• Land Warfare

  Malaysian defence update: Key programmes under spotlight at DSA 2024

  3rd May 2024

  The Defence Services Asia (DSA) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur from 6–9 March will feature updates on Malaysia’s defence programmes, including the signing of Batch 2 Littoral Mission Ships and procurement plans for medium lift helicopters.

• Naval Warfare

  BlueWhale - A True Submarine Force Multiplier

  26th March 2024

  The seventh annual REPMUS* and Dynamic Messenger naval exercises, organized and led by the Portuguese Navy and NATO, were held over a three-week period in September 2023.

• Digital Battlespace

  China turns to US-made AI chips to boost hypersonic weapon performance

  17th May 2024

  Chinese researchers have been using a US-designed AI semiconductor chip to enhance the performance of a hypersonic weapon’s scramjet engine, significantly improving computational tasks and suggesting potential integration into future missile systems.

• Air Warfare

  BAE Systems “actively pursues” up to 200 Eurofighter Typhoon sales as fighter upgrade continues

  15th May 2024

  BAE Systems has been actively seeking potential buyers for Eurofighter Typhoon jets, with Germany and Italy among the countries considering additional purchases. The company remained aware, however, of the importance of enhancing the fighter’s capabilities to ensure relevance into the 2040s and beyond.

• Digital Battlespace

  Security orders grow for Northrop Grumman’s FAAD C2

  18th June 2024

  Increased demand for security applications, especially for border and critical asset protection, has boosted orders for the company's Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD C2).

• Digital Battlespace

  Space Dominance: How Laser Technologies are Reshaping Modern Military Operations

  27th May 2024

  High-energy lasers and space-based technologies now play a pivotal role in modern military operations, emphasising their role in enhancing communications, surveillance, and security across multi-domain operations, particularly with the increasingly strategic use of space-based capabilities.

• Digital Battlespace

  Jacobs wins MoD cyber-security support contract

  19th April 2024

  The deal with Jacobs will run until November 2027 and will see the company deliver a range of digital and IT specialist professional services to Defence Digital.

• Digital Battlespace

  Seizing the Future: The Imperative for Militaries to Master AI and Forge Strategic Alliances

  16th August 2024

  The current pace of innovation demands a new strategy for success, focusing on developing technology to meet specific defence goals and ensuring collaborative efforts.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  How Airbus’s UH-72 Unmanned Logistics Connector is revolutionising USMC logistics

  18th June 2024

  Unveiled in early 2024, the UH-72 Logistics Connector is a pivotal component of the Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC), aimed at addressing the logistics needs of the US Marine Corps (USMC).

• Land Warfare

  The Netherlands orders more GM200 compact tactical radars

  15th April 2024

  The Ground Master 200 (GM200), a medium range tactical radar, is part of the Ground Master family architecture, which shares common hardware, software building blocks and interfaces. As a multi-mission radar, it can carry out air surveillance, air defence, CRAM and surface vessel detection.

• Air Warfare

  Glimpses emerge of new Chinese heavy attack helicopter

  8th April 2024

  Recent images surfacing on the internet have revealed the People’s Liberation Army (PLA’s) Z-21 heavy attack helicopter undergoing flight tests.

• Training

  Mercury Systems wins $243 million US Navy training contract

  11th March 2024

  Mercury System has been selected to supply rapidly reprogrammable electronic attack training subsystems to the US Navy.

• Land Warfare

  Israeli Defence Forces aims to make remote-controlled ground systems autonomous

  8th July 2024

  The IDF has turned some of its unmanned M113 APCs into remotely controlled vehicles but it has also been exploring moves towards making the vehicles completely autonomous.

• Land Warfare

  Rheinmetall to upgrade Romanian air defence artillery systems

  2nd January 2024

  Romania is one of several countries near Ukraine and Russia which have recently signed contracts for improved air defence equipment alongside Austria, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

• Naval Warfare

  Singapore launches fourth and final Type 218SG submarine

  23rd April 2024

  The era of southeast Asian submarine modernisation has been in full swing fuelled by growing tensions in the South China Sea.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - attack

  Ka-52M Alligator-Russia

  Programme Background The loss of 66 Ka-52s and 8 Mi-24s damaged and/or destroyed leaves the Russian Military with an acute need of replacements.  The Ka-52M will ...

• AEW&C

  GlobalEye (1-3) [UAE]

  Programme Background The GlobalEye is a modification of Bombardier's Global 6000 jet aircraft fitted with the S-band Erieye Extended Range (ER) radar and mission system ...

