• Air Warfare

  Japan’s Terra Drone expands Ukrainian ties to break into global defence market

  29th April 2026

  Following its investment into WinnyLab, Terra Drone unveiled a new long-range fixed-wing addition to its interceptor drone portfolio as it seeks to bring combat-proven technology back to Japan and expand into global export markets.

• Air Warfare

  Proteus: Forging the future of autonomous rotorcraft

  15th July 2026

  As the home of British helicopters, Leonardo has worked with the UK Ministry of Defence for over a decade to advance technologies underpinning uncrewed rotorcraft. Today, in partnership with UK Defence Innovation and the Royal Navy, Leonardo is spearheading the next step in that journey: from remotely piloted technologies to fully autonomous systems.

• Air Warfare

  Next-generation tactical UAS: Advancing European defence capabilities

  13th May 2026

  As Europe confronts its most unstable security environment since the Cold War, defence planners recognise that advanced, dependable and flexible Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) are central to a force that competes and prevails on today’s battlefield.

• Air Warfare

  Saab eyes fresh market opportunities for its GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft

  8th January 2026

  As the E-7 Wedgetail faces prolonged production and technical delays as well as a recently abandoned contract from NATO, its competitor, the GlobalEye, may find new avenues for market growth.

• Naval Warfare

  Canada boosts Arctic presence as CCGS Donjek prepares for sea trials this year

  6th May 2026

  CCGS Donjek is currently being prepared to start testing and be handed over to the Canadian Coast Guard in the second half of 2026.

• Naval Warfare

  UK and France signal shift to autonomous helicopters to boost naval power

  16th January 2026

  Recent developments in France and the UK highlight how autonomous helicopters are becoming central to naval force design as navies seek to integrate crewed and uncrewed systems at sea.

• Land Warfare

  Eurosatory 2026: GDELS and Thales combine proven tech to create reduced-risk CUAS

  19th June 2026

  Both Thales and GDELS shone a spotlight on their uncrewed and counter-drone efforts at Eurosatory 2026, highlighting the integration of mature technologies with stable C2 systems that are open to agnostic additions and expansion.

• Land Warfare

  Indian Army’s new battle blueprint takes shape

  23rd January 2026

  The Indian Army’s modernisation plans reflect the lessons learned from ongoing conflicts and threats as it continues its push for indigenous capabilities.

• Air Warfare

  Eurosatory 2026: First public flight of Teledyne FLIR Black Recon reconnaissance system

  16th June 2026

  The drone took flight as undisclosed European customers are testing the system. Defence Insight highlights the Nordic region and existing Black Hornet users as potential early customers amid growing demand for micro-UAVs.

• Air Warfare

  AFA 2026: Swarm Aero eyes 2027 Gamera flight as Textron/Merlin reveal SkyCourier UX

  15th September 2026

  Two new uncrewed aircraft concepts target very different US military requirements, from massed long-range strike to autonomous logistics. Shephard spoke with executives from Swarm Aero, Textron Aviation and Merlin Labs at this year's AFA Air, Space & Cyber conference to learn more about their capabilities.

• Naval Warfare

  Russia’s uncrewed boat portfolio hints at future naval demand

  7th September 2026

  Ukrainian intelligence has catalogued more than 20 Russian uncrewed surface vessels, revealing a portfolio weighted towards mine warfare and logistics, with implications for Western naval investment.

• Land Warfare

  NATO’s Crystal Arrow factors in Ukrainian UGV lessons as European interest grows

  19th May 2026

  One goal of NATO’s Exercise Crystal Arrow was to identify the potential uses of uncrewed ground vehicles – as seen on the Ukrainian battlefield – and put platforms into the hands of users.

• Naval Warfare

  Critical infrastructure protection fuels growth in maritime counter-drone market

  9th July 2026

  Operational lessons are pushing navies towards counter-uncrewed aerial systems at sea, creating a fast-emerging industrial opportunity for radar and effector makers.

• Naval Warfare

  Ireland’s strategic cable role grows as naval capacity falls behind

  21st August 2026

  Around 75% of the northern hemisphere’s undersea cables transit Irish waters, but personnel shortfalls and a stalled multirole vessel programme leave patrol capacity in question.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy to acquire micro-uncrewed underwater vehicles for ISR and coastal data collection

  22nd December 2025

  The Naval Supply Systems Command is seeking authorised resellers of JaiaBot uncrewed underwater vehicles and multivehicle pods. The platforms will support undergraduate education at the US Naval Academy.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Multirole Underwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) [Italy]

  In June 2024, during a presentation provided at the NATO Maritime Security Centre of Excellence (MARSEC COE), the Italian Navy detailed the new capabilities it ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Multirole Underwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) [Italy]

  In June 2024, during a presentation provided at the NATO Maritime Security Centre of Excellence (MARSEC COE), the Italian Navy detailed the new capabilities it ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Multirole Underwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) [Italy]

  Programme background Requirements According to the presentation provided by the Italian Navy, the MultiroleUnderwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) will:operate a wide range of uncrewed systems, ...

• Maritime patrol

  C295 MPA [Angola]

  Programme Background Requirement Angola uses a mix of Dornier Do-28s, A-29s and EMB-312 Tucanos for maritime surveillance duties. The country's dedicated maritime patrol capability was ...

