• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Protector takes to the skies

  28th September 2020

  The first MQ-9B SkyGuardian RPAS for the RAF (designated Protector RG Mk1) successfully completed its first flight in the US on 25 September, the UK …

• Land Warfare

  US Army orders M1061 cartridges

  29th September 2020

  Day and Zimmerman is to manufacture M1061 high-explosive cartridges for 60mm mortars, under a $92.7 million contract modification from the US Army. Work will be …

• Air Warfare

  Lockheed Martin to redesign F-35 components

  29th September 2020

  Lockheed Martin is to provide $63.89 million worth of non-recurring engineering in support of redesigned components for the F-35 Lightning II multirole fighter aircraft, the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  HII breaks ground on new facility for unmanned technologies

  30th September 2020

  US-based shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is building a new facility to produce and test unmanned naval technologies. HII broke ground on the Unmanned Systems …

• Training

  B-2 Spirit sim gains latest IG upgrade

  2nd October 2020

  Under contract to Northrop Grumman, visual system specialist Quantum3D has completed an overhaul of a B-2 Spirit simulator at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma County. The …

• Digital Battlespace

  L3Harris offers full-spectrum SIGINT pod for airborne platforms

  29th September 2020

  L3Harris Technologies on 29 September launched a new airborne SIGINT pod called RASISR (standing for Rapid, Adaptable, Smart, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance). The pod provides …

• Military Logistics

  Saab receives hospital care in Australia

  1st October 2020

  Saab Australia has been selected to deliver deployable healthcare facilities and equipment to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for operational use, Canberra announced on 24 September.The …

• Air Warfare

  RCAF receives first Kingfisher

  29th September 2020

  The first CC-295 for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF’s) Fixed Wing Search and Rescue Aircraft Replacement (FWSAR) programme arrived at Canadian Forces Base Comox on …

• Military Logistics

  Armoured M917A3 trucks begin production vehicle tests with US Army

  29th September 2020

  Mack Defense announced on 28 September that it has delivered six armoured Granite-based M917A3 Heavy Dump Trucks (HDTs) to the US Army. These vehicles are …

• Land Warfare

  Tatra set to commence Titus tests

  2nd October 2020

  Czech company Tatra Defence Vehicle has received the first prototype Titus troop carrier for blast and explosion tests; ultimately the Army of the Czech Republic will operate 62 vehicles in three variants.

• Defence Notes

  China tests reusable spacecraft in secretive ‘star wars’ programme

  10th September 2020

  On 4 September China successfully tested in space a new ‘reusable experimental spacecraft’, nomenclature unknown, after launching it from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Japan may renege on its Global Hawk acquisition

  18th August 2020

  Domestic media in Japan reported on 13 August that Tokyo is considering cancelling its purchase of the RQ-4B Block 30(I) Global Hawk. The Japan Air …

• Defence Helicopter

  Decision time looms for Israeli CH-53D replacement

  21st August 2020

  The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is drawing closer to a decision on which platform will replace its fleet of 23 aging CH-53D Yas'ur helicopters (pictured) with …

• Land Warfare

  USAF invests heavily in SBD I

  25th September 2020

  Boeing has been awarded a $2.2 billion contract for the GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb Increment I (SDB I) weapon programme, the Department of Defense has …

• Land Warfare

  Boeing and General Atomics partner on Next Generation Interceptor

  24th September 2020

  Boeing and General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) are partnering to pursue the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) contract for the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI). Announcing …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Black Hornet 3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Programme Background Russo-Ukraine War Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UAVs have proved vital to the country's defence. Consequently, as in this programme, the ...

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

  FPV Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Background Statement of Intent On 14 June 2024, the Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries Serhiy Boyev, Minister of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umerov and the Minister of ...

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

  ISR Drones (Second Batch) (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background First Batch On 20 March 2024, Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, announced that, following a 19 March Ukraine Defense Contact ...

• Military UAS - mini

  UAVs (Ukraine Aid) [Norway]

  Background September 2024 On 3 September 2024, the Norwegian government announced that “Ukraine will get more drones donated to their frontline, and more air defence ...

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

  GA-ASI Drone [Ukraine]

  Programme Background MQ-9A Reaper - April 2022 On 13 April 2022, Forbes reported that Ukraine was talking with GA-ASI to acquire the MQ-9A Reaper. Ukrainian officials ...

