• Defence Helicopter

  Leonardo signs UK Wildcat support deal

  10th January 2017

  Leonardo Helicopters will continue supporting the UK’s Wildcat helicopter fleet under a £271 million contract with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 9 January. …

• Digital Battlespace

  Safran receives French sub navigation contract

  10th January 2017

  Safran Electronics and Defense will design, develop and build an improved version of the global navigation system currently used on France’s nuclear submarines, the company …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US demos 3-D printed UAV

  9th January 2017

  The US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has tested a 3-D-printed UAS created with a new on-demand system as part of the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiments. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Vanilla Aircraft UAV sets record

  9th January 2017

  The VA001 UAS has set a long-endurance record for combustion-powered UAS in the 50-500kg (Group 1) class, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  The year ahead: Military UAVs

  9th January 2017

  Unmanned aerial vehicles are now a firmly established capability in nearly all advanced militaries. In 2017, expect to see western militaries invest more in complex …

• Naval Warfare

  Russian Navy takes delivery of MCMV

  7th January 2017

  The Russian Navy last month finally received the first of a new-generation of mine hunters at a ceremony in St Petersburg, the lead ship of …

• Digital Battlespace

  US orders new secure intelligence-sharing network

  6th January 2017

  BAE Systems will work to enhance intelligence sharing capabilities for the US Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) under a five-year $49 million contract announced on …

• Land Warfare

  UK MoD funds further LDEW development

  6th January 2017

  The UK Dragonfire consortium led by MBDA will produce a Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) Capability Demonstrator for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) under …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Perched landing fixed-wing UAS in development

  5th January 2017

  BMT Defence Services has developed a new UAS designed to perform perched landings using machine learning algorithms. The UAS has been developed in partnership with the …

• Naval Warfare

  The year ahead: Maritime security

  5th January 2017

  More than 70% of the world’s surface will still be covered by water in 2017 - although given the vagaries of climate change, maybe even …

• Defence Helicopter

  The year ahead: The Asia-Pacific region

  5th January 2017

  Within the Asia-Pacific region the year just passed was pretty much dominated by the machinations of one country – China – and there is little …

• Defence Helicopter

  The Year Ahead: Military helicopter market

  4th January 2017

  Recent global events have starkly cast the reduction in military spending across the Western world in the past six or seven years in a fresh …

• Naval Warfare

  L-3 awarded USCG Minotaur option

  4th January 2017

  L-3 Communications Integrated Systems will carry out work to missionise the US Coast Guard’s 11th HC-130J Super Hercules aircraft under a $14.6 million option announced …

• Naval Warfare

  DDG 115 completes acceptance trials

  3rd January 2017

  The future USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) has completed acceptance trials with the US Navy, clearing the way for delivery to take place, Naval Sea …

• Land Warfare

  Analysis: AAV7 - remaking a legacy

  3rd January 2017

  The LVT-7 (Landing Vehicle Tracked) when first fielded by the US Marine Corps in 1972 was vast improvement over its predecessor the LVT-5.  It was …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | ULTRA [US]

  The USAF, and more specifically the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), has invested in the ULTRA aircraft from DZYNE Technologies, with the drone possibly developed ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | ULTRA [US]

  The USAF, and more specifically the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), has invested in the ULTRA aircraft from DZYNE Technologies, with the drone possibly developed ...

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

  Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (ALUAV) [US]

  Background  Origins The development programme has its origins in the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative signed between the nations in 2006 and renewed in 2015. This ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  ULTRA [US]

  Background Origins The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Center for Rapid Innovation (CRI) conceived and developed the aircraft with DZYNE Technologies. According to The War ...

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

  Air-Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (ALUAV) [India]

  Background  Origins The development programme has its origins in the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative signed between the nations in 2006 and renewed in 2015. This ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  PROSUB - SSN [Brazil]

  Programme Background Following the successful delivery of the four Riachuelo-class SSK, which is due to all enter service between 2020 and 2023, the construction of ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Data links

  Data links | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Expeditionary Medical Ship (EMS) [USN]

  Background Requirements The EMS is based on the Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport vessel, featuring a catamaran design, providing hospital-level care, with three operating rooms, as well as ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Light Replenishment Oiler (T-AOL) [USN]

  The US Navy wants to procure a new class of medium-sized supply ships aimed at refuelling, rearming, and resupplying naval assets. The Navy’s proposed FY2025 budget requests $7.7 ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Light Replenishment Oiler (T-AOL) [USN]

  The US Navy wants to procure a new class of medium-sized supply ships aimed at refuelling, rearming, and resupplying naval assets. The Navy’s proposed FY2025 budget requests $7.7 ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Polar Support Vessel [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirements In June 2020, the Brazilian Navy released a Request for Proposal (RfP) to procure a new Antarctic vessel to be manufactured in Brazil. The ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  Hybrid Tiger

  Manufactured by the Naval Research Laboratory, the Hybrid Tiger is an electric UAV. As its name suggests, the platform features a hybrid power generation unit. ...

• Air: UAS radar

  RASAR

  The real-time, autonomous, synthetic aperture radar (RASAR) is a self-contained radar designed for installation under the wing of UAS for counter-IED and FOPEN (Foliage Penetration) missions. It is ...

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

  SA-400 Jackal

  The SA-400 Jackal is a heavy-payload-capability, long-endurance VTOL UAS that had its first flight in 2013. It is an optionally piloted vehicle, so it can ...

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

  Outlaw SeaHunter

  Outlaw UAVs are used by military and research agencies for training, testing, data collection and system development. In the 114-137kg maximum take-off weight class, SeaHunter ...

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

  ShadowHawk

  The ShadowHawk is a VTOL UAV that can be transported and launched/recovered within a small area. The ShadowHawk is able to maintain aerial surveillance at ...

• Air: EO/IR – Jamming Systems

  AN/AAQ-45

  Leonardo’s AN/AAQ-45 Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasures is designed to equip rotorcraft. The system is being installed on Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk medium-lift utility helicopters used ...

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

  Havoc

  Havoc is a MALE modular payload UAS designed for customers with varying missions and payload requirements. Features include tool-less assembly, rolling take-off and landing and ...

• Military - USVs

  MAST

  The Maritime Autonomy Surface Testbed (MAST) was developed by ASV Global and Roke Manor Research under funding from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. It ...

• Air-launched ASW torpedoes, Ship-launched torpedoes

  Shyena/TAL

  Shyena, also known as TAL (The Advanced Light Torpedo), is an Indian lightweight anti-submarine torpedo developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (affiliated to ...

• Subsystems: software

  SWARM

  CHI Systems worked with Lockheed Martin on a programme for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to build software models that imitate human behaviour, and ...

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

  Bat

  Northrop Grumman is developing the Bat family of medium-altitude, multi-mission UAS. The company announced two variants of the UAS (3.7m and 4.3m) and a rotary-wing ...

• Light UGVs

  Dragon Runner

  The Dragon Runner UGV, manufactured by QinitiQ, has two versions: the Dragon Runner 10 (DR10) and the slightly larger Dragon Runner 20 (DR20). All Dragon ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  CLS-200

  The CLS-200 is part of the Yates Electrospace Corporation Silent Arrow family. It is a powered cargo-carrying one-use UAV, based on the company's GD-2000 glider.  In ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  XQ-67A

  In February 2024, GA-ASI first released images of the XQ-67A, a drone developed under a contract for thge USAF's Off-Board Sensing Station (OBSS) developmental programme. It ...

• Light UGVs

  Jackal

  Launched in September 2014, Clearpath Robotics' Jackal is a small, portable, integrated and weatherproof UGV. It has been built on a metal chassis and has four wheels ...