• Defence Notes

  Integrated Review needs to be revisited in every aspect, says Ellwood

  20th September 2022

  MP and Chair of the Defence Select Committee Tobias Ellwood told Shephard the UK's 2021 Integrated Review needed to be revisited in 'every aspect' as the world has changed fundamentally.

• Defence Notes

  New UK cabinet faces old defence budget troubles

  28th October 2022

  Pressure on the UK government is not easing despite a new Prime Minister taking office. There are plenty of questions as to how Rishi Sunak and his chancellor are planning to sustain defence spending amidst growing economic troubles.

• Defence Notes

  Despite the hype, India remains far from making it as a defence exporter (Opinion)

  13th January 2023

  There are positive signs of growth in India's defence exports, but there can be no denying that the country is punching well below its weight.

• Land Warfare

  BAE Systems sets out vision for next-generation combat vehicles

  28th October 2022

  BAE Systems is focusing on improving survivability, lethality and sustainability of new and in-service armoured platforms for the US military.

• Digital Battlespace

  Ukraine's Radionix seeks Turkish partners for airborne electronic warfare

  2nd November 2022

  Ukraine's Radionix, which supplies upgrade packages for Russian-made fast jets and air defence missile systems, used the SAHA event in Istanbul to pursue partnership opportunities with Turkish industry.

• Land Warfare

  Ringtausch brings indirect German aid to Ukraine

  12th October 2022

  In a convoluted fashion, Germany is assisting Ukraine via the Czech Republic.

• Air Warfare

  TF-X fighter prototype moves to final assembly but still no final decision on jet engine

  24th November 2022

  The prototype of the Turkish fifth-generation fighter jet TF-X is set to fly by 2025, but there are challenges Ankara needs to overcome before production can take off at scale.

• Naval Warfare

  New Swedish signal intelligence ship goes to sea amid Baltic tensions

  8th November 2022

  Following sea trials, HSwMS Artemis will be delivered to the Swedish Armed Forces to begin its mission of hoovering up intelligence in Baltic waters.

• Naval Warfare

  Black Sea drone attack reaffirms threat to naval vessels

  2nd November 2022

  A naval expert tells Shephard the Ukrainian attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet assets, as reported, fits into a long tradition of weaker navies seeking to find ways to counter more powerful opponents.

• Defence Notes

  UK defence strategy since the Integrated Review: the view from Washington

  26th September 2022

  What do US policymakers make of UK strategic thinking in the wake of the Integrated Review, and how could subsequent events affect the transatlantic defence relationship?

• Training

  QinetiQ ramps up special mission aircraft efforts across the globe

  12th October 2022

  The second DA62 multi-purpose aircraft will support training services QinetiQ is providing from its German base, while the acquisition of Air Affairs Australia will enhance the company's Asia-Pacific efforts.

• Land Warfare

  Can the US Army field a more lethal, mobile force for the 2030s?

  27th October 2022

  The US Army is emphasising autonomous systems, connectivity, firepower and sustainability to advance its combat capabilities by the 2030s.

• Defence Notes

  UK economic emergency sets stage for strong words and hollow actions on defence

  29th September 2022

  Much as UK Prime Minister Liz Truss wants to project strong British power on the global stage, investment in much-needed capabilities is jeopardised by the fragile economic situation.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Iran and Russia weigh risks and rewards from potential UAV deal

  31st August 2022

  A potential move to supply Russia with Iranian UAVs makes some sense but it is not without disadvantages.

• Defence Notes

  Norway plans higher defence spending in 2023 amid modernisation push, Russian threat

  6th October 2022

  Norway expects to spend 9.8% more on defence in 2023, although the pace of investment in new equipment will be slower than in 2022.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Akinci [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Two Export Contracts In January 2022, the Daily Sabah reported that Baykar had "recently" signed its first export contract for the Akinci. Haluk Bayraktar ...

• Tanks

  T-90S (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background.  The status of the Saudi Arabian T-90 deal is unclear, it is possible that these tanks may be purchased to replace stocks of ...

