• Defence Notes

  Analysis: US needs patience with Philippine president

  24th October 2016

  The Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was in Beijing last week to denounce the US and to sign 13 agreements with China on a wide range …

• Training

  USMC selects Veraxx for AH-1Z FTDs

  24th October 2016

  With the first production variant entering service in 2005 the Bell AH-1Z Viper has become a crucial part of the US Marine Corps’ expeditionary air …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  China explores military UGV designs

  20th October 2016

  A special UGV trial, named Conquer Obstacle 2016, was recently held in China, the PLA Daily has publicised.  The aim of the unmanned ground system challenge was to …

• Defence Helicopter

  31st MEU aviators soar in Philippines

  10th October 2016

  Much is being written about maritime tensions in the South China Sea, but for pilots of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) of the USMC …

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2016: New sights for mounted gunners

  3rd October 2016

  Optics manufacturer Trijicon has today launched its new machine gun sight system, which it has dubbed the Machine Gun Reflex Sight (MGRS). The MGRS is designed …

• Military Logistics

  MDM 2016: Marines go back to the future

  3rd October 2016

  US Marine Corps representatives highlighted the return of a concept – originally envisioned in the early 1990s – called ‘Equipment Exchange’ during last week’s Modern …

• Training

  Adacel to provide USMC with ATC simulators

  3rd October 2016

  Adacel Systems will supply the US military with Air Traffic Navigation, Integration, and Coordination System (ATNAVICS) training simulators under a contract from the US Naval …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  GA-ASI demos UAS communications pod

  30th September 2016

  General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has successfully demonstrated the ability of its Network Centric Communications Pod’s (NCCP) to provide a robust communications data link. The demo …

• Land Warfare

  MDM 2016: Marine Corps hands shopping list to industry

  27th September 2016

  The US Marine Corps (USMC) has outlined a ‘laundry list’ of critical requirements, as the service transitions from a primary focus on counter-insurgency (COIN) warfare …

• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA 2016: V-247 to provide pivotal vigilance

  27th September 2016

  Bell Helicopter has unveiled its unmanned VTOL concept, the V-247 Vigilant tiltrotor, which it hopes will meet the US Marine Corps’ (USCM) requirement for a …

• Digital Battlespace

  CAC2S in operational test

  23rd September 2016

  General Dynamics Mission Systems' Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S) has successfully provided users with an integrated operational picture during a US Marine Corps …

• Military Logistics

  EBFL-M cleared for delivery to USMC

  22nd September 2016

  The US Marine Corps (USC) has approved fielding of the Extendable Boom Forklift (EBFL-M) fleet modernised by Oshkosh Defense, the company announced on 19 September. …

• Military Logistics

  USMC orders next-gen battery chargers

  21st September 2016

  Bren-Tronics has been selected by the US Marine Corps to deliver its next-generation Advanced Battery Charger (ABC), it was announced on 19 September. Deliveries are …

• Training

  Kratos to deliver MCATs to USMC

  15th September 2016

  Kratos Defense and Security Solutions has been awarded a $54 million contract to provide five Marine Common Aircrew Trainers (MCATs) to the US Marine Corps …

• Digital Battlespace

  USMC orders nine more G/ATORs

  9th September 2016

  Northrop Grumman has received an order from the US Marine Corps (USMC) for another nine AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) low rate initial production (LRIP) …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - small

  RQ-21A Blackjack / STUASLO - Replacement Units (USMC)

  Programme Background Joint USN and USMC Procurment The RQ-21 Blackjack, or STUALSO, was a combined United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) programme ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-1Z

  In issuing the Force Design 2030 report into the future direction of the USMC, the corps is attempting to steer the course of its development, ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV-30 (Batch 2) [USA]

  Background The ACV is a family of vehicles intended to modernise the USMC's vehicle fleet, particularly the Corps' ageing AAV7 vehicles. Development of the ACV ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV-30 (Batch 3) [USA]

  Background The ACV is a family of vehicles intended to modernise the USMC's vehicle fleet, particularly the Corps' ageing AAV7 vehicles. Development of the ACV ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV (USMC) (Batch 1) [USA]

  Background As of January 2021, the US DoD had signed 15 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV (USMC) (Batch 2) [US]

  Background The USMC was originally expected to procure 15,400 JLTVs to replace all of its HMMWVs on a like-for-like basis. In 2023, AM General unseated ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV-30 (Batch 4) [USA]

  Background The ACV is a family of vehicles intended to modernise the USMC's vehicle fleet, particularly the Corps' ageing AAV7 vehicles. Development of the ACV ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV-30 (Batch 5) [USA]

  Background The ACV is a family of vehicles intended to modernise the USMC's vehicle fleet, particularly the Corps' ageing AAV7 vehicles. Development of the ACV ...

