• Defence Notes

  France, Germany bring NATO plans after 'brain dead' row

  20th November 2019

  France and Germany were to outline separate proposals for reforming NATO on Wednesday after President Emmanuel Macron slammed the alliance as ‘brain dead’, causing uproar …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Echodyne radars in DARPA programme testing

  26th November 2019

  Echodyne’s radar technology was deployed as part of a test flight for DARPA’s Aerial Dragnet programme in San Diego during October.Echodyne's EchoGuard and EchoFlight radars …

• Military Logistics

  Rolls-Royce receives T-56 upgrade supplies order

  18th November 2019

  Rolls-Royce will supply equipment to upgrade the T56 engine under a contract from the US Defense Logistics Agency Aviation announced on 15 November. The company …

• Defence Helicopter

  Rolls-Royce to support AE1107C engines

  21st November 2019

  Rolls-Royce has been awarded a £1.2 million IDIQ contract to support AE1107C engines for US Naval Air Systems Command. Under the contract the company will …

• Defence Notes

  France, Germany break impasse on arms exports

  17th October 2019

  France and Germany agreed on 16 October on an accord governing the export of jointly developed weapons and defence equipment, removing a key stumbling block …

• Training

  Exercise Bersama Lima 19 concludes

  25th October 2019

  Exercise Bersama Lima 19 has come to an end in Malaysia following 17 days of joint exercises between the Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) countries of …

• Land Warfare

  Kongsberg tasked with MUMS work

  15th October 2019

  Kongsberg will finalise and deliver a secure, network based, Multi-User Multi-Station (MUMS) capability for the US Army and US Marine Corps (USMC), the company announced …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2019: TRAX aims to stem pilot shortage

  2nd December 2019

  CAE has launched its TRAX Academy pilot training system along with its core component, the Sprint VR trainer. The company has said that TRAX Academy …

• Digital Battlespace

  IBCS demonstrates non-US sensor system

  27th November 2019

  Northrop Grumman, MBDA and Saab have jointly demonstrated the ability to integrate the Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) family and Giraffe radar system family into …

• Defence Notes

  Dubai Airshow 2019: Standoff Weapon certification for F-35A nears completion

  22nd November 2019

  Munitions manufacturer Raytheon has confirmed it is anticipating F-35A airworthiness certification for the guided Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) before the end of 2019, a development …

• Military Logistics

  Boeing to carry out P-8a Poseidon engine work

  17th October 2019

  Boeing has received a $193 million contract modification from the US Naval Air Systems Command for P-8A Poseidon engine work, the US Department of Defense …

• Military Logistics

  New Zealand seeks C-130J aircraft

  22nd November 2019

  New Zealand is looking to acquire five C-130J aircraft via the US government’s foreign military sales programme. Along with the aircraft, New Zealand has requested …

• Training

  US, Norwegian aircraft train together

  12th November 2019

  US and Norwegian aircraft have carried out training together over the Barents Sea north of Norway. Three US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft flew together …

• Defence Notes

  Germany pledges more for under-pressure NATO ahead of summit

  18th November 2019

  Germany said on 18 November it would raise its NATO spending to more than €50 billion ($55.3 billion) in 2020, days before leaders meet in …

• Digital Battlespace

  RAMMS in new naval demonstration

  14th November 2019

  Fugro and Aretés’ Rapid Airborne Multibeam Mapping System (RAMMS) has taken part in a Naval Oceanography event held at Southern Mississippi’s Marine Research Center.Jointly developed …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams [Poland]

  Background Requirement Since the early 2010s, Poland has wanted to upgrade its Soviet-era tank fleet due to modernisation requirements, the need to increase interoperability with NATO ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - micro

  Drone40 (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background In August 2022, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a think tank, held a podcast with Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, in which ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel - Medium (Project Land 8710 Phase 1A) [Australia]

  Background Requirements Australia has set out requirements for a fleet of up to 18 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels - Medium (LMV-M) with the release of a ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Land 400 Phase 2 - Boxer CRV [Australia]

  Programme Background History The Land 400 Phase 2 programme will procure a replacement for the ASLAV, a derivative of the General Dynamics Land Systems Light Armoured Vehicle ...