• Loitering munitions

  ZT-180 [Russia]

  Programme Background Claims On 23 February 2023, DER SPIEGEL reported that, according to information it had gathered, China and Russia were negotiating the purchase of 100 ZT-180 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Shahed-136 [Russia]

  Programme Background Iran's Involvement On 11 July 2022, according to US intelligence, Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor, announced during a statement that the Iranian ...

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

  Vector / Scorpion (Selected) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background 500 Systems Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Quantum-Systems has provided many drones to Ukraine. Over 400 units have been provided as aid ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  SkyRanger R70 (Ukraine Aid) [Canada]

  Programme Background On 19 February 2024, the Canadian Defence Minister, Bill Blair, announced that the country would donate more than 800 SkyRanger R70 UAVs to ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Heavy Lift Helicopter [Philippines]

  Programme Background Procurement from Russia In November 2021, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that a contract had been signed to acquire 16 Mi-171 heavy ...

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

  T-150 (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background Virtual Address On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. On 3 May 2022, the UK's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, virtually addressed the Ukrainian ...

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

  Black Hornet 3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Programme Background Russo-Ukraine War Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UAVs have proved vital to the country's defence. Consequently, as in this programme, the ...

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

  Quantix Recon (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background April Meeting In mid-April, just shy of two months after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the Ambassador and the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Ukraine met ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Germany]

  Programme Background Germany has operated the domestically produced Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Leopard 2 since its inception in the 1970s. Spanning now eight versions, the Leopard 2A8 is the ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

• Data links

  Data links | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Tanks

  T-80UD

  The 125mm-armed T-80UD MBT is a variant of the T-80 which was in production in Ukraine when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. An ...

• Loitering munitions

  AQV 100 Scalpel

  The AQV 100 Scalpel, or AQV-100, is a low-cost loitering munition manufactured by One Way Aerospace.  The drone is operated using a first-person view and ...

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

  Mini 2

  The Mini 2 is a micro rotary-wing drone from DJI. It features a 3-axis gimbaled 12MP camera for photographs and 4k/30fps for video capture. Shephard believes ...

• Transport

  An-140

  The An-140 is a light turboprop military transport aircraft developed from the An-140 regional airliner, which first flew in September 1997. It is designed to ...

• Air: sonar systems

  VGS-3

  The VGS-3 is a dipping sonar for the Ka-27/Ka-28 helicopter developed by the State Enterprise Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Hydrodevices.

• Loitering munitions

  Shahed-236

  The Shahed-236, or MC 236, is a successor to the Shahed-126. It is a loitering munition designed in Iran. The drone was presented to Russia in ...

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

  Orlan-10/10E

  Developed by the Russia-based Special Technology Center, the Orlan-10 is a medium-range UAS with many variants, such as the 10E, an export version introduced in 2017. The ...

• Fighter - air superiority

  MiG-29

  The MiG-29 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum) is an air superiority fighter aircraft designed to engage air targets in any weather, day and night.  The production ...

• Fighter - ground attack

  Su-25

  The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) is a single-seat ground attack aircraft developed for close combat air support missions. Production of the Su-25 began in ...

• Land: coastal surveillance radars

  Predel-E

  The Predel-E is a coastal surveillance radar produced by Russian manufacturer Concern Morinformsystem-Agat JSC. The system is intended as an over-the-horizon surveillance system, designed to ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Matrice 300 RTK

  The Matrice 300 RTK is a rotary-wing UAV manufactured by DJI. Despite being primarily aimed at industrial applications, militaries utilise it for ISR tasks.  In ...

• Artillery rockets

  9M55

  9M55 is a family of 300 mm artillery rockets developed for the BM-30 Uragan MLRS developed by the USSR.

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  SURA HMTDS

  SURA is a helmet-mounted display system produced in Ukraine. Notably, it offers off-boresight acquisition capability to pilots and can cue the aircraft's sensor systems using ...

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

  Orion / Orion-E

  The Orion, sometimes called the Inokhodets, is the first Russian-manufactured MALE UAV that has been designed to carry out a wide variety of military surveillance applications. Russia has ...

• Transport

  An-22

  The largest transport aircraft of the time, the An-22 Antei (NATO reporting name Cock) is a heavy military transport aircraft developed by Antonov in the ...