• OPVs

  OPVs Procurement (1-2) [Greece]

  Programme Background Requirements According to the RFI issued in late 2022, the Hellenic Coast Guard is seeking to procure two new OPVs. The vessels are ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 - Montenegro

  The deal between Montenegro and export agency Canadian Commercial Cooperation will see aircraft production take place at Bell’s Mirabel facility before being transited to the ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  AW101-Norway

  AgustaWestland is also providing initial support and training services, including spares at each of the operating bases and aircrew training. It will then provide performance ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Landing Platform Docks [India]

  Programme Background Requirements The LPD tender, although more akin to an LHD, specifies that the quartet of ships must be built within India, although collaboration ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Landing Platform Dock [Qatar]

  Programme Background Close to a €4 billion ($4.67 billion) contract was awarded to Fincantieri in June 2016 for the construction of seven surface vessels, including the four ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  T-X / T-7A Red Hawk [USAF]

  Programme Background Goal The T-X programme aims to acquire a two-seat jet trainer aircraft to replace its Northrop Grumman T-38 Talon. The programme could be worth ...

• AEW&C

  AEW&C Aircraft [South Korea]

  Programme Background Requirement The requirement was initially reported in 2016 when it was noted as being part of a long-term development plan, however, reports from ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) [Japan]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that GCAP's Japanese, British and Italian components are tracked in separate entries. Programme Timeline 2020: The Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency of Japan issued ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Horizon 2 - Multirole Fighter Programme [Philippines]

  Programme Background Requirement The Philippines wants a fighter able to perform score missions such as air-to-air combat, air-to-ground tasks and reconnaissance, including over water. It ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme [UK]

  Programme Background The next-generation platform concept is part of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, which sought to deliver a Future Combat Air System ...

• Frigates

  Multi-Role Combat Vessels (1-6) [Singapore]

  Programme Background Requirements Singapore is planning to replace its current ageing Victory-class corvettes, which are due to leave service in 2025, with an equal number of ...

• Trainer

  T-54A Multi-Engine Training System (METS) (USA)

  Programme Background Multi-Engine Training System is a USN programme to replace the ageing T-44C Pegasus fleet and modernize multi-engine aircraft training. Multi-Engine Training System provides ...

• Fighter - multirole

  H-X Fighter Programme [Finland]

  Programme Background In June 2020, Finnish MoD announced that the Hornet fleet life extension programme is neither cost-effective solution nor sufficient in terms of Finland’s ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  N011M

  The N011M BARS is a hybrid X-band radar system combining passive electronically scanned array technology with mechanical scanning capabilities. The system features dual-band operation (X-band ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  Super Kopyo PH

  The Super Kopyo-PH is an ultra-lightweight X-band radar system featuring a phased-array antenna, digital signal and data processors, and a 12-bit analogue/digital converter unit, designed for ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems, Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  HES-21

  HES-21 provides ESM, ELINT and self-defence as a pod. The HES-21 is an integrated system with tactical situational awareness claimed in terms of EOB, as ...

• Land: air defence radar

  MAR

  The Mobile Search Radar (MAR), developed by the Turkish company Aselsan, is a mobile, X-band, short-range 3D search and track radar specifically designed for point ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  N019 Sapfir-29

  The N019 Sapfir-29 is an X-band pulse-Doppler radar developed for the MiG-29 fighter aircraft, featuring a hybrid analogue/digital design with an NII Argon Ts100 digital ...

• Land: air defence radar

  SkyFender ADR

  SkyFender Air Defence Radar (ADR) is a pulse-Doppler radar operating in the X-band that performs signal processing in time and spectral domains to provide target ...

• Land: air defence radar

  X-TAR

  The X-Band Tactical Acquisition Radar (X-TAR) is a fully coherent X-band radar designed for such applications as early warning for MANPADS and guns or tactical ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  Zaslon AM

  The Zaslon-AM is a modernized variant of the Zaslon X-band radar family, featuring the Baget-55-06 onboard digital computer replacing the Argon-15A. The system maintains the ...

• Sea: naval surveillance radar

  Sea Giraffe 1X

  The Saab Sea Giraffe 1X is a short-range, three-dimensional naval radar variant of the Giraffe 1X. It is designed to be a compact and affordable ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  PS-05/A

  Saab's PS-05/A is an X-band mechanically scanned pulse-Doppler radar used on the Gripen fighter aircraft. The system has undergone four iterations from the original variant, which ...

• Land: air defence radar

  AD26

  The AD26 Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) radar is a fifth-generation 3D tactical air defence system. The AD26 is a lightweight, transportable X-band solid-state ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  Zaslon

  The N007 Zaslon was the first phased-array X-band radar to enter service on a fighter aircraft as of Mig-31, featuring a 1.1m diameter antenna and ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  Kopyo

  The Kopyo is an X-band multi-mode pulse-Doppler radar developed by Phazotron NIIR as a private venture, featuring digital signal processing and designed for light combat ...

• Sea: naval surveillance radar

  Columbus Mk2

  The Columbus Mk2 is a three-dimensional naval and coastal surveillance radar manufactured by Gem Elettronica. According to the manufacturer, it is designed for surveillance and ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming, Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  ALQ-500

  The ALQ-500 is an electronic attack system manufactured by Indra Sistemas. The radar band countermeasure sub-system uses digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) techniques and was ...