• 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.

• Land Warfare

  Next stage approved for major European robot programme

  21st November 2025

  The European Commission and Milrem Robotics have signed a grant agreement for iMUGS2, following on from the original iMUGS collaboration to develop modular and scalable architecture for crewed and uncrewed systems.

• 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.

• Air Warfare

  2025 air market review: European defence independence, next-gen tech and export concerns dominate

  23rd December 2025

  This year’s (geo)political turmoil has challenged many long-prevailing assumptions, leading to far-reaching consequences for air forces and their supplier bases in industry worldwide – with five key trends in review for 2025.

• Air Warfare

  Switzerland faces procurement shake-up with reduced F-35 buy and five-year Patriot delays

  9th March 2026

  The reduction in the number of planned F-35A aircraft from 36 to 30 by the Swiss government comes due to budget constraints, with no firm plans to fill the gap despite “negative consequences”.

• 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.

• Air Warfare

  Anduril’s YFQ-44A successfully completes first flight test

  3rd November 2025

  The drone is the second prototype to take flight under the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft programme.

• Air Warfare

  What might next-generation military aircrew training look like?

  26th December 2025

  Changing roles for combat aircraft fleets, the rise of simulation and LVC technologies, and the increasing cost of flight hours could all be leading to a paradigm shift in military pilot training.

• Land Warfare

  Fourth company looks to Texelis Celeris chassis to develop a new 4x4 vehicle

  17th March 2026

  Finnish company SCATA will use the Texelis Celeris chassis for a new vehicle similar to the Serval 4x4 which Texelis is building with KNDS France for the French Army.

• Land Warfare

  Sweden’s recent air defence spend tips to $6 billion with 2026 procurement planned

  12th January 2026

  Procurement of various short-range systems will begin in the first quarter of 2026, with additional procurements to be made later in the year.

• Naval Warfare

  What the rise of interoperability between Western allies means for defence procurement

  16th March 2026

  Major naval initiatives including the European Patrol Corvette programmes and Norway’s UK partnership-focused purchase of Type 26 frigates point to the growing interest in the advantages of commonality across allied navies.

• Land Warfare

  Textron unveils a smaller, low-cost variant of the Ripsaw family of UGVs

  29th April 2026

  Ripsaw M1 has been designed to support the US Marine Corps’ littoral missions by carrying diverse types of payloads and performing multiple missions. Shephard spoke with Textron to find out more.

• Land Warfare

  Will we see a rise in MBT alternatives in future armoured warfare?

  25th November 2025

  In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of militaries procuring alternative vehicles to the traditional tank. The spread of these vehicles appears to be driven by the ever-increasing cost of MBTs and the changing nature of the modern battlefield.

• Air Warfare

  Russian fighter jet exportability threatened by sanctions, says think tank

  13th November 2025

  The think tank realised its report just days before the Dubai Airshow, where the Su-57E Russian fighter jet and Yak-130M trainer and light attack aircraft will make their Middle Eastern debuts.

• Defence Notes

  Growing a digital backbone: an essential capability for the multi-domain battlespace

  30th March 2026

  Future operational superiority will be defined by the ability to connect systems, data and personnel into a wider network. For armed forces, this creates the need for a digital backbone that integrates and enhances sensors and effectors of all kinds.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Warmate (2017) [Poland]

  Background Order In November 2017, Poland ordered 100 sets of Warmate loitering munitions, each consisting of ten platforms, for a reported 100 million Polish Zloty ($26.49 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker (Sergeant Stout) [USA]

  Programme Background As part of the Army Transformation Initiative the US DoD is fundamentally reorganising the structure of the US Army. As part of this all Infantry ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Combat General Purpose Vehicle [Netherlands]

  Programme Background The Dutch military is currently modernising its armoured vehicle fleet. The Combat General Purpose Vehicle (CGPV) programme is one of several procurement programmes currently ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (November 2025) [USA]

  Programme Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (December 2024) [USA]

  Programme Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (September 2024) [USA]

  Programme Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June ...

