• Digital Battlespace

  Future M-frigates to be fitted with next-gen fire control system

  28th February 2019

  The Dutch and Belgian future M-class frigates will be fitted with a new fire control system (FCS) currently under development by Thales in the Netherlands, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  USAF announces Swarm and Search AI Challenge

  25th January 2019

  The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), in collaboration with Wright Brothers Institute and University of …

• Training

  BISim releases product updates

  22nd January 2019

  Bohemia Interactive Simulations has released updates to its VBS3, VBS Blue IG, VBS Simulation SDK and VBS IG SDK products, the company announced on 18 …

• Training

  ADECS 2019: Asia has taste for Russian and Chinese trainers

  22nd January 2019

  The Lao People’s Liberation Army Air Force received its first Yakovlev Yak-130 advanced jet trainer (AJT) from Russia on 20 December, and three more have …

• Special Operations

  USASOC conducts AI/ML workshop

  17th December 2018

  The US Army Special Operations Command has completed a workshop focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), in an effort to better understand …

• Digital Battlespace

  GMS prepares for US Army future digital requirements

  8th December 2018

  General Micro Systems (GMS) is looking to future US Army server and display requirements, with the company researching artificial intelligence (AI), video enhancements, and other …

• Military Logistics

  Lockheed Martin awarded exoskeleton work

  4th December 2018

  Lockheed Martin has received a contract from the US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) to enhance the Onyx exoskeleton for future …

• Digital Battlespace

  AOC 2018: Pentagon creates entity to promote artificial intelligence

  28th November 2018

  The US Department of Defense (DoD) has stood up a new Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) to spur the rapid development and fielding of new …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Boeing, SparkCognition to launch JV

  26th November 2018

  Boeing and SparkCognition plan to launch a new company called SkyGrid that will work to enable the future of urban aerial mobility. Based in Austin, …

• Digital Battlespace

  DARPA announces AI Next colloquium

  20th November 2018

  The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced on 16 November that it will be holding an Artificial Intelligence Colloquium (AIC) in March 2019 to …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2018: Marathon longevity for robotic targets

  27th November 2018

  Marathon Targets' autonomous robot targets are continuing to provide service to warfighters in live training environments more than a decade after their entry into the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Europe gets taste for power in new unmanned future

  15th November 2018

  Europe’s first hydrogen-powered UAS was unveiled on 15 November at London’s Commercial UAV Show, demonstrating how extended flying times could become a reality for smaller …

• Digital Battlespace

  Airbus confident AI will dominate the future of air power

  7th November 2018

  Artificial intelligence (AI) and greater interoperability of airborne and ground based systems will soon dictate the way in which future air combat programmes unfold. That’s …

• Digital Battlespace

  RAF ISTAR Force moves forward with transformation

  24th October 2018

  The UK's Royal Air Force (RAF) is moving forward with an ambitious plan to transform its intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) force to …

• Digital Battlespace

  Japan developing a counter-IED system

  9th October 2018

  Because the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) does not have any vehicles able to remotely detect IEDs, the Ground Systems Research Center (GSRC) of the …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light attack, Trainer

  IA-63 Pampa III (Follow-On) [Argentina]

  Programme Background After the previous procurement of six AI-63 Pampa III aircraft from 2018 and 2019 agreements, Argentina was left with a further need for 34 aircraft. ...

• Military UAS - small

  Shield AI UAVs [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Reported talks Reporting from the World Defence Show (WDS) 2026, the Middle East Eye (MEE) noted that, according to two sources, Saudi Arabia was ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  X-Bat [Poland]

  Background Polish involvement Speaking in June 2026, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Shield AI offered Poland a role in the X-Bat programme, with the ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat [India]

  Background Make In India The ‘Make In India’ is an initiative by the Indian government to grow the domestic manufacturing industry. In the defence context, ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Group Unmanned Isr DronE (GUIDE) [Netherlands]

  Background Competition On 14 March 2025, the Netherlands announced a competition on the EU tendering website for the future procurement of 514 UAVs for intelligence, surveillance, ...

• 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 - small

  Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services [USN]

  Background ISR services In April 2026, several companies announced that the USN had selected them to provide Contractor-Owned, Contractor-Operated (COCO) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat 128 [Brazil]

  Background Contract award On 7 February 2022, Shield AI announced on its website that it had, on 21 January 2021, signed a contract with VSK Tactical, through ...

