• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSA 2018: Turkish robots march into Malaysia

  18th April 2018

  On 18 April, Aselsan signed a cooperation agreement with Malaysian firm DefTech at the DSA 2018 exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, with the focus on robotics …

• Special Operations

  USSOCOM outlines technical experiment

  8th April 2018

  The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has released an RfI to support an upcoming Technical Experimentation (TE) event. The 4 April request outlined TE opportunities for …

• Naval Warfare

  Sea-Air-Space 2018: Testing for GE's turbine composite module gets passing grade

  10th April 2018

  General Electric has wrapped up acoustic and weight comparison testing on its new, lighter weight composite module slated enclose the USS Arleigh Burke DDG 51 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Drone manufacturers ignore reports of market saturation

  12th April 2018

  Despite reports of drone market saturation, two Asia-based companies are showcasing their solutions for the first time at Commercial UAV Expo in Amsterdam with a …

• Military Logistics

  Kongsberg orders Senop command post shelters

  3rd April 2018

  Patria’s Senop has signed a contract with Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace for the supply of integrated command post shelters, Patria announced on 28 March. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Kongsberg, Wilhelmsen to establish autonomous shipping company

  6th April 2018

  Kongsberg and Wilhelmsen have partnered to establish an autonomous shipping company, Kongsberg announced on 3 April. The new joint venture company, Massterly, will be based …

• Naval Warfare

  US technology will support Taiwanese submarine aspirations

  13th April 2018

  After nearly two decades of delay, the Republic of China Navy’s (ROCN) Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) programme is on track after the US State Department …

• Land Warfare

  DefExpo 2018: Is Indian artillery set to boom?

  12th April 2018

  Two locally developed artillery pieces – the ATAGS and Dhanush – participated in a live demonstration at the DefExpo 2018 exhibition in Chennai. Although they …

• Naval Warfare

  Budget restrictions, need for mature technology driving Lithuanian naval plans

  22nd March 2018

  As maintenance challenges and financial limitations remain at the forefront of the Lithuanian Navy’s current operations, a 2030 fleet plan envisages a class of six …

• Naval Warfare

  Insight: Engine race for US Navy's new frigate

  14th March 2018

  A competition to design the US Navy's new Guided Missile Frigate FFG(X) is heating up and two competitors are proposing different propulsion systems — General …

• Digital Battlespace

  GeoSpectrum delivers TRAPS to Canadian Navy

  20th March 2018

  GeoSpectrum Technologies has delivered the containerised version of its Towed Reelable Active Passive Sonar (TRAPS) to the Royal Canadian Navy, the company announced 15 March. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  STR’s Falcon ROV fleet expands

  20th March 2018

  Subsea Technology & Rentals (STR) has added another Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV to its global rental fleet of inspection class vehicles, the company announced on …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Oceanology International 2018: Forum launch first of new EROV range

  14th March 2018

  US based oilfield and subsea manufacturer Forum Energy Technologies has unveiled its new electric remotely operated vehicle (EROV) XLe Spirit at Oceanology International. Designed primarily …

• Special Operations

  Russia celebrates “SOF Day”

  22nd March 2018

  The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) celebrated the Special Operations Forces Day on 27th February with the disclosure of new video footage illustrating a series …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  South Korea confirmed to be flying MALE UAV platform

  20th March 2018

  A new image of a South Korean MALE UAV in flight has recently surfaced. Significantly, the light-coloured aircraft was adorned in Republic of Korea Air Force …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  K1000ULE [USMC]

  Programme Background Contact Award After a comprehensive down-selection evaluation, Kraus Hamdani Aerospace's K1000ULE drone won the USN's PMA 263 contract in April 2024. The company will now provide the USN ...

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

  AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) [US]

  Background Aims & Timeline As stated by DARPA, the ANCILLARY programme aims to develop and fly an X-plane that will provide a “leap-ahead” in long-endurance, VTOL-capable ...

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

  Class 2 Tactical UAS [Ireland]

  Background EU Tender On 13 March 2024, the Irish Department of Defence released a planning notice on the EU tenders website, confirming that the Irish ...

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

  Onboard Mini-Drone Systems (SMDM) (69-90) [France]

  Background Contract Announcement On 3 February 2026, Airbus, Survey Copter’s parent company, announced that the French Directorate General of Armament (DGA) had ordered the Aliaca VTOL variant ...

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

  Camcopter S-300 [South Korea]

  Programme Background Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) On 18 January 2023, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Northop Grumman at a ...

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

  Embarked VTOL UAV [South Korea]

  Background VTOL Development In January 2024, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that it would commence development of a VTOL-capable rotary-wing UAV to be ...

