• Defence Notes

  DSA 2018: Taiwan showcases hardware

  17th April 2018

  Taiwan’s state-owned military industry is offering ships, missiles and radars to defence customers at this year’s 2018 DSA in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The display by …

• Special Operations

  International SOF Warrior Competition concludes

  9th May 2018

  Special operations units from around the world competed in the latest iteration of the annual Warrior Competition at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training …

• Training

  Malaysia finally commissions two training ships

  3rd May 2018

  The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) formally commissioned two Samudera-class training ships on 26 April, five years past their targeted induction year of 2013. Both 75.9m …

• Digital Battlespace

  USAF baseline SBIRS constellation complete

  4th May 2018

  The US Air Force's (USAF's) fourth Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite has transmitted its first images back to Earth, Lockheed …

• Naval Warfare

  Spain's navy wants role in post-Brexit European defence

  29th April 2018

  With naval power Britain at the EU's exit door, Spain has gone on the offensive to be the next major player defending European shores. Madrid's …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Martek Marine develops D-FENCE solution

  4th May 2018

  Martek Marine has developed the D-FENCE maritime UAS detection and defeat system to counter UAS that pose a threat to commercial shipping vessels, the company …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Lockheed announces first US customer for VCSi

  3rd May 2018

  Aurora Flight Sciences has become the first US customer to purchase Lockheed Martin’s new Vehicle Control Station (VCS) software product, Lockheed announced on 1 May. …

• Naval Warfare

  HMNZS Te Kaha transferred to Lockheed Martin Canada

  30th April 2018

  Royal New Zealand Navy Anzac class frigate, HMNZS Te Kaha, has been transferred to Lockheed Martin Canada for its refit under the Anzac Frigate Systems …

• Defence Notes

  US military pilots injured by Chinese lasers

  4th May 2018

  Chinese nationals have on multiple occasions shone military-grade laser pointers at US pilots operating out of the American base in Djibouti, the Pentagon said on …

• Naval Warfare

  Philippine Coast Guard expands its horizons

  2nd May 2018

  The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), once part of the Philippine Navy until formally separated in April 1998, has long contended with meagre resources and old …

• Naval Warfare

  Seventh Astute class submarine build underway

  1st May 2018

  After the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) approved the Astute class submarine boat seven contract in March, BAE Systems has confirmed to Shephard the build …

• Naval Warfare

  Italy receives seventh FREMM frigate

  26th April 2018

  The Italian Navy has received its newest FREMM frigate, Federico Martinengo, at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Muggiano, La Spezia, Fincantieri announced on 24 April. The frigate - …

• Defence Notes

  US envoy Pompeo tackles NATO on spending

  27th April 2018

  US President Donald Trump's brand new Secretary of State Mike Pompeo came to NATO on 27 April to hammer home one of his boss's oldest …

• Defence Notes

  Pentagon denies Mattis wanted congress backed Syria strike

  18th April 2018

  The Pentagon has denied a report that President Donald Trump rebuffed Defense Secretary Jim Mattis after the Washington chief urged him to seek congressional approval …

• Naval Warfare

  Opinion: The PLAN’s carrier conundrum

  25th April 2018

  Not long after the People’s Liberation Navy (PLAN) launched CV-16, the Liaoning aircraft carrier, The Geobukseon was sitting in a meeting with one of the …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-8C Fire Scout (USA)

  Programme Background Timeline According to the Naval Air Systems Command, having first ordered the MQ-8B in 2009, the UAV has become a pillar of the ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Global Fast Sealift [USN]

  Background Requirements At Sea Air Space 2026, Hanwha Ocean and Gibbs and Cox displayed the Global Fast Sealift concept design. The vessel is intended as a ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawk [India]

  Background 2020 MoU On 25 February 2020, a letter of acceptance for 24 MH-60Rs, worth approximately $2.12 billion, was signed by India and the US in ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-25 Stingray (16-76) [USN]

  Background Initial requirements The programme looked different when it began. In 2013, the USN awarded four Preliminary Design Review (PDR) contracts to Boeing, General Atomics, ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The FVL-MS programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft utilised ...

