• Defence Notes

  Disarmament efforts must include China as well as US and Russia, says Merkel

  18th February 2019

  China must be involved in international disarmament efforts, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on 16 February 2019, amid rising concern about Beijing's missile arsenal and …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Drone Aviation upgrades US Army’s WASP aerostat

  19th February 2019

  Drone Aviation has commenced the communications upgrade on the US Army’s Winch Aerostat Small Platform (WASP) tactical aerostat. The WASP upgrade is designed to maximise …

• Defence Helicopter

  Brazilian Army tests MX-10 camera on Fennec

  28th February 2019

  The Brazilian Army Aviation Command in early February tested the L3 Wescam MX-10 camera installed in a Helibras AS550A2 Fennec (H125M) helicopter. From the Army …

• Land Warfare

  First look: US Army's A-GMV 1.1 and its forest camo

  1st March 2019

  Shephard Media has obtained a first look at the latest configuration of the US Army’s Ground Mobility Vehicle 1.1 (A-GMV 1.1). 

• Training

  Avalon 2019: Boeing’s T-X spreads its wings

  26th February 2019

  After winning the US Air Force’s Advanced Pilot Training (APT) programme Boeing is now in discussions with potential international customers for the T-X training aircraft.  These are …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bucharest sends Pumas to Mali

  11th March 2019

  In Q2/Q3 of 2019, a small contingent of Romanian Air Force aircraft, comprising IAR 330L Puma SAR helicopters, will be sent to Mali in order …

• Naval Warfare

  IDEX 2019: Russia brings out Pantsir-ME

  17th February 2019

  Russian manufacturer Rostec showcased its Pantsir-ME shipborne missile and gun air defence system, a new iteration of the Pantsir-S1 ground-based system, at IDEX 2019 for …

• Defence Helicopter

  HH-60W CRHs prepare for flight test

  4th March 2019

  Two fully assembled HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopters (CRH) built for the US Air Force are being prepared for their maiden flights. The Sikorsky-built helicopters will …

• Training

  New training initiative for AAFC

  4th March 2019

  JAR Aerospace, a New South Wales-based company, will work with Australian Air Force Cadets (AAFC) in a joint training initiative, the Australian Department of Defence …

• Land Warfare

  MAPS in US Army rodeo exercise

  6th March 2019

  Lockheed Martin and partners supported the US Army integration of three countermeasures and a cueing sensor into the Modular Active Protection System (MAPS) framework for …

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2019: Falcon mid-range air defence system revealed (video)

  19th February 2019

  Unveiled at IDEX 2019, the Falcon is a short to mid-range ground-based air defence system. The system is the result of a collaboration between prime …

• Training

  Australian Navy's communication sim delivered

  25th February 2019

  The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Defence Force School of Signals Maritime Wing at HMAS Cerberus in Victoria has recently received a new communication simulator. The device …

• Special Operations

  NSW seeks foreign weapons training

  26th February 2019

  US Naval Special Warfare Command representatives have announced the command’s intent to award a “Foreign Weapons course of instruction” (COI) contract, according to a 25 …

• Military Logistics

  Elbit Systems’ TF/TA declared operational onboard C-130

  5th March 2019

  Elbit Systems’ new Terrain Following and Terrain Avoidance (TF/TA) system has been declared operational onboard the C-130 aircraft of an unidentified air force, the company …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Avalon 2019: Australia launches Shadow replacement

  26th February 2019

  Coinciding with the Avalon Air Show, the Australian Army released an industry engagement paper covering Project Land 129 Phase 3, the planned replacement of the …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-2 (Japan)

  Programme Background The UH-2 is a Japanese militarised version of Bell’s civilian 412EPX, with the two OEMs cooperating on this particular programme. The Acquisition, Technology ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-2 Forecast (Japan)

  Programme Background The UH-2 is a Japanese militarised version of Bell’s civilian 412EPX, with the two OEMs cooperating on this particular programme. The Acquisition, Technology ...

• Trainer

  T-6C [Thailand]

  Programme Background The contract is for 12 Beechcraft T-6C Texan II advanced military training aircraft, ground-based training systems for pilots and maintenance professionals, a mission ...

• ISR/special mission

  ISTAR Aircraft (South Korea)

  Programme Background South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration stated that Seoul is planning to procure additional aircraft to minimize potential surveillance gaps amid growing security ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Surion Marine Attack Helicopter [South Korea]

  Programme Background The ROKMC has planned to obtain 24 attack helicopters for the first time. When bidding opened in January 2019, there were five contenders: Bell ...

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

  KUS-FT (South Korea)

  Programme Background Requirement The ROKA had identified a need for tactical UAVs that can be employed at the divisional level to carry out ISTAR missions ...

