• Defence Notes

  Asia-Pacific dominates global defence spending

  14th March 2019

  Asia-Pacific nations figure prominently on the recently released list of top defence importers from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Indeed, the region is …

• Naval Warfare

  Singapore launches Invincible-class submarine

  18th February 2019

  The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) launched the first of its four Type 218SG diesel-electric submarines at ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems’ (TKMS) yard in Kiel, Germany …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  IDEX 2019: Big contracts on the horizon for Milrem

  25th February 2019

  Once again Milrem Robotics' THeMIS UGV was unavoidable at an international trade show in various weaponised configurations and after years of pushing the platform some larger …

• Defence Notes

  Avalon 2019: F-35 makes lightning start in Australia

  26th February 2019

  Two F-35A Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) are attending the Avalon Air Show. This pair of fighters is now …

• Naval Warfare

  Submarine deal shows France-Australia ties in 'new phase'

  22nd February 2019

  A giant submarine deal between France and Australia is the latest sign of deepening relations between the two countries, which are being driven together by …

• Defence Notes

  Singapore hedges its bets with F-35 decision

  22nd January 2019

  Catching few by surprise, Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced in a terse statement on 18 January that his country had identified the F-35 …

• Defence Notes

  South Korea announces hike in payment for US troops

  12th February 2019

  Seoul said on 10 February that it agreed to hike its payment for maintaining US troops on its soil, settling a dispute with its long-time …

• Naval Warfare

  ST Engineering launches RSN’s eighth LMV

  30th January 2019

  Singapore Technologies has launched the Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN's) eighth and final Littoral Mission Vessel (LMV), Fearless, the company announced on 26 January. The …

• Naval Warfare

  ADECS 2019: Show preview (video)

  25th January 2019

  As attendees and industry prepare for the opening of ADECS 2019 in Singapore, Shephard's Tim Martin looks at likely themes of the show, while one developing …

• Naval Warfare

  ADECS 2019: Southeast Asia has a dearth of maritime patrol aircraft

  29th January 2019

  There is a degree of polarity when it comes to naval assets in Southeast Asia, with some countries having a disproportionately large number of surface …

• Defence Notes

  Insight: How China’s military machine still runs on Soviet technology

  5th February 2019

  Ever since it first flew in January 2011, the J-20 fighter has been the poster child for China’s massive military build-up. The aircraft’s first flight, …

• Defence Notes

  Singapore picks US F-35 fighter jet over Europe, China rivals

  18th January 2019

  Singapore has chosen the F-35 warplane to replace its ageing fighter jets, opting for the US aircraft over European and Chinese models, the defence ministry …

• Naval Warfare

  P-8A production scheduled for NATO’s northern MPA trio

  28th January 2019

  The future position of Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon as NATO’s de-facto maritime patrol aircraft moved a step closer on 25 January with the latest batch announcement …

• Digital Battlespace

  ADECS 2019: EW advantage at risk of being lost

  30th January 2019

  Senior figures within the EW community have warned how armed forces risk ‘losing the advantage’ across the battlespace due to the development and proliferation of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Chinese FL-1 UCAV makes maiden flight

  23rd January 2019

  Yet another Chinese MALE UCAV has taken to the air, with the FL-1 successfully achieving its maiden flight from Pucheng Neifu Airport in Shaanxi Province, …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - mini

  Ship-Bourne VTOL UAV [Singapore]

  Background Multi-Role Combat Vessel  The Republic of Singapore Navy will retire its six Victory-class corvettes and replace them with a new platform, the Multi-Role Combat ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Hermes 900 [Singapore]

  Background Replacement Ahead of the Singapore Airshow 2024, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) outgoing chief, Major General Kelvin Khong, stated that the service would replace ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  S-70M Black Hawk [Indonesia]

  Programme Background On 23 August 2023, Lockheed Martin announced that Sikorsky had signed an agreement with PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) for a strategic partnership in ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  TITAN [Singapore]

  Programme Background Singapore currently operates 135 Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles (ICV) procured in the early 2000s. The Terrex s5 is the latest model in the ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Heron Mk 1 Replacement [Singapore]

  Background Drone Replacement Ahead of the Singapore Airshow 2024, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) outgoing chief, Major General Kelvin Khong, stated that the ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat [Armenia]

  Background Announcment On 9 February 2026, in a press release from the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan and JD Vance, US vice-president, ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat [Netherlands]

  Background Contract award On 9 July 2025, Shield AI announced that the Netherlands MoD had acquired eight V-Bat aircraft, specifically the V-Bat 400, to enhance the maritime ...

