• Special Operations

  SOF Week 2023: USSOCOM plans to boost investment in cyber and space capabilities

  10th May 2023

  US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) plans to invest heavily in cyber effects and space-based capabilities to enhance counter-violent extremist operations, according to General Fenton.

• Air Warfare

  Malaysia signs contracts for light combat aircraft and MALE UAVs

  29th May 2023

  Malaysia announced several important aircraft contracts at LIMA 2023, including UAVs and light combat aircraft.

• Air Warfare

  AW149: Designed to Survive the Modern Battlefield (Sponsored)

  3rd July 2023

  Built for the most demanding operations on the modern battlefield, survivability is at the heart of Leonardo’s AW149 multi-role helicopter.

• Air Warfare

  Why the Philippines is still awaiting long-range patrol aircraft after a decade

  30th May 2023

  It is believed that the Philippine Air Force has selected an Israeli solution for its maritime patrol aircraft programme.

• Training

  Boeing ‘100% believes’ in T-7 jet despite critical GAO report and persisting programme delays

  31st May 2023

  Issues with the T-7A Red Hawk include risks of canopy fragmentation and high g-forces during ejection which have caused delays and require further design revisions. Boeing is working to address these concerns while emphasising the safety and performance improvements of the jet.

• Air Warfare

  How can Sweden develop a future air combat capability, freeing it from GCAP ties – for now?

  14th April 2023

  Sweden is exploring ways to upgrade its JAS 39 C/D jets to keep them operationally relevant and is studying future fighter capabilities, potentially including an upgraded Gripen multi-role aircraft in partnership with Brazil's Embraer.

• Land Warfare

  Brazilian Army concludes trials with domestically developed optronics

  11th April 2023

  Developed under a partnership between the Army Technological Centre and Brazilian supplier OPTO Space & Defense, the Olhar thermal imaging solution has now completed initial trials.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force receives first upgraded F-16 for South Korean air defence mission

  12th April 2023

  The US Air Force in South Korea has received the first F-16 fighter jet upgraded with an AN/APG-83 radar and other avionics improvements.

• Air Warfare

  Singapore firms up option for eight more F-35Bs

  8th March 2023

  With Singapore confirming eight more F-35B fighters, it will eventually have a fleet of 12, plus the possibility of more being added later.

• Naval Warfare

  SOF Week 2023: US special forces kick off search for new multi-role watercraft

  11th May 2023

  US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has kickstarted initial planning for a second-generation Combatant Craft Medium (CCM), according to service officials.

• Defence Notes

  How commercial technologies are helping the Pentagon combat cyber threats

  1st June 2023

  The DoD is focused on the use of AI, ML and trusted commercial autonomy as well as cyber and telecom solutions to be combined with the government’s assets.

• Training

  US Navy takes lead on Middle East maritime security training

  23rd May 2023

  The Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces partnership has stood up a USN-led task force to support multination training events in the region covering maritime awareness, law, interdiction, rescue and leadership development.

• Defence Notes

  Why delays in approving the FY2024 budget can widen the gap between Chinese and US capabilities

  19th May 2023

  Naval shipbuilding and restocking key munitions, as well as development projects, may be directly impacted by short-term funding measures.

• Air Warfare

  How to ensure ultimate fleet availability and performance over the entire lifecycle? (Sponsored)

  4th May 2023

  Are you looking for a broad range service concept that ensures your fleets are always ready for critical operations with optimal costs? Patria has developed a modular service concept called Patria OPTIME, which covers air, land and sea domains. It is tailored to the customer needs and requirements and it is set up in phases together with the customer.

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX 2023: New Chinese-built LPD arrives in Thailand

  4th May 2023

  A new Chinese-built LPD, HTMS Chang, arrived in Thailand in late April, having been collected by the Royal Thai Navy earlier that month.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Sky Scout-X [Thailand]

  Programme Background At the Defence & Security (D&S;) 2019 show in Bangkok, RV Connex displayed a variant of this Sky Scout, the Sky Scout-X. This ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A400M [Türkiye]

  Turkey has become the second country to receive the new-generation A400M airlifter, with the first of ten aircraft handed over by Airbus Defence and Space ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  DP18A [Thailand]

  Background 2023 According to Aero Technology Industry Company Limited (ATIL) officials, speaking to Janes at Defence & Security (D&S;) 2023 in Bangkok, the company was at ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow On

  Programme Background In March 2019, Airbus stated that it expected orders from the US Army for between 12 and 15 UH-72A helicopters. In March 2020, ...

• Trainer

  S-211 Replacement [Philippines]

  Programme Background Requirement The Philippines is looking at replacement options for its ageing fleet of S-211 trainer jets. The S-211s have been in operation with ...

