• Training

  Avalon 2019: Boeing’s T-X spreads its wings

  26th February 2019

  After winning the US Air Force’s Advanced Pilot Training (APT) programme Boeing is now in discussions with potential international customers for the T-X training aircraft.  These are …

• Special Operations

  NSW seeks foreign weapons training

  26th February 2019

  US Naval Special Warfare Command representatives have announced the command’s intent to award a “Foreign Weapons course of instruction” (COI) contract, according to a 25 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Unmanned Systems Asia 2019: Aselsan hits the ground running in Singapore

  10th April 2019

  Turkish first-time exhibitor Aselsan demonstrated its unmanned ground portfolio on the show floor at Unmanned Systems Asia 2019. On display was the company’s UKAP, a …

• Military Logistics

  Oman allows US military to use its ports

  25th March 2019

  Oman on 24 March said it had signed an agreement with the US that would allow American ships and warplanes to take advantage of ports …

• Naval Warfare

  BAE Systems to support USS Anchorage upgrades

  1st April 2019

  BAE Systems has received a $41.8 million contract to perform routine maintenance and modernisation of the US Navy’s amphibious transport dock ship, USS Anchorage (LPD …

• Digital Battlespace

  Russian Land Forces take on Niobiy-SV radars

  10th April 2019

  The Russian Land Forces have begun the renewal of their long-range early warning radar inventory with the new 1L125 Niobiy-SV 3D mobile system, developed and …

• Land Warfare

  L3 receives STORM 2 production contract

  2nd April 2019

  L3 Technologies has received a seven-year, $215 million contract from the US Army Contracting Command to provide soldiers with the Small Tactical Optical Rifle-Mounted Micro …

• Defence Helicopter

  CH-47F Block II makes maiden flight

  29th March 2019

  Boeing’s CH-47F Block II EMD Chinook has made its first flight at the company’s Philadelphia facility, marking a key milestone in a programme that has …

• Defence Notes

  USAF suspends KC-46A tanker deliveries again

  3rd April 2019

  For the second time this year, the US Air Force has temporarily stopped accepting new KC-46A Pegasus tankers after finding foreign object debris (FOD) in the …

• Naval Warfare

  HII to build US Navy’s LPD 30

  29th March 2019

  Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division has received a $1.47 billion contract from the US Navy for the detail design and construction of amphibious transport …

• Defence Notes

  US approves $3.8 billion F-16 sale to Morocco

  26th March 2019

  The US approved the sale of 25 F-16 fighter aircraft to Morocco for $3.8 billion on 25 March, the State Department announced. Besides the new …

• Naval Warfare

  Keel laid for future USS Marinette

  28th March 2019

  Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine have laid the keel for the US Navy’s 13th Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS 25), the future USS Marinette, …

• Naval Warfare

  UK Royal Navy presence in Gulf to get unmanned boost

  2nd April 2019

  Not two months on from announcing a programme to introduce a new class of Littoral Strike Ships for the Royal Navy, UK Defence Secretary Gavin …

• Land Warfare

  AUSA Global 2019: Lockheed Martin ramps up rocket production

  28th March 2019

  Lockheed Martin’s rhetoric at AUSA Global Force was an emphasis on increasing production of a number of its weapon systems and this was proven as …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Unmanned Systems Asia 2019: Indonesia follows regional trend with ubiquitous ScanEagle

  5th April 2019

  Indonesia will become the latest country in the Asia-Pacific region to integrate ScanEagle UAVs into its aerial operations, following a contract modification award on 29 …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

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

  Drone40 (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background In August 2022, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a think tank, held a podcast with Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, in which ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams [Poland]

  Programme Background Requirement Since the early 2010s Poland wanted to upgrade its Soviet-era tank fleet due to modernisation requirements, the need to increase interoperability with NATO ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel - Medium (Project Land 8710 Phase 1A) [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirements Australia has set out requirements for a fleet of up to 18 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels - Medium (LMV-M) with the release of ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Land 400 Phase 2 - Boxer CRV [Australia]