• 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 ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M2A4/M7A4 Bradley (September 2025) [USA]

  Programme Background The US began upgrading its Bradley fleet to the A4 standard in June 2018, with the first upgraded platform being delivered in June ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 [Slovakia - Second Batch]

  Programme Background Requirements The Slovakian Armed Forces are currently lumbered with an ageing inventory of legacy platforms that are not interoperable with its allies and ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  6x6 APC [Philippines]

  Programme Background Programme Background The Philippine Army has identified an urgent need for new wheeled APCs, after the Battle of Marawi exposed shortcomings in its ...

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

  Mini-UAVs [Czech Republic]

  Background Tactical UCAV Halted The effort to acquire mini-UAVs is directly linked to the Czech MoD's now-delayed procurement programme for tactical or MALE drones, such as the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 (Batch 1) [Slovakia]

  Programme Background Requirements The Slovakian Armed Forces are currently lumbered with an ageing inventory of legacy platforms that are not interoperable with its allies and ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer [Portugal]

  Programme Background The Portuguese Army currently operates a medium mechanised brigade equipped with the M113 as its primary APC. However, they are increasingly outdated and ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  5,000 Latvian UAVs (Ukraine Aid) [Latvia]

  Background Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG) In January 2024, the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG), a multi-nation organisation that coordinates military aid for Ukraine, established a drone ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6, MPVs - 4x4

  Mbombe 6 [Ecuador]

  Background In November 2022, the Ecuadorian Army confirmed it had placed an order with Elbit for 137 armoured vehicles required for military combat operations against terrorist ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Major networking projects

  Army BCT Modernisation Program Increment 1

  The US Army brigade combat team (BCT) modernisation strategy will build a mix of mobile, networked BCTs that can gain leverage from mobility, protection, information ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Aerosonde Mk 4.8 HQ FTUAS

  From the Texton family of Aerosonde UAS, the Aerosonde Mk 4.8 Hybrid Quad (HQ) FTUAS is a tactical drone purpose-built to meet the US Army's Future Vertical Lift ...

• Short Range Missile Defence Systems: 0 to 20 km range

  Initial Maneuver - SHORAD

  Unveiled at AUSA 2019, Initial Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) is a multipurpose platform, based on the Stryker IFV, which moves and maneuvers in ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  CATS CTC

  The CATS Combat Training Centre (CTC) trains armed forces in simulated opposition. Features: direct-fire weapon effect simulation with laser engagement systems; area weapon effect simulation ...

• Construction vehicles

  HMEE

  The JCB High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE) was originally designed to support the US Army’s Stryker brigade combat teams and has been proven on operations ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  M1150 ABV

  The M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) project, launched by the USMC in 2002, is a joint programme to meet the requirements of both the US ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  JAB

  The US Army is leading the Joint Assault Bridge (JAB) project to replace legacy M60A1-based bridge launchers in service with itself and USMC with an M1-based ...

• Land: C2 simulators

  Collective Combat Training

  Thales offers a global simulation and training approach that links together various simulators to perform the full spectrum of military operations (offence, defence, stability and ...

• Land: battle management systems

  FüInfoSys Heer

  FüInfoSys Heer (Army Command and Control Information System) is the first common, integrated and mobile system of its kind in the German Army. It is ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  GAMER Deployable CTC

  Saab’s GAMER Deployable Combat Training Center (CTC) is an instrumented training system, enabling a military to train on home bases and deploy worldwide for training ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  RQ-7 Shadow 200

  The Shadow 200, designated RQ-7B by the US Army, is flown by the army brigade combat teams and combat aviation brigades along with the UAV ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle

  The tracked M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV), developed in parallel with the M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), equips reconnaissance units within the US ...

• Surface-to-surface missiles

  Iskander-M/E/K

  The Iskander-M (NATO reporting name: SS-26 'Stone') is a short-range ballistic missile. It was the second attempt by Russia to replace the Skud after its ...

• Subsystems: software

  Simulation-based Embedded Training Software Package

  This software package is installed in the Stryker Interim Armoured Vehicle (IAV), supporting US Army brigade combat team training requirements. It has been in service ...

• Land: COMINT and ELINT systems

  EWPMT

  Raytheon’s Electronic Warfare Planning and Management Tool (EWPMT) is a US Army programme which began in 2014, designed to support electronic warfare officers and provide ...