• Naval Warfare

  US Navy and Raytheon explore additional applications for Mk 58 CRAW torpedo

  10th February 2026

  Designed as an anti-torpedo and anti-submarine capability, the USN and RTX foresee the Compact Rapid Attack Weapon’s potential for deployment from surface ships and aerial and uncrewed platforms.

• Air Warfare

  Babcock wins €795 million contract to support French Air Force training

  13th January 2025

  The contract will last for 17-years and covers provision to support military air training for the French navy, air and space forces.

• Land Warfare

  Dutch order for up to 1,570 trucks highlights surging demand

  19th May 2025

  The past 12 months has seen billions-of-dollars in logistics, support and supply trucks ordered and delivered. The deals range from a US Army US$1.5 billion contract with Oshkosh, Italy for US$784 million from IDV and Canada’s US$1.8 billion order for Mercedes-Benz Zetros trucks to a German order worth US$3.5 billion with Rheinmetall.

• Air Warfare

  New Zealand to procure MH-60R and A321XLR aircraft as plan to “rebuild” the NZDF begins

  21st August 2025

  The MH-60R Seahawk and A321XLR aircraft are the first procurement announcements designed to help delivery of a more combat capable and interoperable fleet to the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), as outlined in the New Zealand government’s April Defence Capability Plan.

• Defence Notes

  Amazon Project Kuiper offers network-centric approach to sovereignty of space systems (Studio)

  12th September 2025

  Shephard's Alix Valenti interviewed Project Kuiper's Don Brown at DSEI 2025, discussing the company's innovative approach to sovereignty of space communications systems, which focuses on being able to control the network rather than ownership of satellite constellations.

• Air Warfare

  DSEI 2025: NATO members evaluate Black Widow UAV as it joins NSPA catalogue

  12th September 2025

  The addition of Red Cat’s Black Widow to NATO’s NSPA catalogue opens the doors for allied forces to more easily procure the AI-enabled drone.

• Air Warfare

  Airbus delivers two H225M Caracals to France

  17th January 2025

  The Airbus rotorcraft will replace the French Air Force’s Puma helicopters, following the initial contract signing in 2021.

• Naval Warfare

  £30 million UK-New Zealand deal sends new uncrewed vehicles to Ukraine

  23rd April 2025

  Sam Vye, the CEO of SYOS Aerospace, which supplied the vehicles, explained the rapid development and deployment of assets in the uncrewed world.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force pushes back T-7A production to 2026

  21st January 2025

  The US Air Force (USAF) and Boeing have agreed to adjust parts of the T-7A Red Hawk acquisition, with four more test T-7As being acquired to help improve manufacturing readiness and boost testing capacity.

• Air Warfare

  IDEX 2025: Embraer pushes counter-UAV capabilities for its Super Tucano

  20th February 2025

  Embraer is looking to position its Super Tucano aircraft to Middle Eastern countries at IDEX to join current customers Lebanon and Afghanistan.

• Land Warfare

  Missile production being boosted across three continents

  12th December 2024

  The demand for missiles reflects current strategic interests, such as those in the Indo-Pacific region and conflict in Europe, along with an expectation of local involvement in manufacture which also supports a drive to build capacity.

• Defence Notes

  Amazon Project Kuiper teams up with GRC to offer governments unprecedented capabilities (Studio)

  12th September 2025

  At DSEI 2025, Amazon Project Kuiper's Don Brown and GRC's Steve Slater talked to Shephard's Alix Valenti about how their partnership can offer unique capabilities in defence SATCOM to government customers, with a focus on assurance, security and choice.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2025: GDLS showcases an "undetectable" mission command version of the Stryker

  14th October 2025

  Based on the Stryker A1, the NEXUS vehicle has been engineered to provide reduced signatures across the visual, thermal, acoustic and electromagnetic spectrums.

• Land Warfare

  The integration between drones and land vehicles is accelerating

  17th September 2025

  Drones and military ground vehicles are increasingly being designed to operate together as a single platform or even to convert crewed systems to automated ones.

• Air Warfare

  DSEI 2025: Schiebel reveals two weaponised Camcopter UAVs

  10th September 2025

  The new capabilities are based on platforms already in use or in development, and are designed to perform in demanding defence missions.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light attack, Trainer

  PC-21 (Project Air 5428) [Australia]

  The new PTS, including aircraft, flight training simulators and learning environments is being acquired from a single capability contractor, Team 21, which consists of Lockheed ...

