• Digital Battlespace

  NATO kicks off investment programme

  27th July 2016

  The NATO Communication and Information (NCI) agency has kicked off a programme to invest in new cyber, air and missile defence and advanced software capabilities …

• Military Logistics

  India reverses course on MRTT

  27th July 2016

  In a flip-flop typical of Indian procurement activities, the country’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) cancelled its tender process for six A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Queensland funds UAS tech development

  27th July 2016

  The government of Queensland, Australia, is looking to increase funding to advance UAS development for a number of civil markets, it was announced on 25 …

• Digital Battlespace

  OSI to supply NZ frigate upgrade radar

  27th July 2016

  OSI Maritime Systems (OSI) has signed a contract for the supply of a new radar system as part of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) …

• Training

  NZDF continues Exercise Joint Waka

  26th July 2016

  The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has continued its Exercise Joint Waka for Amphibious Task Force (ATF) training with a simulated stability and support exercise …

• Training

  ADF PC-21 takes flight

  26th July 2016

  Pilatus Aircraft and Lockheed Martin have successfully completed the initial production test flight of the first Pilatus PC-21 single-turboprop advanced trainer aircraft for the Australian …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Airbus to operate German Heron 1 UAS

  25th July 2016

  Airbus Defence and Space will operate Germany’s Heron 1 UAS in support of the German Army’s mission in Mali, the company announced on 21 July. …

• Land Warfare

  Ajax data sharing platform selected

  25th July 2016

  Sighting systems on the British Army’s Ajax vehicle fleet will use PrismTech’s Vortex OpenSplice as the data-sharing platform. The system’s selection by Thales was announced …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Facebook reaches unmanned milestone

  22nd July 2016

  Social media giant Facebook has completed the first full-scale test flight of its high-altitude UAV, Aquila, the company announced on 21 July. The test flight …

• Military Logistics

  KBR bags multiple defence contracts

  22nd July 2016

  KBR has received new defence contracts, including a multi-year contract for the Australian Department of Defence and two contract extensions with the US, it announced …

• Training

  Thales to modernise German shooting simulators

  22nd July 2016

  Thales Deutschland has received an order worth $5.5 million from the German armed forces for the modernisation of its small arms/handheld antitank weapons shooting simulator …

• Naval Warfare

  Hong Kong modernises maritime monitoring

  22nd July 2016

  Hong Kong has beefed up its ability to monitor maritime traffic thanks to the installation of a new third-generation vessel traffic services (VTS) system. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  French team targets marine mining

  21st July 2016

  A French consortium is working to develop new ways to explore marine resources using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), ECA Group announced on 19 July. Called …

• Training

  Farnborough 2016: Air warfare training goes 5th gen (video)

  21st July 2016

  Cubic Corporation CEO and president Bradley Feldmann spoke to Shephard at this year's Farnborough International Airshow about the company's air warfare training solutions and how …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  North and South Korea pursue UAV tech

  21st July 2016

  Both halves of the divided Korean peninsula are busy pursuing indigenous UAV technology, a situation highlighted by confirmation that North Korea has developed a small …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Long-Endurance UAV [US AFRICOM]

  Programme Background Ageing MQ-9A Reapers In November 2022, Shephard reported that GA-ASI would continue supporting contractor SMX with its MQ-9A after winning a $2.3 billion task ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  HH-60W - Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH)

  According to the FY2021 Base funding, the HH-60W helicopter unit cost is $43.2 million. The HH-60W will be capable of employment day or night, in ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Pakistan]

  Programme Background Requirement Following a 2019 skirmish with India, Pakistan placed newfound importance on EW and ISR, primarily due to the significant advantage gained during that ...

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

  Multidomian Micro Drones [USSOCOM]

  Background Special Notice On 14 November 2024, a Special Notice was released that informed the industry that the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was looking for ...

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

  MQ-9B SkyGuardian [Denmark]

  Programme Background Arctic Capability Package In February 2021, Denmark published the Arctic Capability package, a commitment to invest in new technologies, particularly uncrewed systems, to improve ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Long-Range Drones [Norway]

  Background Andøya Ambition On 3 April 2023, the Norwegian MoD released a statement confirming its plans for Andøya, the northernmost island in its Vesterålen archipelago. In addition to ...

