• Defence Helicopter

  Airbus to retrofit French EC145s

  13th May 2016

  Airbus Helicopters has received a contract from the French Defence Procurement Agency DGA to retrofit 35 H145 (formerly EC145) helicopters operated by the Sécurité Civile …

• Land Warfare

  SOFEX 2016: Centurion re-born

  13th May 2016

  A prototype tracked armoured personnel carrier called Al-Dawsar (Lion) was displayed at SOFEX for the first time. Built by Jordan’s King Abdullah II Design and …

• Training

  US, Germany conduct Operation Sharp Griffin

  13th May 2016

  US and German armed forces underwent training on multiple complex situations at the multinational Operation Sharp Griffin training exercise, it was announced in early May. The exercise …

• Naval Warfare

  USCG, DHS open R&D facility

  12th May 2016

  The US Coast Guard (USCG) Research and Development Center (RDC) and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have jointly opened a research facility at …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Textron opens UAS service centre

  12th May 2016

  Textron Systems Unmanned Systems has opened an UA) training and maintenance facility, the Unmanned Systems Service & Support Center, in Blackstone, Virginia, the company announced …

• Digital Battlespace

  EW Europe: NATO's rude wake-up call

  12th May 2016

  Advances in Russian anti-access area denial (A2AD) have bought key capability gaps in NATO forces to the fore. The latest developments in Russia include the …

• Training

  South Korea participates in ADMM-Plus

  12th May 2016

  South Korea participated in maritime security and counterterrorism training, organised by ADMM-Plus, the government announced on 10 May. The country's military developed its joint and …

• Defence Notes

  Australian navy leases Survitec life rafts

  12th May 2016

  Survitec has been awarded a five-year contract by the Royal Australian Navy to replace the existing fleet of inflatable life rafts with its leased commercial …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: ATAC supplies live air for USN

  11th May 2016

  Increasingly, governments are turning to service companies to provide military training services. In the US, Airborne Tactical Advantage Company LLC (ATAC), an operating unit of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UDT 2016: Industry ready to showcase at Unmanned Warrior

  11th May 2016

  As industry prepares for the upcoming Unmanned Warrior exercises off the UK coast in October, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) awarded Qinetiq a £1 million …

• Naval Warfare

  Sri Lanka sells patrol vessels to Nigeria

  11th May 2016

  The Sri Lanka Navy has sold nine indigenously-built small patrol vessels to the Nigerian Navy, marking the country's first government naval export deal. The Sri …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: CAE launches new products

  11th May 2016

  Despite being associated with the provision of aircrew simulation systems and services, CAE is beginning to make major inroads into the naval training market. It is understood …

• Digital Battlespace

  EW Europe: App encryption threatens surveillance

  10th May 2016

  The increasing use of commercial products such as the internet and smartphones by terrorist organisations to carry out their operations presents a new challenge to …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: IFS selected for MFTS action

  10th May 2016

  The UK MFTS took a major step forward in February when Affinity Flying Training Services signed the contract to provide the remaining fixed-wing training elements for …

• Digital Battlespace

  EW Europe: SATCOM intercept challenges

  10th May 2016

  In remote border areas where there are fewer landline or cell phone towers, tactical satellite interception may prove useful. Nevertheless, satellite interception is different when …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (28-68) [USN]

  Background Requirement The MQ-4C Triton programme, developed under the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) programme, required an uncrewed system to provide persistent, broad-area intelligence, surveillance ...

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  MQ-8C Fire Scout (USA)

  Programme Background Timeline According to the Naval Air Systems Command, having first ordered the MQ-8B in 2009, the UAV has become a pillar of the ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Medium Landing Ship (1-10) [USMC]

  Programme Background Development As part of the US Marine Corps' future force structure, it is developing a new platform under the Medium Lading Ship programme ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Medium Landing Ship (11-33) [USMC]

  Programme Background Requirements As part of the US Marine Corps' future force structure, it is developing a new platform under the Medium Lading Ship programme ...