  Programme Background History The Land 400 Phase 2 programme will procure a replacement for the ASLAV, a derivative of the General Dynamics Land Systems Light Armoured Vehicle ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A4 [Czech Republic]

  Programme Background  The Czech Republic currently operates a small fleet of T-72s, which, while undergoing upgrades and life extension programmes, are increasingly obsolete. In October ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Second Hand SSNs [Australia]

  Programme Background Timeline In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Main battle tanks

  Viatura Blindada de Combate-Carro de Combate (VBC-CC) [Brazil]

  Programme Background Several key technical requirements have been outlined by the Brazilian MoD. Among the most important are that the platform should weigh less than ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A1 Abrams (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Australia has been amongst the various Western allies providing Ukraine with military aid. Prior ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  Programme Background AUKUS Australia announced on 16 September 2021 that the contract with Naval Group signed in 2016 had been cancelled. Although not a surprising ...

• Medium UGVs

  Mission Master (RPV Sprial 2) [UK]

  Programme Background First announced in April 2017 and referred to in early MOD documents as the ‘last mile resupply’ initiative, the British Army is reportedly ...

• 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, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Carl-Gustaf M3

  The Carl-Gustaf M3 is the third generation of the 84mm shoulder-fired recoilless antitank gun, first fielded by the Swedish Army in 1946. Since then, it ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120mm KE DM63 / DM53 A1 Tank Ammunition

  The 120mm kinetic energy tank ammunition is manufactured by Rheinmetall. There are several variations of the ammunition, including the DM63, which can be fired from ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120MM HEAT-TP F1A

  Franco-German KNDS-Nexter produce the 120mm High-Explosive Anti-Tank Training-Purpose F1A (HEAT-TP F1A) round to enable reduced-cost training for Main Battle Tank crews. 

• Main battle tanks

  M1/M1A1 Abrams

  The 105mm-armed M1 Abrams tracked MBT was introduced into US Army service in 1980 as a replacement for the 105mm-armed M60 MBT. In April 1991, ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120mm PELE Tank Ammunition

  The 120mm Penetrator with Enhanced Lateral Effect (PELE) tank ammunition is an inert round produced by Rheinmetall. It is suitable for use against semi-hard targets ...

• S-64 Helitanker Fire-fighting Equipment

  Erickson's 10,031l tank for the S-64 helitanker drops water, retardant or foam mix at a rate of around 95l/h. Microprocessor-controlled tank doors offer eight individual ...

• Naval: RF, IR and acoustic decoys

  Nulka

  The Nulka is an active anti-ship missile decoy originally conceived in Australia, and developed under a joint Australian-US programme. BAE Systems Australia is prime contractor, while ...

• Light mortars

  60mm Mortar Ammunition

  US-based LD Systems' 60mm Mortar ammunition fulfils the NATO standard for lightweight mortar ammunition.

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  120mm L55A1

  The 120mm L55A1 is a smoothbore high-pressure gun based on the L55 tank gun. The L55A1 has been qualified and in service since 2019. It ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  120mm L55 Tank Gun

  The 120mm L55 is a smoothbore tank gun produced by Rheinmetall. It is designed for use on the Leopard main battle tank, to which it ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3

  The M1A2 System Enhancement Package 3 (M1A2 SEPv3, also known as M1A2C) is the latest production-standard variant of the Abrams MBT. Designed primarily to address ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP)

  The M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) is a 120mm tank round developed by Northrop Grumman Defence Systems. Various customers, including Bahrain, Israel, and the US, use the tank ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition

  The Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition (NGVA) is a family of ammunition being developed by the US Army's Armaments Center and manufactured by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  SSN AUKUS

  The SSN-AUKUS will be the submarine design resulting from the AUKUS trilateral pact between Australia, the US and the UK. Expected to incorporate technology from ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  CVTESS

  Saab's Combat Vehicle Tactical Engagement Simulation System (CVTESS) is a laser-based simulator which supports every version of the Abrams Main Battle Tank and the Bradley ...