• Main battle tanks

  Viatura Blindada de Combate-Carro de Combate (VBC-CC) [Brazil]

  Programme Background Several key technical requirements have been outlined by the Brazilian MoD. Among the most important are that the platform should weigh less than ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A4 [Czech Republic]

  Background  The Czech Republic currently operates a small fleet of T-72s, which, while undergoing upgrades and life extension programmes, are increasingly obsolete. In October 2022, ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  Second Hand SSNs [Australia]

  Programme background Timeline In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Chios class LST replacement [Greece]

  Background Requirements The Hellenic Navy’s Chios-class tank landing ship platforms have been in service for almost 30 years. Shephard estimates they will start reaching their out-of-service date (OSD) ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  HIMARS (Batch 2) [Australia]

  Programme background Prior to selecting HIMARS in January 2023, Australia did not operate an MLRS system. However, the effectiveness of Ukrainian HIMARS convinced the Australian government ...

• Medium UGVs

  Mission Master (RPV Sprial 2) [UK]

  Background First announced in April 2017 and referred to in early MOD documents as the ‘last mile resupply’ initiative, the British Army is reportedly evaluating ...

• Military - USVs

  Bluebottle USV (16-55) [Australia]

  Programme Background Timeline The RAN purchased a number of the 6.8m-long Bluebottles, including five under an A$4.9 million ($3.3 million) contract signed in November 2022. ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Project Land 400 Phase 3 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement: 2015 RfI The Land 400 Phase 3 programme will procure a new tracked IFV to replace the Australian Army's legacy fleet of ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Project Air 7003 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Carl-Gustaf M3

  The Carl-Gustaf M3 is the third generation of the 84mm shoulder-fired recoilless antitank gun, first fielded by the Swedish Army in 1946. Since then, it ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120mm KE DM63 / DM53 A1 Tank Ammunition

  The 120mm kinetic energy tank ammunition is manufactured by Rheinmetall. There are several variations of the ammunition, including the DM63, which can be fired from ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120MM HEAT-TP F1A

  Franco-German KNDS-Nexter produce the 120mm High-Explosive Anti-Tank Training-Purpose F1A (HEAT-TP F1A) round to enable reduced-cost training for Main Battle Tank crews. 

• Main battle tanks

  M1/M1A1 Abrams

  The 105mm-armed M1 Abrams tracked MBT was introduced into US Army service in 1980 as a replacement for the 105mm-armed M60 MBT. In April 1991, ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120mm PELE Tank Ammunition

  The 120mm Penetrator with Enhanced Lateral Effect (PELE) tank ammunition is an inert round produced by Rheinmetall. It is suitable for use against semi-hard targets ...

• Light mortars

  60mm Mortar Ammunition

  US-based LD Systems' 60mm Mortar ammunition fulfils the NATO standard for lightweight mortar ammunition.

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  120mm L55A1

  The 120mm L55A1 is a smoothbore high-pressure gun based on the L55 tank gun. The L55A1 has been qualified and in service since 2019. It ...

• Naval: RF/IR/acoustic decoys

  Nulka

  The Nulka is an active anti-ship missile decoy originally conceived in Australia, and developed under a joint Australian-US programme. BAE Systems Australia is prime contractor, while ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  120mm L55 Tank Gun

  The 120mm L55 is a smoothbore tank gun produced by Rheinmetall. It is designed for use on the Leopard main battle tank, to which it ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP)

  The M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) is a 120mm tank round developed by Northrop Grumman Defence Systems. Various customers, including Bahrain, Israel, and the US, use the tank ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3

  The M1A2 System Enhancement Package 3 (M1A2 SEPv3, also known as M1A2C) is the latest production-standard variant of the Abrams MBT. Designed primarily to address ...

• Land: RWS

  R400 Slinger

  The R400 Slinger is a counter-uncrewed aerial system (C-UAS) remote weapon system (RWS) being developed in Australia. The development is a response to growing international ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition

  The Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition (NGVA) is a family of ammunition being developed by the US Army's Armaments Center and manufactured by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  CVTESS

  Saab's Combat Vehicle Tactical Engagement Simulation System (CVTESS) is a laser-based simulator which supports every version of the Abrams Main Battle Tank and the Bradley ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  SSN AUKUS

  The SSN-AUKUS will be the submarine design resulting from the AUKUS trilateral pact between Australia, the US and the UK. Expected to incorporate technology from ...