• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Australia selects MQ-9 Reaper

  16th November 2018

  The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) MQ-9 Reaper has been selected for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) under Project Air 7003 Phase 1, Minister …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Europe gets taste for power in new unmanned future

  15th November 2018

  Europe’s first hydrogen-powered UAS was unveiled on 15 November at London’s Commercial UAV Show, demonstrating how extended flying times could become a reality for smaller …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop awarded USCYBERCOM contract

  5th November 2018

  Northrop Grumman has received a contract worth $54.62 million from the US Air Force to serve as Unified Platform systems coordinator for the US Cyber …

• Land Warfare

  ForceShield enters service in Malaysia

  16th November 2018

  The Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) has completed full system acceptance of its new ForceShield ground-based air defence system, Thales announced on 14 November. The next …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Cranfield University joins EuroDRONE programme

  2nd November 2018

  Cranfield University has joined the EuroDRONE programme, to test the European Union’s (EU's) readiness to manage a broad range of UAS operations including interaction with …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  RQ-21A Blackjack flies in Hawaii

  24th October 2018

  The US Marine Corps’ Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 3 has conducted its first flight of the RQ-21A Blackjack UAS at Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe …

• Land Warfare

  Indo Defence 2018: IAI wins $550m air defence systems contract in Asia

  31st October 2018

  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has become the successful bidder for a $550 million contract providing an air defence system to the army of an undisclosed …

• Defence Notes

  ​US carrier visits Hong Kong amid heightened China tensions

  21st November 2018

  An American warship and carrier strike group visited Hong Kong on 21 November in a move seen as a conciliatory gesture by China ahead of …

• Naval Warfare

  Fincantieri lays keel for third PPA

  16th November 2018

  Fincantieri has begun construction of the Italian Navy’s third Multipurpose Patrol Ship (PPA) at its shipyard in Riva Trigoso, Genova, the Organisation for Joint Armament …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2018: MQ-9 training contract won by CTI

  19th November 2018

  Memphis, Tennessee-based Crew Training International Inc (CTI) has been awarded the US Air Force’s firm-fixed-price contract for the MQ-9 Contract Aircrew Training and Courseware Development …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2018: Thai Army receives howitzer crew trainers

  19th November 2018

  Israeli simulation specialists, Bagira Systems has delivered its Joint-fires BattleSpace Simulator (JOBSS) to Van Halteren Defence, as part of the latter’s Integrated-Howitzer Crew Trainer (I-HCT) programme …

• Digital Battlespace

  Indo Defence 2018: SSVC’s MiPlayer communicating without connectivity

  12th November 2018

  UK-based SSVC is showcasing for the first time in Asia-Pacific its MiPlayer and is garnering interest in the broadcasting service system across the region and …

• Digital Battlespace

  French Navy fleet gets RIFAN 2 system

  1st November 2018

  An Airbus-led industry team has equipped more than sixty vessels of the French Navy with the Réseau Intranet de la Force Aéronavale étape 2 (RIFAN …

• Military Logistics

  Indo Defence 2018: Lockheed's herculean effort for Indonesian Air Force

  8th November 2018

  Lockheed Martin is pushing its C-130J Super Hercules to replace the legacy C-130B/H aircraft of the Indonesian Air Force. Currently, Indonesia operates 20 C-130s and five …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2018: US Army CDT bids now in

  19th November 2018

  Following the release of the RfP for the US Army’s Common Driver Trainer (CDT) requirement in September, commercial bids have now been returned and are …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Long-Endurance UAV [US AFRICOM]

  Programme Background Ageing MQ-9A Reapers In November 2022, Shephard reported that GA-ASI would continue supporting contractor SMX with its MQ-9A after winning a $2.3 billion task ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Pakistan]

  Programme Background Requirement Following a 2019 skirmish with India, Pakistan placed newfound importance on EW and ISR, primarily due to the significant advantage gained during that ...

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

  Multidomian Micro Drones [USSOCOM]

  Background Special Notice On 14 November 2024, a Special Notice was released that informed the industry that the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was looking for ...

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

  MQ-9B SkyGuardian [Denmark]

  Background Arctic Capability Package In February 2021, Denmark published the Arctic Capability package, a commitment to invest in new technologies, particularly uncrewed systems, to improve surveillance ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Long-Range Drones [Norway]

  Background Andøya Ambition On 3 April 2023, the Norwegian MoD released a statement confirming its plans for Andøya, the northernmost island in its Vesterålen archipelago. In addition to ...

