• Land Warfare

  EOS improving Slinger CUAS role as industry pushes forward

  28th October 2025

  EOS Defence Systems officially launched its Slinger anti-drone system in 2023. The system features a remote weapon station, visual sensors and a Northrop Grumman 30mm cannon with specially designed ammunition, combined with EOS’s stabilisation and pointing technology.

• Land Warfare

  Hundreds of Boxers with Puma turrets ordered for Dutch and German forces

  21st October 2025

  The order is for 270 vehicles, 222 of which are infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) known as Schakal (Jackal), which integrates the advanced Puma IFV RCT30 turret onto the Boxer chassis.

• Land Warfare

  US Army moves towards calls for bids for medium UGV as competitors warm up

  26th March 2026

  The US Army’s Medium Modular Equipment Transport Trailer (M-METT) programme is planned to provide a platform between Increment II of Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport and the Palletized Load System.

• Air Warfare

  European CCA programmes see progress as industry narrows in on key flight milestones

  17th March 2026

  European defence firms including Airbus, Helsing, General Atomics and Anduril are accelerating development and testing of collaborative combat aircraft to meet Germany’s loyal wingman requirement, targeting operational deployment by the end of the decade.

• Land Warfare

  Land forces review: British Army vehicle programme stalls and company results land

  26th November 2025

  In the first monthly review of land forces stories, the Shephard team looks back to evaluate the major news events that have impacted the sector. The UK’s Land Mobility Programme was notable but another setback occurred when a market industry day was scrapped.

• Air Warfare

  Scaling for diverse fleet needs: How many CCA will be acquired per crewed aircraft?

  23rd February 2026

  There is currently no industry standard in the ratio of uncrewed to crewed aircraft. Because collaborative combat aircraft vary widely in capability and crewed-uncrewed teaming availability, while country-specific requirements vary, it is unlikely that a single CCA configuration will meet all operational needs.

• Land Warfare

  Predicted air defence spending boom opens doors to Indian industry

  3rd April 2026

  Recent conflicts have created a surge in interceptor demand worldwide while exposing potential supply chain challenges, positioning India as a cost-effective partner and scalable supplier.

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2025: First mobility trials completed for British Army Challenger 3 tanks

  11th September 2025

  The mobility trials saw the Challenger 3 main battle tank (MBT) tested at a variety of locations in the UK, covering a combined 760km across a variety of terrains including road and cross country.

• Land Warfare

  Swiss Army still awaits new artillery contract to replace M109 howitzers

  6th March 2026

  More than a year after selecting the KNDS Artillery Gun Module mounted on the Piranha IV 8x8 as its next artillery system, Switzerland is still awaiting the contract that will deliver the guns.

• Land Warfare

  Land forces review: howitzers in the spotlight and Germany spends big to close the year

  5th January 2026

  December saw several milestones on the howitzer front with billions of dollars worth of orders placed and Germany committing to more 6×6 and 4×4 vehicles. Taiwan was also approved for equipment orders worth $11 billion even as the year came to an end with China encircling the country as part of an exercise.

• Land Warfare

  Australia backs up investment promises with US$2.1 billion for Bushmaster and HIMARS

  28th April 2026

  The Australian government is ordering another 268 Thales Bushmaster medium protected mobility vehicles along with HIMARS for a second long‑range fires regiment.

• Land Warfare

  Netherlands to get step change in air defence capability with FFG ACSV selection

  21st January 2026

  FFG’s tracked Armoured Combat Support Vehicle will form the backbone of the Netherlands’ new low-level air defences, Shephard has learned, with scope for further fleet expansion beyond the initial order.

• Land Warfare

  Lasers heat up for counter-drone option as DroneLight tackles the big question

  16th July 2026

  Using lasers to defeat drones promises to solve the dilemma of using expensive kinetic effects to kill platforms worth a few hundred dollars. While maintaining thermal output to provide the effects can be a technical hurdle, Israel’s Esh-Tech is one company working on a solution.

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2025: Skyranger air defence system gets tracks

  9th September 2025

  The Skyranger is in service with Austria, Denmark and Germany in the 30mm variant on wheeled vehicles, while Ukraine is receiving the system fitted to the Leopard 1 tank chassis, but this is the first sight of the 35mm on a tracked vehicle.

• Naval Warfare

  “We must end the mentality of ever larger platforms”: Why USVs are scaling

  30th April 2026

  Multiple USV programme milestones announced last week, aligned with a reinforcement of the Royal Navy’s vision for a hybrid fleet, point to innovation-led ambition but also to a structural calculation with resource ceilings that neither London nor Washington can ignore.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  Fuchs 2 Local Assembly

  The Fuchs 2 will replace a variety of legacy APCs currently in service with the Algerian Army including the Panhard M3 VTT, the BTR-60 and ...

• 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 ...

• Main battle tanks

  Skyranger 35 (Leopard 1) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Rheinmetall previously provided Ukraine with Skyranger 35s; however, these were mounted on truck chassis. The logic behind providing Ukraine with Skyranger 35 on ...