• Transport, Transport/tanker aircraft

  Project Air 7404 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement Australia is thinking ahead to an enlarged transport fleet to replace the current C-130Js. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was the second ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (Project Air 6000 Phase 2A/B) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) took delivery of 18 F-35A aircraft as of March 2020 and the remaining aircraft are expected to ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (5-6) [Australia]

  Background Four Contracted Units In the summer of 2020, Northrop Grumman announced that the Australian Government provided $333 million for three MQ-4C Tritons and associated GCS. ...

• Data links

  Data links | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (13-14) [Australia]

  Programme Background Austal was awarded a contract to build six 'Evolved'Cape-class patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on 1 May 2020 (see separate ...

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

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [Australia]

  Background Older Efforts On 23 April 2021, the US State Department's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) approval announcement revealed that Australia had requested to buy up ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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, ...

• OPVs

  Arafura Class (Project SEA 1180) (1-6) [Australia]

  Programme Background Australia's new class of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), the Arafura-class, will replace the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) fleet of Armidale and Cape-class patrol ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (11-12) [Australia]

  Programme Background Austal was awarded a contract to build six 'Evolved'Cape-class patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on 1 May 2020 (see separate ...

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

  Project Vixen [UK]

  Background Project Goal The Royal Navy uses Leonardo crewed Merlin (AW101) helicopters fitted with CROWSNEST pods to provide airborne early warning capabilities for carriers. An early 2021 Royal ...

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

  MQ-28 Ghost Bat [Australia]

  Background Goal As stated by the Head of Air Force Capability, Air Vice-Marshal Robert Denney, in March 2022, the Ghost Bat will be an "operational system ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Air-5416 Project Echidna

  Air-5416 Project Echidna was an initiative launched in 2001 by BAE Systems for the Australian DoD. Its goal was to overhaul the self protection systems ...

• Trainer

  King Air trainer

  Textron / Beechcraft King Air trainers are a family twin-engine aircraft based on King Air 90, 100, 200 and 350 utility aircraft. The King Air ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Australian Defence Force MRH90 Training

  As prime contractor for the ADF's MRH90 training programme, CAE has provided two MRH90 full-flight mission simulators (FFMS), training facilities and engineering and support services. ...

• AMAS

  AMAS – Australian Minesweeping System – was developed with the assistance of the Defence Science & Technology Organisation and the Royal Australian Navy. It adopts ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  RAAF Hawk Mk 127 FMS

  Under subcontract to BAE Systems, CAE is designing and manufacturing three Hawk Mk 127 full-mission simulators (FMS) for the Royal Australian Air Force that will ...

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

  Wanderer

  The Wanderer is a low-altitude, low-cost, long-endurance UAV produced in-house by the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) Jericho Disruptive Innovation Group and the Australian Government's Defense Science ...

• Light attack

  Hawk 200

  The Hawk 200 is a single-seat light attack iteration of the Hawk 100 (see separate entry) and Advanced Jet Trainer or AJT (see separate entry). ...

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

  MQ-28A Ghost Bat

  The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is a loyal wingman-type, Collobrative Combat Aircraft (CCA), MALE fixed-wing drone being developed by Boeing Defence Australia. Its development began in 2013 and took its ...

• Military - USVs

  Bluebottle

  Bluebottle is a persistent, autonomous, uncrewed surface vessel from Ocius Technology in service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). In ...

• Maritime patrol

  Challenger 604

  Bombardier Challenger CL-604 MPAs are in service with the Royal Danish Air Force and the Korea Coast Guard. The first of three Danish aircraft entered ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  Predator Mission Trainer (PMT)

  The CAE Predator Mission Trainer (PMT) is an integrated platform that combines the features of CAE's UAS mission trainer with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Predator-specific ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  AN/ALR-2001

  BAE Systems’ AN/ALR-2001 Electronic Support Measure (ESM) is thought to be based on Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Elta Systems division’s EL/M-8382 ESM. The AN/ALR-2001 is ...

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

  Phantom 4 (Series)

  Designed for aerial photograph applications by DJI, the Phantom 4 series of UAVs includes the Phantom 4 Pro, Phantom 4 Pro V2.0, Phantom 4 Advanced ...

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

  M Solar-X

  First revealed in August 2020, in February 2024, at its symposium, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) showcased the M Solar-X. This solar-powered fixed-wing drone was ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Hawkei

  Thales Australia developed the 4x4 Hawkei for the Australian Army's Land 121 Phase 4 Protected Mobility Vehicle – Light (PMV-L) project.  The prototype was unveiled in ...