• Naval Warfare

  USS Detroit begins testing of SSMM

  5th December 2018

  The US Navy has begun initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E;) of the Surface-to-Surface Missile Module (SSMM) on Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Detroit. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  RAF considers RPAS to enhance force protection

  5th December 2018

  Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel from the Force Protection Centre at RAF Honington recently carried out an operational capability demonstration using the Aeryon SkyRanger UAS …

• Naval Warfare

  Algeria receives last Improved Kilo class

  9th December 2018

  The Algerian Navy has received its second Improved Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine, after the vessel completed a transit from the Admiralteyskye Verfy shipyard neat St Petersburg, …

• Special Operations

  USSOCOM outlines LTATV follow-on plans

  7th December 2018

  United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has released additional information surrounding its interest in a follow-on Light Tactical All Terrain Vehicle (LTATV) platform. LTATVs are …

• Defence Helicopter

  Egypt requests AH-64E helicopter FMS

  30th November 2018

  The US government has made a determination approving a potential foreign military sale of ten AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to Egypt, the Defense Security Cooperation …

• Naval Warfare

  Valiant name confirmed for second Dreadnought SSBN

  6th December 2018

  In keeping with the UK MoD’s penchant for batches of announcements or orders, its submarine industry was the recipient of two doses of good will …

• Military Logistics

  Rolls-Royce’s generator sets for Type 45

  29th November 2018

  Rolls-Royce will supply 18 MTU Series 4000 diesel generator sets to BAE Systems as part of the Power Improvement Project (PIP) for the Royal Navy's …

• Defence Notes

  Japan develops new weapon technologies such as railguns

  18th November 2018

  The Japanese MoD’s import of expensive American weapons such as Aegis Ashore, F-35As, MV-22B Ospreys and AAV7s is squeezing the budget for procurement and R&D; …

• Naval Warfare

  Ballistic reaction to faulty boomer welds prompts fixes

  8th November 2018

  BWX Technologies is improving its welding and inspection processes to prevent a recurrence of the defects it found in several missile tubes it made for …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  China steps up drone race with stealth aircraft

  9th November 2018

  China is unleashing stealth drones and pilotless aircraft fitted with AK-47 rifles onto world markets, racing to catch up to US technology and adding to …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Alpha Unmanned Systems to demo Alpha 800

  29th October 2018

  Alpha Unmanned Systems will present its gasoline-powered VTOL UAS, the Alpha 800, at NATO’s Exercise Trident Juncture in Trondheim, Norway. Trident Juncture 2018 is a …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UMS Skeldar, Scanfil partner for V-200 production

  26th October 2018

  UMS Skeldar has partnered with Finnish company Scanfil to ramp up its UAS volume production capability, the company announced on 22 October. The partnership will …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Euronaval 2018: Hero prepares for flight trials from Italian FREMM

  24th October 2018

  Leonardo’s AWHero VTOL UAV will begin flight trials off of an Italian Navy FREMM frigate early next year, as preparations continue for its participation in …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AWHero’s communications trials with Wildcat

  29th October 2018

  Leonardo has disclosed efforts to extend the communications range and manned/unmanned teaming capabilities of the AWHero VTOL UAS, a company official has said. Addressing delegates …

• Defence Helicopter

  Zhuhai Air Show 2018: Z-10ME attack helicopter breaks cover

  7th November 2018

  The Aviation Corporation of China (AVIC) displayed a Z-10ME attack helicopter at Zhuhai Air Show 2018, this being an export version of the Z-10 attack …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  K1000ULE [USMC]

  Programme Background Contact Award After a comprehensive down-selection evaluation, Kraus Hamdani Aerospace's K1000ULE drone won the USN's PMA 263 contract in April 2024. The company will now provide the USN ...

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

  AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) [US]

  Background Aims & Timeline As stated by DARPA, the ANCILLARY programme aims to develop and fly an X-plane that will provide a “leap-ahead” in long-endurance, VTOL-capable ...

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

  Class 2 Tactical UAS [Ireland]

  Background EU Tender On 13 March 2024, the Irish Department of Defence released a planning notice on the EU tenders website, confirming that the Irish ...

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

  Onboard Mini-Drone Systems (SMDM) (69-90) [France]

  Background Contract Announcement On 3 February 2026, Airbus, Survey Copter’s parent company, announced that the French Directorate General of Armament (DGA) had ordered the Aliaca VTOL variant ...

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

  Camcopter S-300 [South Korea]

  Programme Background Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) On 18 January 2023, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Northop Grumman at a ...

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

  Embarked VTOL UAV [South Korea]

  Background VTOL Development In January 2024, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that it would commence development of a VTOL-capable rotary-wing UAV to be ...