• Loitering munitions

  Seth-X and Anubis (Ukraine aid) [Germany]

  Background German-built, Ukraine-bound The Auterion Airlogix Joint Venture GmbH was established in February 2026 at the Munich Security Conference by the German company Auterion and ...

• Military UAS - small

  V-Bat [Netherlands]

  Background Contract award On 9 July 2025, Shield AI announced that the Netherlands MoD had acquired eight V-Bat aircraft, specifically the V-Bat 400, to enhance the maritime ...

• AEW&C

  GlobalEye [Canada]

  Background Canada and Sweden have been strengthening ties, particularly in defence, as middle powers continue to diversify their relationships due to increasingly strained relations with ...

• Medium UGVs

  Engineer Autonomous Breaching Capability (EABC)

  Background The US Army is currently evaluating the use of UGVs in a variety of support roles. The EABC is intended to provide US Army ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Sonora (Second tranche) [France]

  Methodology PGO and programme status The programme has been marked as contracted because the DGA has formally issued two contracts to Harmattan AI for the ...

• 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 ...

• Medium UGVs

  Infantry Last Tactical Mile (ILTM) [US]

  Background As part of the Army Transformation Initiative (ATI), the US Army is accelerating its procurement of UGVs. As part of this effort, it has launched ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: vehicle surveillance/target acquisition systems

  TKN-AI

  TKN-AI is a commander’s periscope intended for guiding a vehicle, and battlefield observation and target acquisition by day and night. It is compatible with T-62, ...

• Fixed wing aircraft engines

  AI-20M

  The Ivchenko AI-20 is a Soviet turboprop engine developed in the 1950s. Although the engines were originally designed for civil cargo aircraft servicing medium- and ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  AI-450

  The AI-450 is a Ukrainian engine developed by Ivachenko-Progress, with Motor Sich acting as the production partner to supply parts and components. The turboprop engine ...

• Fixed wing aircraft engines

  АI-24

  The Ivchenko AI-24 turboprop aircraft engine was initially designed and manufactured in the late-1950s. Manufacturing was later moved to Motor Sich, a Ukraine based manufacturer ...

• Fixed wing aircraft engines

  AI-222-25

  Manufactured by Ukraine’s Motor Sich, the AI-222 is a high thrust-to-weight ratio turbofan engine family developed to power Russian Air Force advanced trainers and light ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  X-Bat

  The X-Bat is an AI-piloted, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) autonomous combat aircraft designed for expeditionary and maritime operations in contested environments. Unveiled by Shield ...

• Medium UGVs

  ULTRA

  ULTRA is a medium UGV developed by Overland AI for a variety of operations.

• Loitering munitions

  Mizrak

  Mizrak, manufactured by Baykar, is an artificial intelligence (AI) powered loitering munition with AI-powered target detection and visual diving. The UAV was unveiled at SAHA 2026 ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  Hivemind

  Developed by Shield AI, Hivemind is an ecosystem of tightly integrated AI software tools and interfaces that leverages several factors to deliver  intelligent and resilient autonomy ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - mini

  GA-10FPV-AI

  The GA-10FPV-AI is a Lithuanian FPV quadcopter drone manufactured by Granta Autonomy. The drone can carry a 3kg payload and operate in GNSS-denied environments. In September 2024, Granta Autonomy ...

• Transport

  An-32

  The An-32 (NATO reporting name Cline) is a light military transport aircraft that can be operated in hot temperatures (up to 50°C) and from mountain ...

• Subsystems: software

  DI-Guy

  DI-Guy is an AI, scenario and SDK for real-time human visualisation, simulation and artificial intelligence. DI-Guy has thousands of realistic ready-to-use characters and motions. It ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Sonora

  Sonora, or Delco, is a micro rotary-wing UAV manufactured by Harmattan AI. It is a cost-effective, training-focused UAV built to simulate ISR operations. In June 2025, France acquired 1,000 ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Scorpio 1000

  Described as an outdoor precision striker, the Scorpio 1000 is a rotary-wing quadcopter from XTEND.  It has advanced AI auto-targeting that enables precise flight without ...

• CUAS - jammers

  Tron C-UAS Jammer

  Designed to counter the threat of Chinese drones, Tron Future Tech's counter-uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS) is an AESA-based, AI-supported drone defense system with satellite connectivity.