• Land Warfare

  Germany signs multi-billion-dollar deals for 6x6 CAVS and GDELS Eagle vehicles

  19th December 2025

  The order is a further boost for the Common Armoured Vehicles System programme which has notched notable successes in the past 12 months. The first vehicle, made in Finland, will be delivered next year with local production expected to ramp up in 2027.

• Land Warfare

  Active vehicle protection comes to the forefront as Trophy and Iron Fist secure contracts

  16th February 2026

  Experience on the battlefield is accelerating the adoption of active protection systems as technologies continue to evolve to reflect shifting global defence needs.

• Land Warfare

  Could the Ajax IFV solve the UK’s Warrior capability gap?

  22nd September 2025

  With the UK facing an imminent capability gap after the retirement of its Warrior infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), the Ajax IFV appears to be in a prime position to fill that gap.

• Naval Warfare

  Ireland releases maritime strategy as it looks to new naval bases and stronger partnerships

  27th February 2026

  Ireland has a maritime area ten times the size of its land mass but has a limited naval capacity and faces an ongoing threat to critical underwater infrastructure. A new strategy is looking to address the challenge.

• Land Warfare

  Sweden seeks US HIMARS missile system to expand long-range strike capability

  13th March 2026

  The proposed $920 million deal would provide Sweden with a step up from its existing tube artillery and align the country with other northern European nations that have selected the HIMARS platform.

• Land Warfare

  2025 land market review: British Army woes, European heavy armour and US MBT progress

  18th December 2025

  The last year has seen several major procurements in the land market. Shephard’s Dr Peter Magill reviews the main trends and themes in land procurement of 2025.

• Land Warfare

  British Army fires Javelin from Boxer as Australia set for lightweight launchers

  20th August 2025

  Australia has received approval to buy Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units (LwCLU) on the same day as the British Army announced the first firing from a Boxer armoured vehicle, a sign of the continuing interest in the weapon. Billons-of-dollars of Javelin missiles and systems have been ordered in the past two years.

• Land Warfare

  World Defense Show 2026: Hanwha increases Middle East presence and reveals Tigon 6x6 sale

  13th February 2026

  Shephard sat down with Hanwha Middle East and Africa president Sung Il at World Defense Show 2026 to hear about the company’s plans for the region and how it plans to use local industry success to win deals.

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2025: Versatile 8×8 vehicles taste success as new versions rolled out

  8th September 2025

  From protected mobility, infantry fighting and reconnaissance to armoured personnel carrier, armoured vehicles and amphibious assault, the 8×8 vehicle is a jack-of-all-trades. In theory, it allows a single vehicle type to fulfil varied roles while providing commonality, and the European market and vehicle types are growing rapidly.

• Land Warfare

  Japanese wheeled combat vehicles: procurement driven by operational realities

  16th April 2026

  Japan’s armoured forces are currently undergoing a doctrinal shift from tracked to wheeled vehicles. This represents a major change in the country’s force structure and armoured capabilities.

• Land Warfare

  Eurosatory 2026 roundup: uncrewed, counter-uncrewed and new vehicles define direction

  26th June 2026

  Uncrewed and counter-uncrewed systems were a major feature of this edition of Eurosatory 2026 along with programme updates and first sight of new main battle tanks.

• Land Warfare

  Still no clarity on the future of the British Army’s new wheeled artillery system

  13th November 2025

  The UK donated its AS90 155mm/39cal tracked self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine ahead of planned retirement and bought Archer platforms to fill the gap. Eventually RCH 155s were ordered but the procurement effort remains under a cloud.

• Land Warfare

  The year ahead: Major trends and forecasts for the land domain in 2026

  8th January 2026

  2025 was a busy year for the land domain and 2026 looks set to be just as big. Shephard’s Dr Peter Magill analyses some of the major trends we are likely to see in the year ahead.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2025: Hanwha Aerospace reveals new wheeled artillery system

  20th October 2025

  The aerospace company showed a model of its new mobile howitzer at AUSA in Washington, where a representative told Shephard more about its design.

• Land Warfare

  Australia’s revised defence investment plan: what it means for land warfare

  17th April 2026

  Australia’s 2026 National Defence Strategy and Integrated Investment Program have been adjusted from the 2024 version to promote greater military and industrial self-reliance, taking lessons learned from ongoing conflicts and looking to reinforce the industrial base.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer (JSFT) [Germany]

  Background The German Army has a requirement for a heavy armoured vehicle platform to supplement the lighter Fennek in service with its JFSTs. Unlike the ...

