• Naval Warfare

  HII to build additional NSCs for USCG

  4th January 2019

  Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division received contracts in December to build additional National Security Cutters (NSC) for the US Coast Guard. The contract …

• Digital Battlespace

  Viasat's MBR-4020 ARSTRAT certified

  10th December 2018

  Viasat’s Mobile Broadband Router (MBR)-4020 airborne modem has successfully completed the US Army Forces Strategic Command (ARSTRAT) certification process. With the completion of the certification, …

• Digital Battlespace

  AOC 2018: US Army looks to reinvigorate EW capabilities

  3rd December 2018

  The US Army is undergoing a renaissance after almost two decades of dealing with asymmetric threats, steady periods of budget uncertainty and an increasingly complex …

• Land Warfare

  Poland nears Wisla final decision

  13th December 2018

  The Polish MoD has confirmed that negotiations for the next phase of the Wisla air and missile defence programme are moving forward as planned and …

• Land Warfare

  US Marine Corps Sea Dragon future force continues focus shift

  17th December 2018

  The beginning of FY19 has brought a change in focus for the United States Marine Corps (USMC) Sea Dragon programme. The next 12 months will …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2018: Improbable ‘supporting’ US Army’s STE efforts

  3rd December 2018

  With simulated environments long-since utilised by military forces around the world for training purposes industry is looking to take the sector to the next milestone; …

• Defence Helicopter

  EDEX 2018: APKWS production set to surge

  11th December 2018

  BAE Systems is set to increase the production of its Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) laser-guided rocket substantially next year. Given the high usage …

• Defence Helicopter

  SB>1 Defiant first flight slips as 'minor discoveries' mount

  12th December 2018

  A number of 'minor discoveries' found during initial ground tests on the SB>1 Defiant Propulsion System Test Bed (PSTB), have caused first flight of its sister …

• Defence Notes

  NATO-led troops on the move in northern Kosovo

  13th December 2018

  Kosovo's NATO-led peacekeepers moved troops through the Serb-dominated north on 13 December, an AFP correspondent reported, amid high tensions with Serbia on the eve of …

• Land Warfare

  Czech Republic announces new procurement programmes

  21st December 2018

  The Czech Republic’s MoD has begun three major procurement programmes to modernise its armed forces, with all three contracts being signed in 2019.  Defence Minister …

• Defence Notes

  100th Su-35 fighter produced in Russia

  20th December 2018

  Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation has announced the production of the 100th Su-35 fighter. This was marked at a handover ceremony of the final batch of …

• Land Warfare

  Turkey requests Patriot missile system

  24th December 2018

  The US State Department has made a determination approving a potential foreign military sale of Patriot MIM-104E guidance enhanced missiles (GEM-T) and PAC-3 missile segment …

• Defence Notes

  US defense chief quits as Trump pulls from Syria, Afghanistan

  21st December 2018

  US Defense Secretary James Mattis resigned Thursday, leading a chorus of protests at home and abroad after President Donald Trump ordered a complete troop pull-out …

• Defence Notes

  Trump plans full withdrawal of US troops from Syria

  19th December 2018

  The US will withdraw its troops from Syria, a US official told AFP on 19 December, after President Donald Trump said that America had ‘defeated …

• Defence Notes

  Airbus shares plunge on reported US corruption probe

  20th December 2018

  Shares in European aircraft maker Airbus tumbled more than 9% Thursday after French daily Le Monde reported it could face record fines of several billion …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• Main battle 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 ...

• AGMV 1.1

  Programme Background The US Army has been seeking a lightweight, air-droppable, high mobility vehicle since as early as 2014, when it initiated its Ultra Light ...

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

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) (Forecast) [US Army]

  Background USMC In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, which had been specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  AMPV [USA]

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

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract [US Army]

  Programme 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 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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 - fixed-wing, 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 helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow On

  Programme Background In March 2019, Airbus stated that it expected orders from the US Army for between 12 and 15 UH-72A helicopters. In March 2020, ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker (Sergeant Stout) [USA]

  Programme 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 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System (LMAMS) [US Army]

  Background First Contract In June 2011, the US awarded AeroVironment a $4.9 million series-production contract for the loitering munition, satisfying the US Army's Lethal Miniature ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Switchblade 300 (USA)

  Programme Background AeroVironment has been providing the Switchblade 300 loitering munition to the US Army under the long-standing Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile Systems (LMAMS) programme ...

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

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

  Programme 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 ...

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

  Group 4/5 UAV [US Army]

  Background Request for Information (RFI) On 5 June 2024, the American DoD published an RfI with an original response date of 19 July 2024. The ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  US Army Maneuver Support Vessel Light (MSVL)

  Programme BackgroundThe Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) or MSV(L) contract was awarded by the US Army to Vigor in 2017 and are being built to replace ...

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) ...

• JPT

  Designed for military applications, the Joint Platform Tablet (JPT) features a rugged design, including a military-grade aluminium case, dual-core processor, 128GB removable hard drive and ...

• 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 ...

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

  RQ-7 Shadow 200

  The Shadow 200, designated RQ-7B by the US Army, is flown by the army brigade combat teams and combat aviation brigades along with the UAV ...

• REBS

  The Rapidly Emplaced Bridge System (REBS) is a 13m dry-gap bridge. It was designed by GDELS to meet a US Army requirement to provide a ...

• DSB

  WFEL was selected in 1996 to develop the M18 Dry Support Bridge (DSB) for the US Army. The company designed, manufactured and integrated the DSB ...

• 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). ...

• Individual grenade launchers

  M320 GLM

  The M320 Grenade Launcher Module (GLM) is a further development of the HK AG36 (see separate entry) to meet a US Army requirement. The M320 ...