• Defence Helicopter

  First AS565 MBe Panthers delivered to PTDI

  24th November 2016

  The first three AS565 MBe Panther helicopters on order for the Indonesian Navy have been handed over to PT Dirgantara Indonesia by Airbus Helicopters, the …

• Defence Helicopter

  ADF EC135 T2+ training fleet complete

  24th November 2016

  Australia’s fleet of EC135 T2+ for the Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS) is now complete with Airbus Helicopters achieving factory acceptance of the last six …

• Naval Warfare

  Atlas secures Cerberus DDS contracts

  23rd November 2016

  Atlas Electronik has secured two new contracts with undisclosed customers in the Middle East and Asia for the supply of its Cerberus diver detection system …

• Digital Battlespace

  Rockwell Collins to activate P-8A radio depot

  23rd November 2016

  Rockwell Collins will activate a depot capability for radio systems onboard the US Navy’s P-8A Poseidon aircraft under a $27 million contract announced on 18 …

• Naval Warfare

  Belgium and Netherlands intent on new ships

  23rd November 2016

  Belgium and the Netherlands plan to sign a letter of intent on the joint procurement of new frigates and mine hunters at the end of …

• Naval Warfare

  Analysis: Euro shipyards and the OPV export market

  23rd November 2016

  More prevalent on the world’s oceans than the sum total of all the frigates and destroyers combined, the ubiquitous OPV is the first port of …

• Defence Helicopter

  Merlin Mk4 upgrades progress

  23rd November 2016

  The first AW101 Merlin Mk4 upgraded for the Royal Navy by Leonardo-Finmeccanica has completed its maiden flight, the company announced on 21 November. Leonardo is …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2016: EDM to demonstrate pilot skills

  22nd November 2016

  EDM, a leading global provider of training simulators to the civil aviation and defence sectors, has announced that it will be testing pilot skills with …

• Naval Warfare

  P-8A Poseidon arrives in Australia

  22nd November 2016

  The first P-8A Poseidon aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has arrived in the country from Boeing’s Seattle, Washington, facility. The aircraft was …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2016: US gears up for red air adversary procurements

  21st November 2016

  The US Air Force and US Navy are both due to issue requirement documents in January for the provision of live red air aggressor training …

• Training

  RFA Argus resumes aviation training role

  21st November 2016

  The Royal Navy’s RFA Argus has been validated for multi-spot and multi-aircraft aviation operations, adding to the vessel’s principal role as a primary casualty receiving …

• Military Logistics

  Royal Marines get new Clyde facility

  21st November 2016

  A new building has been built at HM Naval Base Clyde to better equip the Royal Marines' 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group, the Royal Navy …

• Land Warfare

  Thai army invents eucalyptus tank armour

  20th November 2016

  The Royal Thai Army has invented multipurpose armour made from eucalyptus wood for its M60A3 main battle tanks (MBT) to improve their protection against anti-tank …

• Naval Warfare

  DHS approves C-27J next phase

  18th November 2016

  The US Coast Guard’s Medium Range Surveillance (MRS) Aircraft programme has reached a new milestone, with the Department of Homeland Security clearing the programme to …

• Defence Notes

  EU baby steps to defence cooperation

  18th November 2016

  The glacial pace of security and defence policy development in the EU edged forwards this week. Plans are afoot to ensure that the EU is …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munition (Royal Navy) [UK]

  Background Persistent Operational Deployment Systems (PODS) As the Royal Navy stated in 2022, Persistent Operational Deployment Systems (PODS) are “interchangeable modules that can be fitted to ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Project Dragonfire [UK]

  Background The UK Government's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has been working with MBDA, Leonardo and QinetiQ to develop a LASER Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) called ...

• Military UAS - small

  T-150 (Royal Navy) [UK]

  Background Deployment On 7 April 2025, the Royal Navy announced that, for the first time, nine T-150 drones would be operated from the HMS Prince ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Lanza 3D Radar [Thailand]

  Background Thailand is procuring the LANZA 3D radar to strengthen surveillance and protection of Sattahip Naval Base. The radar will be deployed by the Royal ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Flexible Tactical Uncrewed Air System (FTUAS) [UK]

  Background Tender notice and timeline On 25 May 2021, the MoD published a tender notice for the urgent acquisition of a UAS and ancillaries under ...

