Defense announced on 13 January. Airbus Helicopters was …

• Digital Battlespace

  Kratos awarded $39 million satellite comms monitoring contract

  6th December 2019

  Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced on 6 December that it had been awarded a $39 million sole-source contract for geolocation global support services by …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky, Rheinmetall submit German STH bid

  16th January 2020

  Sikorsky and Rheinmetall have submitted their joint bid for the German Air Force’s new heavy-lift transport helicopter (STH) programme. Based on the Sikorsky CH-53K King …

• Training

  Leidos to upgrade US Common Driver Trainer​ systems

  17th January 2020

  Leidos is to produce technical refresh and concurrency hardware/software upgrade capabilities for the US Army's Common Driver Trainer (CDT) systems, the company announced on 16 …

• Naval Warfare

  Pakistan Navy inducts ATR 72 aircraft and Luna NG UAVs

  7th January 2020

  The Pakistan Navy (PN) has inducted two ATR 72 aircraft – one in the Sea Eagle maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) configuration and another as a …

• Land Warfare

  Poland receives first high-mobility vehicles

  20th January 2020

  Poland’s air cavalry and airborne brigades will soon be operating new high-mobility vehicles, after the country’s MoD took delivery of the first batch of the …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• 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 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

  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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Arctic Frigates Procurement/Thetis Class Replacement (4-5) [Denmark]

  In January 2025, Denmark announced the acquisition of "three new Arctic ships, additional long-range drones with advanced image acquisition capacity" and "satellite capacity" worth over ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Arctic Frigates Procurement/Thetis Class Replacement (4-5) [Denmark]

  In January 2025, Denmark announced the acquisition of "three new Arctic ships, additional long-range drones with advanced image acquisition capacity" and "satellite capacity" worth over ...

• ISR/special mission

  MC-27J [Algeria]

  Programme Background Algeria has a long standing ISR aircraft requirement to support its Beech 1900 fleet comprised of six aircraft. The new ISR fleet is ...

• OPVs

  Next-Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (1-12) [Japan]

  Programme Background Requirements The primary role of the OPVs will be ISR and patrol. The armament will be limited. One of the key features is a reduced ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• 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 - 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 ...

• 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

  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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  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 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 - 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-hardened intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform with full global ...

• Data links

  MiMMC

  Microsat Man-Packable Mission Command (MiMMC) is a satellite-based BLoS communications system providing the ability to extend mission command applications including voice, video and data transfer ...

• 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 ...