• Naval Warfare

  Ingalls Shipbuilding awarded $155 million contract for USS Zumwalt modernisation

  30th August 2023

  HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been awarded a $154.8 million contract modification for the modernisation of USS Zumwalt, integrating the Conventional Prompt Strike weapon system for enhanced capabilities.

• Defence Notes

  Miilux produces submarine-grade steel in Turkiye, revolutionising national SSK projects

  2nd August 2023

  A Turkish plant has produced the country's first submarine-grade heat-treated steel, meaning that national submarine programmes will no longer be reliant on import for this raw material.

• Land Warfare

  Global armoured renaissance: new report reveals $25.6 billion surge in 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicle spending

  12th September 2023

  As global tensions intensify following the Russo-Ukraine conflict, the armoured vehicle market is undergoing a monumental shift, with an anticipated $25.6 billion investment in 8x8 wheeled vehicles by 2035.

• Land Warfare

  Russia unveils experimental ZAK-23E self-propelled anti-aircraft gun for counter-UAS role

  28th August 2023

  Russia’s JSC Tulamashzavod and JSC Research Center Elins presented a new ZAK-23E self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) at the Army-2023 event near Moscow in mid-August. It is an experimental vehicle that is designed to combine robust and mass-produced components and is capable of firing programmable airburst rounds.

• Land Warfare

  Turkish air-portable howitzer targets exports as local production line rolls on

  16th August 2023

  Turkey’s MKEK has set its sights on export opportunities for its 105mm Boran Air Portable Light Towed Howitzer (APLTH) now that it is in production for the home market.

• Air Warfare

  DSEI 2023: Ukraine war drives AI development to fight GPS jamming

  4th September 2023

  In response to the war in the Ukraine one company, formerly based in Kyiv, has turned its attention from AI in the medical field to AI on the battlefield by applying the technology to drones for autonomous operation in GPS-denied and complex electronic warfare environments.

• Land Warfare

  Russia's UVZ makes new push to convert outdated T-72 tanks to BMPT 'Terminators'

  1st September 2023

  Russia's UralVagonZavod (UVZ) is offering the conversion of older T-72 main battle tanks (MBTs) into BMPT-72 'Terminator'-style fire support vehicles. According to UVZ, this offering is primarily intended for international customers who possess ageing fleets of the tank.

• Defence Notes

  DSEI 2023: Will UK defence be 'on pause' until the next general election?

  11th September 2023

  The 2023 edition of DSEI will be the last to be held during the current UK Parliament. With an election due within 16 months, is this the ‘end of term’ for the current government, and what are the prospects for the MoD and British defence more widely?

• Training

  ASTi to deliver 27 new SERA MQ-9 training systems

  9th August 2023

  ASTi has received a contract award from SAIC for 27 instances of its Simulated Environment for Realistic ATC (SERA) product.

• Naval Warfare

  Japan is developing a new small sea mine

  16th August 2023

  Japan is developing a new kind of small sea mine that can be laid from such platforms as its new Mogami-class frigates.

• Land Warfare

  US DoD announces additional weapons and support for Ukraine

  26th July 2023

  The US DoD has authorised $400 million more in security assistance for Ukraine, including air defence munitions, artillery, armoured vehicles and anti-armour weapons, in support of operations against Russian forces.

• Air Warfare

  Ukraine lessons: is bringing an attack helicopter to a missile fight too dangerous?

  15th September 2023

  According to multiple OSINT sources, Russian forces have lost possibly as many as 200 rotary-wing aircraft since February 2022. Some of these occurred in early high-profile operations, but most have been attrition casualties during the ongoing fighting. Shephard analyses the nature of these losses, and what lessons NATO attack helicopter operators should draw.

• Air Warfare

  Software upgrade to French Reaper UAVs allows for operations over home territory

  9th August 2023

  France has completed trials of a software upgrade to a General Atomics Reaper Block 5 UAV which allows the country’s fleet of aircraft to operate from French bases and over French territory.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Paris Air Show: BlueBird debuts SpyX loitering munition

  19th June 2023

  At Paris Air Show on 19 June, BlueBird Aero Systems debuted a new loitering munition, the SpyX, with a 50km operational range.

• Land Warfare

  Nurol adds loitering munition launch option to tactical armoured vehicles

  28th July 2023

  Nurol Makina's latest TWAV, the NMS-Light 4x4, was shown at IDEF 2023 with launchers for the locally developed Spira ILGAR smart loitering munition.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Joint Strike Ship [South Korea]

  South Korea is reportedly seeking to acquire up to three Joint Strike Ships as part of its "Three Axis System". The Joint Strike Ship (JSS) is ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Joint Strike Ship [South Korea]

  South Korea is reportedly seeking to acquire up to three Joint Strike Ships as part of its "Three Axis System". The Joint Strike Ship (JSS) is ...

• Loitering munitions

  Turkish Loitering Munitions [Albania]

  Programme Background "Considerable" Speaking on 10 October 2024, Albania's  Prime Minister Edi Rama stated that Türkiye would provide Albania with a "considerable" number of loitering munitions. A government ...

