• Land Warfare

  Malaysian defence update: Key programmes under spotlight at DSA 2024

  3rd May 2024

  The Defence Services Asia (DSA) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur from 6–9 March will feature updates on Malaysia’s defence programmes, including the signing of Batch 2 Littoral Mission Ships and procurement plans for medium lift helicopters.

• Air Warfare

  IDEX 2025: Aselsan plans further electro-optic systems’ flight tests for 2025

  24th February 2025

  Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol confirmed that the tests for its TOYGUN and KARAT products would take place on a UAV platform as efforts continue to progress its “challenging” technology roadmap into 2025 and 2026.

• Digital Battlespace

  Thales combines lightweight sensors on specialist target designator vehicle

  20th June 2024

  The 6x6 Griffon VOA specialist vehicle uses a mix of mast-mounted electro-optics and radar to locate and designate targets primarily for French Army artillery batteries, but can also perform the same role for combat aircraft and helicopters. The Thales mission package is platform-agnostic and could be integrated on other vehicle families for export.

• Naval Warfare

  Hanwha Ocean to build FFX Batch-IV frigates for South Korea

  23rd December 2024

  Hanwha Ocean aims for consistency between Batch-III and Batch-IV, despite radical technological overhaul.

• Naval Warfare

  Canada names its long-awaited Joint Support Ship, HMCS Protecteur

  17th December 2024

  Development of the Protecteur Joint Support Ship was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and supply chain issues.

• Naval Warfare

  Keel laid for Royal Navy’s next-generation nuclear submarine

  25th March 2025

  HMS Dreadnought will be the first of the four Dreadnought class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) scheduled to enter service in the early 2030s. Following its keel-laying ceremony last week, Shephard takes a deeper dive into the class which will eventually replace the Royal Navy's long-standing Vanguard class of boats.

• Air Warfare

  Boeing’s Ghost Bat clocks up the milestones and progresses as Saab Australia gets on board

  15th January 2025

  More than 100 hours of physical flight have taken place since the first flight of MQ-28 Ghost Bat uncrewed aerial system (UAS) four years ago and this has been underpinned by approximately 20,000 hours of flying the digital twin.

• Air Warfare

  Japan cleared for more KC-46A aerial refuelling aircraft under $4.1 billion deal

  16th September 2024

  Japan ordered two KC-46A tanker aircraft under an FMS contract with the US Air Force awarded in December 2017. The deal was increased to six tankers with subsequent orders. Japan has now been approved for up to nine more aircraft.

• Air Warfare

  Lockheed takes US JAGM and Hellfire follow-on production order

  2nd April 2024

  The total contract award value for Hellfire and JAGM missiles for the US services was set out for up to $4.5 billion between 2023 and 2025.

• Land Warfare

  Rheinmetall starts work on a new Lithuanian artillery factory

  29th November 2024

  Rheinmetall’s new factory in Lithuania will produce hundreds of thousands of artillery shells and operations will begin in 2026.

• Land Warfare

  Canada signs contracts worth $1.8 billion for new logistics trucks

  30th May 2024

  Canada’s Logistics Vehicle Modernisation (LVM) project will acquire new fleets of light and heavy logistics vehicles, trailers, vehicle modules and armour protection kits. Aside from a transport role, they will also be used as cargo space, troop lift, ambulances, workshops and command posts.

• Air Warfare

  Elbit to deliver EW self-protection suites for a European country’s C-390 and H225M aircraft

  10th December 2024

  The system to be installed includes a digital radar warning receiver, infra-red missile warning system, laser warning system, countermeasure dispenser system and DIRCM (Directed Infrared Countermeasure) system.

• Naval Warfare

  Israel buys five Reshef missile ships to bolster its arsenal

  16th December 2024

  The five Reshef corvettes are expected to patrol Israel’s Exclusive Economic Zone and critical infrastructure.

• Naval Warfare

  GD to build more replenishment ships under deal potentially worth more than $6.7 billion

  15th September 2024

  GD-NASSCO is currently under contract for the first nine ships of the class and has delivered three to date. With this award, the company is set to build 17 of the US Navy’s 20-ship programme of record.

• Naval Warfare

  Portuguese mothership of uncrewed vehicles locks in Cube ecosystem from SH Defence

  21st February 2025

  The multi-purpose support ship being built by Damen for the Portuguese Navy has added a skidding system to its design to enhance its operational capabilities on launch.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Tanks

  NGCV: DLP

  Programme Background Requirement The DLP is one of five vehicle families being developed for the US Army's NGCV programme. Expanded to include five programmes in ...

• AGMV 1.1

  Programme Background The US Army has been seeking a lightweight, air-droppable, high mobility vehicle since as early as 2014, when it initiated its Ultra Light ...