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

  Ship-Bourne VTOL UAV [Singapore]

  Background Multi-Role Combat Vessel  The Republic of Singapore Navy will retire its six Victory-class corvettes and replace them with a new platform, the Multi-Role Combat ...

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

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

  Background Request for Information (RfI) In September 2022, the Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) launched a request for information in preparation for a possible procurement ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  VTOL UAV [New Zealand]

  Background Defence Capability Plan (DCP) In April 2025, the New Zealand government published the DCP, a document that is essentially a blueprint for what procurements ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Cargo UAV (Turkey)

  Programme Background Inception & Requirment Turkey's Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) initiated a programme to procure VTOL-capable cargo drones in June 2018. These were planned for ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Virginia Class Attack Submarine (SSN 812 - SSN 822)

  Programme Background Timeline The US Navy’s Virginia-class submarines (SSN 774) are built by both General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) under ...

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

  Aerobo Wing AS-VT02A [Malaysia]

  Background Requirment As reported by Shephard, in June 2021, Malaysia issued a tender for fixed-wing, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capable UAVs. The tender stated that Malaysia ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | KSS-III (Boats 7-9) [South Korea]

  The Republic of Korean Navy's (RoKN), formerly named Jangbogo III-class (KSS-III) submarines are the latest variant of diesel-electric attack boats (SSKs) entering service under South ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | KSS-III (Boats 7-9) [South Korea]

  The Republic of Korean Navy's (RoKN), formerly named Jangbogo III-class (KSS-III) submarines are the latest variant of diesel-electric attack boats (SSKs) entering service under South ...

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

  Artillery UAV [Thailand]

  Programme Background Requirement & Replacement The Royal Thai Army (RTA) was understood to be seeking a new tactical UAV to replace four legacy Israel Aerospace Industries ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  QTP-UAV

  The Quad Tilt Prop UAV (QTP-UAV) is an electric platform that is designed to provide VTOL capability with high-speed horizontal flight. 

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Zala 421-22

  The Zala 421-22 is a rotary-wing UAV designed for ship- or land-based reconnaissance and surveillance, bomb damage assessment and real-time target acquisition. The VTOL UAV ...

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

  VU-R70

  The VU-R70 is a small fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV from Viettel. A gasoline engine powers its horizontal flight, while four electric motors give it a VTOL capability. The ...

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

  A-Hawk I (Cloud-1)

  Part of a strike-capable ISTAR series of A-Hawk platforms is the A-Hawk I (Cloud-1) VTOL developed by AVIC. Reports indicate that the A-Hawk I enables ...

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

  Zada

  Zada is a mini fixed-wing UAV designed for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance (ISR) missions. It features tilt-rotor systems, which give it a VTOL capability.

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

  CL-9

  The CL-9 is a fixed-wing VTOL UAV. It is fitted with two underwing pylons with electric brushless motors at each end powering rotors to provide ...

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

  CW-25D

  The CW-25D is VTOL capable UAV manufactured by Chengdu Jouav Automation Technology Co CW (JOUAV). It is a hybrid platform containing a 64cc two-stroke gasoline engine and electric ...

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

  PEN 35VE/VH

  The PEN 35VE/VH is a fixed-wing, VTOL-capable drone from Pen Aviation. Available in two variants, an electric and an electric hybrid, the UAV is designed for surveillance, ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Maya Mk1

  The Maya Mk1 is a small, electric VTOL UAV with a 'tail-sitting' design. It is an encased system that allows for safe operation in urban ...

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

  SR-10 VTOL

  Deftech showcased the SR-10 VTOL at DSA 2022. It has been locally designed in Malaysia to conduct aerial mapping, surveillance and line inspection missions. The hand-launched platform is powered ...

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

  Turac VTOL UAV

  The Turac is a fixed-wing VTOL UAV developed jointly by Havelsan and Istanbul Technical University Aerospace Research Center. It can be used for traditional military ISR ...

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

  Drako

  Drako is a quadrotor electric VTOL UAV suitable for close-range surveillance and reconnaissance on SF and police missions, especially in urban areas. It is available ...

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

  XV-24A LightningStrike

  The XV-24A LightningStrike, developed by Aurora Flight Sciences and its partners Rolls-Royce and Honeywell, was a project for a tilt-wing UAV powered by an electric-distributed ...

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

  Rakshak VTOL

  The Rakshak VTOL is a fixed-wing UAV with an EO/IR sensor for ISR missions. Developed by TATA Advanced Systems, the UAV is VTOL-capable, allowing it to operate ...

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

  H12 Poseidon

  The H12 Poseidon is the largest member of Swarmly's UAV family. Designed to compete with other theatre-level UAVs, the fixed-wing VTOL capable H12 integrates many payload options, such ...