• 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 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering munitions [Canada]

  Background Switchblade acquisition In February 2025, the Canadian government finalised a $67 million deal with AeroVironment (AV) to acquire the Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600 ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Bayraktar TB2 [Kuwait]

  Background Contract Award On 18 January 2023, Baykar announced signing a $370 million export contract with Kuwait for the Bayraktar TB2. According to the announcement, ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  Siper Block II [Turkey]

  Background Türkiye is procuring the SİPER Block II long-range air defence missile systems. The systems are intended to provide an effective defensive capability against air ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions (First Batch) [Japan]

  Background Appreciation of Loitering Munitions After years of not operating loitering munitions and armed UAVs, Japan’s position towards them has changed. Belatedly, the MoD realised the ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  HIMARS [Canada]

  Background The Canadian army does not currently operate any MLRS systems. Following the effectiveness of MLRS in Ukraine, many militaries have begun investing in their ...

• Fighter - multirole

  JF-17 [Azerbaijan]

  Programme Background Requirement In October 2019, Turkish media sources reported that at least two Azeri pilots travelled to Pakistan to receive training in JF-17 aircraft. ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  K239 Chunmoo (Batch 2) [Estonia]

  Background Estonia currently operates the HIMARS as its primary MRLS. However, in an effort to expand its capabilities, as well as diversify its supply base, ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  Siper-1 (Steel Dome) [Turkey]

  Background The Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) and related companies signed a contract for the initial production of SİPER-1 and HİSAR systems. The systems will ...

• Loitering munitions

  Seth-X and Anubis [Germany]

  Background German-built, Ukraine-bound The Auterion Airlogix Joint Venture GmbH was established in February 2026 at the Munich Security Conference by the German company Auterion and ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-9B SeaGuardian [Morocco]

  Background 2020-2030 Morocco-US Agreement In October 2020, officials from the Trump administration visited Morocco, and both nations signed a military and security cooperation agreement. According ...

• Main battle tanks

  Altay MBT (Batch 1) [Turkey]

  Programme Background The Altay will replace legacy M48 and M60 MBTs still in service with the Turkish Army. The $3.971 billion contract awarded to BMC in November ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: aerial targets, Loitering munitions

  Simsek

  The Simsek (Şimşek), or Lightning, is a high-speed target drone system that enables autonomous high-speed and low-altitude threat stimulation of aircraft and missiles for air-to-air, ...

• Artillery rockets

  TRG-230

  TRG-230 is a 230 mm GNSS/INS guided artillery rocket developed by the Turkish ROKETSAN as the medium-range guided artillery rocket for the firm’s universal MLRS ...

• Guided munitions

  M-712 Copperhead

  The M-712 Copperhead is a 155mm artillery projectile that is guided to its target via a laser guidance system, making it more resistant to electronic ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Aksungur

  The Aksungur is a twin-engined MALE UAS manufactured by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) for the Turkish Armed Forces. TAI completed the platform's maiden flight on 20 March ...

• Guided munitions

  SMKB (Smart-MK-Bomb)

  The Smart-MK-Bomb, or the SMKB, is a precision guidance kit developed by Mectron and designed to turn Mk 82 and Mk 83 bombs into guided munitions.

• Artillery rockets

  TRG-300 Block I

  TRG-300 is a 300 mm artillery rocket developed by Turkish ROKETSAN, serving as the heavy rocket in the TRG family of guided artillery missiles.

• Military UAS - MALE

  Astore

  The Astore is a weaponised variant of Leonardo's Falco EVO drone. The drone's autonomous modes operate within the man-in-the-loop principle and can be fitted with ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Akinci

  The Akinci is a MALE UCAV manufactured by Baykar. Sometimes known as Uçan Balık, the UAV can be fitted with a range of ISR or ...

• Artillery rockets

  TRG/TRLG-122

  The TRG-122 is a Turkish 122mm family of guided artillery rockets developed by ROKETSAN for the T-122 Sakarya and other MLRS platforms. The family includes ...

• Air-to-surface missiles, Surface-to-surface missiles

  UMTAS/L-UMTAS

  Roketsan developed the imaging IR-guided Mızrak-U, also known as the UMTAS (Uzun Menzilli Tanksavar Sistemi, or Long-Range Anti-Tank System), and the laser-guided L-Mızrak-U (L-UMTAS) for ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Multirole Heavy Combat Helicopter

  The Multirole Heavy Combat Helicopter is an attack helicopter being developed by Turkish Aerospace to meet the operational requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces, including air-to-ground ...

• Self-propelled mortars

  2S34 Chosta

  The 2S34 Chosta is an upgraded version of the 122mm 2S1 tracked SPH that replaces the original 2A31 ordnance with the 120mm 2A80-1 mortar-gun, an ...

• EO/IR systems

  StormCaster-DX

  Unveiled at Modern Day Marine 2022, the Teledyne FLIR StormCaster-DX is a multi-role, low-SWaP laser target designator (LTD) payload designed to affect the STANAG-compliant terminal ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  Ares 150 SAT

  The Ares 150 SAT is a tactical patrol and guided-missile fast attack craft designed and developed by the Turkish manufacturer Ares Shipyard. The boats are ...

• Ship-launched torpedoes

  Tork

  Aselsan TORK is an antitorpedo torpedo developed to destroy acoustic-homing, wire-guided, non-wire-guided, and wake-homing torpedoes launched against surface ships and submarines.  It approaches the torpedo ...