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

  FPV Drones [Israel]

  Background Reported Programme According to the Globes media outlet, reporting in March 2025, the Ministry of Defense Department of Production and Procurement was publishing the ...

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

  KUS-FS (ROKA) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Inception The Aerospace Division of Korean Air (KAL-ASD) commenced developing the MUAV in 2008 in response to a ROKAF requirement for a MALE ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Croatia]

  Background Contract Award As reported by Shephard in November 2024, Croatia's government approved the purchase of six Bayraktar TB2 drones, a training package in Türkiye, a command-and-control centre, ...

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

  KUS-FS (ROKAF) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Inception The Aerospace Division of Korean Air (KAL-ASD) commenced developing the MUAV in 2008 in response to a ROKAF requirement for a MALE UAV ...

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

  RQ-4 Global Hawk (South Korea)

  Programme Background Requirments Seoul required UAS assets to help monitor its neighbour to the north and, increasingly, Chinese activities in waters and in the air near ...

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

  RQ-4 Global Hawk (Japan)

  Programme Background Selection & Contract AwardIn 2015, Northrop Grumman's RQ-4 Global Hawk UAS and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft were selected by Japan to ...

• 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 - MALE

  Eurodrone (Forecast) [Czechia]

  Programme Background Eurodrone Programme For context, the European MALE RPAS, or Eurodrone, is a quad-nation effort from some of Europe's most prominent defence manufacturers to ...

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

  Eurodrone (Forecast) [Japan]

  Programme Background Japan's Application The Letter of Approval (LOA) for observer status in the programme was presented to the Japanese Ambassador to Germany, Hidenao Yanagi, by Joachim ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: COMINT and ELINT systems

  GenCOM Defense Ground

  GenCOM Defense Ground provides an automatic multi-layered situational awareness picture to the decision-maker, based on external signal data (metadata) gathered in real time. Integrating with ...

• Major networking projects

  DCGS

  The Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) is the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office plan for the integrated architecture of all ground and surface computing and communications ...

• EO/IR systems

  CM262

  Manfuaucted by AVT Australia, the CM262 is a ground-based imaging system combining four sensor configurations into a compact and ruggedised system for C-UAS and ISR ...

• Land: air defence radar

  KRONOS Power Shield Land

  This system is an L-band digital AESA anti-TBM radar. It is the land-based version of the naval KRONOS Power Shield, also known as KRONOS Ground ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  AMRAAM-ER

  The AIM-120 AMRAAM-ER is essentially an upgraded version of the AIM-120 AMRAAM tailored for extended range and enhanced performance in ground-based air defense systems like ...

• Short Range Missile Defence Systems: 0 to 20 km range

  Initial Maneuver - SHORAD

  Unveiled at AUSA 2019, Initial Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) is a multipurpose platform, based on the Stryker IFV, which moves and maneuvers in ...

• Parvus DuraCOR 312

  The Parvus DuraCOR 312 is an Ultra-Small Form Factor (USFF) modular mission computer unveiled by Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions in November 2016. The DuraCOR 312 is ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  Type 87

  The Type 87 is a 6x6 armoured reconnaissance vehicle developed by the now defunct Defense Division of Komatsu to meet the specific requirements of the ...

• AEW&C

  P600 AEW&C

  In June 2019, Embraer and IAI/Elta signed a cooperation agreement aimed at developing an AEW&C; aircraft based on the business jet Praetor 600, namely the ...

• Land: battle management systems

  AMDWS

  AMDWS (Air and Missile Defense Work Station), is a collaborative battlespace awareness information management system developed by Northrop Grumman to meet the requirements of the ...

• Long-range Video and Data Downlinks

  BMS airborne and ground-based equipment enables long-range, real-time HD video and broadband data links. Products include cockpit control panels, airborne antennas, real-time encoders, compact high-power ...

• Land: battle management systems

  FAAD/C-RAM C2

  The Forward Area Air Defense (FAAD) Command and Control (C2) system was developed by Northrop Grumman to provide command and control (C2) for the US Army ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Airborne Launching and Attack System (AirLAS)

  The Airborne Launching and Attack System (AirLAS) is a system that pairs Diehl Defence's IRIS-T air-to-air missile with a reusable carrier UAV developed by POLARIS. The companies ...

• Data links

  Universal Link System

  Developed by Scytalys, the Universal Link System (ULS) is a modular, scalable multi data link processor. It supports all NATO and US standard data links ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  MIM-72 Chaparral

  The MIM-72 Chaparral is a short-range, low-altitude, surface-to-air missile produced for the M48 Chaparral fire unit. It was produced as a replacement for the cancelled MIM-46 Mauler ...