• Military UAS - small

  Shield AI UAVs [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Reported talks Reporting from the World Defence Show (WDS) 2026, the Middle East Eye (MEE) noted that, according to two sources, Saudi Arabia was ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Invincible Class (Type 218SG) (5-6) [Singapore]

  In March 2025, the Singapore Ministry of Defence (Mindef) announced it would acquire two more submarines to complement its four Type 218SG Invincible-class submarines. Speaking to ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Invincible Class (Type 218SG) (5-6) [Singapore]

  In March 2025, the Singapore Ministry of Defence (Mindef) announced it would acquire two more submarines to complement its four Type 218SG Invincible-class submarines. Speaking to ...

• Submarines: conventional/attack

  Invincible Class (Type 218SG) (5-6) [Singapore]

  Programme Background Timeline In March 2025, the Singapore Ministry of Defence (Mindef) announced it would acquire two more submarines to complement its four Types 218SG Invincible-class ...

• Military UAS - small

  Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)-capable shipborne UAV [Bahrain]

  Background NAVCENT and Bahraini cooperation In late 2021, NAVCENT's Task Force 59 conducted an uncrewed integration exercise at sea alongside Bahrain, which, according to Vice Adm. Brad ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Parrot Anafi (Singapore)

  Programme Background On 7 February 2022, the Singapore Army posted photographs on Facebook that showed the Anafi UAV used as training devices in a five-day ...

• Amphibious assault ships, Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Landing Ship Tank Replacement [Singapore]

  Programme Background Requirements Singapore needs to replace its four in-service Endurance-class ships, which will be retired in the late 2020s. In 2014, Singapore announced the ...

• Military UAS - small

  Orbiter 4 [Singapore]

  Background Contract Announcement Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced the acquisition during the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) Committee of Supply debate on 2 March 2022. Following this, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - small

  Veloce-60

  The Veloce-60 was a fixed-wing UAV first displayed by ST Engineering at Singapore Airshow 2020. It had VTOL capabilities with a rear-mounted piston engine to power a ...

• Medium UGVs

  Taurus

  Unveiled at Singapore Airshow 2024, the Taurus is a medium UGV from ST Engineering. The multi-role vehicle can be used for surveillance, casualty evacuation, logistics transport and ...

• Military UAS - micro

  ARTEX

  The ARTEX is a rotary-wing aircraft unveiled by ST Engineering at the Singapore Airshow 2026.  ST Engineering stated it has been designed for ISR missions, ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - micro

  Viper 40

  The Viper 40 is a tube-launched loitering munition from SpearUAV. Part of the wider Viper family of drones, the variant can uniquely be launched from ...

• Tiltrotors

  Lanying R6000

  First shown at the 2024 Singapore Airshow, the Lanying R6000 is an optionally crewed helicopter from United Aircraft Group. It is comparable to the V-22 ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Veloce-15

  The ST Engineering Veloce-15 (V-15) is a hybrid fixed-wing UAV with four rotors for vertical lift and a tail-mounted two-bladed pusher propeller for horizontal propulsion.  ...

• Military UAS - small

  TD220

  The TD220 is an electric, coaxial dual-rotor UAV manufactured by Zhong Hang Zhi (ZHZ). The aircraft, which debuted at the 2014 Singapore Airshow, is designed ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  CM-502KG

  The CM-502KG is a Chinese air-to-surface missile. It is a variant of the CM-502G and is similar in size to the AR-1. However, it has ...

• Naval: COMINT and ELINT systems

  ELM-2222 Nav-Guard

  ELTA Systems’ Nav-Guard, a lightweight, modular Ship Protection System based upon four AESA antennae, it is designed to cope with the new threats and increase a naval ...

• Loitering munitions

  EagleStrike

  ST Engineering launched EagleStrike at the Singapore Airshow 2026, a beyond-line-of-sight (BLoS) loitering munition. A cannister-launched munition, it is designed to be put on a ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Wing Loong X

  The Wing Loong X, or WL-X, is a fixed-wing UAV developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Debuted at the Paris Air Show ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Iron Beam

  Iron Beam is a family of high-energy laser weapon systems (HELWS) currently in development by Rafael. The 100kW system uses fibre laser technology to intercept ...

• Military UAS - small

  DrN-35DH

  The DrN-35DH is a hexacopter UAV that ST Engineering showed at the Singapore Airshow 2024. Designed for ISR operations, it carries two cameras, with a primary gimbaled EO/IR ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - micro

  ARTOS

  At the Singapore Airshow 2026, ST Engineering unveiled the ARTOS, a rotary-wing multi-mission UAV designed to support forces operating in dense, cluttered, or contested environments. ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Terrex s5

  The Terrex s5 is the latest edition to ST Engineering's Terrex 8x8 family. Development began in 2022 and it was unveiled at the Singapore Airshow in ...