• Training

  US and Philippines show off strength and bilateral ties in joint exercise

  10th July 2023

  Cope Thunder 23-2, a joint exercise led by Pacific Air Forces, is scheduled to take place between 2 and 21 July.

• Air Warfare

  City-wide imaging sensor flies on US drone

  14th June 2023

  Logos Technologies, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems of America, has seen its BlackKite IR wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) pod flown on a US Army UAS for the first time.

• Digital Battlespace

  Embracing the Future of Warfare: US and Allies Forge Ahead with Multi-Domain Operations (Studio)

  13th September 2023

  Despite the complexity and technological challenges, experts believe the multi-domain operations (MDO) concept is the key to modern warfare. Fostering alliances, advanced technology, and a shift in mindset are crucial to achieving MDO’s potential.

• Land Warfare

  EOS unveils Slinger C-UAS weapon system

  16th May 2023

  EOS in Australia has come up with a dedicated C-UAS weapon that can be mounted on light 4x4 vehicles.

• Air Warfare

  Paris Air Show: Romania orders first batch of Watchkeeper X drones

  21st June 2023

  Romania has awarded Elbit Systems a $180 million purchase order for three Watchkeeper X Tactical UAS, the Israeli firm announced at the Paris Air Show.

• Naval Warfare

  Work starts on first Canadian Coast Guard Arctic patrol ship

  14th August 2023

  Construction on the first of two new patrol ships for the Canadian Coast Guard has started at Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

• Digital Battlespace

  Smartshooter seeks US military interest in remote control fire control stations

  30th June 2023

  Smartshooter has unveiled a remotely controlled fire control system (FCS) integrated with radar and is looking for US DoD interest.

• Special Operations

  UPDATED: Romania orders Polaris DAGOR special operations vehicles

  12th July 2023

  Polaris has been awarded a contract to provide 50 of its DAGOR ultralight tactical vehicles to Romania, joining other NATO countries such as Canada, the UK and US as operators.

• Naval Warfare

  Insight: Gowind 2500 corvette enjoys strong export business despite Romanian rejection

  5th September 2023

  France's Naval Group's Gowind 2500 corvette, designed for multiple naval missions, has gained popularity worldwide. Shephard Defence Insight provides detailed analysis of its export contracts, armament and technical specifications.

• Naval Warfare

  How serious a threat is North Korea's nuclear-armed navy?

  8th September 2023

  As well as splurging on ballistic weapons, North Korea has been developing submarines and surface combatants capable of firing nuclear-tipped missiles. Largely based on outdated designs, do they nonetheless pose a serious regional threat?

• Defence Notes

  US Congress to cut budget of hypersonic programmes

  12th July 2023

  The House Appropriations Committee’s proposal would affect the US Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) and the US Air Force’s Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) efforts.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Paris Air Show: BlueBird debuts SpyX loitering munition

  19th June 2023

  At Paris Air Show on 19 June, BlueBird Aero Systems debuted a new loitering munition, the SpyX, with a 50km operational range.

• Air Warfare

  Paris Air Show: NATO brokers Greek deal to acquire Safran UAVs

  21st June 2023

  The Greek Army has chosen Safran Electronics & Defense to modernise its UAV inventory, adding four new Patroller tactical drones to its current Sperwer fleet.  The …

• Land Warfare

  Sweden inks deal for up to 3,000 military vehicles from IDV

  19th June 2023

  IDV will supply its Military Utility Vehicle (MUV) design to meet a Swedish requirement for Light Multi Purpose Vehicles (LMPVs).

• Air Warfare

  As interest grows in ASW platforms, Leonardo showcases C-27J MPA at SeaFuture 2023

  7th June 2023

  At SeaFuture 2023 in La Spezia, Leonardo displayed a model of the MPA version of its C-27J Next Generation aircraft.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Medium Range Reconnaissance (MRR) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  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, on-demand ...

• Transport

  C-27J [Azerbaijan]

  Programme Background The Azerbaijani Air Force signed a contract with Leonardo in June 2023 to procure the C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft. This move is ...

• Tanks

  NGCV: DLP

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

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  General-Purpose UAS [Australia]

  Programme Background Banned As reported by Shephard in August 2023, in the past, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) used commercial UAS from companies such as DJI for ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Mini Reconnaissance Drones [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Planned Purchases On 14 September 2022, the Lithuanian MoD announced in a short statement on Twitter, now X, that it had begun organising ...