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

  Vector / Scorpion (Contracted) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Previous Orders & Donations On 29 March 2022, the US Embassy in Warsaw announced that Quantum Systems had donated an unknown quantity of ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 600 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background $300 Million USAI (1 April 2022) On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine following ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 300 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (16 March 2022 & 13 April 2022) On 16 March 2022, President Biden announced $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine through ...

• Loitering munitions

  One-Way Attack Drones (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background 2024/2025 Military Aid Package On 12 January 2024, the UK government announced it would provide Ukraine with £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) in military ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 [Sweden]

  Programme Background As the domestic manufacturer and original operator of the CV90 IFV, Sweden has had a continuous fleet of CV90s in service since the ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  HIMARS [Sweden]

  Programme Background Following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sweden began a process of military modernisation, in line with trends across much of Europe.  The ...

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

  Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase I) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) provides short-range day and night ISR to US Army units at the squad, platoon and other small ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  Programme Background  In February 2025, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste Simon Harris highlighted Irelands need to procure a new combat fighter jet to combat ...

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

  5,000 Latvian UAVs (Ukraine Aid) [Latvia]

  Background Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG) In January 2024, the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG), a multi-nation organisation that coordinates military aid for Ukraine, established a drone ...

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

  Puma 3 AE (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Military Aid - $300 Million On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine to "bolster Urkaine's capacity ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Akash-NG missile

  The Akash-NG (New Generation) missile is an advanced surface-to-air missile system developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to enhance the country's air ...

• Core systems: cameras and IR detectors

  Ophir 26-105mm f/1.6 LWIR continuous zoom

  Ophir's plethora of IR optics includes a wide range of long-range zoom lenses for every application. Ophir's budget range has been extended to include a ...

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

  Vespa-15

  The Vespa-15 is a first-person view (FPV) rotary-wing UAV manufactured by a Ukrainian company.  In May 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Ukraine announced it ...

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

  Black Hornet 3

  The Black Hornet 3 is the next generation of the PD-100 Black Hornet, the world’s smallest nano-UAS. This new model of the Black Hornet provides ...

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

  Kazhan

  The E620 Kazhan is a Ukrainian-made rotary-wing attack drone. It is available in hexacopter and quadcopter configurations and can drop 60mm, 82mm, and 120mm mortar shells. ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  DM73

  The 120mm × 570 armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS) DM73 is a kinetic-energy (KE) round with an enhanced propulsion unit. It is produced by Rheinmetall ...

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

  Cetus Lite

  The Cetus Lite is a fixed-wing UAV from Abris Design Group. The company describes the aircraft as a mobile system that is hand-launched. It is ...

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

  Cetus Plus

  The Cetus Plus is a fixed-wing UAV from Abris Design Group.  The manufacturer describes it as a universal UAV designed to perform various tasks like photo ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Beetle

  The Beetle is a rotary-wing octocopter from Abris Design Group. According to the manufacturer, the UAV provides photo and video ISTAR and signal relay for first-person ...

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

  Linza 3.0

  The Linza 3.0 is a rotary-wing UAV from Quantum Frontline Industries (QFI), a German-Ukrainian joint venture from Quantum Systems and Frontline Robotics. The UAV was first delivered ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  CB90

  Combatboat (Stridsbåt) 90 (CB90) is a class of small, rapid attack boats designed for raiding and inshore/nearshore coastal protection operations or deploying up to 20 ...

• EO/IR systems

  USG-212

  Described as a plug-and-play turnkey solution, the USG-212 is an EO/IR camera gimbal from Ukrspecsystems. It appears to be out of production. The gimbal has ...

• Main battle tanks

  Type 10

  Mitsubishi developed the 120mm-armed Type 10 MBT to meet the requirements of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and publicly revealed a prototype in February 2008. ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - micro

  Corvo PPDS

  The Corvo Precision Payload Delivery Systems (PPDS) is a micro fixed-wing drone constructed from cardboard. It is a low-cost, single-use drone for delivering supplies and equipment ...

• Short Range Missile Defence Systems: 0 to 20 km range

  MIM-23 Hawk

  The MIM-23 HAWK (Homing All the Way Killer) is an American medium-range surface-to-air missile system developed by Raytheon in the 1950s to provide mobile air ...