• Defence Notes

  French Army helicopters involved in fatal collision

  2nd February 2018

  French police have confirmed five people were killed on 2 February after two of the country's army training helicopters crashed into each other near a …

• Naval Warfare

  Belgium moves forward on MCM replacement

  30th January 2018

  The Belgian government has approved the purchase of six new mine countermeasures (MCM) vessels under a €1.1 billion ($1.36 billion) investment. The nation will work …

• Naval Warfare

  Bulgarian patrol ship programme stalled

  26th January 2018

  The Bulgarian Navy tender for the procurement of two multi-functional patrol ships has stalled after the nominated winner MTG Delfin unilaterally decided to withdraw from …

• Training

  Taiwan holds live-fire drills as China tensions mount

  30th January 2018

  Taiwan troops staged live-fire exercises on 30 January to simulate fending off an invasion, as the island's main threat China steps up pressure on President …

• Digital Battlespace

  ADECS 2018: Chinese SIGINT capabilities sound alarm bells

  31st January 2018

  The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) facility on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands is set to become a major SIGINT facility for its operations in …

• Digital Battlespace

  Luxembourg launches first military satellite

  31st January 2018

  Luxembourg’s first military satellite, GovSat-1, was successfully launched into orbit onboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket from Florida on 31 January. The launch of the platform …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Blackjack nears IOC on US Navy decks

  22nd January 2018

  Insitu is gearing up for IOC of its RQ-21A Blackjack with the US Navy in the second quarter of 2018 with FOC commencing in the …

• Training

  Brunei pushes for more S-70i pilots

  31st January 2018

  The Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAF) currently has 24 qualified pilots for its 12 strong Sikorsky S-70i fleet and is pushing hard to increase that …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Protector deliveries yet to be finalised as IOC looms

  25th January 2018

  As development of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian continues with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA‑ASI) announcing the first SATCOM taxi of the system, the timeline for first deliveries of …

• Defence Notes

  Germany calls for NATO talks on Turkey's Syria offensive

  25th January 2018

  Germany voiced ‘great concern’ about Turkey's cross-border offensive against a Kurdish militia in northern Syria and called for NATO to discuss the operation. The German …

• Military Logistics

  ADECS 2018: Australia hunts for new hydrographic survey ship

  23rd January 2018

  The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) continues its search for a new hydrographic survey ship, with an invitation to register going out to industry for suitable …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DroneGun expected to surge on back of C-UAS demand

  28th January 2018

  The DroneGun counter-UAS system has secured a significant amount of military customer interest in the first year since its launch, with the manufacturers preparing to …

• Digital Battlespace

  More Harris radios for Latvia

  23rd January 2018

  The Latvian Ministry of Defence and the US government signed a new contract in December for the delivery of additional Harris tactical radios and accessories …

• Naval Warfare

  Costing confusion over Type 31e

  31st January 2018

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has defended itself in light of suggestions by the National Audit Office (NAO) that it failed to stipulate the …

• Land Warfare

  Delivery of first Ajax variant imminent

  29th January 2018

  British Army training units are preparing for the imminent delivery of the first Ajax variant after the completion of government acceptance testing (GAT). The first …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BTR-MDM Rakushka

  Programme Background Since 2016, 11 battalion sets of BTR-MDMs are known to have been delivered to units of the VDV in addition to 12 platforms ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BMD-4M

  Programme Background Since 2017, 11 battalion sets of the BMD-4M have been delivered to units of the VDV in addition to 27 located at the ...

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

  Wolverine / Honeybadger [US]

  Programme Background During the Modern Day Marine (MDM) exhibition, held in Washington between 10-12 May 2022, XTEND announced it would supply hundreds of Wolverine platforms ...

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

  Embarked VTOL UAV [South Korea]

  Background VTOL Development In January 2024, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that it would commence development of a VTOL-capable rotary-wing UAV to be ...

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

  Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) (Tranche 2) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  Programme Background The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) Programme The RPUAS programme will provide the battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an ...

• Loitering munitions

  Harop [Azerbaijan]

  Programme Background According to a December 2020 report by the Centre for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), Azerbaijan acquired an estimated 50 Harop loitering munitions ...