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

  ISTAR UAS project [Canada]

  Programme Background Objective The Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) main significant UAV project is the RCN Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Unmanned Aircraft System (RCN ...

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

  Small Reconnaissance Drones [Lithuania]

  Programme Background Planned Purchases On 14 September 2022, the Lithuanian MoD announced in a short statement on Twitter, now X, that it had begun organising ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Multirole Underwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirements According to the presentation provided by the Italian Navy, the MultiroleUnderwater Seabed Surveillance Ship (MU3S) will:operate a wide range of uncrewed systems, ...

• OPVs

  Harry DeWolf Class (AOPS) Coast Guard (7-8) [Canada]

  Programme Background Requirements The new vessels will replace the CCGS Leonard J Cowley, an ice-strengthened fisheries patrol vessel that entered service in 1984 and CCGS Cygnus, ...

• Destroyers

  Next-Generation Large Surface Combatants (LSC) - DDG(X) [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy (USN) is acknowledging a need to move away from the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer design, which is slowly outgrowing. Flight III ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Data links

  Data links | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  In February 2025, Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste, emphasised the importance of acquiring a new combat fighter jet to address aerial ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Counter-UAS systems

  MEHEL 2.0

  The Mobile Expeditionary High-Energy Laser (MEHEL) is a C-UAS-capable vehicle that employs directed energy to neutralise targets. MEHEL 2.0 was first seen at AUSA 2016, ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  DroneDefender

  DroneDefender is a directed-energy UAS countermeasure that disrupts the adversary's control of the aircraft, neutralising it so that no remote action (including detonation) can occur, ...

• Counter-UAS systems, Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  EJDERHA HPEM System

  The EJDERHA is a high power electromagnetic system manufactured by Aselsan. It generates high-amplitude electromagnetic fields and directs them to potential targets such as IEDs ...

• OPVs

  PPA/MultiPurpose Combat Ship (MPCS) EVO

  The PPA/MultiPurpose Combat Ship (MPCS) EVO is an enhanced version of the Thaon di Revel-class PPAs unveiled at Euronaval 2024. The PPA/MPCS EVO retains the core platform ...

• Naval guns, Land: RWS

  DragonFire

  Dragonfire is a new laser weapon system built for the UK MoD, receiving £30 million of funding in early 2017. The design of the gun ...

• Military - USVs

  C-Enduro

  C-Enduro is a long-endurance platform used to safely and cost-effectively collect data at sea. Built to operate in all marine environments, C-Enduro uses energy-harvesting technology ...

• Destroyers

  Flight III Destroyer

  During Indo Pacific 2023, Navantia Australia unveiled a 10200t destroyer design. Dubbed as Flight III Destroyer, the Spanish shipbuilder is pitching the ship for the ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range, Self-propelled missile systems

  Multi-Mission Launcher

  The Multi-Mission Launcher (MML) was developed by the U.S. Army's Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) as part of the Indirect Fire ...

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

  Silent Falcon

  The Silent Falcon is a solar-electric sUAS with long-endurance capabilities for extended-range missions. The UAS can be used for commercial and military applications. The entire ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  MK4-RX

  Manufactured by Chartis Federal, the MK4-RX is a small cargo-carrying UAV that can autonomously deliver up to 45lbs of cargo over a range of 17.5k. The quadcopter ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Howler C-UAS

  Developed by Raytheon, the Howler is a counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS), which includes a Ku-band Radio Frequency Sensor (KuRFS), a command-and-control system, and a Coyote ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Skylock C-UAS

  Skylock, an Avnon Group company, has developed a C-UAS system that is intended to bring sensors, jammers and a laser effector into a single deployable ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Cobham C-UAS

  Unveiled at the AUVSI 2017 trade show in Dallas, Texas, the Cobham C-UAS primarily consists of wideband omnidirectional, directional helix (single- or dual-band), directional flat ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming, Air: Electronic Attack - Pod, Air: EO/IR – Jamming Systems

  Miysis DIRCM

  Leonardo’s Miysis Directed Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) system provides high power, all aspect protection against modern and legacy Infrared Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (IR MANPADS) for ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Airfence 5.0

  Airfence 5.0 is a C-UAS RF technology released by Sensofusion. It is designed to protect airports, personnel, prisons and private companies from rogue UAS in ...