• Defence Helicopter

  Hungary receives first two H225M multipurpose helicopters from Airbus

  25th July 2023

  The Hungarian Defence Forces have taken delivery of the first two H225M multi-purpose helicopters from Airbus.

• Naval Warfare

  French nuclear sub Perle returns to action after fire damage

  10th July 2023

  Following sea trials, Rubis-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) Perle has been delivered back to the French Navy following extensive repair works after a catastrophic fire in 2020.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force XQ-58A Valkyrie completes AI-powered test flight

  4th August 2023

  Developed by the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the Valkyrie's AI and machine learning agents demonstrated their capability to solve tactically relevant challenges during airborne operations.

• Naval Warfare

  Amidst a numbers crisis, India to refit an ageing Type 209 submarine

  7th July 2023

  With no apparent progress in place for obtaining new batches of submarines, India is resorting to upgrading its older boats.

• Defence Helicopter

  Argentina shops for new helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft

  14th July 2023

  While Argentina’s combat aviation fleet remains weak, the armed forces are acquiring new search and rescue (SAR) helicopters and a fixed-wing surveillance aircraft with SAR capabilities.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UMS Skeldar equips V-200 UAV with Hydronalix USV

  27th June 2023

  At Modern Day Marine, drone-maker UMS Skeldar and Hydronalix announced a cooperation agreement to equip the V-200 rotary-UAS with the latter’s uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs).

• Naval Warfare

  Austal USA starts work on US Navy floating dry dock

  13th June 2023

  Austal USA has started constructing a floating dry dock for the USN at its Gulf Coast ship manufacturing site.

• Naval Warfare

  India to purchase additional Scorpene submarines to fill a looming gap

  18th July 2023

  To keep production rolling, MDL will build three additional Scorpenes for the Indian Navy.

• Naval Warfare

  DSEI 2023: Has the Royal Navy cut back its support vessel fleet too far?

  11th September 2023

  This second in Shephard’s three-part series examining the state of the UK RN analyses the fleet of support ships. These important vessels sustain naval forces at sea for long durations and at vast distances, but cuts to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's fleet have left crucial ships retired or sold, prompting concerns for future missions.

• Naval Warfare

  OSI to deliver T-ACT navigation systems to German navy for small craft operations

  21st July 2023

  OSI Maritime Systems has been contracted to provide T-ACT tactical and high-speed navigation systems to the German Navy for its small craft operations. The advanced capabilities support complex missions and interoperability.

• Training

  Lockheed wins Littoral Combat Ship trainer contract

  12th July 2023

  Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract worth up to $99 million to provide modernisation and technical support for Littoral Combat Ship training devices.

• Naval Warfare

  DSEI 2023: does the Royal Navy's surface combatant recapitalisation go far enough after a decade of neglect?

  6th September 2023

  The UK Royal Navy (RN) operates one of the world’s premier fleets with the ability to deploy high-end warships globally and retains key competencies in carrier aviation, amphibious and undersea warfare that few can boast. It also provides the UK’s nuclear deterrent submarines. Despite this potential, it needs to recover from a decade of neglect to sustain these capabilities.

• Air Warfare

  Final flight test of latest AMRAAM missile successful

  11th July 2023

  The USAF and Raytheon have concluded testing of the AIM-120D-3 AMRAAM variant, ensuring increased functionality, performance, and production capabilities for warfighters.

• Naval Warfare

  Bangladesh inaugurates new naval base and commissions eight vessels

  13th July 2023

  The Bangladesh Navy, equipped with mostly smaller boats, continues modernising with indigenously constructed vessels.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  XLUUV towed array trials pave the way for autonomous anti-submarine warfare

  7th July 2023

  SEA, MSubs and Sonardyne conducted trials integrating uncrewed anti-submarine warfare systems using the MSubs Extra Large Uncrewed Vehicle and SEA KraitArray towed array, opening the door to potential autonomous ASW capabilities.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  AD(X) Destroyer Tenders [USN]

  Programme Background At Surface Navy 2026, General Dynamics NASSCO unveiled an internally developed concept, pitching a AD(X) Destroyer Tender to the USN. The destroyer tender ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | AD(X) Destroyer Tenders [USN]

  At Surface Navy 2026, General Dynamics NASSCO unveiled an internally developed concept, pitching a AD(X) Destroyer Tender to the USN. The destroyer tender would be ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | AD(X) Destroyer Tenders [USN]

  At Surface Navy 2026, General Dynamics NASSCO unveiled an internally developed concept, pitching a AD(X) Destroyer Tender to the USN. The destroyer tender would be ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Navajo Class (T-ATS) [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy (USN) are replacing the ageing three remaining T-ATF 166 class tugboats and two remaining T-ARS 50 class ships with ...

