• Naval Warfare

  DSEI 2015: QinetiQ displays stand-off scanner

  9th September 2015

  QinetiQ will display its latest generation stand-off body scanner, at this year’s DSEI exhibition in London. It is currently in development with the US Transportation …

• Land Warfare

  PLA expands Type 09 family

  7th September 2015

  China boasted that 84% of the equipment participating in its military parade in Tiananmen Square on 3 September had never been publicly seen before. Among …

• Land Warfare

  Philippine M4 rifle woes

  27th August 2015

  Initial deliveries of a new rifle to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have been found to be defective. This has delayed their distribution …

• Land Warfare

  Prototype AAVs to survive-up

  26th August 2015

  Improvements to the survivability of the USMC Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAVP7A1) armoured personnel carriers are taking shape. Designated as the AAV Survivability Upgrade Programme it …

• Defence Helicopter

  Mistral cancellation casts shadow over Ka-52K programme

  21st August 2015

  Despite currently having no home to go to, the first Kamov Ka-52K shipborne attack helicopters will be delivered to Russian naval aviation front-line squadrons in …

• Land Warfare

  Prototype submachine guns for Taiwan

  18th August 2015

  New protoype submachine guns were displayed at the Taipei Aersospace & Defence Technology Exhibition (TADTE) last week. The state-owned 205th Arsenal of the Material Production …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Further 3D printed UAV trials possible

  14th August 2015

  The recent trials of 3D printed UAVs being launched off a UK Royal Navy warship could be extended to include recovery at sea operations. Last …

• Land Warfare

  Australia fields new rifle

  5th August 2015

  Thales Australia has received a sizeable order to manufacture new 5.56mm rifles for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) under the auspices of Project Land 125 …

• Military Logistics

  MLP boosts China’s amphibious capability

  24th July 2015

  China boosted its amphibious and naval logistics capability with the commissioning of a semi-submersible, heavy-lift mobile landing platform (MLP) into the South Sea Fleet on …

• Land Warfare

  Russia’s Izhmekh sold to private investors

  24th July 2015

  Rostec, Russia’s state corporation, has officially announced sale of a controlling stake in its Izhevsk Mechanical Plant (Izhmekh), one of Russia’s largest manufacturers of small …

• Military Logistics

  BAE to maintain USS Iwo Jima

  14th July 2015

  BAE Systems has been awarded a phased maintenance contract by the US Navy for its Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Italian Blade 2015 comes to a close

  9th July 2015

  Italian Blade 2015, a part of the European Defence Agency's (EDA) Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP), has concluded in Viterbo, with EDA declaring the exercise a …

• Land Warfare

  Australia approves LAND 125 Phase 3C

  8th July 2015

  The Australian government has given second pass approval for its LAND 125 Phase 3C – Soldier Enhancement Version 2 – Lethality project. The development will …

• Land Warfare

  Taiwan parades new equipment

  6th July 2015

  Taiwan’s military paraded a number of new types of equipment, including communications vehicles, missile systems, radars and helicopters, on 4 July to mark the 70th …

• Land Warfare

  SOFIC 2015: SOF commanders list force requirements

  5th June 2015

  Land, air and maritime SOF commanders have outlined their requirements at the SOFIC exhibition in Tampa Bay. Speaking at the conference, Lt Gen Charles Cleveland, …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  ZAHA (Batch 1) [Turkey]

  Background The Turkish Navy required a tracked amphibious assault vehicle to support ship-to-shore beach landings carried out from its TCG Anadolu-class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD). ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  ZAHA (Batch 2) [Turkey]

  Background The Turkish Navy required a tracked amphibious assault vehicle to support ship-to-shore beach landings carried out from its TCG Anadolu-class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD). ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  AAV7A1 RAM/RS [Japan - 2nd Batch]

  Programme Background The Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) has procured the AAV7A1 RAM/RS to equip its Amphibious Assault Brigade formed in 2018. Tasked with ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  LCVPs Replacement [Netherlands]

  Background Requirements The Dutch Marine Corps needs to replace 12 Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP) from 2025. The current LCVPs will reach the end of ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  KAAV II

  Programme Background The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) operates one Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship and has launched another to support provide operational lift for the ROKMC. ...

• Amphibious assault ships

  TCG Anadolu LHD [Turkey]

  Background TCG Anadolu is a Multipurpose Assault Ship (LHD) built by Sedef in Tuzla for the Turkish Navy. The vessel, which is the single largest ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Bushmaster 4x4 [Australia]

  Programme Background Australia has bought 1,052 Bushmasters in seven variants: troop carrier; command; assault pioneer; mortar; direct fire weapons; ambulance; and, air defence. These vehicles ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  PMC KAAV (First Batch)

  Programme Background Prior to taking delivery of the KAAV, the PMC did not possess an amphibious assault vehicle. While it had previously received Landing Vehicle, ...