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

  MQ-1 Gray Eagle [US Army]

  Programme Background Required Quantity Although the US Army first envisioned a requirement for 132 MQ-1C Gray Eagles, the US Army's Army Acquisition Objective (AAO) was ...

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

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 2) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was intended to ...

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

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) (Forecast) [US Army]

  Background USMC In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, which had been specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  AMPV (USA)

  Programme Background The US Army initiated the AMPV programme to acquire a replacement for several variants of the M113 tracked APC, which has been in ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract [US Army]

  Programme Background As of January 2021, the US DoD had signed 15 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all ...

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

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 1) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker (Sergeant Stout) [USA]

  Programme Background As part of the Army Transformation Initiative the US DoD is fundamentally reorganising the structure of the US Army. As part of this all Infantry ...

• Loitering munitions

  Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System (LMAMS) (Forecast) [US Army]

  Programme Background Contracted Units As covered in a separate programme entry, the US Army first procured AeroVironment's Switchblade 300 over a decade ago, beginning the service's ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Switchblade 300 (USA)

  Programme Background AeroVironment has been providing the Switchblade 300 loitering munition to the US Army under the long-standing Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile Systems (LMAMS) programme ...

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

  Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) [Tranche 1] / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) (USA)

  Programme Background The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) Programme The RPUAS programme will provide the Battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions [Switzerland]

  Programme Background Announcement In a February 2023 interview with Swiss news outlet CH-Media, Swiss army chief Thomas Süssli stated that the country was considering acquiring loitering ...

• Loitering munitions

  Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System (LMAMS) (Contracted) [US Army]

  Programme Background First Contract In June 2011, the US awarded AeroVironment a $4.9 series-production contract for the loitering munition, satisfying the US Army's Lethal Miniature ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  US Army Maneuver Support Vessel Light (MSVL)

  Programme BackgroundThe Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) or MSV(L) contract was awarded by the US Army to Vigor in 2017 and are being built to replace ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army AVCATT PDSS

  L3Harris Technologies is the prime contractor for the US Army’s Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT) Post Deployment Software Support (PDSS) programme. L3Harris Technologies is ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army Flight School XXI OFT/RCTD

  L3Harris Technologies is a major subcontractor to CSC on the US Army’s Flight School XXI (FSXXI) programme. L3Harris Technologies has built or is under contract ...

• Maritime patrol

  US-2

  The ShinMaywa US-2 is an amphibious short take-off and landing aircraft used primarily by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) for SAR. 

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  OH-58 Kiowa

  The single-engine OH-58 Kiowa, derived from the Bell 206, entered US Army service in 1969 as a light observation helicopter. More than 2,200 were built for ...

• Towed guns

  M198

  The US Army developed the M198 155mm towed howitzer from 1969 to replace the M114 155mm howitzer. From 1978, 1,600 weapons were built by Rock ...

• Tanks

  M10 Booker

  The US Army awarded General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) a contract worth US$1.14 billion to supply 96 light tanks under the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) ...

• Towed mortars

  M120/M120A1

  The M120/M120A1 120 mm Towed Mortar System is a US-built version of the Soltam K6 mortar that was accepted into US Army service in 1990.

• JPT

  Designed for military applications, the Joint Platform Tablet (JPT) features a rugged design, including a military-grade aluminium case, dual-core processor, 128GB removable hard drive and ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72A/B Lakota

  In 2006, the US Army selected a version of the medium-sized, twin-engine H145, designated the UH-72A Lakota,  to meet its requirement for a new Light ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  M1150 ABV

  The M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) project, launched by the USMC in 2002, is a joint programme to meet the requirements of both the US ...

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

  RQ-7 Shadow 200

  The Shadow 200, designated RQ-7B by the US Army, is flown by the army brigade combat teams and combat aviation brigades along with the UAV ...

• Infrastructure - bridges

  REBS

  The Rapidly Emplaced Bridge System (REBS) is a 13m dry-gap bridge. It was designed by GDELS to meet a US Army requirement to provide a ...

• Infrastructure - bridges

  DSB

  WFEL was selected in 1996 to develop the M18 Dry Support Bridge (DSB) for the US Army. The company designed, manufactured and integrated the DSB ...

• Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  AN/PLQ-9 Thor-III

  Sierra Nevada’s AN/PLQ-9 Thor-III is the standard Counter Improvised Explosive Device (CIED) manpack system in service with the US Army and US Marine Corps (USMC). ...

• Individual grenade launchers

  M320 GLM

  The M320 Grenade Launcher Module (GLM) is a further development of the HK AG36 (see separate entry) to meet a US Army requirement. The M320 ...