• 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 ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Submarine Resue Vessel Procurement [Poland]

  On 27 December 2024, the Polish Armament Agency and the industrial consortium signed a contract for the construction and delivery of the submarine rescue ship Ratownik ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Submarine Resue Vessel Procurement [Poland]

  On 27 December 2024, the Polish Armament Agency and the industrial consortium signed a contract for the construction and delivery of the submarine rescue ship Ratownik ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Submarine Rescue Vessel Procurement [Poland]

  On 27 December 2024, the Polish Armament Agency and the industrial consortium signed a contract for the construction and delivery of the submarine rescue ship Ratownik ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Submarine Rescue Vessel Procurement [Poland]

  On 27 December 2024, the Polish Armament Agency and the industrial consortium signed a contract for the construction and delivery of the submarine rescue ship Ratownik ...

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

  Blackwing (Second Batch) [USA]

  Programme BackgroundFirst Batch The Blackwing originated from a 2013 initiative to develop a low-cost submarine-launched UAS for the US Navy. Following successful tests with the ...

• 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 - 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 ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  SSN(X) Programme [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The CRS SSN(X) report states the USN is examining three broad design options for future submarines. One is based on the current ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Submarine Rescue Vessel Procurement [Poland]

  Programme Background Timeline For a long time, Poland has been trying to procure submarine rescue vessels. A contract for the acquisition of up to two ...

• Maritime patrol

  P-8 Poseidon [South Korea]

  Programme Background South Korea is facing an imminent submarine threat from North Korea. The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) is operating an aging fleet of P-3C ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military - UUVs

  Snakehead LDUUV

  The Snakehead Large Displacement Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (LDUUV) is a US Navy (USN) Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (UUV) designed to be launched from submarine Dry Dock Shelters ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Navajo Class

  The Navajo-class is the USN's new class of towing, salvage, and rescue ships to replace the current T-ATF 166 and T-ARS 50 class ships. This ...

• Submarines: conventional/attack

  Kronos

  At NAVDEX 2023, Highland Systems unveiled the Kronos submarine for the first time. According to the manufacturer, the submarine is suitable for commercial, rescue and military ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Poseidón - Buques de Acción Marítima de Intervención Subacuática (BAM-IS)

  The Buques de Acción Marítima de Intervención Subacuática (BAM-IS), Poseidon (A-21), is a submarine rescue vessel being built by Navatia. The ship will enter service ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Special & Diving Operations-Submarine Rescue Ship (SDO-SURS)

  The Special & Diving Operations-Submarine Rescue Ship (SDO-SURS) is a Submarine Rescue Ship set to join the Italian Navy by 2025. In June 2021, the Italian ...

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

  Blackwing

  Manufactured by AeroVironment and based on the Switchblade loitering munition, the Blackwing is a tube-launched UAV designed to deliver rapid ISR capabilities through its EO/IR ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  Los Angeles Class

  The US Navy’s (USN’s) Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) have been the mainstay of the US sub-surface fleet since the 1970s. Known as the ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Explorer Class (T-AGOS)

  The T-AGOS or Explorer-class vessels are ocean surveillance vessels being built for the US Navy (USN) by Austal USA. They are designed to support the ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  Belgorod (Project 09852)

  Belgorod (Project 09852) is a special-purpose nuclear-powered submarine designed to launch the new Poseidon nuclear-armed UUV. Belgorod was originally meant to be an Oscar-II-class multi-purpose submarine, but ...

• Sea: optronic masts and periscopes

  OMS 200

  Airbus DS Optronics unveiled the OMS 200 at the September 2013 DSEI exhibition. It combines the capabilities of the OMS 110 with intelligent target acquisition ...

• Patrol boats

  Tapper Class

  Tapper (Type 80) patrol boats were ordered in the 1990s, the first seven in 1992 and five more in 1995, and were designed as small, ...

• Ship-launched torpedoes, Submarine-launched torpedoes

  Mk-48 Mod 6AT ADCAP

  The Mk-48 ADCAP (Advanced Capability) is the improved version of the Mk-48 family. Development started with the Mk-48 Mod 5 and continues to the present ...

• Sea: weapon training

  Inflatable Naval Gunnery Targets

  GeoData produces a range of Naval Gunnery Target Balloons (NavTGTs) for use by marine, navy, coast guard and army units to maintain target acquisition and ...

• Air: helicopter radar

  ORB 32 series

  The ORB 32 is a modular family of maritime surveillance and fire control radars intended for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, exclusive economic zone protection and search and rescue ...

• ISR/special mission

  E-6B Mercury

  The E-6B Mercury is an airborne command post and communications relay for US nuclear forces, including submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The USN operates a fleet of ...