• Digital Battlespace

  Drone Guard: The Complete C-sUAV Solution (Sponsored)

  3rd October 2022

  The proliferation of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (sUAV), whether specifically designed and equipped for military use, or adaptations of readily available commercial models, places a heavy burden on those responsible for countering them.

• Land Warfare

  US Army conducts qualification shots of the TOW 2B antitank missile

  15th September 2022

  TOW 2B tests were conducted in a challenging simulated operational environment in the Redstone Test Center in Huntsville (Alabama) under the TOW obsolescence safety effort.

• Air Warfare

  Farnborough 2022: PBS confirms four customers for its new turbojet engine

  27th July 2022

  Shephard met PBS Velka Bites at the Farnborough International Airshow to discuss the unveiling of its new turbojet engine and future developments.

• Air Warfare

  India’s Su-30MKI upgrade is hampered by sanctions against Russia

  14th July 2022

  India's armed forces are heavily reliant on Russia for equipment, but the latter's invasion of Ukraine is having knock-on effects for India's Su-30 fighters.

• Naval Warfare

  Estonia, Finland plan to throw noose around Russian Baltic fleet

  15th August 2022

  A move by Estonia and Finland to integrate their respective coastal defence systems would turn the Gulf of Finland into an ‘internal sea’ for NATO.

• Defence Notes

  Off-ramps for China? Sorry, that ship has sailed (Opinion)

  20th October 2022

  The US in particular has got itself into a difficult position because politicians and military leaders continually appeased China and the burgeoning PLA.

• Defence Notes

  Lockheed Martin poised to continue Belgian F-16 support via FMS

  20th July 2022

  Additional support from Lockheed Martin for Belgian F-16As would supplement an existing FMS case.

• Digital Battlespace

  Ukrainian satellite imaging intelligence gains boost from ICEYE constellation

  19th August 2022

  ICEYE is giving the Ukrainian military access to synthetic aperture radar imaging data from its constellation of 21 satellites.

• Defence Notes

  UK says Saky explosions leave Russian Navy Black Sea aviation fleet 'significantly degraded'

  12th August 2022

  Russian Black Sea naval aviation has taken a serious hit from a recent Ukrainian strike, according to analysis from the UK MoD.

• Land Warfare

  Russia claims combat debut in Ukraine for Koalitsiya SPH

  21st July 2022

  Russian forces have reportedly employed the Koalitsiya SPH in Ukraine. If true, this marks the first combat use of the most modern and sophisticated artillery system in Moscow’s arsenal.

• Naval Warfare

  India finally commissions its first indigenous aircraft carrier

  1st September 2022

  It took many, many years longer than anticipated, but the Indian Navy has finally got its hands on an indigenously built aircraft carrier.

• Defence Notes

  Accelerated introduction of new military procurement law reflects changed priorities in France

  15th August 2022

  The French government is bringing a new Military Programming Law into force two years ahead of schedule.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Claims of Iran drone deal highlight Russia's UAS capability gaps

  2nd August 2022

  The US National Security Advisor's statement about the supply of Iranian drones to Russia has sparked considerable attention, but is this deal viable and really wanted by Moscow?

• Defence Notes

  Gripen campaign losses leave Saab questioning Swedish government support

  1st September 2022

  A lack of Gripen export orders has left Saab frustrated and longing for additional support from the Swedish government.

• Defence Notes

  Taiwan boosts defence budget in light of China’s threatening antics

  31st August 2022

  Taiwan is boosting its defence budget, and at the same time seeking weapons from the US and enhancing indigenous missile production.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Akinci [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Two Export Contracts In January 2022, the Daily Sabah reported that Baykar had "recently" signed its first export contract for the Akinci. Haluk Bayraktar ...

• Tanks

  T-90S (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background.  The status of the Saudi Arabian T-90 deal is unclear, it is possible that these tanks may be purchased to replace stocks of ...

• Loitering munitions

  ZT-180 [Russia]

  Programme Background Claims On 23 February 2023, DER SPIEGEL reported that, according to information it had gathered, China and Russia were negotiating the purchase of 100 ZT-180 ...

