• Land Warfare

  First batch of VN1 8x8s arrive in Thailand

  10th December 2019

  Norinco has delivered 34 VN1 8x8 armoured vehicles to the Royal Thai Army (RTA), these reaching Thailand on 2 December. Afterwards, they will undergo performance …

• Digital Battlespace

  Leidos to continue US PACAF support

  26th November 2019

  Leidos has received a follow-on contract from the US Pacific Air Force Command (PACAF) to continue providing command, control, communications, computers, combat systems, intelligence, surveillance, …

• Land Warfare

  Finnish Leopard 2A6 fleet complete

  29th October 2019

  The Finnish Defence Forces received its final Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks (MBT) from the Netherlands on 25 October. Finland ordered 100 used surplus Leopard …

• Defence Notes

  Trump interventions undercut Pentagon leadership

  26th November 2019

  The US President Donald Trump's interventions in the country’s military policy, from reversing a US Navy SEAL's demotion to withdrawal from Syria to a transgender …

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy's next Arleigh Burke-class​ destroyer named

  27th November 2019

  The US Navy’s next Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, DDG-135, has been named USS Jeff Monken. Currently under construction at South Hudson Shipyards in Highland Falls, New …

• Training

  Striling Dynamics delivers CH-53K active controls

  6th December 2019

  Stirling Dynamics announced on 5 December that it has delivered its first set of CH-53K active controls to Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2019: Boost for LMCO C-130 training

  29th November 2019

  Lockheed Martin has received a major boost for its Hercules Training Center (HTC) with the award of a not-to-exceed $87 million firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity single …

• Defence Notes

  NATO shakes off infighting amid public rifts

  3rd December 2019

  NATO has insisted it is continuing to deliver on its defence commitments despite public comments from partner nations that suggest a number of high-profile disagreements …

• Land Warfare

  Leopard 2A7V deliveries begin

  30th October 2019

  Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) has marked the beginning of deliveries to Denmark and Germany of the latest version of the Leopard 2 main battle tank. The …

• Special Operations

  D-Fend C-UAS system deployed by US Special Ops

  22nd November 2019

  D-Fend Solutions has been working with the US Department of Defense to co-develop advanced counter-UAS capabilities. The company has been working with the US Assistant …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky awarded CH-53K​ configuration change work

  26th November 2019

  Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky will carry out CH-53K configuration changes required for initial operational test and evaluation for lot 1 low rate initial production aircraft. The …

• Digital Battlespace

  Boeing gets EA-18G processor network kits order

  26th November 2019

  US Naval Air Systems Command has exercised an option to procure retrofit kits from Boeing for incorporation of the Distributed Targeting Processor-Network into the US …

• Military Logistics

  RAAF C-17 back in service following repairs

  25th October 2019

  US Air Force (USAF) maintainers have assisted in returning a Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster III back into service following damage to the engine …

• Digital Battlespace

  Boeing opens new facility in Brisbane

  28th October 2019

  Boeing Defence Australia has opened a defence manufacturing and testing facility in Wacol, Brisbane.The $7.5 million assembly and test facility will be home to assembly …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2019: Booz Allen Hamilton points to metrics as key VR training benefit

  2nd December 2019

  With personnel training pipelines over capacity the need for militaries, particularly those with significant numbers of personnel, to ensure improved training capabilities has led to …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

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

  Drone40 (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background In August 2022, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a think tank, held a podcast with Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, in which ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams [Poland]

  Programme Background Requirement Since the early 2010s Poland wanted to upgrade its Soviet-era tank fleet due to modernisation requirements, the need to increase interoperability with NATO ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel - Medium (Project Land 8710 Phase 1A) [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirements Australia has set out requirements for a fleet of up to 18 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels - Medium (LMV-M) with the release of ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Land 400 Phase 2 - Boxer CRV [Australia]

