• Air Warfare

  Belgium’s F-35A order progresses at it awaits first jet delivery by late 2025

  12th June 2025

  The first aircraft delivery timeline confirmation comes as Belgium weighs up an additional F-3A buy from Lockheed Martin.

• Land Warfare

  Sweden to purchase IRIS-T air defence systems for $930 million

  24th June 2025

  This recent purchase of the medium-range air defence system adds to the country’s ongoing efforts to ramp up its overall defence readiness and capabilities.

• Land Warfare

  Germany places order for army medical stations

  9th January 2025

  The aid stations are designed to be mounted onto trucks, such as the Rheinnetall HX family of vehicles, and will be in ballistic protected and unprotected versions.

• Air Warfare

  Hanwha Aerospace and GA-ASI join forces to co-develop UAVs

  3rd April 2025

  The $510 million partnership will see Hanwha invest to co-develop and manufacture the Gray Eagle STOL, with a maiden flight test expected by 2027.

• Naval Warfare

  Another $18.4 billion committed to USN Virginia-class submarines

  2nd May 2025

  The contract was awarded to HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division and General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB). As well as for the building of the boats, contract money will also go towards improving productivity at the shipyards, workforce support and other investment.

• Air Warfare

  Avalon 2025: Anduril looks to build solid rocket motors in Australia and plans to fire up Fury

  27th March 2025

  Anduril is in the running for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) requirement with its large Fury unmanned aerial system (UAS) but the solid rocket motor (SRM) maker sees a big opportunity in Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) plans.

• Land Warfare

  Borsuk IFV programme marks turning point for Poland’s armoured modernisation

  30th June 2025

  The Borsuk vehicles are to replace the Soviet-designed BMP-1 as the Polish military’s main tracked Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV).

• Air Warfare

  Latin American air forces look beyond fighters to revamp transport aircraft fleets

  4th February 2026

  The Mexican Air Force has become the first Latin American operator of the C-130J Super Hercules, but the service is not alone in acquiring a tactical airlifter in recent months.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy sends second destroyer to patrol its own southern border

  26th March 2025

  The USS Spruance will help enforce anti-smuggling and anti-immigration laws.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy shipbuilding branded “too slow” and “too expensive” by acquisition chief

  12th March 2025

  Several of the US Navy’s leading programmes, including the Constellation-class frigate and the Virginia-class submarine, are significantly behind schedule.

• Naval Warfare

  Newest Arleigh Burke Flight III destroyer launched and ready for fitting

  27th March 2025

  DDG 129, which will become the USS Jeremiah Denton on commissioning, was moved to dry dock to begin its technical fitting and testing.

• Land Warfare

  Leonardo acquires Iveco Defence in $1.9 billion deal

  31st July 2025

  The acquisition will help consolidate Leonardo’s position in the European land defence sector, aiding it in efforts to boost its domain “interoperability vision”, according to Leonardo’s CEO.

• Air Warfare

  FCAS programme to launch Phase 2 by mid-2026, say French officials

  22nd May 2025

  Developed by France, Spain and Germany, the European 6th-generation combat air programme is progressing apace with new milestones expected by next year after delays to the programme.

• Air Warfare

  What lessons could Europe learn from air power use in Ukraine?

  3rd July 2025

  The use of air power by both sides in the ongoing conflict has been extensively focused on, influencing policy and procurement around the world. But are the lessons from the front line universally applicable, or should other nations be planning for very different scenarios?

• Naval Warfare

  Why USNORTHCOM would struggle to defeat China in the Arctic

  6th March 2025

  Not having enough naval and C4ISR capabilities to patrol and monitor the region would the US at risk in a conflict with China in the Arctic region.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  MQ-1 Gray Eagle [US Army]

  Background Required Quantity Although the US Army first envisioned a requirement for 132 MQ-1C Gray Eagles, the US Army's Army Acquisition Objective (AAO) was increased ...

• Main battle tanks

  NGCV: DLP

  Programme Background Requirement The DLP is one of five vehicle families being developed for the US Army's NGCV programme. Expanded to include five programmes in ...

• AGMV 1.1

  Programme Background The US Army has been seeking a lightweight, air-droppable, high mobility vehicle since as early as 2014, when it initiated its Ultra Light ...