• Loitering munitions

  Shahed-136 [Russia]

  Programme Background Iran's Involvement On 11 July 2022, according to US intelligence, Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor, announced during a statement that the Iranian ...

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

  Vector / Scorpion (Selected) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background 500 Systems Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Quantum-Systems has provided many drones to Ukraine. Over 400 units have been provided as aid ...

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

  SkyRanger R70 (Ukraine Aid) [Canada]

  Programme Background On 19 February 2024, the Canadian Defence Minister, Bill Blair, announced that the country would donate more than 800 SkyRanger R70 UAVs to ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Heavy Lift Helicopter [Philippines]

  Programme Background Procurement from Russia In November 2021, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that a contract had been signed to acquire 16 Mi-171 heavy ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  T-150 (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background Virtual Address On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. On 3 May 2022, the UK's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, virtually addressed the Ukrainian ...

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

  Black Hornet 3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Programme Background Russo-Ukraine War Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UAVs have proved vital to the country's defence. Consequently, as in this programme, the ...

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

  Quantix Recon (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background April Meeting In mid-April, just shy of two months after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the Ambassador and the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Ukraine met ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Spartan SUT [Russia]

  Programme Background Despite international sanctions following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Streit Group vehicles are believed to have continued to make their way into ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Germany]

  Programme Background Germany has operated the domestically produced Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Leopard 2 since its inception in the 1970s. Spanning now eight versions, the Leopard 2A8 is the ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

• Data links

  Data links | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Tanks

  T-80UD

  The 125mm-armed T-80UD MBT is a variant of the T-80 which was in production in Ukraine when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. An ...

• Transport

  An-140

  The An-140 is a light turboprop military transport aircraft developed from the An-140 regional airliner, which first flew in September 1997. It is designed to ...

• Air: sonar systems

  VGS-3

  The VGS-3 is a dipping sonar for the Ka-27/Ka-28 helicopter developed by the State Enterprise Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Hydrodevices.

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

  Orlan-10/10E

  Developed by the Russia-based Special Technology Center, the Orlan-10 is a medium-range UAS with many variants, such as the 10E, an export version introduced in 2017. The ...

• Fighter - ground attack

  Su-25

  The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) is a single-seat ground attack aircraft developed for close combat air support missions. Production of the Su-25 began in ...

• Fighter - air superiority

  MiG-29

  The MiG-29 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum) is an air superiority fighter aircraft designed to engage air targets in any weather, day and night.  The production ...

• Transport

  An-22

  The largest transport aircraft of the time, the An-22 Antei (NATO reporting name Cock) is a heavy military transport aircraft developed by Antonov in the ...

• Transport

  An-148

  Developed by Antonov, the An-148 is intended for passenger, mixed cargo-passenger and cargo transport operations for both military and civilian roles. Its maiden flight took ...

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

  Orion / Orion-E

  The Orion, sometimes called the Inokhodets, is the first Russian-manufactured MALE UAV that has been designed to carry out a wide variety of military surveillance applications. Russia has ...

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

  Zala 421-16E2

  The Zala 421-16E2 is a fixed-wing UAV designed for ship- or land-based reconnaissance and surveillance, real-time target acquisition and bomb damage assessment.  The flying-wing platform ...

• Tanks

  T-80U

  The 125 mm-armed T-80 MBT was accepted into Soviet Army service in 1976 and an estimated 5,400 T-80 series tanks were built in two factories ...

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

  Zala 421-16EM

  The Zala 421-16EM is a fixed-wing UAV designed for ship- or land-based reconnaissance and surveillance, real-time target acquisition and battle damage assessment.  The system's main ...

• Towed guns

  2A65 Msta-B

  The 152mm 2A65 Msta-B howitzer was first identified in Soviet Army service in 1987 and given the NATO designation M1987. The 2A65 is in service ...

• ISR/special mission, Transport

  An-30

  The An-30 (NATO reporting name Clank) is a reconnaissance/transport aircraft developed by Antonov based on the An-24 for the Soviet Air Force. Production of the ...

• Maritime patrol, Transport

  An-72

  The An-72 (NATO reporting name Coaler) is a tactical military transport aircraft originally developed for the Soviet Air Force in the 1970s. Full-rate production of ...