• Training

  NATO concludes largest exercise in decades

  3rd June 2024

  NATO’s Operation Steadfast Defender involved more than 90,000 personnel, more than 50 ships, more than 80 aircraft flying hundreds of sorties and more than 1,100 combat vehicles from all 32 NATO allies.

• Air Warfare

  US Army finally moves forward with FLRAA next-generation rotorcraft programme

  5th August 2024

  Agreeing the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft Milestone B Acquisition Decision Memorandum means rotorcraft design and planning can begin.

• Land Warfare

  L3Harris Diamondback autonomous reconnaissance vehicle to begin testing in 2025

  17th October 2024

  L3Harris and Overland AI have unveiled Diamondback, a modular, autonomous reconnaissance vehicle designed for versatile ISR missions in harsh environments.

• Land Warfare

  Australia announces programme developments on eve of land warfare conference

  10th September 2024

  Australia’s Land Forces 2024 International Land Defence Exposition takes place in Melbourne this week with the government making announcements on land programmes and Supacat unveiling a new vehicle.

• Digital Battlespace

  How to build navigational resilience for your military in a hackable world

  17th September 2024

  If the position or navigation information of your defence assets are compromised, they are as good as useless.

• Land Warfare

  Why adaptability must be central to the US Army’s future formations

  10th June 2024

  The approach of placing adaptability at the core of the US Army Futures Command’s strategy has already impacted military training and the service’s development and acquisition programmes.

• Air Warfare

  GA-ASI produces first EagleEye radar

  27th August 2024

  EagleEye will act as a “drop-in” radar upgrade for US UAS.

• Land Warfare

  Teledyne awarded $47 million for UGV support

  24th September 2024

  The UGV support contract follows previous contracts awarded by the US government in 2017 and 2019.

• Land Warfare

  Phoenix E rises in the 44th Expeditionary Signal Battalion-Enhanced

  23rd August 2024

  The improved SATCOM system can interface internet protocol baseband equipment, which its predecessor could not do.

• Land Warfare

  Rheinmetall looks to strengthen position in US as it bids for $60 billion in contracts

  15th August 2024

  The US has major vehicle contracts looming, a challenge for the small number of large companies, but Douglas Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology has identified Rheinmetall America as potential new player.

• Naval Warfare

  US doubles its presence in the Middle East to de-escalate tensions in the region

  28th August 2024

  The Pentagon has increased its naval and aerial assets in the area due to Houthi and Hezbollah attacks.

• Land Warfare

  British Army orders 50 L3Harris T4 EOD robots

  10th May 2024

  The contract includes UGVs as well as support and maintenance and follows L3Harris’ successful delivery of Project STARTER, a programme that replaced the UK’s legacy fleet of large EOD robots with 122 T7 systems that have been operational since 2019.

• Training

  Why the US must enhance training for mariners operating in contested environments

  11th October 2024

  A US DoD report questioned the adequacy of contested environment training for civilian mariners supporting surge sealift missions and called for improved inter-agency coordination to better prepare them for potential conflict zones.

• Land Warfare

  Malaysia’s armed forces go shopping for hundreds of support vehicles

  1st August 2024

  Malaysia is issuing tenders to acquire more than 300 vehicles of 11 different types as part of efforts to recapitalise and restructure its ground forces.

• Air Warfare

  US Army Special Operations orders two more Chinooks

  2nd August 2024

  Including the new order, the US Army has contracted for a total of 46 MH-47G Block II aircraft.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Medium UGVs

  Mission Master (RPV Sprial 3) [UK]

  Programme Background First announced in April 2017 and referred to in early MOD documents as the ‘last mile resupply’ initiative, the British Army is reportedly ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  First Person View (FPV) Drones [UK]

  Background Parliament Questions On 20 May 2025, Ben Obese-Jecty, Conservative MP for Huntingdon, asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many FPV drones had been procured ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer (MIV) [UK]

  Programme Background History The UK MoD announced in March 2018 that it would re-join the Boxer programme and pursue a sole-source acquisition of the 8x8 ...

• Military UAS - small

  Bug Nano UAS (UK)

  Programme Background The British Army previously took delivery of 160 first-generation Black Hornet PD-100 nano UAS in 2013 to support operations in Afghanistan. After these ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Magni-X (UK)

  Programme Background On 12 January 2022, Elbit Systems UK announced it had been awarded a contract from the UK MoD's Defence Equipment & Support's Future Capability ...

• Medium UGVs

  Mission Master (RPV Sprial 2) [UK]

  Programme Background First announced in April 2017 and referred to in early MOD documents as the ‘last mile resupply’ initiative, the British Army is reportedly ...

• Military UAS - small

  Black Hornet 3 PRS (UK)

  Programme Background The British Army operated approximately 160 first-generation Black Hornet PD-100 nano UAS between 2013 and 2017, when the decision was made to retire ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6, LTVs - 4x4

  Supacat HMT 400 & 600 [UK]

  Programme Background Programme Requirements The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated in a Contract Notice that it had a requirement for at least 70 new HMT platforms ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  HMT Extenda [UK]

  Programme Background Programme Requirements The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated in a Contract Notice that it required at least 240 new HMT platforms to ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Project [UK]

  Programme Background Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Project The British Army launched the RAS project to provide the "direction required to exploit emerging technologies to ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Multi-Role Vehicle (Protected) (MRV-P) Package 1 (UK)

  Programme Background Requirement The MRV-P programme was intended to procure replacements for a diverse fleet of 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles purchased during the wars in Iraq ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Ajax [UK]

  Programme Background Under its $4.3 billion production contract, GDUK will provide 589 Ajax to the British Army. These will be delivered in six different variants: ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6, LTVs - 4x4

  Supacat HMT 400 [UK]

  Programme Background Programme Requirements The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated in a Contract Notice that it required at least 240 new HMT platforms to mitigate ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Land Mobility Programme (Light Protected Mobility) [UK]

  This programme briefly introduces the wider Land Mobility Programme and then focuses on the Light Protected Mobility (LPM) programme. Information on the LMV and HPM can ...

• Medium UGVs

  DSTL Medium UGV [UK]

  Programme Background This programme was established to determine the future use of medium UGVs for logistical purposes in the British Army, although it was run ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  British Army Apache Training Facilities

  Aviation Training International (ATIL) – a Leonardo Helicopters/Boeing joint venture formed in 1998 - was selected to provide the attack helicopter training service to the ...

• Main battle tanks

  Challenger 1

  420 Challenger 1 MBTs were delivered to the British Army between 1983 and 1990. Developed from the Shir 2 MBT originally designed for Iran, the ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  HIDAS

  Leonardo’s Helicopter Integrated Defensive Aids System (HIDAS) combines laser, missile and Radar Warning Receivers, and a Chaff and Flare Dispensing System (CFDS). The system is ...

• Unguided Artillery Ammunition

  L52 Smoke

  The L52 Smoke is a 105mm smoke artillery round manufactured by BAE Systems.  The British Army uses it in its L118 Light Guns.

• Self-propelled guns

  AS90

  The AS90 155mm/39cal tracked SPH was designed and built by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering (acquired by BAE Systems in 1999) to meet the requirements of ...

• Unguided Artillery Ammunition

  L21 High Explosive (HE)

  The L21 High Explosive (HE) is a 155mm artillery shell manufactured by BAE Systems. The British Army uses the L21 with its Archer artillery systems.

• Towed guns

  105mm Light Gun

  The 105mm Light Gun was designed and manufactured by Royal Ordnance Nottingham (now BAE Systems), with the first guns introduced to the British Army in ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  FV432 Mk 3 Bulldog

  The FV432 Mk 3 Bulldog is an upgraded version of the long-serving FV432 family of tracked vehicles, of which approximately 3,000 were delivered to the British ...

• Main battle tanks

  Challenger 2

  The 120mm-armed Challenger 2 MBT was introduced into British Army service in 1994 as a replacement for the Challenger 1, which was successfully employed in ...

• Unguided Artillery Ammunition

  L17 Inert

  The L17 Inert is a 155mm training artillery round manufactured by BAE Systems.  It is in service with the British Army, where its Archer artillery systems use ...

• Subsystems: software

  Exonaut Software Suite

  Since 2000, 4C has been developing the Exonaut software suite. The products within the Exonaut suite can either be used standalone or as part of ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  Buffalo MPCV

  The Buffalo Mine-Protected Clearance Vehicle (MPCV) is in service with the armed forces of Canada, France, Italy, Pakistan, the UK and the US and has ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  Instrumented Ground Combat Training Systems

  Cubic supplies combat training systems for CTCs, homestations and forward-deployed environments. The systems are designed to support missions including force-on-force, urban operations, joint, combined arms ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  Cougar 6x6

  The Cougar 6x6 has its origins as a South African vehicle manufactured by Force Protection, a company eventually purchased by General Dynamics. Mine-protected vehicles manufactured ...

• Main battle tanks

  Olifant

  The Olifant (Elephant) is a South African variant of the British Centurion MBT. Development of the Centurion began in 1943. It was introduced into service ...