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

  Anka-S (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background Desired Procurement Saudi Arabia has reportedly been in negotiations to procure six Anka UAVs since 2013. It has not been disclosed which Anka ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)

  Programme Background Five prototypes will be manufactured for developmental tests. Indian Air Force will buy 36 AMCA Mark-I aircraft from 2029-30. The Mark-I configuration will ...

• 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 ...

• Trainer

  T-4 Replacement [Japan]

  Programme Background The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) has been using the T-4 as an intermediate trainer jet since 1988, but now the Acquisition, Technology ...

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

  Sistema RPAS Táctico de Altas Prestaciones (SiRTAP) [Colombia]

  Background MoU In 2017, it was announced that Spain was jointly developing a MALE UAV with Colombia to meet the ISR requirement of both armed ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  S-70i (Philippines)

  The Black Hawk is believed to have been the most expensive of the aircraft that had been shortlisted for the PAF project, others being the ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V [Türkiye]

  Programme Background Requirement Turkish Air Force ordered 100 F-35A aircraft as a partner nation, however, the country was removed from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme ...

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

  Sistema RPAS Táctico de Altas Prestaciones (SiRTAP) [Serbia]

  Background MoU In 2017, it was announced that Spain was jointly developing an MALE UAV with Colombia to meet the ISR requirement of both armed ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  EDA-S [France]

  Programme Background Following the announcement of the 14-ship contract, the DGA approved the design of the first two standard amphibious landing craft (EDA-S) in October 2019, ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Camcopter Project (Thailand)

  Programme Background Batch One In November 2019, as reported by Shephard, Schiebel was awarded a TBH600 million ($18.76 million) contract from the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Naval guns

  Gökdeniz

  Gökdeniz, also known as Korkut-D, is a 35mm Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) developed by Turkish Aselsan. It was unveiled for the first time at IDEF ...

• Land: RWS

  D-RWS

  The Dual-RWS (D-RWS) is designed to be installed on the Republic of Korea Marine Corps' Korean Amphibious Assault Vehicle fleet. Weighing approximately 350kg, it is ...

• Transponders and IFF

  IFF Mk XIIA(S)

  Aselsan IFF Mk XIIA(S) is a Mode 5/S compatible long-range IFF interrogator. According to the manufacturer, it may be mounted to a standard 19-inch rack ...

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  PC-21 FTD

  Airbus D&S; has technical responsibility for overall system integration and the geo-specific database within the consortium for the development and production of the Pilatus PC-21 ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  AN/ALQ-213(V) DAC

  Terma’s AN/ALQ-213(V) electronic warfare management unit is used extensively on General Dynamics/Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon series combat aircraft around the world. The AN/ALQ-213(V) is ...

• OPVs

  OPV 58 S

  The OPV 58 S is a versatile patrol vessel developed by the French company Piriou. The vessels have been designed primarily for surveillance, identification and ...

• Deployable/static missile systems

  Bavar 373

  The Bavar 373 is a medium/long range ground based air defence missile system developed by Iran. It is claimed to offer similar capabilities between S-300PMU2 ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  CMS (Vikrant-Class)

  The Combat Management System abroad INS Vikrant is developed by TATA Power's Strategic Engineering Division, the Indian MoD's Weapon and Electonic System Engineering Establishment and ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  Distributed and Networked Mission Training

  Airbus D&S; networks training systems to enable joint and distributed mission training across local and national boundaries, generating realistic and needs-oriented scenarios. The solution uses ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BTR-MDM

  The BTR-MDM Rakushka is an amphibious tracked armoured vehicle developed by Kurganmashzavod to meet the Russian Airborne Forces' (VDV) need for a new air-droppable APC. ...

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

  Sky Scout-M

  Unveiled at the Defense & Security (D&S;) 2023 exhibition in Bangkok, the Sky Scout-M is a combat version of the Sky Scout from RV Connex.  ...

• 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 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  TEagle Eye III

  Thailand’s state-owned Defence Technology Institute (DTI) unveiled the TEagle Eye III fixed-wing UAV in November 2015 at the country's Defence and Security (D&S;) exhibition. It ...

• Helicopter guns

  FN D-HMP 250

  The FN D-HMP (Digital Heavy Machine Gun Pod) 250 is a self-contained airborne weapon system armed with a .50 cal FN M3P heavy machine gun, ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar, Air: surveillance radar

  AN/APY-1/2

  The S-band AN/APY-1 radar is installed in a large rotodome above the fuselage of the Boeing KE-3A/E-3A/B Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft ...