• Defence Notes

  Top US military leader calls for BMDS space sensors

  28th February 2018

  With the US eyeing ways to bolster its Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS), the head of Strategic Command said the time has come to send …

• Land Warfare

  Japan creates Ground Component Command

  27th March 2018

  The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) established a new Ground Component Command on 27 March to unify its five existing armies: the Northern, Northeastern, Eastern, …

• Digital Battlespace

  InShield for Spain’s A400M fleet

  27th February 2018

  Indra’s InShield Direct Infra-Red Counter-Measure (DIRCM) system has been selected to equip up to nine Spanish Air Force A400M military transport aircraft, the company announced …

• Digital Battlespace

  Comtech’s MT-2025 transceivers for US Army’s BFT-2

  23rd February 2018

  Comtech Mobile Datacom has received an initial $11.7 million order to provide several thousand of its next generation MT-2025 mobile satellite transceivers in support of …

• Digital Battlespace

  Boost to UK cyber capabilities anticipated in MoD review

  13th March 2018

  The UK government’s National Security Capability Review (NSCR) is likely to include provisions for the development of a dedicated military cyber force. As the threat …

• Digital Battlespace

  BCS USA launches BRONCO II C4ISR aircraft

  27th February 2018

  Bronco Combat Systems (BCS) USA has launched the Bronco II precision strike and tactical C4ISR aircraft, Paramount Group announced on 22 February. The Bronco II …

• Naval Warfare

  GE looks to cut weight with new turbine composite module

  9th March 2018

  General Electric is wrapping up tests on a new, lighter weight composite module that is expected to enclose the USS Arleigh Burke DDG 51 destroyer's gas turbine …

• Defence Notes

  Insight: Trump signs Taiwan Travel Act

  19th March 2018

  China’s Foreign Ministry expressed displeasure over US President Donald Trump’s signing of the Taiwan Travel Act (HR 535) on 16 March. The legislation, though non-binding, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Philippine Air Force inducts first ScanEagles

  13th March 2018

  The Philippine Air Force (PAF) formally received its first batch of six ScanEagle 2 tactical UAVs from the US government at a ceremony in the hangar …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  China explores unmanned tank technology

  22nd March 2018

  CCTV-7, a Chinese state-owned military channel, recently showed television footage of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) testing an unmanned Type 59 medium tank. Described as …

• Military Logistics

  Marines look to enhance expeditionary maintenance

  12th March 2018

  The US Marine Corps (USMC) is gathering industry information that could support the future acquisition of a commercial-off-the-shelf Expeditionary Fluid Analysis System (EFAS).As conceptualised, a …

• Special Operations

  Kuwait requests King Air 350ER ISR aircraft

  26th February 2018

  The US State Department has made a determination approving a potential foreign military sale of King Air 350ER ISR aircraft to Kuwait. In a package …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  RAF preps for MQ-9B Protector

  16th March 2018

  A Royal Air Force (RAF) team based in the US is preparing the way to introduce the MQ-9B Protector into service, the RAF announced on …

• Digital Battlespace

  Curtiss-Wright introduces new solutions for ISR/EW applications

  21st February 2018

  Curtiss-Wright has added three NVIDIA Pascal GPGPU modules to its line of advanced performance boards and integrated systems for compute-intensive high performance embedded computing (HPEC) …

• Defence Notes

  Opinion: What next for the UK fast jet industry?

  2nd March 2018

  The UK announced on 21 February that work will begin on a new ‘Combat Air Strategy’ that will seek to map out the future direction …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Long-Endurance UAV [US AFRICOM]

  Programme Background Ageing MQ-9A Reapers In November 2022, Shephard reported that GA-ASI would continue supporting contractor SMX with its MQ-9A after winning a $2.3 billion task ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  HH-60W - Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH)

  According to the FY2021 Base funding, the HH-60W helicopter unit cost is $43.2 million. The HH-60W will be capable of employment day or night, in ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Pakistan]

  Programme Background Requirement Following a 2019 skirmish with India, Pakistan placed newfound importance on EW and ISR, primarily due to the significant advantage gained during that ...

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

  Multidomian Micro Drones [USSOCOM]

  Background Special Notice On 14 November 2024, a Special Notice was released that informed the industry that the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was looking for ...

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

  MQ-9B SkyGuardian [Denmark]

  Background Arctic Capability Package In February 2021, Denmark published the Arctic Capability package, a commitment to invest in new technologies, particularly uncrewed systems, to improve surveillance ...

