• Naval Warfare

  Why USNORTHCOM would struggle to defeat China in the Arctic

  6th March 2025

  Not having enough naval and C4ISR capabilities to patrol and monitor the region would the US at risk in a conflict with China in the Arctic region.

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2025: Calidus 8×8 Light Infantry Fighting Vehicle enters production

  20th February 2025

  The new Light Infantry Fighting Vehicle (LIFV) builds on Calidus’s experience with its Wahash (8×8) vehicle.

• Land Warfare

  Arthur radars and more Archer howitzers committed to Ukraine by Sweden

  14th March 2025

  Ukraine has highlighted the need for howitzers and radars as well as artillery and this commitment from Sweden will help to fill that gap and provide medium-distance fire in a defensive role post-war.

• Air Warfare

  Second Hypersonic Test Bed flight completed for US Missile Defence Agency

  15th January 2025

  The US Missile Defence Agency (MDA) teamed up with other Department of Defense organisations, industry and academia to conduct the test.

• Land Warfare

  British Army’s commitment to L118 105mm light gun may be death knell for Light Fires Platform

  15th April 2025

  The UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) was running the programme for the Light Fires Platform (LFP) which was touted as the replacement for the 105mm L118 Light Gun used by the Royal Artillery (RA) regular and reserve units.

• Air Warfare

  Anduril to supply loitering munitions to Ukraine with UK funding

  7th March 2025

  Since July 2024, the UK Government has provided more than £5.26 billion in support to Ukraine, including £3 billion in annual military aid and a £2.26 billion loan for defence spending. The latest deal will see Anduril supply Altius-600M and Altius-700M loitering munitions.

• Air Warfare

  UAVs for Ukraine: Europe is willing to spend

  4th March 2025

  Despite President Donald Trump’s suspension of military aid to Ukraine, Shephard Defence Insight data suggests that in relation to UAVs, Europe and its non-US NATO allies are more than willing to fill any spending vacuum and are already contributing more than twice as much as the US.

• Air Warfare

  Philippines approved for potential $5.5 billion F-16 aircraft purchase

  2nd April 2025

  The potential sale, approved by the US to the Philippines, is for 20 F-16 Block 70/72 jets, days after US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth visited the country.

• Air Warfare

  Boeing secures $569 million contract to support Royal Australian Air Force’s E-7 Wedgetail

  10th March 2025

  The fleet of six E-7A Wedgetail aircraft is based at RAAF Base Williamtown and will reportedly support up to 170 jobs in the region.

• Air Warfare

  Embraer “confident” as C-390 and A-29 production ramps up in 2025

  31st January 2025

  Embraer chief commercial officer Frederico Lemos said that it was aiming to produce more than 10 of its C-390 multi-mission aircraft a year by 2030, with some A-29 aircraft already allocated and ready for delivery.

• Land Warfare

  How Ukraine’s wartime innovators are redefining tactical communication

  9th May 2025

  A Ukrainian company in a race against Russian jammers has been demonstrating how the country’s innovative start-ups have been beating the West at its own game.

• Naval Warfare

  Australian navy commissions two additional Austal-built patrol boats

  15th May 2025

  Despite bolstering its patrol fleet with new Evolved Cape-class vessels, the Royal Australian Navy’s offshore patrol vessel programme remains mired in delays, indecision and criticism over underwhelming capabilities.

• Land Warfare

  Company formed to lead Franco-German main battle tank replacement

  18th April 2025

  Launched at the initiative of the French and German governments, the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) project aims to replace the German Leopard 2 and French Leclerc main battle tanks with a multi-platform ground combat system by 2040.

• Air Warfare

  Aselsan conducts live-fire test of Gözde guidance kit with F-16 aircraft

  5th March 2025

  The test is a first for the kit, developed via a partnership between Aselsan and Tübitak SAGE, to hit a high-speed moving target.

• Land Warfare

  EMOC 120mm lightweight mortar system targeted at British Army requirement

  10th March 2025

  EMOC can be fitted with an 81mm or a 120mm smooth bore barrel and when in the travelling position is horizontal. For firing, it is deployed over the rear arc until the baseplate contacts the ground.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Land: air defence radar

  Ground Master 403 Radar [Egypt]

  Background In 2020, Egypt ordered four of France-based Thales Ground Master 403 radars, the mobile member of their GM400 radar family.  At least one of the ...

• Medium UGVs

  Medium Modular Equipment Transport Trailer (M-METT) [USA]

  Background Whilst there are many medium UGV programmes developing concepts for last-mile resupply problems, the US Army's M-METT programme aims to provide an uncrewed logistics ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-2 [Japan]

  Programme Background The UH-2 is a Japanese militarised version of Bell’s civilian 412EPX, with the two OEMs cooperating on this particular programme. The Acquisition, Technology ...

• Static/towed guns

  Ground-Based, Medium-Calibre Gun Weapon System [US]

  Background In September 2026, the USAF issued a request for information (RFI) for a ground-based air defence system (GBAD) centred on a medium-calibre gun. This RFI ...

• Trainer

  T-6C [Thailand]

  Programme Background The contract is for 12 Beechcraft T-6C Texan II advanced military training aircraft, ground-based training systems for pilots and maintenance professionals, a mission ...

