• Digital Battlespace

  Laser communications the solution to SATCOM woes

  15th November 2017

  Laser communications technology is rapidly being developed as a means of enhancing the resilience of satellite communications and providing global, on-demand data to ever-more connected …

• Digital Battlespace

  BAE to develop testbed for space technologies

  16th November 2017

  BAE Systems will develop a space evaluation and analysis testbed under a $12.8 million contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced on …

• Naval Warfare

  Vietnam eyes SAR vessels from Poland

  8th December 2017

  The Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) is eyeing six new search and rescue (SAR) vessels following a framework loan agreement struck between Hanoi and Warsaw. The …

• Land Warfare

  GDA 2017: Qatar reveals Turkish armoured vehicle purchase

  17th December 2017

  The Qatar Armed Forces have shown off two new armoured vehicle acquisitions from its close ally Turkey during rehearsals for its national day military parade …

• Digital Battlespace

  ​Curtiss-Wright gains new ground

  24th November 2017

  Curtiss-Wright is aiming to expand its display business in the ground vehicle market and the company is currently in discussions with a number of potential …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Teledyne participates in Iceland’s EOD exercise

  11th December 2017

  Teledyne Gavia and Teledyne SeaBotix have participated in exercise Northern Challenge 2017 in Iceland - an annual Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) multinational exercise that supports …

• Digital Battlespace

  IMT Vislink wins ISR receiver device order

  23rd November 2017

  xG Technology’s IMT Vislink has received a $12.5 million contract from the US Army to supply hand-held ISR receiver devices, the company announced on 20 …

• Land Warfare

  Al-Khalid production lags behind capacity

  12th December 2017

  Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT), the Pakistani state-owned manufacturer of heavy weapons, is producing around 18 Al-Khalid-I MBTs annually, but this figure is nowhere near its …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris develops fully digital GPS III payload

  13th November 2017

  Harris Corporation has completed development of a fully digital Mission Data Unit designed for its navigation payload for Lockheed Martin’s Global Positioning System (GPS III) …

• Defence Notes

  GDA 2017: US talks up strategic partnership with Kuwait

  6th December 2017

  Days away from the start of the Gulf Defence and Aerospace exhibition in Kuwait, senior US officials have spoken highly of the country’s ‘strategic partnership’ …

• Land Warfare

  Russian MoD updates on rearmament progress

  6th December 2017

  Russian military units deployed in Abkhazia have received more than 100 pieces of military hardware to date under Russia's rearmament programme, the Russian Ministry of …

• Digital Battlespace

  Japan makes decisions on Aegis Ashore deployment

  19th November 2017

  Japan’s MoD has decided to allocate two Aegis Ashore facilities armed with SM-3 Block IIA missiles to the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF), and to …

• Digital Battlespace

  Singapore launches bug bounty programme

  12th December 2017

  Under a computer bug bounty programme, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has appointed American white hat hacker firm HackerOne to test the Ministry of Defence’s …

• Digital Battlespace

  US Army deploys Kestrel Eye microsatellite

  30th October 2017

  The US Army’s Kestrel Eye microsatellite prototype was deployed into space from the International Space Station (ISS) and activated on 24 October. The microsatellite was …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Cyberhawk completes nuclear inspection

  4th December 2017

  Cyberhawk Innovations has used a UAS to inspect two concrete pressurized water reactor containment domes for American Electric Power (AEP) at the Cook Nuclear Plant …

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 ...