• Defence Helicopter

  Quad A 2016: Lakota FMS efforts stepped up

  28th April 2016

  With end of production on the horizon for the US Army's UH-72A Lakota, Airbus Helicopters Inc (AHI) is redoubling efforts to find international customers for …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: LATAS furthers airspace integration

  28th April 2016

  The Low Altitude Traffic and Airspace Safety (LATAS) system has completed its multi-aircraft testing, which took place over a two week period recently at Port …

• Digital Battlespace

  Russia sets sights high

  28th April 2016

  Six next generation mobile early warning air defence radars are expected to enter Russian service over the next few years. The Russian MoD is procuring …

• Land Warfare

  Bhutan acquires Puma for UN missions

  28th April 2016

  Bhutan has ordered, Shephard has learned, around 20 Puma M36 Mk5 4x4 protected mobility vehicles for use in United Nations stabilisation missions. The vehicles should …

• Land Warfare

  Blitzer railgun demo at US Army MFIX

  27th April 2016

  General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) successfully demonstrated its Blitzer electromagnetic railgun at the US Army's annual Maneuver and Fires Integration Experiment (MFIX), the company announced …

• Digital Battlespace

  Cobham bags multiple ELINT orders

  27th April 2016

  Cobham has recently been awarded multiple awards worth around $5.5 million for electronic warfare (EW) subsystems and components for an airborne electronic intelligence (ELINT) platform, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: Crash-resistant drone gets upgrade

  27th April 2016

  Swiss UAV manufacturer Flyability has updated its crash-tolerant drone design, known as the Gimball, improving areas such as propulsion and adding additional sensors. Unlike traditional …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: Nocturnal UAV ops approved

  27th April 2016

  An Ohio-based construction company has become the first-ever commercial drone operator to be granted US FAA approval to conduct UAV operations at night, it has …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: UAVs go truly unmanned

  27th April 2016

  The word ‘unmanned’ in unmanned aerial vehicle can often be misleading, particularly as drones generally require a team of men and women to fly them, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: Power to make its point

  27th April 2016

  South Korean company Kokam launched their new range of unmanned vehicle capable high energy battery solutions on 26 April, days before the start of the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Elbit announces E-LynX radio contract

  27th April 2016

  Elbit Systems has been awarded a $20 million contract from an undisclosed country in Western Europe for radios from its family of E-LynX tactical mobile …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSA 2016: Endeavor Robotics eyes As-Pac

  27th April 2016

  A set of unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) from Endeavour Robotics will be demonstrated to militaries and police forces in Malaysia and Singapore later this year. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Russian MoD places a contract for Mi-28UBs and Mi-26s

  26th April 2016

  The first contract for delivery of a batch of Mi-28UB attack helicopters with dual controls has been signed by Russian MoD and Russian Helicopters. The …

• Land Warfare

  Mine clearance vehicle for Ukraine SSES

  26th April 2016

  The Kremenchug Automobile Plant has built a special heavy mine clearing vehicle for the Ukraine State Service for Emergency Situations (SSES) department in Lugansk, it was …

• Defence Notes

  France torpedoes German and Japanese submarine bids

  26th April 2016

  France’s DCNS has been selected as winner of Australia’s AU$50 billion (US$38.5 billion) Project Sea 1000 Future Submarine programme.  The Cherbourg-based shipbuilder will help design …

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 ...