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

  Seeker 400 - First Batch (UAE)

  Programme Background The UAE has a long history of transactions with Denel Dynamics. The country has been purchasing various Seeker systems from as far back ...

• Loitering munitions

  Long Range One-way Platforms [US]

  Solicitation In October 2024, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) released a solicitation for long-range, one-way platforms. The DIU noted recent conflicts highlighted the asymmetric impact of low-cost, ...

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

  V-Bat 128 [Canada]

  Programme Background Requirement Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) was seeking a platform for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) that would significantly expand its surveillance range ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  NH90 NFH-Italy

  Programme Background  The Italian Navy has taken delivery of its first NH90 NFH helicopter in Full Operational Capability (or Step B) configuration in November 2013. ...

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

  CH-4 (First Batch) [Pakistan]

  Programme Background First Batch According to the Pakistan Exim Trade Info website, five aircraft were delivered to the country on 15 January 2021. According to a ...

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

  Mini Intelligence Drone System (SMDR) [France]

  Background Requirement The French Army identified a need for a new tactical UAS to replace the Drac, which entered service in 2008. The Mini Reconnaissance ...

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

  M Solar-X [Thailand]

  Programme Background Roadmap In February 2024, the RTAF unveiled its White Paper 2024. Incorporating lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel-Hamas War, and other events ...

• Loitering munitions

  Medium-Range Loitering Munition with LEO Satellite Data Link [South Korea]

  Background New Project In April 2025, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) announced a new project titled “Development of Medium-Range ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Arctic Frigates Procurement/Thetis Class Replacement (4-5) [Denmark]

  In January 2025, Denmark announced the acquisition of "three new Arctic ships, additional long-range drones with advanced image acquisition capacity" and "satellite capacity" worth over ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Arctic Frigates Procurement/Thetis Class Replacement (4-5) [Denmark]

  In January 2025, Denmark announced the acquisition of "three new Arctic ships, additional long-range drones with advanced image acquisition capacity" and "satellite capacity" worth over ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Caihong

  The Caihong (Rainbow), also known as the Cai Hong or CH, is a solar-powered HALE platform designed for near-space flight. It is suitable for military ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Morning Star

  Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s Morning Star is a quasi-satellite, near-space, solar-powered platform. It is designed for both military and civilian applications, including reconnaissance, navigation ...

• ISR/special mission, Maritime patrol

  A320neo M3A

  Currently under development by Airbus, the A320 M3A is the Maritime Patrol version of the civilian A320neo aircraft. The aircraft can be fitted with a wide ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...

• Space: radar systems

  SARah

  SARah is the planned follow-on system for the SAR-Lupe radar satellite constellation operated by the German Armed Forces. In 2013, it was announced that OHB ...

• Major networking projects

  EAC

  The NATO Communications and Information Agency awarded ACTIA Sodielec a contract in June 2013 to provide NATO with an Extended Advanced SATCOM Network Monitoring and ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Vocality Pro Series

  The Pro Series includes the V25, V50, V150 and V20. These are designed to be used in a central communications hub or as part of ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  S-70UAS U-Hawk

  Unveiled at AUSA 2025, the S-70UAS U-Hawk is an uncrewed version of Sikorsky’s crewed UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter.  It will act as a delivery aircraft for medium-sized uncrewed ground vehicles ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish Maritime

  The FlyingFish Maritime SIGINT system is one of several derivatives of the FlyingFish Airborne Satellite Monitoring System developed by Horizon Technologies. Designed to be mounted ...

• Guided munitions

  GP155B

  The GP155B is a 155mm artillery round developed by Norinco. The GP155B integrates satellite-based guidance systems that are compatible with both the Chinese Beidou Navigation ...

• Data links

  Space CDL

  The Space Common Data Link (CDL) system provides a wideband data link capability adaptable to a variety of space-based applications. It consists of separate transmitter ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish

  FlyingFish is an Airborne Satellite Monitoring System designed to detect and intercept SATCOM from airborne ISR platforms. As a passive system, it cannot be detected ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  ULTRA

  The Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft (ULTRA) is a fixed-wing drone from DZYNE Technologies. It is described as a long-endurance, GPS-hardened intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform with full global ...

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

  Pelican / Rumrunner

  The Pelican Cargo is an electric cargo-carrying drone from Pyka. Powered by four electric motors, the Pelican can carry 400lb of cargo in its 70 ...

• Data links

  MiMMC

  Microsat Man-Packable Mission Command (MiMMC) is a satellite-based BLoS communications system providing the ability to extend mission command applications including voice, video and data transfer ...