• Naval Warfare

  HMS Medway completes maiden sea trials

  17th December 2018

  The Royal Navy’s HMS Medway has successfully completed its maiden sea trials in the Firth of Clyde, the navy announced on 11 December. During the …

• Special Operations

  USSOCOM outlines LTATV follow-on plans

  7th December 2018

  United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has released additional information surrounding its interest in a follow-on Light Tactical All Terrain Vehicle (LTATV) platform. LTATVs are …

• Digital Battlespace

  BAE Systems receives RFMLS contract from DARPA

  30th November 2018

  BAE Systems has received a $ 9.2 million contract from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the Radio Frequency Machine Learning System …

• Naval Warfare

  Thai frigate delivered in South Korea

  18th December 2018

  Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) handed over a 3,650t frigate to the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) in a ceremony at its Okpo-Dong Shipyard, Busan …

• Digital Battlespace

  SitaWare Headquarters for NATO MCM mission

  21st December 2018

  The Royal Danish Navy (RDN) will equip HDMS Thetis with Systematic’s SitaWare Headquarters software in 2019, as the service takes command of the Standing NATO …

• Digital Battlespace

  Silvus Technologies receives HDRLOS radios for RAN

  17th December 2018

  Silvus Technologies has received the first set of High Data Rate Line of Sight (HDRLOS) radios for the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) fleet of Anzac …

• Digital Battlespace

  Saab launches Vidar laser rangefinder

  20th December 2018

  Saab has launched a new laser rangefinder called Vidar, a system designed to generate highly accurate tracking data even at long ranges. Vidar is currently …

• Naval Warfare

  USS Billings completes acceptance trials

  14th December 2018

  The US Navy’s Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS Billings, has successfully completed acceptance trials in the waters of Lake Michigan, Lockheed Martin …

• Naval Warfare

  Naval Group signs ISS agreement with Egypt

  10th December 2018

  Naval Group has signed an agreement with the Egyptian Navy for the in-service support (ISS) of vessels delivered by the group over the next five …

• Naval Warfare

  DDG 1002 launched at Bath Iron Works

  14th December 2018

  The US Navy’s third and final Zumwalt-class ship, the future USS Lyndon B Johnson (DDG 1002), has been launched at General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works shipyard. …

• Military Logistics

  Japan to get first post-WWII aircraft carriers

  19th December 2018

  Japan will get its first aircraft carriers since World War II, and buy dozens of fighter jets, under a new defence plan approved on 18 …

• Naval Warfare

  Sea Venom firing latest in series of UK-France missile developments

  17th December 2018

  As work continues on the joint UK-France programme to develop a next-generation cruise and anti-ship missile system, the smaller but equally crucial Sea Venom has …

• Defence Notes

  EDEX 2018: Egypt eyes JF-17 Thunder Block 3s

  5th December 2018

  The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) is currently reviewing the progress of the PAC/Chengdu JF-17 Thunder.  At EDEX 2018 in Cairo, Shephard has learnt that representatives …

• Digital Battlespace

  Dstl develops new radar tracking system

  21st November 2018

  The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has developed a new radar tracking system to help protect UK military personnel and equipment during operations around …

• Naval Warfare

  Brazil launches first of five French-tech attack subs

  14th December 2018

  Brazil, on 14 November, has launched the first of five navy attack submarines it is building under a $7.6 billion technology-sharing deal struck with France. …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | ULTRA [US]

  The USAF, and more specifically the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), has invested in the ULTRA aircraft from DZYNE Technologies, with the drone possibly developed ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | ULTRA [US]

  The USAF, and more specifically the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), has invested in the ULTRA aircraft from DZYNE Technologies, with the drone possibly developed ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (ALUAV) [US]

  Background  Origins The development programme has its origins in the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative signed between the nations in 2006 and renewed in 2015. This ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  ULTRA [US]

  Background Origins The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Center for Rapid Innovation (CRI) conceived and developed the aircraft with DZYNE Technologies. According to The War ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (ALUAV) [India]

