• Naval Warfare

  Will the budget prepare the US Navy for a war with China?

  2nd February 2018

  With an eye on conventional warfare with China and Russia, Pentagon leaders say they are preparing for a maritime fight. But questions loom as to …

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Navy accepts OPV

  29th January 2018

  The Royal Navy has accepted the delivery of its newest Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), HMS Forth, from BAE Systems at the company’s Scotstoun shipyard. Forth …

• Naval Warfare

  Bahrain receives upgraded Al Manama ship

  25th January 2018

  Leonardo has delivered the first of six upgraded Al Manama naval vessels to the Royal Bahrain Naval Force, the company announced on 23 January. The …

• Military Logistics

  UK MoD orders Celox Rapid haemostatic gauze

  1st February 2018

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has ordered Celox Rapid haemostatic gauze for the UK military, the company announced on 29 January. Celox Rapid is …

• Naval Warfare

  ADECS 2018: Indonesian Coast Guard is in growth mode

  30th January 2018

  Founded in 2014, the Indonesian Coast Guard (BAKAMLA) is a relatively young institution. Despite its tender age, though, it has great ambitions for growth so …

• Naval Warfare

  Belgium moves forward on MCM replacement

  30th January 2018

  The Belgian government has approved the purchase of six new mine countermeasures (MCM) vessels under a €1.1 billion ($1.36 billion) investment. The nation will work …

• Digital Battlespace

  Singapore Airshow 2018: Harris expands its horizons

  9th February 2018

  Harris Defence Australia (HDA) is feeling particularly buoyant on the back of last year’s Project Land 200 Tranche 2 success in Australia. That A$1.4 billion …

• Military Logistics

  Keel laid for future USNS Miguel Keith

  1st February 2018

  Work has begun on the US Navy’s future Expeditionary Sea Base 5 (ESB 5) at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego. The first …

• Defence Notes

  ADECS 2018: Show preview (video)

  29th January 2018

  Shephard editor Helen Haxell gives an overview of the topics that are likely to form a part of the dialogue at ADECS 2018 across the …

• Naval Warfare

  USCG issues RFP for new cutter boats

  26th January 2018

  The US Coast Guard (USCG) has released a request for proposal (RFP) for the design, construction and support of a new fleet of cutter boats-large …

• Defence Notes

  ​Analysis: Confusion over S-400 deal for China

  23rd January 2018

  There was confusion over last week’s announcement that deliveries had begun of the Russian-built Almaz-Antei S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile (SAM) system to China. Reports that …

• Naval Warfare

  ADECS 2018: Might Asia’s submarine fleet shrink rather than grow?

  30th January 2018

  The conventional wisdom being propounded is that the size of Asia-Pacific’s combined submarine fleet will increase greatly, perhaps up to 350 boats by 2030. However, …

• Digital Battlespace

  Astro Aerospace completes NISAR CDR

  31st January 2018

  Astro Aerospace has completed the critical design review of the AstroMesh radar antenna reflector for the NASA-Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) synthetic aperture radar (NISAR) …

• Defence Helicopter

  Pentagon issues USN V-22 flight test funding

  8th January 2018

  The US DoD has awarded Bell-Boeing a $23 million contract to support the work currently being carried out by both manufacturers on the USN's V-22 …

• Military Logistics

  BAE to upgrade additional MK 45 guns

  24th January 2018

  BAE Systems has received a $46.8 million contract option to upgrade four additional Mk 45 naval guns for the US Navy, the company announced on …

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 ...