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

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) [US Army]

  Background USMC First, Army Second In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial Resupply ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  AMPV [USA]

  Programme Background Platform Development The US Army initiated the AMPV programme to acquire a replacement for several variants of the M113 tracked APC, which has ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract [US Army]

  Programme Background As of January 2021, the US DoD had signed 15 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all ...

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

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 2) [US Army]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was intended to ...

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

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 1) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker (Sergeant Stout) [USA]

  Programme Background As part of the Army Transformation Initiative the US DoD is fundamentally reorganising the structure of the US Army. As part of this all Infantry ...

• 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, ...

• Loitering munitions

  Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System (LMAMS) [US Army]

  Background First Contract In June 2011, the US awarded AeroVironment a $4.9 million series-production contract for the loitering munition, satisfying the US Army's Lethal Miniature ...

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

  Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) [Tranche 1] / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) (USA)

  Programme Background The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) Programme The RPUAS programme will provide the Battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Switchblade 300 (USA)

  Programme Background AeroVironment has been providing the Switchblade 300 loitering munition to the US Army under the long-standing Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile Systems (LMAMS) programme ...

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

  Group 4/5 UAV [US Army]

  Background Request for Information (RFI) On 5 June 2024, the American DoD published an RfI with an original response date of 19 July 2024. The ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  US Army Maneuver Support Vessel Light (MSVL)

  Programme BackgroundThe Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) or MSV(L) contract was awarded by the US Army to Vigor in 2017 and are being built to replace ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army AVCATT PDSS

  L3Harris Technologies is the prime contractor for the US Army’s Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT) Post Deployment Software Support (PDSS) programme. L3Harris Technologies is ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army Flight School XXI OFT/RCTD

  L3Harris Technologies is a major subcontractor to CSC on the US Army’s Flight School XXI (FSXXI) programme. L3Harris Technologies has built or is under contract ...

• Maritime patrol

  US-2

  The ShinMaywa US-2 is an amphibious short take-off and landing aircraft used primarily by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) for SAR. 

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  OH-58 Kiowa

  The single-engine OH-58 Kiowa, derived from the Bell 206, entered US Army service in 1969 as a light observation helicopter. More than 2,200 were built for ...

• Towed guns

  M198

  The US Army developed the M198 155mm towed howitzer from 1969 to replace the M114 155mm howitzer. From 1978, 1,600 weapons were built by Rock ...

• Towed mortars

  M120/M120A1

  The M120/M120A1 120 mm Towed Mortar System is a US-built version of the Soltam K6 mortar that was accepted into US Army service in 1990.

• Light tanks

  M10 Booker

  The US Army awarded General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) a contract worth US$1.14 billion to supply 96 light tanks under the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) ...

• JPT

  Designed for military applications, the Joint Platform Tablet (JPT) features a rugged design, including a military-grade aluminium case, dual-core processor, 128GB removable hard drive and ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72A/B Lakota

  In 2006, the US Army selected a version of the medium-sized, twin-engine H145, designated the UH-72A Lakota,  to meet its requirement for a new Light ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  M1150 ABV

  The M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) project, launched by the USMC in 2002, is a joint programme to meet the requirements of both the US ...

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

  RQ-7 Shadow 200

  The Shadow 200, designated RQ-7B by the US Army, is flown by the army brigade combat teams and combat aviation brigades along with the UAV ...

• REBS

  The Rapidly Emplaced Bridge System (REBS) is a 13m dry-gap bridge. It was designed by GDELS to meet a US Army requirement to provide a ...

• Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  AN/PLQ-9 Thor-III

  Sierra Nevada’s AN/PLQ-9 Thor-III is the standard Counter Improvised Explosive Device (CIED) manpack system in service with the US Army and US Marine Corps (USMC). ...

• DSB

  WFEL was selected in 1996 to develop the M18 Dry Support Bridge (DSB) for the US Army. The company designed, manufactured and integrated the DSB ...

• Individual grenade launchers

  M320 GLM

  The M320 Grenade Launcher Module (GLM) is a further development of the HK AG36 (see separate entry) to meet a US Army requirement. The M320 ...