• Land Warfare

  Digital backbone: bringing new capabilities to the UK defence market

  29th August 2025

  In Conversation: Shephard’s Gerrard Cowan talks to Bittium’s newly appointed general manager for UK defence, Dean Aldridge, about how the company’s tactical communications technologies can empower the British armed forces, and its ambitions for the UK market.

• Air Warfare

  Philippines acquires additional FA-50 aircraft in $700 million contract

  4th June 2025

  Korea Aerospace Industries has netted a follow-on order from the country for 12 aircraft to be delivered by 2030.

• Land Warfare

  July land forces roundup: UK outlines spending with details unveiled on Eurosatory vehicles

  31st July 2026

  Analysis of the long-awaited UK Defence Investment Plan, which was finally released on 30 June, revealed scant investment in platform replacement for the British Army. The bright spot in July, however, was a multibillion-dollar contract awarded for the British Army’s Collective Training System.

• Digital Battlespace

  Aselsan brings in dozens of companies and systems under the Steel Dome umbrella

  12th October 2025

  Turkey has joined the family of countries attempting to establish a multilayered air defence system with government approval in August 2024 for the effort landed by Aselsan. Dubbed Steel Dome, the programme joins Israel’s Iron Dome, the US Golden Dome, India’s Mission Sudarshan Chakra and South Korea’s low-altitude missile defence system.

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Australian Navy takes first Arafura OPV for testing

  30th January 2025

  Though the delivery marks progress, the delayed programme was slashed to six vessels in 2024.

• Air Warfare

  “Gloves are off” as US Defense Secretary memo calls for sweeping drone procurement reform

  14th July 2025

  US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has promised to usher in a new era of “military drone dominance”.

• Land Warfare

  Next-generation gun set to boost US Army combat vehicle capabilities

  8th January 2026

  The 50mm main weapon on the XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle currently being competed for by industry will offer a step-change in firepower and targeting over the in-service M2 Bradley.

• Defence Notes

  “The challenge is not demand, but delivery”: why rapid building of industrial capability is key to Europe’s future defence

  3rd June 2026

  In today’s complex security landscape, military requirements are rapidly evolving across all domains. As European defence spending rises, industry is under growing pressure to expand production capacity, strengthen supply chains and accelerate delivery timelines to meet operational demand.

• Land Warfare

  Portugal set to join Boxer team as it progresses its army transformation

  22nd January 2026

  The Portuguese Army is undergoing an overhaul of its platforms with the latest move towards Boxer 8x8 vehicles marking a major step in reforming and modernising its brigades.

• Air Warfare

  Avalon 2025: Innovaero unveils loitering munitions and makes case for involvement in guided weapons programme

  27th March 2025

  Innovaero has had local success with its One-Way Loitering (OWL) electric-powered kamikaze drone which is believed to be in service with the Australian Army. The company, however, is eyeing potential involvement in the Australian Government’s Guided Weapon Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) plan to push local industry.

• Land Warfare

  UN “not fulfilling core tasks” for Ukraine, says Estonian defence secretary

  10th March 2026

  Estonia is looking for innovative ways to deal with its particular challenges but, according to the MoD’s permanent secretary, Kaimo Kuusk, technology still needs to be backed up by old-fashioned long-range punch.

• Air Warfare

  Textron firms up potential bid for US Navy Undergraduate trainer contract

  29th October 2025

  The company has said it would assemble its Beechcraft M-346N aircraft at its east Wichita campus with significant investment placed to modernise the hub if it wins the contract.

• Air Warfare

  Taurus KEPD 350E missile sees upgrade for German armed forces

  4th April 2025

  Taurus Systems, a joint venture between MBDA Germany and Saab, was awarded a $161 million 10-year contract in January 2025 to modernise the Taurus 350 missile.

• Naval Warfare

  SAHA 2026: Turkey markets modular undersea systems to European buyers

  13th May 2026

  Turkey’s defence industry is pushing a class of platform and building an entire philosophy of cost-imposition around it.

• Air Warfare

  Airbus, Babcock and CAE partner for Poland helicopter training requirement

  19th May 2025

  Poland first issued a requirement for up to 24 helicopters and associated training systems in January 2024.

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 - 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. ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  Medium Range Air Defence [Australia]

  Background Faced with a growing threat from China and a vast land and sea territory to protect, Australia is seeking to establish a medium-range ground-based ...

• 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 - 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 - 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Mission Talon Strike [Australia]

  Background Request for Tender (RFT) On 19 May 2025, the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), an agency aimed at streamlining defence invocation for the Australian Defence ...

• Military UAS - small

  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 ...

• Trainer

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

  Programme Background Requirements The RAAF is seeking a future solution that provides a ‘relevant, adaptable, affordable and safe LIFTS out to 2050’ for training pilots ...

• Military UAS - small

  DEF129 (Tactical UAS) [Australia]

  Programme Background Programme Announcement The Australian Army announced the Project Land 129 Phase 3 programme in 2017. This announcement led to the release of an industry ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Harpii Szpon (Loyal Wingman) [Poland]

  Background Market Evaluation On 6 November 2023, speaking at the IQPC International Fighter Conference (IFC) 2023 in Madrid, Major General Cezary Wiśniewski, the Deputy General Commander of the ...

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. ...

• 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 - 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 - MALE

  MQ-28A Ghost Bat

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

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Military UAS - micro

  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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  AGM-88E AARGM

  The AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) is a supersonic, medium-range, air-launched tactical missile compatible with US and allied strike aircraft. Designed to upgrade the AGM-88 ...

• 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 ...