• Land Warfare

  Japan set to join US, UK and Australia as owner of Tomahawk missiles

  21st November 2023

  The Tomahawk, a tactical, land-attack cruise missile which can be fired from surface platforms, submarines or aircraft, has primarily been used by the US Navy and the UK Royal Navy. Japan requested 400 missiles last month and the US Government has approved the purchase.

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Navy's MEWSIC protection system passes critical tests

  13th November 2023

  The MEWSIC system has been designed to detect radar signals over an extended area and will be built by a consortium consisting of Babcock, Elbit Systems UK and QinetiQ.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2023: GMS demos AI-powered X9 Spider manpack

  19th October 2023

  General Micro Systems' solution merges battlefield processing of video, sensors, data and comms with mobile artificial intelligence capabilities.

• Air Warfare

  Lockheed Martin conducts first flight of U-2 Avionics Tech Refresh programme

  28th September 2023

  Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works has successfully completed the first flight of the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft Avionics Tech Refresh (ATR) programme, an effort to upgrade the type's capabilities for the future battlespace.

• Naval Warfare

  LCAC 100 project yet to achieve IOC as E-SLEP gets underway

  20th November 2023

  The US Navy’s (USN’s) Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC) project that is procuring new Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) vessels for its amphibious ships has still to attain an. Meanwhile the Extended-Service Life Extension Programme (E-SLEP) for legacy LCAC vessels is ramping up deliveries.

• Defence Notes

  I/ITSEC 2023: Vrgineers launches new mixed-reality headset

  23rd November 2023

  Mixed reality technology is gaining momentum in the simulation industry – especially in pilot training environment – and has been expected to surpass the usage of standard projection-based simulators.

• Defence Notes

  Pentagon will run out of funds to support Ukraine over the coming week

  10th November 2023

  The US Department of Defense has implored Congress to approve the national security supplemental request in order to continue to meet Kyiv's battlefield needs.

• Air Warfare

  Northrop Grumman awarded $705 million contract for USAF’s new strike missile capability

  26th September 2023

  The USAF has selected Northrop Grumman to develop and test the Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW), a new air-to-ground weapon system, for fifth-generation aircraft and beyond.

• Digital Battlespace

  US consortium aims to improve platoon power by factor of 10

  31st October 2023

  A consortium of nine companies plans to conduct experiments and exercises over the next 12 months to demonstrate how new technologies can massively increase the power of forces at platoon level.

• Training

  UK bomb disposal teams training Ukrainian engineers to clear minefields

  26th September 2023

  In the ongoing struggle to address Ukraine's status as the world's most heavily mined nation, the UK has initiated an intensive programme to train Ukrainian engineers.

• Training

  US Navy embraces AI to enhance training

  25th September 2023

  In a strategic move to expedite training development and analysis, the US Navy is planning to harness the power of AI.

• Training

  Iran demonstrates improved missiles and tests capabilities and practices as part of two-day exercise

  30th October 2023

  Iran has tested new weapons at the recently concluded Eqtedar 1402 exercise which focused on what the Iranian government described as ‘emerging threats’.

• Air Warfare

  Slovenia secures second C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft

  23rd November 2023

  A new agreement between Leonardo, the Italian government and Slovenia has marked the procurement of a second C-27J Spartan medium tactical transport aircraft for Slovenia, following an earlier deal signed in March 2022.

• Land Warfare

  BAE Systems coalition aims to bring barrel manufacture back to UK

  12th December 2023

  The UK’s Mobile Fires Platform (MFP) requirement will replace the country’s three-decade-old AS90 howitzers and has three bidders already in place.

• Land Warfare

  Germany orders PARM remote anti-tank weapon

  15th November 2023

  The PARM (Panzerabwehrrichtmine), a roadside anti-tank mine or effector, was originally triggered by a cable but has been upgraded to include more technologically advanced triggering mechanisms.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light attack, Trainer

  Hürkuş-C Advanced Armed Trainer (Turkey)

  The Hurjet-C development programme funding was included in the Hurkus-B procurement contract awarded by  the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defence Industries in December 2013.  The Hurjet will ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  IAR-99 Replacement (Romania)

  On 29 August 2017, Leonardo announced that the IAR-99 trainer technology demonstrator (TD) will be fitted with company's Vixen 500E AESA radar. The Vixen 500E AESA ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

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

  Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single engine 407GXi. ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F -Kenya

  Crew transition training took place at the MD Helicopters headquarters in Mesa, Arizona, with field service support, armament, and gunnery training scheduled to occur at ...

• Trainer

  Joint Terminal Attack Controller (Project Air 6016)[Australia]

  Programme Background Requirements Project Air 6016 aims to deliver a sovereign training system to ensure the sustainable generation of sufficient and appropriately skilled Joint Terminal Attack ...

• Trainer

  Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS)/T-45 Replacement [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy’s (USN) Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) programme is intended to replace the troubled T-45 Goshhawk trainer. The June 2024 RFI includes ...

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

  Scorpio 500 [US]

  Background Contract Award In December 2024, XTEND was awarded a US$8.8 million contract by the US Department of Defense (DoD) for its Scorpio 500. As reported by ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V Block 70 (Bahrain)

  Programme Background In 2018, the US government awarded a $1.12 billion contract to Lockheed Martin to produce 16 F-16 Block 70 aircraft for Bahrain, which ...

• Special operations vehicles

  PLFS [France]

  Programme Background The Sabre, then known as the Sherpa FS, was developed as a response to a 2014 requirement for three types of new vehicles ...

• Loitering munitions

  Maritime Launched Effects (MLE) [US]

  Background Origin & Requirment The loitering munition effort dates back to at least 2018 and used to be called the Maritime Precision Engagement (MPE). The US Special ...

• Fighter - naval

  Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighters (MRCBF) [India]

  Programme Background RFI / Requirments In January 2017, India issued an RFI for the procurement of 57 multirole naval fighters. The RFI for the Indian Navy ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Mi2 Challenge [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The USN wants a UAV to be flown in austere environments without dedicated launch or recovery equipment; since it would be launched ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Tethered UAS (UK)

  Programme Background Requirements The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is seeking one UAV system, two drones, which operate from a tethered power supply and have the 'flexibility ...

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

  Artillery UAV [Thailand]

  Programme Background Requirement & Replacement The Royal Thai Army (RTA) was understood to be seeking a new tactical UAV to replace four legacy Israel Aerospace Industries ...

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

  ScanEagle 2 (Philippines)

  Programme Background MSI ProgrammeThe Philippines are receiving the ScanEagle 2's thought to be provided by the US under the Maritime Security Initiative (MSI) programme. This ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: air defence simulators

  Live Training System for Air Defence

  Elbit Systems' Live Training System for Air Defence is integrated on various short- and medium-range air defence systems. The Live Training System provides networked and ...

• Land: range systems and targets

  Targets

  Meggitt deployable live-fire range targets can be installed on unimproved terrain with no special equipment required. Products include modular, mobile and stationary field range targets; ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  Live Training Systems-Range Instrumentation

  End-to-end, networked, live training communications systems providing live training range products, communications infrastructure and instrumented participant voice, video and data communications. These include range voice, ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  Field Artillery Training Systems

  The ICE Field Artillery Training Systems for the M109A6 Paladin and M270/M270A1 MLRS provides instrumented real-time data and performance monitoring during training and live-fire missions. ...

• Land: counter-IED simulators

  Large IED Trainer

  The Large IED Trainer can be integrated into a number of training scenarios including convoy roadside bombs, vehicle-borne IEDs, artillery/mortar impact, vehicle search and/or destruction, ...

• Land: counter-IED simulators

  High Impact Pipe Bomb Trainer

  The T50PB High Impact Pipe Bomb Trainer can be detonated using a wireless or wired command detonate module. Either compressed gas or CO2 can be ...

• Land: infantry weapon simulators

  PRISim Suite Live Fire Trainer

  The PRISim Suite Live Fire Trainer provides a training environment for military and law enforcement professionals to practise live firing at interactive video-based or CGI ...

• Land: range systems and targets

  Thermal Shot

  The Thermal Shot live-fire virtual targetry system enables immersive live-fire training throughout Laser Shot’s line of training platforms. Thermal Shot-equipped systems provide training on virtual ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  LCTS

  Designed for tactical combined arms force-on-force live training, the Live Combat Training System (LCTS) combines infantry and armoured vehicle laser suites, independent broadband communications and ...

• BCTC Operations and Management

  The Battle Command Training Center (BCTC) at Fort Lewis, Washington, is the US Army’s centre of excellence for Army Battle Command Systems training for Stryker ...

• Land: range systems and targets

  Range and Training Facilities

  Cubic designs and delivers training complexes incorporating indoor and outdoor shooting ranges and specialist facilities. Outdoor ranges include conventional gallery and open ranges as well ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  Live Training Solutions

  Thales offers live training solutions for land and combined forces around the world. Thales Combat Training Centres are available for open and urban battlefields, and ...

• Land: air defence simulators

  ADTS

  The Air Defense Training System (ADTS) is an LVC training package based on integrated technologies of IAI MLM. The ADTS allows pilots and air defence ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  CAE 700MR

  The CAE 700MR FTD is a full mission simulator platform for military helicopter-specific flight and mission training. It is a fixed-base system based on CAE's ...

• Land: range systems and targets

  Crosshair

  Powered by the Thermal Shot live-fire detection system, the Crosshair downrange virtual targetry system places life-sized, immersive scenario-based human targets at actual distances on outdoor ...