• Uncrewed Vehicles

  France joins maritime unmanned systems project

  18th April 2019

  NATO has announced that France has joined a multinational effort to cooperate on the development of maritime unmanned systems. Launched in October 2018, the project …

• Digital Battlespace

  IAI launches Opal system

  19th April 2019

  Israel Aerospace Industries has launched its new Opal system for establishing real time connectivity and data sharing between different platforms - including manned and unmanned …

• Special Operations

  Warrior competition draws global participation

  24th April 2019

  Special mission units from around the World came together at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center (KASOTC) to participate in the latest iteration …

• Naval Warfare

  LIMA 2019: Malaysia’s LCS is notable absentee

  26th March 2019

  Two years ago, at LIMA 2017, Boustead promised that the first 3,100t Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) would ‘definitely’ be …

• Land Warfare

  DeepStrike missile completes PDR

  29th March 2019

  Raytheon, with the US Army, has completed a successful preliminary design review (PDR) of the DeepStrike surface-to-surface missile, the company announced on 26 March. The …

• Naval Warfare

  Japan requests SM-3 Block IB missiles

  12th April 2019

  The US State Department has made a determination approving a potential foreign military sale of Standard  Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IB missiles to Japan, the Defense …

• Defence Helicopter

  Crowsnest flight test programme picks up steam

  5th April 2019

  Following ‘aero-mechanical’ first flight trials held at Leonardo’s Yeovil facility on 28 March, Lockheed Martin, prime contractor of the Crowsnest Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASaC) …

• Naval Warfare

  Saab shortlisted for Finnish Navy combat system

  12th April 2019

  Saab has been shortlisted as combat system provider and integrator for the Finnish Navy’s four new Pohjanmaa-class corvettes under the Squadron 2020 programme, the Finland …

• Naval Warfare

  Thai navy performs first C-802A test firing

  10th April 2019

  The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) conducted its first C-802A anti-ship missile test on 5 April, successfully hitting a target 100km away from HTMS Kraburi. This …

• Digital Battlespace

  Saab’s naval radars for Canadian JSS

  10th April 2019

  Saab has received an order from Lockheed Martin Canada to deliver its Sea Giraffe AMB naval radar for the Royal Canadian Navy's Joint Support Ships …

• Digital Battlespace

  Hughes awarded PTES work

  18th April 2019

  Hughes Network Systems has received a contract from Boeing to develop mission management, system control, networking and ground hub capabilities. The company will participate in …

• Digital Battlespace

  Switzerland selects RUAG’s telephony solution

  16th April 2019

  RUAG’s TTEL telephony solution has been selected as part of Switzerland’s key ICT voice system of the armed forces (VSdA) project, the company announced on …

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy completes testing of Q-20C

  11th April 2019

  The US Navy has completed developmental testing of the Q-20C variant of the AN/AQS-20C towed mine-hunting sonar system, NAVSEA announced on 8 April. The Q-20C …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Australia to purchase second Triton RPA

  29th March 2019

  The Australian government is set to purchase a second MQ-4C Triton remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), the Australian Department of Defence announced on 27 March. The …

• Military Logistics

  Keel authenticated for LHA 8

  20th March 2019

  Construction of the US Navy's third America-class amphibious assault ship, Bougainville (LHA 8), is well underway at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division, with …

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 ...