• Short Range Missile Defence Systems: 0 to 20 km range

  ForceShield [Portugal]

  Background As part of its efforts to expand its ground-based air defence (GBAD) capabilities, Portugal ordered an undisclosed ForceShield systems, based on the RapidRanger SHORAD systems. The ...

• Military UAS - small

  KUS-FT (South Korea)

  Programme Background Requirement The ROKA had identified a need for tactical UAVs that can be employed at the divisional level to carry out ISTAR missions ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Surion Marine Attack Helicopter [South Korea]

  Programme Background The ROKMC has planned to obtain 24 attack helicopters for the first time. When bidding opened in January 2019, there were five contenders: Bell ...

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

  Cheongung-II [Indonesia]

  Background Indonesia plans to procure the M-SAM II Cheongung-II system as part of its modernisation strategy and efforts to establish a fully integrated layered air-defence ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  RQ-4 Global Hawk [South Korea]

  Background Requirments Seoul required UAS assets to help monitor its neighbour to the north and, increasingly, Chinese activities in waters and in the air near ...

• Military UAS - micro

  FPV Drones [Israel]

  Background Reported Programme According to the Globes media outlet, reporting in March 2025, the Ministry of Defense Department of Production and Procurement was publishing the ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Bayraktar TB2 [Croatia]

  Background Contract Award As reported by Shephard in November 2024, Croatia's government approved the purchase of six Bayraktar TB2 drones, a training package in Türkiye, a command-and-control centre, ...

• Wheeled assault guns

  Type 16 Mobile Combat Vehicle [Japan]

  Programme Background The Type 16 Manoeuvre Combat Vehicle (MCV), formerly known as the Mobile Combat Vehicle, was developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to meet ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  RQ-4 Global Hawk [Japan]

  Background Selection and contract award In 2015, Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4 Global Hawk UAS and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft were selected by Japan ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  S-70i Second Batch [Philippines]

  Programme Background Philippines Air Force is looking to procure additional multirole helicopters. Manila announced on 4 February 2021 that it was approving the purchase of 15 extra ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: COMINT and ELINT systems

  GenCOM Defense Ground

  GenCOM Defense Ground provides an automatic multi-layered situational awareness picture to the decision-maker, based on external signal data (metadata) gathered in real time. Integrating with ...

• Major networking projects

  DCGS

  The Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) is the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office plan for the integrated architecture of all ground and surface computing and communications ...

• EO/IR systems

  CM262

  Manfuaucted by AVT Australia, the CM262 is a ground-based imaging system combining four sensor configurations into a compact and ruggedised system for C-UAS and ISR ...

• Land: air defence radar

  KRONOS Power Shield Land

  This system is an L-band digital AESA anti-TBM radar. It is the land-based version of the naval KRONOS Power Shield, also known as KRONOS Ground ...

• AEW&C

  P600 AEW&C

  In June 2019, Embraer and IAI/Elta signed a cooperation agreement aimed at developing an AEW&C; aircraft based on the business jet Praetor 600, namely the ...

• Land: battle management systems

  AMDWS

  AMDWS (Air and Missile Defense Work Station), is a collaborative battlespace awareness information management system developed by Northrop Grumman to meet the requirements of the ...

• Short Range Missile Defence Systems: 0 to 20 km range

  Initial Maneuver - SHORAD

  Unveiled at AUSA 2019, Initial Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) is a multipurpose platform, based on the Stryker IFV, which moves and maneuvers in ...

• Land: battle management systems

  FAAD/C-RAM C2

  The Forward Area Air Defense (FAAD) Command and Control (C2) system was developed by Northrop Grumman to provide command and control (C2) for the US Army ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Airborne Launching and Attack System (AirLAS)

  The Airborne Launching and Attack System (AirLAS) is a system that pairs Diehl Defence's IRIS-T air-to-air missile with a reusable carrier UAV developed by POLARIS. The companies ...

• Data links

  Universal Link System

  Developed by Scytalys, the Universal Link System (ULS) is a modular, scalable multi data link processor. It supports all NATO and US standard data links ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  MIM-72 Chaparral

  The MIM-72 Chaparral is a short-range, low-altitude, surface-to-air missile produced for the M48 Chaparral fire unit. It was produced as a replacement for the cancelled MIM-46 Mauler ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-67

  The AN/APG-67 is a multi-mode, pulse-Doppler X-band radar designed for the Northrop F-20 Tigershark. It provides both air-to-air and air-to-surface capabilities, including look-up/look-down detection, tracking, ...

• Man-portable missile systems

  Dzhigit

  Dzhigit is a two-barrel, pedestal air defence missile launcher intended for single or salvo launches of Igla family surface-to-air missiles. Developed in the 1990s, the Dzhigit ...

• Cannons, Naval guns

  M230LF Chain Gun

  The M230LF is a 30mm chain-driven autocannon developed by Northrop Grumman. It is a more capable version of the M230 cannon used on the Apache ...

• Land: battle management systems

  Delta Situational Awareness System

  The Delta Situational Awareness System is a cloud-based ISTAR and battle management platform with planning, communication and fire control capabilities according to NATO standards. Developed ...