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

  Short Range/Short Endurance (SR/SE) [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 - attack

  UH-60M Black Hawk [Mexico]

  Programme Background In April 2016, Mexico finalised an order for seven additional UH-60M platforms. At the time of procurement, the Mexican Air Force already had ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16 Block 52 Pakistan

  Programme Background The 2016 FMS was proposed to the US Congress as a way to help increase Pakistan's ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counterterrorism operations. ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-1Z [Romania]

  The Romanian MoD has a long-standing requirement for new rotary platforms, including troop transport, supply and attack configurations. According to the the Military Strategy document, ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Tejas LCA - India Follow-On

  Indian Air Force is planning to buy a total of 140 Tejas LCA to equip seven squadrons. Between 2006 and 2016, India’s Defence Acquisition Council authorised ...

• Data links

  Data links | Tejas LCA - India Follow-On

  Indian Air Force is planning to buy a total of 140 Tejas LCA to equip seven squadrons. Between 2006 and 2016, India’s Defence Acquisition Council authorised ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Tejas LCA - India Follow-On

  Indian Air Force is planning to buy a total of 140 Tejas LCA to equip seven squadrons. Between 2006 and 2016, India’s Defence Acquisition Council authorised ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Tejas LCA - India Follow-On

  Indian Air Force is planning to buy a total of 140 Tejas LCA to equip seven squadrons. Between 2006 and 2016, India’s Defence Acquisition Council authorised ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Tejas LCA - India Follow-On

  Indian Air Force is planning to buy a total of 140 Tejas LCA to equip seven squadrons. Between 2006 and 2016, India’s Defence Acquisition Council authorised ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BTR-MDM

  The BTR-MDM Rakushka is an amphibious tracked armoured vehicle developed by Kurganmashzavod to meet the Russian Airborne Forces' (VDV) need for a new air-droppable APC. ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MDM-HF

  The MDM-3001, MDM-2201 and MDM-2501 multi-mode HF data modems provide single-tone (serial) HF data communications capability in accordance with the requirements of MIL-STD-188-110A (para 5.3). ...

• Data links

  Link 11 DTS

  The programmable Data Terminal Set (DTS) uses real-time processor architectures and signal processing algorithms. It is designed for controlled network operation in a Link 11 ...

• Data links

  MDM-2X02N

  The MDM-2X02N is a tactical data link modem that combines the functionalities of a Link 11 DTS and Link 22 signal processor controller (SPC) into ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MDM-Q9604

  Collins Aerospace’s MDM-Q9604 high-speed, high-data-rate HF modem is capable of transmitting data over a standard 3KHz single sideband at 9,600b/s or a 6kHz ISB at ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BMD-4M

  The BMD-4M is based on the BMD-4, which has been in the Russian Army's airborne forces (VDV) service since 2004. It was developed to provide an ...

• Military - USVs

  High-Speed Intercept Boat

  Poly Technologies displayed its High-Speed Intercept Boat at DSA in Malaysia in 2016. 

• Galaxy R8700

  The Altavian Galaxy R8700 is an octocopter UAV designed for inspection of mining, construction, urban and small project sites. It was unveiled in August 2016. 

• PD6-AW

  Prodrone's PD6-AW all-weather hexarotor drone is designed for professional filming, photography, land surveying, inspections and other roles. The platform was unveiled in April 2016. 

• MPVs - 4x4

  Bars-6

  Bogdan publicly unveiled the 7t Bars-6 (Panther) 4x4 light APC at IDEX 2015, and in July 2016, the company introduced an upgraded version ready for ...

• Self-propelled mortars

  2S42 Lotos

  The 2S42 Lotos (Lotus) is a self-propelled artillery system that is being developed by Rostec subsidiary TsNIITochMash to replace the Russian VDV airborne forces' and ...

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

  Mini UAV Fixed Wing I

  The Jordan Design and Development Bureau (JODDB) unveiled the hand-launched Mini UAS (also known as Mini UAV Fixed-Wing I) at SOFEX 2016, along with a wider family ...

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

  Bolt / Bolt-M

  Unveiled in October 2024, the Bolt is a modular, man-packable autonomous UAV from Anduril. The Bolt-M is a loitering munition variant of the drone, which is ...

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

  Mysterious Bee

  The Mysterious Bee hybrid, fixed-wing/quadcopter UAV was unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow 2016. It is designed to operate from ships, small islands, mountainous areas and ...

• Awing-F100J

  Awing-F100J is the latest UAV from Tianjin-based Quadrant Space (Tianjin) Technology and was displayed at the 11th Zhuhai Airshow in China for the first time ...