• Land Warfare

  Mercedes-Benz delivers 100-plus Zetros trucks to Ukraine in support of war against Russia

  6th September 2023

  Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks has delivered more than 100 Zetros off-road vehicles to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence for military support and logistics tasks under an initiative funded by the German government.

• Land Warfare

  Ukraine to receive SurveilSPIRE C-UAS systems from Germany

  6th October 2023

  A new order has been made for Ukraine to receive automated SurveilSPIRE C-UAS systems from Germany’s Rheinmetall and Estonia’s DefSecIntel.

• Defence Notes

  Indian defence purchases from Russia are in trouble

  30th August 2023

  Fearing sanctions, India needs to find an alternative mechanism as it continues to buy defence equipment from Russia.

• Defence Notes

  US Army seeks 'fundamental transformation' to face future threats

  25th September 2023

  ‘The army is really undergoing its most fundamental transformation in 40 years. We are moving away from the system that we designed in the 80s’, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth has claimed,

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Challenges and innovations: Russia struggles to counter Ukraine's dominance in drone warfare

  4th September 2023

  The Russian armed forces and civilian UAV manufacturers face hurdles countering Ukraine's drone supremacy, standardising UAS production and fighting evolving tactics, as highlighted at the recent Dronnitsa event.

• Land Warfare

  Lockheed Martin successfully tests next-generation artillery rocket

  4th September 2023

  Lockheed Martin has demonstrated the extended range and precision of its next-generation Extended-Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (ER GMLRS) rocket in a successful flight test, bringing it closer to fielding for the US Army.

• Digital Battlespace

  DSEI 2023: APS claims 90% success rate in tracking drones in Ukraine

  19th September 2023

  Advanced Protection System (APS) has reported a 90% success in tracking Russian UAVs operating in the Ukraine war using its SKYctrl anti-drone system.

• Land Warfare

  The HF Renaissance – The Evolving Electronic Warfare Threats and the Need for Resilient Waveforms (Studio)

  14th September 2023

  Amid modern warfare’s complexity and electronic warfare threats, NATO and its allies are balancing legacy systems with new technologies. With the importance of resilient waveforms underscored, High Frequency (HF) technology has emerged as a robust solution, leading to an “HF renaissance”.

• Air Warfare

  US greenlights NATO F-16s for Ukraine but jets excluded from current counter offensive

  18th August 2023

  Despite receiving approval for Danish and Dutch F-16 fighter jets from the US, Ukraine's ongoing counter offensive against Russia will not see the immediate deployment of these aircraft.

• Land Warfare

  Russia tests C-UAS slat protection over turrets and anti-UAV jamming systems for armoured vehicles

  20th September 2023

  Russian defence companies are adapting to emerging threats and exploring ways to counter top-attack munitions and first-person-view (FPV) UAVs.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2023: Hanwha K9 Thunder becomes ‘best-selling’ 155mm SP artillery system

  18th October 2023

  Hanwha’s K9 Thunder customers are considering upgrading their equipment to the K9A2 following the South Korean Army’s example.

• Land Warfare

  NATO tests robotic capabilities at multi-domain operations trials

  2nd November 2023

  The 2023 Next-Generation Communication Networks Technology event featured innovative technologies transforming the battlefield, including drones, ground-robotic systems and a robot dog.

• Air Warfare

  Insight: Is the Bayraktar TB2 UAV living up to expectations?

  15th September 2023

  Sold to well over 20 countries and combat-proven in Nagorno-Karabakh, Ukraine and elsewhere, the Bayraktar TB2 has been an export success for its Turkish manufacturer. Shephard Defence Insight analyses the aircraft's design and capabilities and reviews in depth who is buying it and why.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2023: New EOS R800 RWS combines laser and kinetic capabilities to counter aerial threats

  10th October 2023

  The weapon has been designed to be capable of blinding the optics in all classes of UAVs and ATGMs.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2023 - US Army seeks additional funds to supply ammunition to Israel

  9th October 2023

  The US Army is currently in the process of determining what it can supply to the Israeli Defence Forces but is waiting for guidance from Israel on what that country needs.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Akinci [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Two Export Contracts In January 2022, the Daily Sabah reported that Baykar had "recently" signed its first export contract for the Akinci. Haluk Bayraktar ...

• Main battle tanks

  T-90S (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background.  The status of the Saudi Arabian T-90 deal is unclear, it is possible that these tanks may be purchased to replace stocks of ...

• Loitering munitions

  ZT-180 [Russia]

  Background Claims On 23 February 2023, DER SPIEGEL reported that, according to information it had gathered, China and Russia were negotiating the purchase of 100 ZT-180 drones, ...

