• Land Warfare

  Details revealed on Serbia’s M-84 improved tank

  2nd October 2025

  The former Yugoslavia built a version of the Russian T-72 main battle tank under the local designation of the M-84. Hundreds of these remain in service with Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Kuwait.

• Naval Warfare

  From surface to seabed: Fincantieri takes on a new challenge

  25th September 2025

  Underwater is emerging as the global geopolitical domain, a crossroads between new needs and technological acceleration. While 80% of the sea floor and 98% of the abyssal seabed remain unexplored (Mars' and Jupiter's surfaces are better known than our oceans), human well-being relies on underwater assets and resources.

• Defence Notes

  France unveils new strategic review as Macron vows to accelerate defence spend

  15th July 2025

  The 2025 National Strategic Review highlights the importance of readiness against a growing Russian threat and was published days after a speech from the French President Macron who called for an increase in defence spending worth €6.5 billion by 2027.

• Air Warfare

  UAV manufacturers flock to UK as MoD spends £270 million on Tekever drones for Ukraine

  19th September 2025

  On 15 September 2025, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed that Tekever would open the UK’s largest drone production facility in Swindon in 2026. The news follows a recent trend of several other manufacturers that have supplied drones to Ukraine also announcing the opening of UK facilities.

• Naval Warfare

  Beyond GPS: How LEO satellites are changing the game in naval navigation

  10th October 2025

  Satellite navigation is increasingly critical for global maritime defence, and Low Earth Orbit satellites are rapidly overtaking the traditional and more widely used Medium Earth Orbit option as they are less susceptible to jamming or spoofing.

• Land Warfare

  New armoured vehicles appear in Vietnam’s 80th anniversary parade

  8th September 2025

  Marking eight decades since Vietnam gained its independence, the Vietnam People’s Army used the procession to showcase two new vehicles.

• Air Warfare

  DSEI 2025: MGI Engineering launches new deep strike OWE TigerShark

  9th September 2025

  The British-built long-range strike one-way effector (OWE) is the latest offering from the company, which demonstrated its smaller OWE SkyShark in July.

• Air Warfare

  Anduril’s YFQ-44A CCA to conduct flight tests by October, confirms USAF

  24th September 2025

  The company is working on making its first flight semi-autonomous and is reportedly closing in on a date for getting the CCA into the air.

• Air Warfare

  MBDA progresses Aster ramp-up with first accelerated delivery

  31st July 2025

  The first delivery comes less than two years after the first joint order was placed. MBDA has committed to halving Aster production lead-time by 2026.

• Naval Warfare

  First Canadian Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker is “on track” for keel laying in late 2026

  29th October 2025

  Canadian Coast Guard Ship Arpatuuq construction is in the block manufacturing phase. Once built, it will be the largest vessel in the Coast Guard’s inventory.

• Air Warfare

  Boeing’s F-47 expected to fly by 2028, says USAF Chief of Staff

  23rd September 2025

  The sixth-generation aircraft was previously targeted to fly during President Trump’s administration, with this date the first insight into the US Air Force’s plans to field the aircraft.

• Air Warfare

  UK MoD posts market engagement for Tranche 2 of Loyal Wingman effort

  1st August 2025

  The Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PMEN) for Tranche 2 of Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) comes after the UK unveiled its first ACP, StormShroud, in May 2025.

• Land Warfare

  Europe looks to solve tank procurement challenges with upgraded and new platforms

  28th August 2025

  The UK government in 2019 reflected a common attitude towards main battle tanks (MBTs) across Western Europe as it moved to reduce its fleet from 227 Challenger 2 vehicles to 148, which would be upgraded under a plan that eventually produced the Challenger 3. Now, however, there is an increased interest in platforms new, upgraded and planned across the continent.

• Air Warfare

  How unconventional warfare demands are changing the CUAS and drone development landscape

  14th August 2025

  The use of drones in unconventional ways is accelerating technological advances and countermeasures as military planners try to stay ahead of the drone revolution in military affairs.

• Air Warfare

  Indonesia inks deal for 48 Kaan aircraft

  29th July 2025

  While the Kaan aircraft is still in development, Indonesia is the first international customer to have committed to buy the aircraft, despite Jakarta’s lack of clarity over funds.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light tanks

  Light Tank Programme (Tracked) [Philippines]

  Programme Background The decision to split the programme into a wheeled and a tracked element follows the belief of the Philippine Army that this will ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  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 airborne ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - mini

  Polish Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Sweden]

  Background Swedish Support Package On 31 March 2025, the Swedish Government presented its 19th and largest military support package to Ukraine to date, valued at almost SEK ...

• Loitering munitions

  IRIFI [Morocco]

  Methodology PGO and programme status Defence Insight has assigned this programme a PGO of 95%, since the bid has been selected.  Units required Since no ...

• Loitering munitions

  Sivrisinek (YIHA-III) [Azerbaijan]

  Background Development Two YIHA-III drones were seen during Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s inspection of drones in July 2024, prompting some publications to suspect that Azerbaijan ...

