• Defence Notes

  North Korea's Kim oversees test of new weapon with 'powerful warhead'

  18th April 2019

  North Korea's Kim Jong Un has supervised the test-firing of a new tactical weapon with a ‘powerful warhead’, state media reported 18 April, in the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  The future of DARPA's CODE

  19th April 2019

  The USDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has seen strong interest frommilitary and industrial operators in its Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) autonomy system, …

• Land Warfare

  Expal ammunition completes Spain's firing tests

  16th April 2019

  Expal’s extended range 155mm ammunition has successfully completed firing tests with the Spanish Army, carried out at the Torregorda Test Center in Cádiz, Spain. The …

• Military Logistics

  US Navy christens USNS Guam

  29th April 2019

  The US Navy christened its newest Expeditionary Fast Transport vessel, USNS Guam (T-HST 1), in Okinawa, Japan, on 27 April. USNS Guam is an aluminium …

• Naval Warfare

  US nixes plan to retire aircraft carrier early

  2nd May 2019

  Facing heavy congressional resistance, the Trump administration has cancelled its proposal to send the US Navy’s USS Harry S Truman (CVN-75) aircraft carrier into early …

• Land Warfare

  Australian Army orders Carl-Gustaf ammo

  15th April 2019

  Saab has received an $18.14 million order to supply Carl-Gustaf ammunition to the Australian Army, the company announced on 11 April. The Australian Army placed …

• Digital Battlespace

  Australia speeds up transport fleet communications

  30th April 2019

  Australia’s Department of Defence (DoD) has announced that it would roll out broadband on more of the country's C-130J Hercules aircraft fleet. Honeywell will provide …

• Digital Battlespace

  Hughes receives CRADA contract for BFT-3

  8th April 2019

  Hughes Network Systems has received a two-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) from the US Army for the third phase of the Blue Force …

• Naval Warfare

  HII delivers eighth NSC to USCG

  3rd May 2019

  Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has delivered the eighth Legend-class National Security Cutter (NSC), Midgett, to the US Coast Guard (USCG), the company …

• Digital Battlespace

  CMS to support New Zealand’s NEA programme

  22nd April 2019

  Cubic Mission Solutions has received a contract from the New Zealand Ministry of Defence to deliver C2 capabilities for the New Zealand Army's land forces …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia 2019: First Taiwanese submarine to be ready in 2026

  10th May 2019

  Taiwan’s Indigenous Defense Submarines (IDS) will be built in a new facility inside the grounds of the CSBC Corporation in Kaohsiung harbour in southern Taiwan, …

• Land Warfare

  India approves order for hundreds of T-90MS tanks

  16th April 2019

  The Cabinet Committee on Security in India approved the acquisition of 464 T-90MS MBTs from Russia in early April 2019.  The procurement for the Indian Army …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Kaman to reactivate USMC K-MAX helicopters

  3rd May 2019

  Kaman Aerospace has received a contract to reactivate two US Marine Corps (USMC) K-MAX helicopters to flight-ready status, the company announced on 1 May. The …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia 2019: Bangladesh receives final two corvettes from China

  30th April 2019

  Two C13B Shadhinota-class corvettes, a platform based on the Type 056 used by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), arrived at the Chittagong Naval Area …

• Digital Battlespace

  Leonardo DRS receives MFOCS II order

  8th April 2019

  Leonardo DRS has received its first production delivery order from the US Army for the Mounted Family of Computer Systems (MFoCS) II, the company announced …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-1 Gray Eagle [US Army]

  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 increased ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV (US Army) (Batch 1) [USA]

  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 branches ...

• Main battle tanks

  Decisive Lethality Platform [USA]

  Background The DLP is one of five vehicle families being developed for the US Army's NGCV programme. Expanded to include five programmes in October 2018, ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker DVH (March 2026) [US]

  Background The US Army has been operating the Stryker since 2002. The Stryker DVH is an upgraded variant that has additional armour on its underside ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker DVH (September 2026) [US]

  Background The US Army has been operating the Stryker since 2002. The Stryker DVH is an upgraded variant that has additional armour on its underside ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  AMPV [US]

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

• Military UAS - small

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 2) [US Army]

  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 - tactical

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) [US Army]

  Background USMC First, Army Second In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary ...

• Hybrid effector systems

  M-SHORAD Increment 3 [USA]

  Background The US Army is upgrading its maneuver short-range air defense system (M-SHORAD). Under the overal programme, there are three increments. Increment 1 vehicles are ...

• 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 ...

• Military UAS - micro

  eBee Vision [US]

  Background Multiple orders In November 2025, the US Army acquired three eBee Vision systems to enhance training operations at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany. A ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker (Sergeant Stout) (Batch 2) [USA]

  Background As part of the Army Transformation Initiative, the US DoD is fundamentally reorganising the structure of the US Army. The development of the Sergeant ...

• Military UAS - micro

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

  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 organic, ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker (Sergeant Stout) [USA]

  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 Brigade ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Lower Tier Air and Missile Defence Sensor [US]

  Background The US Army's Lower Tier Air and Missile Defence Sensor (LTAMDS) is being acquired from US-based Raytheon.  The United States Army is the primary customer ...

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 ...

• 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.

• Light 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) ...

• 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 ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV)

  BAE Systems' Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) was developed in response to a US Army requirement for a platform to replace the ageing M113 APCs in ...

• 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). ...

• Unguided Mortar Ammunition

  M821A3 High Explosive Mortar Round

  The M821A3 High Explosive Mortar Round is an 81mm mortar round manufactured by Day & Zimmerman for the US Army.

• Unguided Mortar Ammunition

  M933A1 High Explosive Mortar Round

  The M933A1 High Explosive Mortar Round is a 120mm mortar round manufactured by Day & Zimmermann for the US Army.

• Unguided Mortar Ammunition

  M934A1 High Explosive Mortar Round

  The M934A1 High Explosive Mortar Round is a 120mm mortar round produced by Day & Zimmermann for the US Army.

• Unguided Mortar Ammunition

  M930 Illumination Mortar Round

  The M930 Illumination Mortar Round is a 120mm mortar round manufactured by Island Pyrochemical Industries for the US Army.