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

  Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Unmanned Expeditionary (MUX) (Increment 1) [USMC]

  Programme Background All-in-One UAV Since 2016, the USMC has wished to acquire a UAV that could be deployed from a vessel, be used for various missions, ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (1-27) [USN]

  Background Requirement The MQ-4C Triton programme, developed under the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) programme, required an uncrewed system to provide persistent, broad-area intelligence, surveillance ...

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

  Medium Range/Medium Endurance (MR/ME) [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  HH-60W - Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH)

  Background In 2010, the USAF announced the replacement of the HH-60G with a new Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH), and in 2012, the request for proposals ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The FVL-MS programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft utilised ...

• Military UAS - small

  Long Range/Long Endurance (LR/LE) [USMC]

  Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to the ...

• Destroyers

  Next-Generation Large Surface Combatants (LSC) - DDG(X) [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy (USN) is acknowledging a need to move away from the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer design, which is slowly outgrowing. Flight III ...

• Military UAS - small

  RQ-21A Blackjack / STUASLO - Replacement Units (USN)

  Programme Background Joint USN and USMC Procurment The RQ-21 Blackjack, or STUALSO, was a combined United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) programme ...

• Military - USVs

  MUSV [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements In March 2026, the US announced it would be replacing its Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC) programme with a Medium Uncrewed Surface ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  SECAT

  In 2022, Textron Systems unveiled its new Surface Effect Cargo Amphibious Transport (SECAT) craft, designed to support logistics behind the US Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations and ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-53E Sea Dragon

  Sikorsky developed the MH-53E (S-80) Sea Dragon variant of its CH-53E to provide the USN with a dedicated airborne mine countermeasures helicopter. Equipped with enlarged ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Tactical Mission System for Helicopter Applications

  The Saab tactical mission system is a system for transport, utility, C2 and combat helicopters intended to operate in a net-centric environment. It is designed ...

• Major networking projects

  CANES

  The Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) programme is a USN-wide effort to rationalise shipboard computing assets. It is designed to create a common ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  MQ-9 MTD

  SDS’s ROVATTS-based MQ-9 Mission Training Device (MTD) was developed to provide high-fidelity simulation to support US Air National Guard operational Reaper crew training. The PC-based ...

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

  MQ-8C Fire Scout

  The MQ-8C is a newer version of the Fire Scout and is based on a Bell 407 commercial helicopter. It offers a greater range, endurance and ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - national programmes

  MERS

  The Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad (MERS) takes a systems engineering approach to equipping the USMC’s fundamental fighting unit. The integration and configuration management of all ...

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

  MQ-8B Fire Scout

  The MQ-8B Fire Scout is a rotary-wing UAV that provides situational awareness and precision targeting support for the US Armed Forces. The MQ-8B Fire Scout, ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  AN/ZPY-1 STARLite

  The AN/ZPY-1 Small Tactical Radar-Lightweight (STARLite) is a synthetic aperture radar and GMTI sensor for UAVs, manufactured by Northrop Grumman. It offers strip and spot synthetic ...

• Fighter - multirole, Fighter - naval

  F-35C

  The F-35C Lightning II, also known as the F-35 carrier variant (CV), is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft in carrier configuration. It has larger wings and ...

• Military - UUVs

  Mission Specialist Defender

  The Mission Specialist Defender is a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) developed by VideoRay, now part of BlueHalo's unmanned maritime systems. The ROV is known ...

• Guided munitions

  AGM-154 JSOW

  The AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) is a joint United States Navy (USN)/United States Air Force (USAF) programme with the USN as the lead service. ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Air Operations Systems of Systems

  Air Operations System of Systems is designed to enable management of airspaces across large states and/or regions focusing on strategic planning. The system integration approach ...

• Trainer

  Saab 340 trainer

  The Saab 340 trainer aircraft is based on the Saab 340 regional airliner. It is used by the USN for pilot training. The aircraft replaced ...

• Subsystems: software

  LiteFlite II Simulators

  The LiteFlite II was designed to provide a high-fidelity, laptop-based system with white-force/man-in-the-loop capabilities for use with a variety of simulation systems. LiteFlite II represents ...