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

  Ship-Bourne VTOL UAV [Singapore]

  Background Multi-Role Combat Vessel  The Republic of Singapore Navy will retire its six Victory-class corvettes and replace them with a new platform, the Multi-Role Combat ...

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

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

  Background Request for Information (RfI) In September 2022, the Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) launched a request for information in preparation for a possible procurement ...

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

  {not active} Micro VTOL [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  VTOL UAV [New Zealand]

  Background Defence Capability Plan (DCP) In April 2025, the New Zealand government published the DCP, a document that is essentially a blueprint for what procurements ...

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

  Cargo UAV (Turkey)

  Programme Background Inception & Requirment Turkey's Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) initiated a programme to procure VTOL-capable cargo drones in June 2018. These were planned for ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  Virginia Class Attack Submarine (SSN 812 - SSN 822)

  Programme Background Timeline The US Navy’s Virginia-class submarines (SSN 774) are built by both General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) under ...

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

  Aerobo Wing AS-VT02A [Malaysia]

  Background Requirment As reported by Shephard, in June 2021, Malaysia issued a tender for fixed-wing, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capable UAVs. The tender stated that Malaysia ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | KSS-III (Boats 7-9) [South Korea]

  The Republic of Korean Navy's (RoKN), formerly named Jangbogo III-class (KSS-III) submarines are the latest variant of diesel-electric attack boats (SSKs) entering service under South ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | KSS-III (Boats 7-9) [South Korea]

  The Republic of Korean Navy's (RoKN), formerly named Jangbogo III-class (KSS-III) submarines are the latest variant of diesel-electric attack boats (SSKs) entering service under South ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  QTP-UAV

  The Quad Tilt Prop UAV (QTP-UAV) is an electric platform that is designed to provide VTOL capability with high-speed horizontal flight. 

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

  Zala 421-22

  The Zala 421-22 is a rotary-wing UAV designed for ship- or land-based reconnaissance and surveillance, bomb damage assessment and real-time target acquisition. The VTOL UAV ...

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

  VU-R70

  The VU-R70 is a small fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV from Viettel. A gasoline engine powers its horizontal flight, while four electric motors give it a VTOL capability. The ...

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

  A-Hawk I (Cloud-1)

  Part of a strike-capable ISTAR series of A-Hawk platforms is the A-Hawk I (Cloud-1) VTOL developed by AVIC. Reports indicate that the A-Hawk I enables ...

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

  Zada

  Zada is a mini fixed-wing UAV designed for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance (ISR) missions. It features tilt-rotor systems, which give it a VTOL capability.

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

  CW-25D

  The CW-25D is VTOL capable UAV manufactured by Chengdu Jouav Automation Technology Co CW (JOUAV). It is a hybrid platform containing a 64cc two-stroke gasoline engine and electric ...

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

  PEN 35VE/VH

  The PEN 35VE/VH is a fixed-wing, VTOL-capable drone from Pen Aviation. Available in two variants, an electric and an electric hybrid, the UAV is designed for surveillance, ...

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

  CL-9

  The CL-9 is a fixed-wing VTOL UAV. It is fitted with two underwing pylons with electric brushless motors at each end powering rotors to provide ...

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

  Maya Mk1

  The Maya Mk1 is a small, electric VTOL UAV with a 'tail-sitting' design. It is an encased system that allows for safe operation in urban ...

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

  SR-10 VTOL

  Deftech showcased the SR-10 VTOL at DSA 2022. It has been locally designed in Malaysia to conduct aerial mapping, surveillance and line inspection missions. The hand-launched platform is powered ...

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

  Turac VTOL UAV

  The Turac is a fixed-wing VTOL UAV developed jointly by Havelsan and Istanbul Technical University Aerospace Research Center. It can be used for traditional military ISR ...

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

  Drako

  Drako is a quadrotor electric VTOL UAV suitable for close-range surveillance and reconnaissance on SF and police missions, especially in urban areas. It is available ...

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

  XV-24A LightningStrike

  The XV-24A LightningStrike, developed by Aurora Flight Sciences and its partners Rolls-Royce and Honeywell, was a project for a tilt-wing UAV powered by an electric-distributed ...

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

  Rakshak VTOL

  The Rakshak VTOL is a fixed-wing UAV with an EO/IR sensor for ISR missions. Developed by TATA Advanced Systems, the UAV is VTOL-capable, allowing it to operate ...

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

  H12 Poseidon

  The H12 Poseidon is the largest member of Swarmly's UAV family. Designed to compete with other theatre-level UAVs, the fixed-wing VTOL capable H12 integrates many payload options, such ...