  Background  Origins The development programme has its origins in the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative signed between the nations in 2006 and renewed in 2015. This ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  PROSUB - SSN [Brazil]

  Programme Background Following the successful delivery of the four Riachuelo-class SSK, which is due to all enter service between 2020 and 2023, the construction of ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Data links

  Data links | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Expeditionary Medical Ship (EMS) [USN]

  Background Requirements The EMS is based on the Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport vessel, featuring a catamaran design, providing hospital-level care, with three operating rooms, as well as ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Light Replenishment Oiler (T-AOL) [USN]

  The US Navy wants to procure a new class of medium-sized supply ships aimed at refuelling, rearming, and resupplying naval assets. The Navy’s proposed FY2025 budget requests $7.7 ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Light Replenishment Oiler (T-AOL) [USN]

  The US Navy wants to procure a new class of medium-sized supply ships aimed at refuelling, rearming, and resupplying naval assets. The Navy’s proposed FY2025 budget requests $7.7 ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Polar Support Vessel [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirements In June 2020, the Brazilian Navy released a Request for Proposal (RfP) to procure a new Antarctic vessel to be manufactured in Brazil. The ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Hybrid Tiger

  Manufactured by the Naval Research Laboratory, the Hybrid Tiger is an electric UAV. As its name suggests, the platform features a hybrid power generation unit. ...

• Air: UAS radar

  RASAR

  The real-time, autonomous, synthetic aperture radar (RASAR) is a self-contained radar designed for installation under the wing of UAS for counter-IED and FOPEN (Foliage Penetration) missions. It is ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  SA-400 Jackal

  The SA-400 Jackal is a heavy-payload-capability, long-endurance VTOL UAS that had its first flight in 2013. It is an optionally piloted vehicle, so it can ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Outlaw SeaHunter

  Outlaw UAVs are used by military and research agencies for training, testing, data collection and system development. In the 114-137kg maximum take-off weight class, SeaHunter ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  ShadowHawk

  The ShadowHawk is a VTOL UAV that can be transported and launched/recovered within a small area. The ShadowHawk is able to maintain aerial surveillance at ...

• Air: EO/IR – Jamming Systems

  AN/AAQ-45

  Leonardo’s AN/AAQ-45 Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasures is designed to equip rotorcraft. The system is being installed on Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk medium-lift utility helicopters used ...

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

  Havoc

  Havoc is a MALE modular payload UAS designed for customers with varying missions and payload requirements. Features include tool-less assembly, rolling take-off and landing and ...

• Military - USVs

  MAST

  The Maritime Autonomy Surface Testbed (MAST) was developed by ASV Global and Roke Manor Research under funding from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. It ...

• Air-launched ASW torpedoes, Ship-launched torpedoes

  Shyena/TAL

  Shyena, also known as TAL (The Advanced Light Torpedo), is an Indian lightweight anti-submarine torpedo developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (affiliated to ...

• Subsystems: software

  SWARM

  CHI Systems worked with Lockheed Martin on a programme for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to build software models that imitate human behaviour, and ...

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

  Bat

  Northrop Grumman is developing the Bat family of medium-altitude, multi-mission UAS. The company announced two variants of the UAS (3.7m and 4.3m) and a rotary-wing ...

• Light UGVs

  Dragon Runner

  The Dragon Runner UGV, manufactured by QinitiQ, has two versions: the Dragon Runner 10 (DR10) and the slightly larger Dragon Runner 20 (DR20). All Dragon ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  CLS-200

  The CLS-200 is part of the Yates Electrospace Corporation Silent Arrow family. It is a powered cargo-carrying one-use UAV, based on the company's GD-2000 glider.  In ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  XQ-67A

  In February 2024, GA-ASI first released images of the XQ-67A, a drone developed under a contract for thge USAF's Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) developmental programme. It ...

• Light UGVs

  Jackal

  Launched in September 2014, Clearpath Robotics' Jackal is a small, portable, integrated and weatherproof UGV. It has been built on a metal chassis and has four wheels ...