• Naval Warfare

  US Navy SPY-6 approaches FRP with Raytheon already having “a hot production line”

  2nd March 2026

  Jen Gauthier, Raytheon’s VP of Naval Systems and Sustainment, told Shephard that the company is awaiting the US Navy’s green light to move “fully into full-rate production”.

• Air Warfare

  Singapore Airshow 2026: Early adopters and big spenders point to UAV market opportunities

  27th January 2026

  While an estimated $37.99bn is still to be awarded across the Asia-Pacific uncrewed aerial vehicle market, the balance of potential future spending is unevenly split between various countries, with significant opportunities to be found in the collaborative combat aircraft space.

• Naval Warfare

  Does the increase in US firepower in the Middle East indicate another Iran strike?

  27th January 2026

  The presence of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group in the Persian Gulf means additional naval and aerial capabilities, which provides the US with multiple attacking options.

• Air Warfare

  Boeing to build Apache AH-64E attack helicopters for Poland, Egypt and Kuwait

  27th November 2025

  The $4.7 billion international order for the three countries will see production conclude around May 2032.

• Naval Warfare

  Stockholm prepares to choose between three European frigate proposals

  29th April 2026

  Sweden’s Luleå frigate programme is gathering momentum, with a Saab and Babcock joint proposal and Navantia and Naval Group each presenting distinct propositions for a quartet of warships.

• Air Warfare

  Could the Middle East be the next target for the F-35A?

  17th November 2025

  The Pentagon has indicated a growing willingness to export advanced US defence technology to nations in the Middle East – excluding Israel – resulting in new and resumed talks with Saudi Arabia and Turkey respectively.

• Air Warfare

  April drone digest: Why militaries are rethinking high-end drones

  27th April 2026

  From France to Romania, there has been a clear shift away from expensive, vulnerable MALE UAVs in April towards lower-cost, expendable systems. Hard lessons from Ukraine and Iran have driven this shift.

• Naval Warfare

  US Coast Guard awards contracts for the construction of up to 150 aids to navigation vessels

  2nd September 2025

  Agreements with Inventech Marine Solutions and North River Boats cover the acquisition of trailerable aids to navigation boats and cutter boats - aids to navigation – small.

• Air Warfare

  Electric and hybrid aerial drone fleets are expanding their footprint

  30th March 2026

  Advances in uncrewed aerial vehicles powered by renewable technologies are coming to the fore, with battery, hydrogen and solar propulsion challenging traditional fossil fuel-dependent models.

• Air Warfare

  What will the replacement of A-10s by F-35s mean for the US Air Force?

  9th March 2026

  The USAF plans to phase out its 162 in-operation A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthogs by the end of FY2026, replacing them with F-35As which will bring a leap in capabilities in terms of lethality, survivability and speed.

• Land Warfare

  February land forces roundup: ST Engineering and Russia lift the lid on new platforms

  27th February 2026

  This month we saw a major presence from Turkish, Russian and Chinese companies at the World Defense Show with new vehicles from major suppliers, while elsewhere there were evolving mortar programmes and artillery modernisation efforts.

• Land Warfare

  Next-generation gun set to boost US Army combat vehicle capabilities

  8th January 2026

  The 50mm main weapon on the XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle currently being competed for by industry will offer a step-change in firepower and targeting over the in-service M2 Bradley.

• Air Warfare

  Additional delays might hit Pentagon’s critical air programmes, GAO warns

  10th July 2026

  B-52 modernisation, Sentinel, MH-139A, T-7A and Air Force One replacement are among the US Air Force programmes the GAO says remain at risk of further schedule slips and cost growth due to acquisition and management challenges.

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2025: Trials completed for new version of Tridon air defence gun

  10th September 2025

  Less than two years ago, Sweden’s BAE Systems Bofors announced it was developing a new 40mm short-range air defence system using internal research and development funding, calling it the Tridon Mk2.

• Air Warfare

  L3Harris selected for South Korea’s airborne early warning programme

  1st October 2025

  L3Harris’ offer of its “Phoenix” aircraft won over Saab’s GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft for the second phase of South Korea’s early warning requirement.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Anka-S (First Batch) [Turkey]

  Programme Background Orders In February 2018, TAI announced that it had delivered the first Anka-S UAVs to the Turkish Air Force. In late 2018, Savunmasanay ...

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

  Anka-S [Chad]

  Programme Background Hurkus Trainer Aircraft On 10 July 2023, President General Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno visited an air base to inspect the country's new Hurkus trainer ...

• Submarines: conventional/attack

  Isaac Peral Class (S-80A Plus) [Spain]

  Background The S-80A SSK design for the Spanish Navy is based on the Franco-Spanish S-80 Scorpene design that both countries decided to cooperate on during ...