• Loitering munitions

  Long Range One-way Platforms [US]

  Solicitation In October 2024, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) released a solicitation for long-range, one-way platforms. The DIU noted recent conflicts highlighted the asymmetric impact of low-cost, ...

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

  V-Bat 128 [Canada]

  Programme Background Requirement Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) was seeking a platform for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) that would significantly expand its surveillance range ...

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

  Mini Intelligence Drone System (SMDR) [France]

  Background Requirement The French Army identified a need for a new tactical UAS to replace the Drac, which entered service in 2008. The Mini Reconnaissance ...

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

  M Solar-X [Thailand]

  Programme Background Roadmap In February 2024, the RTAF unveiled its White Paper 2024. Incorporating lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel-Hamas War, and other events ...

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

  Seeker 400 - First Batch (UAE)

  Programme Background The UAE has a long history of transactions with Denel Dynamics. The country has been purchasing various Seeker systems from as far back ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  NH90 NFH-Italy

  Programme Background  The Italian Navy has taken delivery of its first NH90 NFH helicopter in Full Operational Capability (or Step B) configuration in November 2013. ...

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

  CH-4 (First Batch) [Pakistan]

  Programme Background First Batch According to the Pakistan Exim Trade Info website, five aircraft were delivered to the country on 15 January 2021. According to a ...

• Loitering munitions

  Medium-Range Loitering Munition with LEO Satellite Data Link [South Korea]

  Background New Project In April 2025, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) announced a new project titled “Development of Medium-Range ...

• Military UAS - small

  Small UAV (Bulgaria)

  Programme Background The Bulgarian Army wants to procure UAVs to enhance the organic tactical ISR capabilities of its ground forces. According to Bulgarian media, a ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Caihong

  The Caihong (Rainbow), also known as the Cai Hong or CH, is a solar-powered HALE platform designed for near-space flight. It is suitable for military ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Morning Star

  Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s Morning Star is a quasi-satellite, near-space, solar-powered platform. It is designed for both military and civilian applications, including reconnaissance, navigation ...

• FL-3

  The FL-3 is a planned solar-powered, long-endurance, near-space platform with an 85,300ft ceiling. Speculated future uses include communication, ground observation, meteorological monitoring and operation as ...

• ISR/special mission, Maritime patrol

  A320neo M3A

  Currently under development by Airbus, the A320 M3A is the Maritime Patrol version of the civilian A320neo aircraft. The aircraft can be fitted with a wide ...

• Space: radar systems

  SARah

  SARah is the planned follow-on system for the SAR-Lupe radar satellite constellation operated by the German Armed Forces. In 2013, it was announced that OHB ...

• Major networking projects

  EAC

  The NATO Communications and Information Agency awarded ACTIA Sodielec a contract in June 2013 to provide NATO with an Extended Advanced SATCOM Network Monitoring and ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Vocality Pro Series

  The Pro Series includes the V25, V50, V150 and V20. These are designed to be used in a central communications hub or as part of ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish Maritime

  The FlyingFish Maritime SIGINT system is one of several derivatives of the FlyingFish Airborne Satellite Monitoring System developed by Horizon Technologies. Designed to be mounted ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  S-70UAS U-Hawk

  Unveiled at AUSA 2025, the S-70UAS U-Hawk is an uncrewed version of Sikorsky’s crewed UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter.  It will act as a delivery aircraft for medium-sized uncrewed ground vehicles ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish

  FlyingFish is an Airborne Satellite Monitoring System designed to detect and intercept SATCOM from airborne ISR platforms. As a passive system, it cannot be detected ...

• Guided munitions

  GP155B

  The GP155B is a 155mm artillery round developed by Norinco. The GP155B integrates satellite-based guidance systems that are compatible with both the Chinese Beidou Navigation ...

• Data links

  Space CDL

  The Space Common Data Link (CDL) system provides a wideband data link capability adaptable to a variety of space-based applications. It consists of separate transmitter ...

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

  ULTRA

  The Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft (ULTRA) is a fixed-wing drone from DZYNE Technologies.  It is described as a long-endurance, GPS-harded intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform with full ...

• Naval: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish Naval

  The FlyingFish Naval SIGINT system is one of several derivatives of the FlyingFish Airborne Satellite Monitoring System (ASMS) developed by Horizon Technologies. Whereas the original ...