• Defence Notes

  UK considers laser-equipped Phalanx

  26th May 2016

  The UK could test a Phalanx close-in weapon system equipped with a directed-energy weapon capability, with the first demonstrations potentially taking place in 2018. The …

• Land Warfare

  New power pack packs a punch

  25th May 2016

  Today’s soldiers, including special forces, are burdened with an excess of batteries to power the increasing number of electronic items they carry.  The UK arm …

• Land Warfare

  SOFIC 2016: Blood supply for SOF

  25th May 2016

  Pelican BioThermal has secured its first significant military orders for its Golden Medic field blood transport container. According to Adam Tetz, director of marketing for …

• Digital Battlespace

  DRS to enhance FPAs for DARPA

  25th May 2016

  DARPA has awarded a contract to DRS Technologies to improve its infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs) as part of the Lambda Scale programme, the company …

• Naval Warfare

  Raytheon delivers Railgun containers

  25th May 2016

  Raytheon has started deliveries of pulse power containers for the US Navy Railgun programme, it announced on 23 May. The containers have multiple pulsed power …

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy accepts USS Zumwalt

  24th May 2016

  The US Navy has accepted the delivery of the future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), a guided missile destroyer and the lead ship of the Zumwalt …

• Land Warfare

  Thales thermal cameras for Indian T90s

  24th May 2016

  Thales has been awarded a contract from Beltech to provide its Catherine thermal imaging cameras for installation in Indian T90 main battle tanks (MBTs), it …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: UK military medics prepare for future (video)

  24th May 2016

  Now the war in Afghanistan is over, medics across the British armed forces are adapting their training to prepare for contingency operations.   At ITEC …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: Titan & Calytrix announce Vanguard v.1

  24th May 2016

  TitanIM, in conjuncture with Calytrix Technologies, used the recent ITEC event in London to announce that Titan Vanguard CX version 1.0 will be released on …

• Digital Battlespace

  Orbital bags proximity sensor order

  23rd May 2016

  Orbital ATK has been awarded a $16 million order for its DSU-33D/B proximity sensors, with deliveries to begin in mid-2016, it announced on 19 May. …

• Digital Battlespace

  ADF C-RAM to merge with air defence capability

  23rd May 2016

  The Australian Defence Force's (ADF) counter-rocket, artillery and mortar (C-RAM) capability will be absorbed into a new ground-based air defence system to be tendered later …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: Netherlands to receive SUIT training systems

  20th May 2016

  The Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) will soon take delivery of two RE-liON Small Unit Immersive Trainer (SUIT) systems: one for special operations forces and the …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: Saab shows new capabilities

  20th May 2016

  Saab has used ITEC 2016 to announce a number of new contracts and highlight their participation in Exercise Arrow, the first time that the US and …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: Trevor Nash reviews the show (video)

  20th May 2016

  MTSN Editor Trevor Nash gave the pedometer a good thrashing at this year's ITEC 2016 to get to grips with all the key developments at …

• Land Warfare

  Ceradyne wins US body armour contract

  20th May 2016

  Ceradyne, a part of 3M, has been awarded a $92.7 million contract by the US Defense Logistics Agency to supply and deliver 177,000 body armour …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Medium Range Precision Strike (MRPS) [UK]

  Programme Background Prior Information Notice (PIN) On 21 October 2024, the MoD published a PIN in collaboration with the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S;). The notice ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35C Carrier Variant (CV) Future Procurement

  US Navy has ordered 118 F-35C aircraft until FY2020, the remaining 121 fighters will be acquired at a rate of 21-28 per year between FY2021 ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Phoenix Ghost (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (21 April 2022) Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, on 21 April 2022, President Biden announced an $800 ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Land 121 Phase 4 (Hawkei PMV-L)

  Programme Background Three suppliers were originally down-selected to meet the Land 121 Phase 4 requirement: Thales Australia, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and Force Protection ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• Main battle tanks

  Main Battle Tank Upgrade [Australia]

  Programme Background Between 2006 and 2007, the Australian Army received 59 M1A1 AIM SA Abrams MBTs under Project Land 907 Phase 1. These vehicles were planned to ...