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

  Anka-S (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background Desired Procurement Saudi Arabia has reportedly been in negotiations to procure six Anka UAVs since 2013. It has not been disclosed which Anka ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  S-70i (Philippines)

  The Black Hawk is believed to have been the most expensive of the aircraft that had been shortlisted for the PAF project, others being the ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  EDA-S [France]

  Programme Background Following the announcement of the 14-ship contract, the DGA approved the design of the first two standard amphibious landing craft (EDA-S) in October 2019, ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Camcopter S-100 [Greece]

  Background Trials On 2 August 2021, Schiebel's press release announced that the company had demonstrated the Camcopter S-100's capabilities to the Hellenic Navy. The UAV was ...

• Destroyers

  KDDX-S [South Korea]

  Programme Background Requirements During MADEX 2023, Naval News reported that there is an upcoming competition for new destroyers, namely the KDDX-S programme. According to the ...

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

  Anka-S (Second Batch) [Turkey]

  Programme Background First Batch Based on comments by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Turkish media in 2018, Shephard believes that Türkiye acquired 26 Anka-S drones ...

• Submarines: conventional/attack

  Isaac Peral Class (S-80A Plus) (5-6)/S-80 Flight II [Spain]

  Background Requirements In February 2024, during a conference organised by El Confidencial, Admiral Ricardo Hernandez, Head of Logistic Support, stated that one of the main ...

• Data links

  Data links | S-211 Replacement [Philippines]

  The Philippines is looking at replacement options for its ageing fleet of S-211 trainer jets. The S-211s have been in operation with the Philippines since ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | S-211 Replacement [Philippines]

  The Philippines is looking at replacement options for its ageing fleet of S-211 trainer jets. The S-211s have been in operation with the Philippines since ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | S-211 Replacement [Philippines]

  The Philippines is looking at replacement options for its ageing fleet of S-211 trainer jets. The S-211s have been in operation with the Philippines since ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | S-211 Replacement [Philippines]

  The Philippines is looking at replacement options for its ageing fleet of S-211 trainer jets. The S-211s have been in operation with the Philippines since ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Camcopter S-100 [Chile]

  On 25 October 2024, Carabineros De Chile announced on X that training for its members with the S-100 in Austria had been completed. A few months ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - tactical

  Camcopter S-300 / S-301

  The Camcopter S-300 is a larger variant of the S-100 manufactured by Schiebel. The VTOL-capable UAV is intended for ISR missions, particularly those in the maritime ...

• Data links

  S-band TDMA Airborne Data Link

  Multiple-participant airborne S-band TDMA data link with up to 400 slots/s. Transmission rate is up to 625Kb/s. As an example, a data link built for ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  R&S M3TR

  The R&S; M3TR SDR family is a family of digital radios. The core of the integrated communications system is the lightweight R&S; MR3000 H/U manpack ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM, UAS: communication systems

  R&S SDAR

  The R&S; SDAR is a software-defined airborne radio that extends the R&S; M3AR airborne radio family. The R&S; SDAR offers secure broadband voice and data ...

• Corvettes

  Saar S-80

  The S-80 is a multirole corvette developed by Israel Shipyard and based on the S-72 platform. The S-80, showcased for the first time at Euronaval ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  S-61T

  The S-61T, developed and manufactured by Sikorsky, is a civil variant of the SH-3 Sea King helicopter series. The S-61T is an upgraded version of ...

• Submarines: conventional/attack

  Isaac Peral Class (S-80A Plus)

  Spain’s S-80A or Isaac Peral-class SSKs are being built to replace the Spanish Navy’s existing Agosta 90B-class SSKs that were designed in the 1970s and ...

• Data links

  TIGDL-II

  Tactical Interoperable Ground Data Link (TIGDL)-II is described as a transportable TDL surface terminal that supports military operations by providing a full duplex ground capability ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers

  SIR-S/I

  The SIR-S/I, manufactured by Leonardo, is a Mode-S secondary surveillance radar. The SIR-S/I is primarily operated for the detection of cooperative targets in air traffic control, ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  48N6E2

  The 48N6E2 is the second generation of the 48N6 surface-to-air missile (SAM). It is designed to target low-altitude jets and tactical ballistic missiles. It has ...

• Subsystems: software

  M&S Suite

  M&S; Suite is a comprehensive and integrated range of modelling and simulation (M&S;) software tools designed to help speed up application development and reduce integration ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler)

  The S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) long-range air defence system, previously known as the S-300PMU-3, was developed by the Almaz Central Design Bureau ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  KG-350

  The KG-350 is an encryptor for network communications. The product was granted Type 1 certification by the US National Security Agency (NSA) on 27 July ...

• Unguided Mortar Ammunition

  60mm Illumination

  Austrian company Hirtenberger's 60mm Illumination - Visible Mk2-S (60mm ILL-VIS Mk2-S) is designed to illuminate a large area with visible light for a prolonged period.

• Unguided Mortar Ammunition

  60mm Smoke TTC

  Austrian company Hirtenberger's 60mm Smoke Titanium Tetrachloride Mk2 S (60mm SMK-TTC Mk2-S) produces cold smoke for use in obscuring vision or signalling.