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

  Long-Range Drones [Norway]

  Background Andøya Ambition On 3 April 2023, the Norwegian MoD released a statement confirming its plans for Andøya, the northernmost island in its Vesterålen archipelago. In addition 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 - small

  V-Bat 128 [Canada]

  Programme Background Requirement Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) was seeking a platform for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) that would significantly expand its surveillance range ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Mini Intelligence Drone System (SMDR) [France]

  Background Requirement The French Army identified a need for a new tactical UAS to replace the Drac, which entered service in 2008. The Mini Reconnaissance ...

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

  M Solar-X [Thailand]

  Programme Background Roadmap In February 2024, the RTAF unveiled its White Paper 2024. Incorporating lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel-Hamas War, and other events ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Seeker 400 - First Batch (UAE)

  Programme Background The UAE has a long history of transactions with Denel Dynamics. The country has been purchasing various Seeker systems from as far back ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  NH90 NFH-Italy

  Programme Background  The Italian Navy has taken delivery of its first NH90 NFH helicopter in Full Operational Capability (or Step B) configuration in November 2013. ...

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

  CH-4 (First Batch) [Pakistan]

  Programme Background First Batch According to the Pakistan Exim Trade Info website, five aircraft were delivered to the country on 15 January 2021. According to a ...

• Loitering munitions

  Medium-Range Loitering Munition with LEO Satellite Data Link [South Korea]

  Background New Project In April 2025, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) announced a new project titled “Development of Medium-Range ...

• Military UAS - small

  Small UAV (Bulgaria)

  Programme Background The Bulgarian Army wants to procure UAVs to enhance the organic tactical ISR capabilities of its ground forces. According to Bulgarian media, a ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  Caihong

  The Caihong (Rainbow), also known as the Cai Hong or CH, is a solar-powered HALE platform designed for near-space flight. It is suitable for military ...

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

  Morning Star

  Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s Morning Star is a quasi-satellite, near-space, solar-powered platform. It is designed for both military and civilian applications, including reconnaissance, navigation ...

• FL-3

  The FL-3 is a planned solar-powered, long-endurance, near-space platform with an 85,300ft ceiling. Speculated future uses include communication, ground observation, meteorological monitoring and operation as ...

• ISR/special mission, Maritime patrol

  A320neo M3A

  Currently under development by Airbus, the A320 M3A is the Maritime Patrol version of the civilian A320neo aircraft. The aircraft can be fitted with a wide ...

• Space: radar systems

  SARah

  SARah is the planned follow-on system for the SAR-Lupe radar satellite constellation operated by the German Armed Forces. In 2013, it was announced that OHB ...

• Major networking projects

  EAC

  The NATO Communications and Information Agency awarded ACTIA Sodielec a contract in June 2013 to provide NATO with an Extended Advanced SATCOM Network Monitoring and ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Vocality Pro Series

  The Pro Series includes the V25, V50, V150 and V20. These are designed to be used in a central communications hub or as part of ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish Maritime

  The FlyingFish Maritime SIGINT system is one of several derivatives of the FlyingFish Airborne Satellite Monitoring System developed by Horizon Technologies. Designed to be mounted ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  S-70UAS U-Hawk

  Unveiled at AUSA 2025, the S-70UAS U-Hawk is an uncrewed version of Sikorsky’s crewed UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter.  It will act as a delivery aircraft for medium-sized uncrewed ground vehicles ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish

  FlyingFish is an Airborne Satellite Monitoring System designed to detect and intercept SATCOM from airborne ISR platforms. As a passive system, it cannot be detected ...

• Guided munitions

  GP155B

  The GP155B is a 155mm artillery round developed by Norinco. The GP155B integrates satellite-based guidance systems that are compatible with both the Chinese Beidou Navigation ...

• Data links

  Space CDL

  The Space Common Data Link (CDL) system provides a wideband data link capability adaptable to a variety of space-based applications. It consists of separate transmitter ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  ULTRA

  The Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft (ULTRA) is a fixed-wing drone from DZYNE Technologies.  It is described as a long-endurance, GPS-harded intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform with full ...

• Naval: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish Naval

  The FlyingFish Naval SIGINT system is one of several derivatives of the FlyingFish Airborne Satellite Monitoring System (ASMS) developed by Horizon Technologies. Whereas the original ...