• Military UAS - small

  Puma 3 AE (UK)

  Programme Background Testing The Royal Navy announced in October 2020 that the Puma was undergoing its first operational testing on HMS Albion's autumn deployment to ...

• Frigates

  Hamilton Class Cutter [Bahrain]

  Background Very little has been said about the transfer of an ex-Hamilton-class cutter to Bahrain, but it is one of the final two to leave ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (1-6) [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. The contract ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (7-8) [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 ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Boraida Class replacement [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Requirements The Royal Saudi Navy urges the replacement of three Boraida-class minehunters. Based on the Durance-class design, the ships entered service in the mid-1980s ...

• Minehunters

  Lat Ya Class Replacement Programme [Thailand]

  Programme Background Requirements The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) currently operates two Lat Ya-class minehunters, commissioned in the late 1990s. The units are based on the ...

• Frigates

  Air Defence Frigates Procurement [Denmark]

  Background Requirements After focusing on the procurement of new highly capable patrol ships and new Arctic frigates as a replacement for the Thetis-class, Shephard had initially estimated ...

• Frigates

  Karel Dorman Class (Chile)

  Programme Background  Chile currently operates two ex-Karel Doorman-class frigates which were sold in 2004. The Royal Netherlands Navy are in the process of replacing the ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat [Netherlands]

  Background Contract award On 9 July 2025, Shield AI announced that the Netherlands MoD had acquired eight V-Bat aircraft, specifically the V-Bat 400, to enhance the maritime ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS) (3) [Malaysia]

  Programme Background Requirements The Royal Malaysian Navy are in the process of a fleet transformation plan known as the 15 to 5 Transformation Plan, which ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Submarine-launched torpedoes

  Mk 48 Mod 7AT CBASS

  The MK 48 MOD 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) is the latest variant of the Mk 48 torpedo family manufactured by Lockheed Martin and ...

• Military - UUVs

  XV Excalibur

  XV Excalibur is an Extra Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV) built by UK-based MSubs, in conjunction with the Royal Navy. It is an experimental vessel ...

• Frigates

  Hunter Class (Type 26)

  The Hunter-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy are based on the Type 26 design. The ships are set to replace the Anzac-class under the ...

• Sea: naval fire control radar

  Ceros 200

  The Ceros 200 is a radar and optronic tracking system designed for use on naval vessels. When interfaced with modern missile or gun systems, it ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Royal Danish Navy MH-60R MOFT

  In January 2014, CAE was awarded an FMS contract by the USN to develop an MH-60R mission operational flight trainer (MOFT) for the Royal Danish ...

• Frigates

  Naresuan Class

  The Naresuan-class guided-missile frigates are a modified variant of the Chinese-built Type 053 frigate. The two ships-in-class were built by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation ...

• Destroyers

  River Class (Type 26)

  The Type 26 Anti-Submarine Warfare frigate has been designed for the UK Royal Navy, but with an emphasis on export. Both the Royal Canadian Navy ...

• Sea: naval surveillance radar

  AN/SPY-7(V)1

  The AN/SPY-7(V)1 is a solid-state naval surveillance radar produced and manufactured by Lockheed Martin. The system is expected to be fully integrated into programmes for ...

• Frigates

  Jacob Van Heemskerck Class

  The Jacob van Heemskerck class frigates were ex-Royal Netherlands Navy frigates that also served under the Chilean Navy, also known as the Latorre-class. Two anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Walrus

  The Walrus is a mini rotary-wing UAV manufactured by the Royal Navy's 700X Naval Air Squadron.  As stressed during the December 2022 announcement, Walrus has been ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  RD-170BT

  The RD-170BT is a man-portable surveillance radar deployed ashore to protect moored patrol boats of the Royal Norwegian Navy. 

• Minehunters

  Sandown Class

  The Sandown class vessels are coastal minehunters and OPVs in service with the UK Royal Navy and Royal Saudi Naval Forces as the Al Jawf class. Additionally, ...

• Military - UUVs

  Mission Specialist Defender

  The Mission Specialist Defender is a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) developed by VideoRay, now part of BlueHalo's unmanned maritime systems. The ROV is known ...

• Frigates

  Type 22 (Batch 1)

  The Type 22 frigates were previously the Broadsword-class in service with the UK's Royal Navy. The vessels were built in three batches, with the first ...

• 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 ...