• Air Warfare

  Paris Air Show 2025: Airbus and France sign framework agreement for VSR-700

  17th June 2025

  The framework agreement is for the future acquisition of the system under the French Navy’s SDAM programme. The agreement also paves the way for cooperation with other nations via government-to-government agreements.

• Naval Warfare

  Interview: DSTA collaborates with Leonardo, Thales and Safran for naval C-UAS

  25th April 2025

  In an exclusive interview with Shephard, DSTA chief Ng Chad-son outlines how the agency is reshaping defence tech development through deeper collaboration with industry partners, from AI-enhanced radar to smart naval munitions.

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Navy follows US Navy lead, invests in VR training to mitigate watchkeeping skill fade

  19th March 2025

  VR naval training is growing more accepted as it maintains bridge skills in a safe, virtual environment.

• Naval Warfare

  Shipbuilders’ group warns US failing to tap full naval industry capacity

  3rd June 2025

  The Amphibious Warship Industrial Base Coalition has pointed out that issues related to bureaucracy, prerequisites and predictability have been limiting the involvement of smaller shipyards in military acquisition programmes in the US.

• Naval Warfare

  Saab to supply combat system for Colombian Navy’s frigates

  27th February 2025

  A deal between Saab and Damen Naval will add significantly to the technological fit of Colombia’s new vessels.

• Naval Warfare

  Ireland orders Thales towed array sonar

  16th June 2025

  Ireland has a large Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which extends 370km (200nm) offshore and contains 75% of the transatlantic subsea cables which carry $10 trillion in financial transactions daily. The country is investing to increase protection and surveillance of these waters.

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2025: GM presents Next Generation Tactical Vehicle as testing drives changes

  13th February 2025

  Key features of the General Motors (GM) Defense Next Generation Tactical Vehicle (Next Gen) is its silent drive mode of operation, its low acoustic signature and its capability to have exportable power.

• Air Warfare

  Paris Air Show 2025: Aarok to be offered to India

  18th June 2025

  Turgis Gaillard and Bharat Forge have signed an MoU to offer the Aarok, produced in India, to the Indian Ministry of Defence. The UAV could satisfy the country’s desire for an indigenous MALE UAV, offering an alternative to the TAPAS BH-201 that has had a rocky development.

• Air Warfare

  UVision declares a “first” with helicopter-launched loitering munition to be displayed at Paris Air Show

  6th June 2025

  UVision’s HERO loitering munition family is widely used. As an air-launched loitering munition, however, it is a new concept which could meet a specific declared need of the US Marine Corps.

• Naval Warfare

  Rafael and Elbit supply electronic warfare solution for frigate protection to NATO nations

  20th March 2025

  The EW systems will be deployed on five frigates from unspecified NATO-member nations, to improve their survivability in combat.

• Naval Warfare

  Latest Virginia-class submarine, USS Iowa, commissioned

  8th April 2025

  SSN-797 was commissioned as USS Iowa, the first Virginia-class submarine of the second Trump administration. It was described as “just the beginning” of a revitalisation of US naval shipbuilding by Secretary of the Navy John Phelan.

• Naval Warfare

  Kuwait agrees $2.45 billion deal for Falaj 3 missile boats

  4th June 2025

  The deal for Falaj 3 missile boats is one of the largest ship deals for the Middle East and the region’s highest-value naval shipbuilding export to date. It follows the commissioning earlier this year of the first of type for UAE.

• Naval Warfare

  Defence Insight Briefs: Naval modernisation accelerates amid geopolitical tension and tech evolution

  14th April 2025

  The global naval market is undergoing a notable transformation, with growth driven by both escalating geopolitical tensions and the emergence of innovative technologies. Across NATO, but particularly in Europe, navies are accelerating modernisation efforts, spurred by renewed threats and persistent capability gaps.

• Air Warfare

  Israeli MoD signs $40 million in deals for Elbit Systems drones

  4th December 2024

  The deal will allow the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) to upgrade its operational capabilities in the field, particularly for intelligence gathering and targeted strikes.

• Naval Warfare

  Long development phases for capital ships not viable to deal with future threats, says Indra

  27th February 2025

  Defence technology firm Indra believes governments, militaries and industry must focus more on technology to achieve effective naval warfighting.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Bandit (US)

  Programme Background Goal As stated by Alyson Turri, the AFRL Bandit programme manager, the goal is to "develop an unmanned platform that looks like a fifth-generation ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Command Insertion Craft (CIC) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirements The Royal Navy is seeking a replacement for its fleet of LVPs Mk5 amphibious landing craft. The vessels entered service in the ...

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

  Naval Collaborative Combat Air Vehicle (N-CCAV) [India]

  Programme Background CATS Warrior The Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) is a planned, uncrewed and crewed family of aircraft in development by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Project Mosquito [UK]

  Programme Background Inception and Capabilities In 2019, in collaboration with the RAF, the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) released details of its new UAS ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) [Thailand]

  Programme Background Roadmap In February 2024, the RTAF unveiled its White Paper 2024. Incorporating lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel-Hamas War, and other events ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Air Launched Effects (ALE) [UK]

  Programme Background Acquisition Pipeline First published on 13 June 2022, the Acquisition Pipeline is a forward look at potential procurement activity undertaken by the UK MoD.  ...

• Aircraft carriers

  CVX (South Korea)

  Programme Background Requirements HHI was awarded a contract for the conceptual design of the LPX-II in October 2019. The project now aims to build a ...

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-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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Military 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 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 ...

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

  Skate

  The Skate is a small, man-packable VTOL UAV designed for performing short-range ISR at the tactical level. A thrust-vectoring system provides a near-VTOL capability, enabling ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  XQ-67A

  In February 2024, GA-ASI first released images of the XQ-67A, a drone developed as part of a contract to support the USAF's Off-Board Sensing Station ...

• Infrastructure - shelters/accommodation

  Medical Shelter System

  The Medical Shelter System has a modular and scalable design and is available in two standard sizes. Field hospital configurations allow for medical systems with ...