• Hybrid effector systems

  Skyranger 30 [Germany]

  Background The SPD-led approach Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany has been under consistent pressure to increase its defence spending. In the immediate ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  Long Range Air Defence [Brazil]

  Background Brazil is in the process of expanding its medium-range air defence capabilities and is known to be interested in acquiring a long-range air defence ...

• Loitering munitions

  K-LUCAS [South Korea]

  Background  Shahed influence Both the 2026 Iran War and the Russia-Ukraine War have demonstrated the effectiveness of deep-strike capabilities, such as the Shahed-136. As reported ...

• Man-portable missile systems

  RBS 70 NG [Czech Republic]

  Background The Czech Republic is acquiring the vehicle-mounted RBS 70 NG systems to increase the mobility and protection of its ground-based air-defence units. The systems ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Bayraktar Mini replacement [Qatar]

  Methodology PGO and programme status There has been no indication from Qatar that it seeks to replace its Bayraktar Mini UAV fleet; instead, this programme ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Naval UAV [Chile]

  Background Unsuccessful evaluations  In the early 2010s, the Chilean Navy reportedly tested the ScanEagle. However, the force’s requirements appeared to change, due to the organisation’s ...

• Man-portable missile systems

  Mistral SHORAD [Croatia]

  Background Croatia announced the procurement of the Mistral for the Croatian Armed Forces. The procurement followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the crash of a Tu-141 ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  Medium Range Air Defence [Portugal]

  Background Portugal's Military Programming Law 2023-2034 includes a requirement for medium-range air defence. In order to facilitate this, Portugal has joined the European Sky Shield Initiative ...

• Military UAS - small

  Small UAV [Peru]

  Background UAV FAP UAV FAP is a family of Peruvian UAVs that have been developed by the Peruvian Air Force and the Centre for Research ...

• Loitering munitions

  Jaser [Saudi Arabia]

  Methodology PGO and programme status Serb Advanced Industries confirmed in 2026 that the Jeser loitering munition was being produced for the Saudi Armed Forces, with multiple ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  Anoa

  Pindad designed the 6x6 Anoa APC to meet the requirements of the Indonesian Army. Since the vehicle was publicly unveiled in November 2008, close to ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  Antasena

  Antasena is an X-18 tank boat developed as a joint collaboration between CMI Defence and PT Lundin. The fast craft has been designed to support ...

• Wheeled assault guns

  Badak

  A prototype of the 90mm-armed 6x6 Badak (Indonesian for rhinoceros) direct fire support vehicle was unveiled at IndoDefence in November 2014 by Pindad and partner ...

• Core systems: cameras and IR detectors, EO/IR systems

  NightConqueror CMI

  The NightConqueror Compact Modular Imager (CMI) is the main component of a variety of thermal imaging systems. It is used in stabilised imaging turrets for ...

• Light tanks

  Tulpar Light Tank

  Otokar unveiled its tracked Tulpar Light Tank, which mounts CMI's Cockerill 3105 turret on Otokar's Tulpar IFV chassis, at the June 2018 Eurosatory exhibition. The ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  BTR-3

  Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau produced the first 8x8 BTR-3-series amphibious APC in 2001. The series includes the BTR-3U, the BTR-3U Guardian (variant for ...

• Land: manned turrets

  Cockerill CPWS 25-30

  The remotely-operated Cockerill Protected Weapon Station (CPWS) can be armed with 25 mm or 30 mm guns from various manufacturers and can be integrated on 4x4, ...

• Wheeled assault guns

  ERC 90 NG

  The ERC 90 Sagaie 6x6 armoured vehicles were acquired by the French Army to provide a well-armed vehicle for its rapid reaction armoured units. Capitalising ...

• Frigates

  Drazki Class

  The Bulgarian Navy's three Drazki-class frigates began life as four Wielingen-class (Type E-71) frigates with the Belgian Navy. The ships underwent a major refurbishment and ...

• Light tanks

  K21-105 Light Tank

  At IDEX 2013, Doosan and John Cockerill Defense presented the K21-105 Light Tank concept which integrates the Cockerill 105mm-armed XC-8 turret on the Doosan K21 ...

• Major networking projects

  Missile Defence

  In 2010, NATO rolled out an initial capability to protect alliance forces against missile threats and is now examining options for protecting territory and populations. ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Commando Select

  The Commando Select 4x4 APC, built on knowledge gained from the M1117 Armored Security Vehicle’s ten years of combat theatre use by the US Army, ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6, MPVs - 4x4

  Jais MRAP

  The Jais 4x4 and 6x6 are Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles from the UAE's NIMR. Formally known as both the RG35 and N35, the Jais ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Anders Multirole Combat Platform

  The tracked WPB Anders multirole combat platform was designed to replace the BMP-1 IFV and other vehicles in Polish Army service. The Anders family is ...

• Land: RWS

  CPWS

  Building on the success of the Cockerill Protected Weapon Station (CPWS) 25-30, John Cockerill Defense introduced a new version of the CPWS at the June 2018 ...