• Patrol boats

  UNPAV - Angelo Cabrini Class

  The Angelo Cabrini class consists of two high-speed multipurpose patrol boats (UNPAV) intended for the Italian Navy special forces. The vessels were built by Intermarine, ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV (Batch 2) [USA]

  Background The Armoured Combat Vehicle (ACV) programme is intended to provide a replacement for the USMC's fleet of Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7 (AAV7) tracked vehicles. ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV (Batch 3) [USA]

  Background The Armoured Combat Vehicle (ACV) programme is intended to provide a replacement for the USMC's fleet of Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7 (AAV7) tracked vehicles. ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  KAAV (Batch 2) [Philippines]

  Programme Background Prior to taking delivery of the KAAV, the PMC did not possess an amphibious assault vehicle. While it had previously received Landing Vehicle, ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV (Batch 4) [USA]

  Background The Armoured Combat Vehicle (ACV) programme is intended to provide a replacement for the USMC's fleet of Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7 (AAV7) tracked vehicles. ...

• Main battle tanks

  Main Battle Tank Upgrade [Australia]

  Programme Background Between 2006 and 2007, the Australian Army received 59 M1A1 AIM SA Abrams MBTs under Project Land 907 Phase 1. These vehicles were planned to ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Coelum (Colombia)

  Programme Background Testing Colombian Aeronautical Industry Cooperation (CIAC) was working on a project called Dron Coelum X-001. In late 2020, the CIAC tested a redesigned prototype of the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Assault rifles/carbines/shotguns

  AK-12

  Kalashnikov publicly unveiled the AK-12 assault rifle in January 2012. The AK-12 uses the same gas-operated long-stroke piston system as previous Kalashnikov rifles. A 5.45x39mm ...

• Military UAS - mini

  SKAT 350

  Based on the Supercam 350, the SKAT 350 is a mini fixed-wing UAV manufactured by Kalashnikov Concern JSC. The drone was revealed in early 2024, ...

• Assault rifles/carbines/shotguns

  AK-19

  The Kalashnikov Concern unveiled its developmental AK-19 assault rifle in August 2020. Compared to the AK-12 assault rifle upon which it is based, the AK-19 ...

• Individual grenade launchers

  GP-34

  Kalashnikov designed the single-shot GP-34 40mm underbarrel grenade launcher for use with the company’s 5.45mm, 5.56mm and 7.62mm assault rifles. The sight allows the firer ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  Vikhr

  The 9A4172K Vikhr-1 (AT-16) long-range antitank guided missile is a large dual-purpose antitank/air-to-air missile. The laser-guided antitank projectile can be launched from air, land or ...

• Assault rifles/carbines/shotguns

  AK-101/103

  The AK-100, or Century series, applies modern production techniques to the legacy AK design. The 5.56mm AK-101 and 7.62mm AK-103 are full-length assault rifles. Forearm, ...

• Assault rifles/carbines/shotguns

  AK-15

  Developed under the Ratnik modernisation programme, the AK-15 assault rifle was first unveiled in 2016. It is designed for elite units and law enforcement and ...

• Pistols

  PL-15

  The PL-15 is a double-action-only pistol chambered for the ubiquitous 9x19mm parabellum cartridge. Developed by firearms designer and target shooter Dmitry Lebedev and manufactured by ...

• Military UAS - small

  Legionnaire E33K

  The Legionnaire E33K is a small fixed-wing UAV developed by Kalashnikov Concern. The drone is designed for various tasks, including cargo carrying.  An electric motor powers ...

• Light machine guns

  RPK-16

  Kalashnikov unveiled its 5.45x39mm RPK-16 light support weapon at the Army 2016 exhibition. Intended to supersede the RPK-74 light machine gun, the RPK-16 can be ...

• Assault rifles/carbines/shotguns

  AK-200

  The AK-200 family of assault rifles and carbines was developed by the Kalashnikov Concern for export customers and domestic law enforcement agencies. Designed as an ...

• Loitering munitions

  RUS-PE

  The RUS-PE is an X-wing-shaped loitering munition from Kalashnikov Concern.  Appearing visually similar to the HERO-90, the system is designed for swift, precise strikes against individual, stationary, ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Karakurt

  The Karahurt is a Russian tube-launched rotary-wing platform manufactured by Kalashnikov Concern. It bears visual similarities with SpearUAV's range of drones and has been designed ...

• Light machine guns

  RPL-20

  After testing with the RPK-16 light machine gun uncovered several issues with the design, Kalashnikov initiated development of the new RPL-20 light machine gun to ...

• Weapon sights for night use (image intensifiers)

  PCS-5/5M GABRO

  The PCS-5/PCS-5M passive NVD is a lightweight telescopic sight designed for use on portable weapons. It can be used for battlefield observation, detection and target ...