• AEW&C

  E-2D [USA]

  Programme Background The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) is an all-weather, twin engine, carrier-based, Airborne Command, Control and Surveillance aircraft designed to extend task force defence ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [USN]

  Background Timeline As of April 2024, the USN had begun analysis for its CCA effort, with the initial effort focused on studying payloads, sensors and required ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-25 Stingray (10-15) [USN]

  Background Initial requirements The programme looked different when it began. In 2013, the USN awarded four Preliminary Design Review (PDR) contracts to Boeing, General Atomics, Lockheed ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-25 Stingray (1-9) [USN]

  Background Initial requirements The programme looked different when it began. In 2013, the USN awarded four Preliminary Design Review (PDR) contracts to Boeing, General Atomics, ...

• OPVs

  Hisar Class (1-2) [Turkey]

  Background Requirements The thoughts behind the acquisition of this type of OPV, which comes in a baseline and a convertible variant, is an OPV that ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (28-68) [USN]

  Background Requirement The MQ-4C Triton programme, developed under the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) programme, required an uncrewed system to provide persistent, broad-area intelligence, surveillance ...

• Military - USVs

  MUSV [USN]

  Background Requirements In March 2026, the US announced it would be replacing its Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC) programme with a Medium Uncrewed Surface Vessel ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) (TH-57 Replacement)

  Programme Background Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  New Coastal Ranger Commando Vessels [Norway]

  Programme Background Requirements According to Naval News, the Norwegian Coastal Ranger Commando is seeking to acquire an undisclosed number of new fast attack/interceptor craft. The ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS (BWUAS) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Goal The Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAS (BWUAS) programme stems from the Military Sealift Command and Fleet Forces Command identifying, in 2018, a ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Anti-ship missiles

  Naval Strike Missile (NSM)

  The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is a subsonic, sea-skimming, anti-ship and land-attack missile. The original name was the Nytt sjømålsmissil, but this was later dropped ...

• Frigates

  FF(X) Frigate

  The FF(X) frigate is a vessel derived from Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HHI) National Security Cutter (NSC). It was designed in response to the cancellation of ...

• Land: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Low Band Transmitter

  The Low Band Transmitter-Antenna Group (LBT-AG), developed by Cobham, has been in production since 2005. The LBT is designed to protect strike aircraft, ships and ...

• Air-to-surface missiles, Anti-ship missiles

  JSM

  The Joint Strike Missile (JSM) is a multi-role version of the Naval Strike Missile. Norway funded the programme to develop and produce the JSM for the ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  MQ-8B Fire Scout

  The MQ-8B Fire Scout is a rotary-wing UAV that provides situational awareness and precision targeting support for the US Armed Forces. The MQ-8B Fire Scout, ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

  The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet was developed to perform naval strike missions for the USN. The primary mission for the F/A-18E/F is a strike fighter that ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  MQ-8C Fire Scout

  The MQ-8C is a newer version of the Fire Scout and is based on a Bell 407 commercial helicopter. It offers a greater range, endurance ...

• Frigates

  Independence Class (LCS)

  The USN’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) programme was originally envisaged to be 50 ships, which would provide a coastal platform that would take over from ...

• Destroyers

  Zumwalt Class

  The DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class is formed by a series of next-generation multi-role destroyers 21st century. They were designed to host the latest in sensors and weapons ...

• Frigates

  Hunter Class Guided Missile Frigate

  During Indo Pacific 2023, BAE Systems Australia unveiled a Guided Missile variant of the Hunter-class frigate (ASW). Compared to the baseline ASW configuration, the proposed ...

• Frigates

  Constellation Class (FFG)

  The USN has selected Fincantieri Marinette Marine to build up to ten frigates under the FFG(X) next-generation future guided-missile frigate programme. The new Constellation-class will replace ...

• OPVs

  Hisar Class

  Turkish Military Factory and Shipyard Management company ASFAT has built two Hisar-class OPVs at Istanbul Naval Shipyard for the Turkish Navy. Four more platforms are on order, but the ...

• Air: aerial targets

  GQM-163A Coyote SSST

  The GQM-163A Coyote Supersonic Sea Skimming Target (SSST) was developed for the USN to emulate two-stage anti-ship cruise missiles in support of air defence weapon/combat ...

• Trainer

  Saab 340 trainer

  The Saab 340 trainer aircraft is based on the Saab 340 regional airliner. It is used by the USN for pilot training. The aircraft replaced ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  SCOTT

  The Synthetic Cognition for Operational Team Training (SCOTT) system was developed for the USN to train teamwork and communication skills for E-2C flight crews interfacing ...