• Defence Notes

  AOC 2018: US EW advocate fears defence budget cuts

  3rd December 2018

  US EW programmes fared well in recent budget deliberations, but that progress might soon be derailed by potential cuts to the overall defence budget, according …

• Defence Notes

  China vexed by US Navy ships sailing through Taiwan Strait

  29th November 2018

  China expressed concern on 29 November after two US Navy ships sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the third such operation this year. ‘China will pay …

• Land Warfare

  Latvia orders Carl-Gustaf ammunition

  30th October 2018

  Saab has received an $18.7 million order for ammunition for the Carl-Gustaf weapon system from the Latvian Ministry of Defence, the company announced on 24 …

• Defence Notes

  Norway freezes defence export licences to Saudi

  12th November 2018

  Norway said 9 November it was freezing all defence material export licences to Saudi Arabia over recent developments in the country and the war in …

• 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 …

• Land Warfare

  Indo Defence 2018: Indonesian FNSS tank prepared for production

  31st October 2018

  Turkish company FNSS will display its medium tank at Indo Defence 2018 as the company announced the vehicle is now ready for serial production. FNSS …

• Defence Helicopter

  USAF fields CBRN protective masks

  4th December 2018

  The US Air Force has fielded an improved chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) protective mask for aircrew on rotary wing aircraft, with operational units …

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy ships sail through Taiwan Strait

  29th November 2018

  Two US Navy ships sailed through the Taiwan Strait on 28 November, the third such operation this year and one that is sure to anger …

• Land Warfare

  Qatar requests NASMAS from US

  3rd December 2018

  The US State Department has made a determination approving a potential foreign military sale of the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) to …

• Digital Battlespace

  Indo Defence 2018: SSVC’s MiPlayer communicating without connectivity

  12th November 2018

  UK-based SSVC is showcasing for the first time in Asia-Pacific its MiPlayer and is garnering interest in the broadcasting service system across the region and …

• Military Logistics

  KC-46 completes Phase II certification testing

  7th December 2018

  Boeing’s KC-46 tanker programme has completed its planned Phase II receiver certification flight testing following three weeks of flights with F-15E aircraft out of Edwards …

• Land Warfare

  UK pushes on with autonomous Last Mile challenge

  14th December 2018

  The UK MoD's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) is pushing ahead with development of an autonomous resupply solution, adding a third phase and further …

• Naval Warfare

  USCG completes first PDM of C-27J Spartan

  7th December 2018

  The US Coast Guard has completed the first programmed depot maintenance (PDM) on a C-27J Spartan medium range surveillance aircraft. The PDM cycle included a …

• Defence Notes

  Slovak government clashes over largest-ever arms purchase

  3rd December 2018

  Slovakia's prime minister clashed with the defence ministry on 30 November over a deal to acquire US-made F-16 jets in what is slated as the …

• Land Warfare

  Finland to procure fire control system upgrade kits

  29th November 2018

  The Finnish Defence Forces' Logistics Command has received a mandate from the Finnish Ministry of Defence (MoD) to conclude a contract with the US government …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

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

  Drone40 (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background In August 2022, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a think tank, held a podcast with Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, in which ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams [Poland]

  Programme Background Requirement Since the early 2010s Poland wanted to upgrade its Soviet-era tank fleet due to modernisation requirements, the need to increase interoperability with NATO ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel - Medium (Project Land 8710 Phase 1A) [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirements Australia has set out requirements for a fleet of up to 18 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels - Medium (LMV-M) with the release of ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Land 400 Phase 2 - Boxer CRV [Australia]

  Programme Background History The Land 400 Phase 2 programme will procure a replacement for the ASLAV, a derivative of the General Dynamics Land Systems Light Armoured Vehicle ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A4 [Czech Republic]

  Programme Background  The Czech Republic currently operates a small fleet of T-72s, which, while undergoing upgrades and life extension programmes, are increasingly obsolete. In October ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Second Hand SSNs [Australia]

  Programme Background Timeline In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Main battle tanks

  Viatura Blindada de Combate-Carro de Combate (VBC-CC) [Brazil]

  Programme Background Several key technical requirements have been outlined by the Brazilian MoD. Among the most important are that the platform should weigh less than ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A1 Abrams (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Australia has been amongst the various Western allies providing Ukraine with military aid. Prior ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  Programme Background AUKUS Australia announced on 16 September 2021 that the contract with Naval Group signed in 2016 had been cancelled. Although not a surprising ...

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

  Project Air 7003 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R [Spain]

  Programme Background On 16 March 2022, the US State Department approved an FMS to Spain for eight MH-60R helicopters and associated equipment and weaponry for $950 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Carl-Gustaf M3

  The Carl-Gustaf M3 is the third generation of the 84mm shoulder-fired recoilless antitank gun, first fielded by the Swedish Army in 1946. Since then, it ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120mm KE DM63 / DM53 A1 Tank Ammunition

  The 120mm kinetic energy tank ammunition is manufactured by Rheinmetall. There are several variations of the ammunition, including the DM63, which can be fired from ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120MM HEAT-TP F1A

  Franco-German KNDS-Nexter produce the 120mm High-Explosive Anti-Tank Training-Purpose F1A (HEAT-TP F1A) round to enable reduced-cost training for Main Battle Tank crews. 

• Main battle tanks

  M1/M1A1 Abrams

  The 105mm-armed M1 Abrams tracked MBT was introduced into US Army service in 1980 as a replacement for the 105mm-armed M60 MBT. In April 1991, ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120mm PELE Tank Ammunition

  The 120mm Penetrator with Enhanced Lateral Effect (PELE) tank ammunition is an inert round produced by Rheinmetall. It is suitable for use against semi-hard targets ...

• S-64 Helitanker Fire-fighting Equipment

  Erickson's 10,031l tank for the S-64 helitanker drops water, retardant or foam mix at a rate of around 95l/h. Microprocessor-controlled tank doors offer eight individual ...

• Naval: RF, IR and acoustic decoys

  Nulka

  The Nulka is an active anti-ship missile decoy originally conceived in Australia, and developed under a joint Australian-US programme. BAE Systems Australia is prime contractor, while ...

• Light mortars

  60mm Mortar Ammunition

  US-based LD Systems' 60mm Mortar ammunition fulfils the NATO standard for lightweight mortar ammunition.

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  120mm L55A1

  The 120mm L55A1 is a smoothbore high-pressure gun based on the L55 tank gun. The L55A1 has been qualified and in service since 2019. It ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  120mm L55 Tank Gun

  The 120mm L55 is a smoothbore tank gun produced by Rheinmetall. It is designed for use on the Leopard main battle tank, to which it ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3

  The M1A2 System Enhancement Package 3 (M1A2 SEPv3, also known as M1A2C) is the latest production-standard variant of the Abrams MBT. Designed primarily to address ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP)

  The M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) is a 120mm tank round developed by Northrop Grumman Defence Systems. Various customers, including Bahrain, Israel, and the US, use the tank ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition

  The Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition (NGVA) is a family of ammunition being developed by the US Army's Armaments Center and manufactured by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  SSN AUKUS

  The SSN-AUKUS will be the submarine design resulting from the AUKUS trilateral pact between Australia, the US and the UK. Expected to incorporate technology from ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  CVTESS

  Saab's Combat Vehicle Tactical Engagement Simulation System (CVTESS) is a laser-based simulator which supports every version of the Abrams Main Battle Tank and the Bradley ...