  Programme Background History The Land 400 Phase 2 programme will procure a replacement for the ASLAV, a derivative of the General Dynamics Land Systems Light Armoured Vehicle ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A4 [Czech Republic]

  Programme Background  The Czech Republic currently operates a small fleet of T-72s, which, while undergoing upgrades and life extension programmes, are increasingly obsolete. In October ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Second Hand SSNs [Australia]

  Programme Background Timeline In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Main battle tanks

  Viatura Blindada de Combate-Carro de Combate (VBC-CC) [Brazil]

  Programme Background Several key technical requirements have been outlined by the Brazilian MoD. Among the most important are that the platform should weigh less than ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A1 Abrams (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Australia has been amongst the various Western allies providing Ukraine with military aid. Prior ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  Programme Background AUKUS Australia announced on 16 September 2021 that the contract with Naval Group signed in 2016 had been cancelled. Although not a surprising ...

• Medium UGVs

  Mission Master (RPV Sprial 2) [UK]

  Programme Background First announced in April 2017 and referred to in early MOD documents as the ‘last mile resupply’ initiative, the British Army is reportedly ...

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

  Project Air 7003 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Carl-Gustaf M3

  The Carl-Gustaf M3 is the third generation of the 84mm shoulder-fired recoilless antitank gun, first fielded by the Swedish Army in 1946. Since then, it ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120mm KE DM63 / DM53 A1 Tank Ammunition

  The 120mm kinetic energy tank ammunition is manufactured by Rheinmetall. There are several variations of the ammunition, including the DM63, which can be fired from ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120MM HEAT-TP F1A

  Franco-German KNDS-Nexter produce the 120mm High-Explosive Anti-Tank Training-Purpose F1A (HEAT-TP F1A) round to enable reduced-cost training for Main Battle Tank crews. 

• Main battle tanks

  M1/M1A1 Abrams

  The 105mm-armed M1 Abrams tracked MBT was introduced into US Army service in 1980 as a replacement for the 105mm-armed M60 MBT. In April 1991, ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120mm PELE Tank Ammunition

  The 120mm Penetrator with Enhanced Lateral Effect (PELE) tank ammunition is an inert round produced by Rheinmetall. It is suitable for use against semi-hard targets ...

• S-64 Helitanker Fire-fighting Equipment

  Erickson's 10,031l tank for the S-64 helitanker drops water, retardant or foam mix at a rate of around 95l/h. Microprocessor-controlled tank doors offer eight individual ...

• Naval: RF, IR and acoustic decoys

  Nulka

  The Nulka is an active anti-ship missile decoy originally conceived in Australia, and developed under a joint Australian-US programme. BAE Systems Australia is prime contractor, while ...

• Light mortars

  60mm Mortar Ammunition

  US-based LD Systems' 60mm Mortar ammunition fulfils the NATO standard for lightweight mortar ammunition.

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  120mm L55A1

  The 120mm L55A1 is a smoothbore high-pressure gun based on the L55 tank gun. The L55A1 has been qualified and in service since 2019. It ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  120mm L55 Tank Gun

  The 120mm L55 is a smoothbore tank gun produced by Rheinmetall. It is designed for use on the Leopard main battle tank, to which it ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3

  The M1A2 System Enhancement Package 3 (M1A2 SEPv3, also known as M1A2C) is the latest production-standard variant of the Abrams MBT. Designed primarily to address ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP)

  The M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) is a 120mm tank round developed by Northrop Grumman Defence Systems. Various customers, including Bahrain, Israel, and the US, use the tank ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition

  The Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition (NGVA) is a family of ammunition being developed by the US Army's Armaments Center and manufactured by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  SSN AUKUS

  The SSN-AUKUS will be the submarine design resulting from the AUKUS trilateral pact between Australia, the US and the UK. Expected to incorporate technology from ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  CVTESS

  Saab's Combat Vehicle Tactical Engagement Simulation System (CVTESS) is a laser-based simulator which supports every version of the Abrams Main Battle Tank and the Bradley ...