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

  Bayraktar TB3 [Turkish Army]

  Background Land Forces Command Delivery In late October 2024, Haluk Bayraktar, Baykar's CEO, stated that the Bayraktar TB3 had entered mass production and could be exported ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Land Mobility Programme (Light Mobility Vehicle) [UK]

  This programme briefly introduces the wider Land Mobility Programme and then focuses on the Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) programme. Information on the LPM and HPM can ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F Chinook-Saudi Arabia- Contracted

  The helicopters will increase the Royal Saudi Land Forces Aviation Command's interoperability with the US and advance the development of the country's heavy-lift helicopter capability.

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Project Land 400 Phase 3 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement: 2015 RfI The Land 400 Phase 3 programme will procure a new tracked IFV to replace the Australian Army's legacy fleet of ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  NH90 NFH-Germany - Awarded

  NH90 Sea Lions will take on a wide range of roles including search and rescue (SAR), maritime reconnaissance, special forces as well as personnel and ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Land Mobility Programme (Light Protected Mobility) [UK]

  This programme briefly introduces the wider Land Mobility Programme and then focuses on the Light Protected Mobility (LPM) programme. Information on the LMV and HPM can ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Land Mobility Programme (Medium Protected Mobility) [UK]

  This programme briefly introduces the wider Land Mobility Programme and then focuses on the Medium Protected Mobility (MPM) programme. Information on the LMV and MPM can ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Project Land 2097 Phase 4 [Australia]

  Programme Background According to the RfI, under Project Land 2097 Phase 4, the selected helicopter must comprise a commercial or military off-the-shelf solution that is ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Trainer, Transport

  EMB-121 Xingu

  The EMB-121 Xingu is a twin-turboprop light transport and advanced multi-engine trainer aircraft developed by Embraer based on the EMB-110 Bandeirante. Its maiden flight was ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Hawkei

  Thales Australia developed the 4x4 Hawkei for the Australian Army's Land 121 Phase 4 Protected Mobility Vehicle – Light (PMV-L) project.  The prototype was unveiled in ...

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

  Aertos 121

  The Digital Aerolus Aertos 121 ducted-fan quadrotor UAV is an improved version of the Aertos 120 infrastructure inspection platform. It is designed as an asset for ...

• Towed mortars

  Soltam K6 120mm Lightweight Towed Mortar

  The Soltam K6 120mm Lightweight Towed Mortar has a maximum range of 7,200m using conventional unassisted bombs. The K6 was selected for US Army service ...

• Land Ops

  ESS Land Ops goggles provide eye protection and fog-resistance for ground troops and are authorised by the US Army for use over prescription eyewear. Land ...

• Land: air defence radar, Land: indirect fire location radar

  KRONOS Land

  KRONOS is a mobile multifunctional C-band radar system designed by Leonardo to support air and coastal defence tactical operations.  The system simultaneously performs surveillance, dedicated target ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - national programmes

  Land 125

  In 1994, Australia initiated Project Wundurra to develop an integrated soldier combat system, and by 2005 this had evolved into the multi-phase Land 125 programme ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  Land Ceptor

  MBDA Land Ceptor is a medium-to-long range ground-based air defence missile system based on the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) family of surface-to-air missiles developed ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Superav Land

  The Superav Land 8x8 is a modular vehicle with a large diameter turret ring that can be adjusted to fit a wide variety of remote-controlled ...

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

  ALADIN

  ALADIN is a miniature system consisting of a man-portable GCS and a hand-launched air vehicle with exchangeable sensor payloads.  The UAV, which can be operated ...

• Aertos 120

  The Digital Aerolus Aertos 120 is a light, ducted-fan UAV dedicated to safely conducted inspections in confined spaces such as buildings and tunnels. 

• Transport

  C-40 Clipper

  The USN began replacing its ageing fleet of 29 McDonnell Douglas C-9B Skytrain aircraft in 1997 with the C-40A Clipper, a military version of the ...

• Land: vehicle surveillance/target acquisition systems

  T-VIEW-Land

  The T-VIEW-Land is a lightweight EO/IR, gyro-stabilised sensor, installed on vehicles for day/night observation. It incorporates two cameras: a thermal imager and a colour charge-coupled ...

• Naval guns, Land: RWS

  Naval/Land Rogue

  The Land Rogue is an RWS developed by Reutech for installation on armoured vehicles. Capable of being armed with a 7.62mm machine gun, a 12.7mm ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  G-Wagon

  Mercedes-Benz G-Wagons are designed to meet specific military needs and have been in production since 1979. The vehicle comes in several variants, including 4x4 and 6x6 versions. ...