• Wheeled assault guns

  VBC Cav-MSR [Brazil]

  Programme background Purpose The Brazilian Army's mechanised cavalry regiments are believed to operate approximately 400 EE-9 Cascavel 6x6 fire support vehicles manufactured by the now-defunct ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer (Vilkas) (Batch 2) [Lithuania]

  Programme Background  Lithuania's Boxers are manufactured by the ARTEC production lines in Germany and the Netherlands. KMW is responsible for producing 56 of the vehicles ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer (MIV) [UK]

  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 vehicle. ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  6x6 APC [Germany]

  Background Bids and suppliers As no programme has been officially announced, all bidders and suppliers are speculative at this time. Patria 6x6 Common Armoured Vehicle ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Pandur II Replacement [Czech Republic]

  Background  The Czech Republic currently operates 127 Pandur II IFVs, 107 of which were manufactured locally by Tatra between 2009 and 2013, with the remaining 20 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  AMVxp [Slovenia]

  Programme Background Requirement Slovenian defence policy requires the establishment of an armoured battalion (SrBBSk) and a combat reconnaissance battalion (SrBIB) to support the country's NATO commitments. Under its ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer (Vilkas) (Batch 3) [Lithuania]

  Programme Background  Lithuania's Boxers are manufactured by the ARTEC production lines in Germany and the Netherlands. KMW is responsible for producing 56 of the vehicles ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  8x8 IFV [Qatar]

  Programme Background Qatar requires a new 8x8 armoured vehicle platform to replace a range of legacy wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles currently in service with ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer (Vilkas) (Batch 1) [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Lithuania's Boxers are manufactured by the ARTEC production lines in Germany and the Netherlands. KMW is responsible for producing 56 of the vehicles ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer [Slovenia]

  Programme Background Requirement As part of its broader military modernisation plans outlined in its Medium-Term Defense Plan 2018-2023, the Slovenian MoD identified a requirement for ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  8x8 IFV [Greece]

  Background The Greek Army is believed to operate a vast inventory of tracked APCs numbering more than 2,600 vehicles. This consists of legacy Cold War-era ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Land 400 Phase 2 - Boxer CRV [Australia]

  Programme Background History The Land 400 Phase 2 programme will procure a replacement for the ASLAV, a derivative of the General Dynamics Land Systems Light Armoured Vehicle ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  Medium protected ambulance [Germany]

  Background In light of operational experience, the German Army identified a need for an armoured ambulance vehicle to fill the gap between the lighter Eagle ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Pacha Kuyuchix [Peru]

  Background The Peruvian Army is reliant upon a range of ageing 4x4 APCs, including the UR-416, Type 6614 and Type 6616, all of which are ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Boxer Tracked

  At Eurosatory 2022, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) has unveiled a tracked version of the 8x8 Boxer armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) with an increased gross vehicle weight and ...

• Military UAS - small

  STR-50

  The STR-50 is a rotary-wing UAV manufactured by Stromkind.  Little is known about the platform. It was seen displayed on top of a Boxer 8x8 ...

• Land: RWS

  RT60

  The RT60 is the largest, heaviest member of Kongsberg's family of Remote Turret (RT) systems, all of which are based on a common technology. Designed ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer

  ARTEC produces the 8x8 Boxer, a JV between KNDS, Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles and Rheinmetall Military Vehicles Nederland, to meet the requirements of several militaries ...

• Land: RWS

  FLW 200

  The FLW 200 was developed by KMW to meet a German Army requirement for a heavy RWS. Designed with a modular architecture, it is capable ...

• Self-propelled guns

  K9 Mobile Howitzer

  Hanwha Aerospace announced a new developmental 155mm SPH based on an 8x8 chassis in July 2024. This was subsequently designated the K9 Mobile Howitzer. Building ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Terrex 3

  The Terrex 3 is the latest member of the Terrex 8x8 IFVs developed by ST Kinetics and is a highly protected variant. Designed using the ...

• Land: RWS

  Mangart 300

  The Mangart 300 unmanned turret is being developed by a consortium of seven Slovenian companies led by Valhalla Turrets. Armed with a Northrop Grumman XM813 ...

• Land: RWS

  M151 Protector (RS4)

  Originally developed in 1997, the Protector family of remote weapons stations is best known for its extensive service with the US Army, which adopted the ...

• Land: vehicle simulators

  Egress Trainer

  The KMW Egress Trainer provides crew members with the opportunity to experience vehicle roll-over conditions, rehearse and physically execute the steps necessary to survive a ...

• Land: RWS

  R400S Mk2 Dual

  The R400S Mk2 Dual is a variant of the R400S Mk2 which can be configured as a single or a dual RWS.  In single weapon ...

• Main battle tanks

  EMBT

  KNDS (KMW + NEXTER Defense Systems) presented its first joint product, the EMBT (European Main Battle Tank) demonstrator, at the June 2018 Eurosatory defence exhibition. The EMBT mounts ...

• Self-propelled guns

  Artillery Gun Module (AGM)

  The Artillery Gun Module (AGM) was developed as a private venture by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, now KNDS, to provide a lightweight and fully automated artillery system ...

• Land: RWS

  M153 Protector (CROWS II/RS4)

  The M153 Protector leverages and improves upon the technology developed for the M151 Protector RWS. Like its predecessor, it is capable of accommodating a wide ...

• Land: manned turrets

  Lance

  The Lance Modular Turret System, designed to equip tracked and wheeled IFVs, was introduced by Rheinmetall in 2008. Lance is available either in a two-person ...