• Loitering munitions

  Shahed-136 [Russia]

  Programme Background Iran's Involvement On 11 July 2022, according to US intelligence, Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor, announced during a statement that the Iranian ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Russian Aircraft Carrier Programme

  Russia currently has one aircraft which is nonoperational which the need for a new aircraft carrier at the heart of the Russian naval modernisation programme. ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Russian Aircraft Carrier Programme

  Russia currently has one aircraft which is nonoperational which the need for a new aircraft carrier at the heart of the Russian naval modernisation programme. ...

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

  Vector / Scorpion (Selected) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background 500 Systems Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Quantum-Systems has provided many drones to Ukraine. Over 400 units have been provided as aid ...

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

  SkyRanger R70 (Ukraine Aid) [Canada]

  Programme Background On 19 February 2024, the Canadian Defence Minister, Bill Blair, announced that the country would donate more than 800 SkyRanger R70 UAVs to ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Heavy Lift Helicopter [Philippines]

  Programme Background Procurement from Russia In November 2021, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that a contract had been signed to acquire 16 Mi-171 heavy ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  T-150 (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background Virtual Address On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. On 3 May 2022, the UK's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, virtually addressed the Ukrainian ...

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

  Black Hornet 3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Programme Background Russo-Ukraine War Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UAVs have proved vital to the country's defence. Consequently, as in this programme, the ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Ka-226T- Air Force [India]

  Programme Background India had operated a diverse and antiquated fleet of helicopters to support its high-altitude operations along contested borders with China and Pakistan. Reducing ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Quantix Recon (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background April Meeting In mid-April, just shy of two months after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the Ambassador and the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Ukraine met ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Spartan SUT [Russia]

  Programme Background Despite international sanctions following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Streit Group vehicles are believed to have continued to make their way into ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Main battle tanks

  T-80UD

  The 125mm-armed T-80UD MBT is a variant of the T-80 which was in production in Ukraine when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. An ...

• Loitering munitions

  AQV 100 Scalpel

  The AQV 100 Scalpel, or AQV-100, is a low-cost loitering munition manufactured by One Way Aerospace.  The drone is operated using a first-person view and ...

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

  Mini 2

  The Mini 2 is a micro rotary-wing drone from DJI. It features a 3-axis gimbaled 12MP camera for photographs and 4k/30fps for video capture. Shephard believes ...

• Transport

  An-140

  The An-140 is a light turboprop military transport aircraft developed from the An-140 regional airliner, which first flew in September 1997. It is designed to ...

• Loitering munitions

  Shahed-236

  The Shahed-236, or MC 236, is a successor to the Shahed-126. It is a loitering munition designed in Iran. The drone was presented to Russia in ...

• Air: sonar systems

  VGS-3

  The VGS-3 is a dipping sonar for the Ka-27/Ka-28 helicopter developed by the State Enterprise Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Hydrodevices.

• Fighter - air superiority

  MiG-29

  The MiG-29 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum) is an air superiority fighter aircraft designed to engage air targets in any weather, day and night.  The production ...

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

  Orlan-10/10E

  Developed by the Russia-based Special Technology Center, the Orlan-10 is a medium-range UAS with many variants, such as the 10E, an export version introduced in 2017. The ...

• Fighter - ground attack

  Su-25

  The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) is a single-seat ground attack aircraft developed for close combat air support missions. Production of the Su-25 began in ...

• Land: coastal surveillance radars

  Predel-E

  The Predel-E is a coastal surveillance radar produced by Russian manufacturer Concern Morinformsystem-Agat JSC. The system is intended as an over-the-horizon surveillance system, designed to ...

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

  Matrice 300 RTK

  The Matrice 300 RTK is a rotary-wing UAV manufactured by DJI. Despite being primarily aimed at industrial applications, militaries utilise it for ISR tasks.  In ...

• Artillery rockets

  9M55

  9M55 is a family of 300 mm artillery rockets developed for the BM-30 Uragan MLRS developed by the USSR.

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  SURA HMTDS

  SURA is a helmet-mounted display system produced in Ukraine. Notably, it offers off-boresight acquisition capability to pilots and can cue the aircraft's sensor systems using ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Orion / Orion-E

  The Orion, sometimes called the Inokhodets, is the first Russian-manufactured MALE UAV that has been designed to carry out a wide variety of military surveillance applications. Russia has ...

• Guided munitions

  Kvitnyk/Kvitnik-E 152mm

  The development of the Kvitni 152mm guided artillery shell traces back to the early 2000s, with its first public revelation occurring in 2001. This high-precision ...