• Maritime patrol

  Dornier 228 MPA - India

  Programme Background In October 2014, the Defence Acquisition Council of India approved RS.1850 core ($302 million) for the purchase of 12 Dornier 288 maritime surveillance ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Surveillance & Maritime Drones (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background 2024/2025 Military Aid Package On 12 January 2024, the UK government announced it would provide Ukraine with £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) in military ...

• Maritime patrol

  AVSIMAR (France)

  Background In November 2018, the French MoD announced that it awarded a contract for the detailed definition study of the future surveillance and maritime intervention ...

• ISR/special mission, Maritime patrol

  C295 MPAs/MSAs [Spain]

  Programme Background Required to replace Spain's existing P-3M Orion fleet set to reach OSD in the mid-late 2020s, Airbus' C295W has been selected as the replacement ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton [NATO]

  Background NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum During the July 2026 NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara, Türkiye, NATO announced that Denmark, Finland, Germany and Norway ...

• Maritime patrol

  Maritime Patrol Aircraft Procurement [Italy]

  Background Requirement history In an appearance before the Italian parliament’s Foreign and Defence Affairs Committee on 14 July 2022, Italian Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance (MROS) Ship [UK]

  Background Requirements The 2021 Defence Command Paper, Defence in a competitive age, outlined the plan to develop a new Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance (MROS) vessel to ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services [USN]

  In April 2026, AeroVironment (AV) and Shield AI announced that they had been selected to compete for a US$800 million task order to provide Contractor-Owned, ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services [USN]

  In April 2026, AeroVironment (AV) and Shield AI announced that they had been selected to compete for a US$800 million task order to provide Contractor-Owned, ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Multi-Mission Aircraft (1-14) [Canada]

  The objective of the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft project is to equip the Canadian Armed Forces with a long-range manned Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) and ...

• Data links

  Data links | Multi-Mission Aircraft (1-14) [Canada]

  The objective of the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft project is to equip the Canadian Armed Forces with a long-range manned Command, Control, Communications and Computers (C4) and ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  Blighter B400 Series Radars

  Blighter B400-series radars are long-range movement detection sensors for fixed and mobile surveillance applications. Modular construction provides azimuth e-scan angles from 90° for a single ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  Blighter Explorer Nexus

  In February 2017, Blighter Surveillance Systems announced the development of the Blighter Explorer Nexus, an integrated, battery-operated, man-portable radar/camera surveillance system designed for rapid deployment. ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar, Land: coastal surveillance radars

  A400 Series Radars

  The A400 is a series of electronic scanning, modular air security radars manufactured by Blighter Surveillance Systems. It is designed to provide reliable, slow and small ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  Orbiter

  Orbiter is a Ku band ground surveillance radar developed by Blighter. The system employs 15.7 to 17.2 GHz  E-scan Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) Doppler Ground ...

• Land: coastal surveillance radars

  Blighter C400

  The C400-series radar is a coastal surveillance and security radar manufactured by Blighter. The system is based on the company's B400 ground surveillance systems.  It ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  AUDS

  The Anti-UAV Defence System (AUDS) is designed to disrupt and neutralise UAVs engaged in hostile airborne surveillance and potentially malicious activity. The AUDS combines directional ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Surveillance Systems Integration

  HISS has designed and installed complete mission systems in 24 countries around the world. These include a range of rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, rugged ground ...

• Sea: sonar systems

  Sphere Passive Surveillance

  Sphere Passive Surveillance is an advanced, fully integrated sonar system designed to meet the mission requirements of modern conventional submarines. It was developed by ELAC Sonar.  The system is ...

• Sea: weapon training

  IS Coastal Surveillance Simulator

  Image Soft unveiled its new IS Coastal Surveillance Simulator (IS CSS) at UDT Europe in May 2017. The IS CSS features simulated distance measurement and ...

• Land: air defence radar

  3D Primary Surveillance Radar

  The Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR) 3D is part of the Lanza family of 3D radar systems. It has been designed especially for airport and air ...

• Land: vehicle surveillance/target acquisition systems

  Hawkeye Land Surveillance Systems

  Launched at DSEI 2015, the Chess Dynamics Hawkeye family of multi-sensor surveillance systems is designed to provide short- to extended-range optical surveillance and target acquisition ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  SR Hawk Ground Surveillance Radar

  The SR Hawk surveillance radar provides continuous 360° surveillance of the ground, ports and harbours and airspace. It detects personnel, land vehicles, marine vessels, avian ...

• EO/IR systems, Sea: ship surveillance and fire control systems

  Ship Surveillance and Fire Control

  L3 produces a range of IR systems with thermal sensitivity that meet naval specifications for surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition. They can be installed in ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  Retinar PTR Perimeter Surveillance Radar

  The Retinar PTR Perimeter Surveillance Radar is a medium-range radar system developed by the Turkish defence manufacturer Meteksan Savunma Sanayi. It is designed for the ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  Retinar OPUS Perimeter Surveillance Radar

  The Retinar OPUS Perimeter Surveillance Radar is a multifunctional surveillance system developed by the Turkish defence manufacturer Meteksan Savunma Sanayi. It's design is based on ...