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

  Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Unmanned Expeditionary (MUX) (Increment 1) [USMC]

  Programme Background All-in-One UAV Since 2016, the USMC has wished to acquire a UAV that could be deployed from a vessel, be used for various missions, ...

• Loitering munitions

  Organic Precision Fire - Mounted (OPF-M) [USMC]

  Programme Background Armed Vehicles In June 2021, Shephard reported that the USMC had selected the HERO-120 for the OPF-M programme. The USMC planned to integrate ...

• Military UAS - small

  RQ-21A Blackjack / STUASLO - Replacement Units (USN)

  Programme Background Joint USN and USMC Procurment The RQ-21 Blackjack, or STUALSO, was a combined United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) programme ...

• Loitering munitions

  Long-Range Attack Munition (LRAM) [USMC]

  Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to the ...

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

  XQ-58A Valkyrie [USMC]

  Programme Background Contract Award On 30 December 2022, the US DoD announced that it had awarded Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems a $15.52 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to ...

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

  Medium Range/Medium Endurance (MR/ME) [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

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

  Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Unmanned Expeditionary (MUX) (Increment 2) [USMC]

  Background MUX Since 2016, the USMC has sought to acquire a UAV that can be deployed from a vessel, used for various missions, and fly ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  GATR e850 Outdoor Modem

  Cubic’s GATR e850 is a rugged broadband outdoor modem ideal for mobile/transportable communications, based on the iDirect e850 board set. Features include a waterproof enclosure ...

• Individual assault/anti-tank weapons

  M72 LAW FFE

  The M72 Light Assault Weapon Fire from Enclosure (M72 LAW FFE) was developed by Nammo to meet a USMC requirement for a version of the ...

• Military helicopters - maritime, Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-1Y Venom

  Originally planned as a UH-1N Twin Huey upgrade for the USMC, all but the first ten UH-1Ys now use new-build airframes. This new build prevents ...

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

  SeaOnyx

  The SeaOnyx is an in-development cargo-carrying coaxial rotary-wing UAV manufactured by Ledois in partnership with Phenix Solutions.  In April 2023, Leidos announced it had been awarded an ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV

  BAE Systems teamed with Iveco Defence to offer a version of Iveco Defence Vehicle's Superav for the USMC's Armored Combat Vehicle Phase 1 Increment 1 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  LAV-25

  General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada has produced derivatives of the Piranha series, branded the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV), since the Canadian Army selected the 6x6 Piranha ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-1W SuperCobra

  Bell’s AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopter was developed from the AH-1T for the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The helicopter has been in service since 1986 to ...

• Air: mission management systems

  AFATDS

  Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) is a multi-service (US Army/USMC) joint and combined forces fire support battle command system. It provides automated support ...

• Air: transport/tanker simulators

  USMC KC-130J Training Devices

  CAE delivered a KC-130J cockpit avionics part-task trainer to MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. The device is used for classroom training of ground maintenance personnel ...

• EO/IR systems

  NTS/NTSA

  The Night Targeting System (NTS) was a joint Israeli Air Force and United States Marine Corps (USMC) program to provide AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters with ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-1 SeaCobra

  Bell developed the 209/AH-1 SeaCobra on the basis of the US Army’s single-engine AH-1G Cobra as the United States Marine Corps (USMC) determined that a ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  SAIC ACV 1.1 prototype

  SAIC unveiled its first prototype for the USMC Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) 1.1 (Phase 1, Increment 1) project on 21 February 2017. The SAIC prototype is ...

• Fighter - multirole, Fighter - naval

  F-35C

  The F-35C Lightning II, also known as the F-35 carrier variant (CV), is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft in carrier configuration. It has larger wings and ...

• Subsystems: software

  DI-Guy

  DI-Guy is an AI, scenario and SDK for real-time human visualisation, simulation and artificial intelligence. DI-Guy has thousands of realistic ready-to-use characters and motions. It ...

• Military helicopters - maritime, Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-53D Sea Stallion

  The twin-engine CH-53A (S-65) Sea Stallion was developed from 1960 to meet a United States Marine Corps (USMC) requirement for a heavy-lift helicopter. It entered ...