• Loitering munitions

  FV-014 [Germany]

  Background Testing Models Between April 2023 and April 2025, the German Army acquired various loitering munitions further to assess their suitability for the German Armed Forces. A spokesperson ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  KF41 Lynx [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Following the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, Ukraine has sought to acquire a range of different Western platforms to replace its older Soviet ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  KF41 Lynx (Ukraine Aid) [Germany]

  Background Ukraine first expressed an interest in acquiring the KF41 Lynx in 2023.  This was followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rheinmetall ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A4 [Czech Republic]

  Programme Background  The Czech Republic currently operates a small fleet of T-72s, which, while undergoing upgrades and life extension programmes, are increasingly obsolete. In October ...

• Loitering munitions

  Virtus [Germany]

  Background Testing Models Between April 2023 and April 2025, the German Army acquired various loitering munitions to further assess their suitability for the German Armed Forces. A ...

• Loitering munitions

  HX-2 [Germany]

  Background Testing Models Between April 2023 and April 2025, the German Army acquired various loitering munitions to further assess their suitability for the German Armed Forces. A spokesperson ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Ermine (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Background Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Western governments have sought to provide as much assistance as possible to the Ukrainian government. ...

• Medium UGVs

  Mission Master [Norway]

  Programme Background Developed by Rheinmetall Canada in 2021, the Mission Master XT is designed to tackle ice and snow, as well as sandy, rocky and ...

• 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 ...

• Main battle tanks

  KF51 Panther EVO [Hungary]

  Programme Background Hungary is currently undergoing a significant investment in its armed forces. As part of this effort, it has established a strong relationship with Rheinmetall, ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Army Armoured Combat System (A2CS) [Italy]

  Background The Italian Army has identified a requirement for new tracked IFVs to equip its armoured and mechanised brigades. These new vehicles will replace 200 ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  KF41 Lynx [Hungary]

  Programme Background Since 2017, the Hungarian MoD has invested considerable funds into the modernisation of Hungary's Armed Forces. Under its Zrínyi 2026 development plan, the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  Fuchs 2

  Rheinmetall developed the Fuchs 2 6x6 between 2001 and 2005 with the international market in mind. Based on the Fuchs 1, the new vehicle has ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  Fuchs 1

  Spanning now 8 variants, the Fuchs 1 is the German Army's longstanding wheeled armoured personnel carrier. The army received 1,125 Fuchs, with most delivered between 1979-86. ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Survivor R

  The Survivor R 4x4, unveiled at Eurosatory in June 2014, was jointly developed by Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles and Achleitner. Based on a comprehensively militarised ...

• Land: RWS

  Fieldranger Dual

  The Fieldranger Dual is one of the larger systems in the Rheinmetall Fieldranger series of RWS. Designed to carry two weapons simultaneously, the Fieldranger Dual ...

• Land: Integrated Defensive Systems

  AVePS

  The AVePS (Active Vehicle Protection System) has been designed for the protection of armoured vehicles against shoulder-fired antitank rockets and guided missiles. Approaching projectiles are ...

• Land: RWS

  RLS 609

  The RLS 609 is a family of RWS that has been designed by Rheinmetall Defence and Kongsberg Protech Systems.  The RWS include the 609 L ...

• Military vehicle engines

  MTU 6V 199

  The MTU 6V 199 is a six cylinder turbocharged diesel engine, designed to power medium military vehicles. The engine is available in a TE20 and ...

• Land: manned turrets

  E8

  The E8 is a manned turret operated by a crew of one that is designed for APCs and IFVs. It is able to combat ground ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  Fixed Wing Flight Simulators

  Rheinmetall has developed fixed-wing simulators for the Typhoon, MiG-29, Tornado, A320 and A400M. Rheinmetall is responsible for full mission simulators and cockpit procedure trainers for ...

• Main battle tanks

  KF51 Panther

  Rheinmetall unveiled the KF51 Panther at Eurosatory 2022. The MBT uses Leopard 2 components in its bare chassis but with a brand new turret. Its main armament is the ...

• Land: battle management systems

  Rheinmetall C2 Software

  Rheinmetall C2 Software support the air defence decision making process by filtering, correlating and processing data from all sensors, providing the operator with one comprehensive ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  DM98

  The 120mm x 570 target practice-tracer (TP-T) round is a high-explosive (HE) training munition produced by Rheinmetall. It can be fired from any new or ...

• Land: RWS

  Nanuk Russian

  Rheinmetall Canada's Nanuk RWS family includes this variant for non-NATO weapons, which combines full stabilisation, long-range day/night all-weather sights and a versatile weapon cradle that ...

• Land: RWS

  Qimek Russian

  Rheinmetall's Qimek single-weapon RWS family includes a variant for non-NATO weapons, which combines full stabilisation, long-range day/night all-weather sights and a versatile weapon cradle for ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Ermine Quad

  The Ermine Quad is a 4x4 manufactured by Rheinmetall as part of the Ermine family. It is designed for rapid patrol duties as well as hit ...