• Military Logistics

  Boeing KC-46 receives FAA STC

  10th September 2018

  Boeing’s KC-46 tanker programme has received a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the US FAA, the company announced on 4 September. The STC verifies that …

• Military Logistics

  Keel laid for future USNS Puerto Rico

  15th August 2018

  Austal USA has laid the keel for the US Navy’s 11th Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) ship, the future USNS Puerto Rico, at its shipyard …

• Defence Notes

  Mattis holds UAE talks after Yemen support warning

  10th September 2018

  Pentagon Chief James Mattis held talks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 7 September after warning in August 2018 that US support for its …

• Digital Battlespace

  Cubic receives GATR contract from US Army

  11th September 2018

  Cubic Mission Solutions has received orders worth more than $55 million to deliver its GATR inflatable satellite communication and networking systems to the US Army, …

• Defence Notes

  US Army to boost strength in Germany by 1,500 troops

  7th September 2018

  The US Army said on 7 September that it would deploy an additional 1,500 troops in Germany, despite US President Donald Trump's repeated complaints that …

• Defence Notes

  Mattis in Macedonia to counter 'Russian influence' against name change

  17th September 2018

  US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Skopje on 17 September to back a 'yes' vote at this month's referendum on Macedonia's name change and …

• Defence Notes

  Russia boosts Syrian air defence after plane shot down

  24th September 2018

  Moscow on Monday announced new security measures to protect its military in Syria, including supplying the Syrian army with a new S-300 air defence system …

• Land Warfare

  Rheinmetall signs ADF Boxer contract

  22nd August 2018

  Rheinmetall Defence Australia has signed the contract worth A$3.3 billion with the Australian government to supply 211 Boxer wheeled armoured vehicles to the Australian Army. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Mexican cartels present new security threat with drone IEDs

  16th September 2018

  A shift in tactics by Mexico’s drug cartels is underway, incorporating unmanned technology into their armed wings instead of simply using the devices for surveillance, …

• Military Logistics

  Serco receives logistics support contract

  14th September 2018

  Serco has received a contract to support the US Army Sustainment Command (ASC) with global acquisition and logistics operations support, the company announced on 10 …

• Defence Notes

  Juncker urges EU to assume stronger world role

  12th September 2018

  Europe must become a ‘global player’ with a muscular foreign policy to match its economic strength, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker urged on 12 September, …

• Defence Notes

  Mattis makes unannounced visit to Afghanistan

  7th September 2018

  US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis landed in Kabul on 7 September for an unannounced visit to war-torn Afghanistan, adding his weight to a flurry of …

• Training

  RAAF receives P-8A Poseidon simulator, training systems

  20th August 2018

  The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has received P-8A Poseidon simulator and training systems at RAAF Base Edinburgh, the Australian Department of Defence announced on …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Danger zone: SkyGuardian flight precautions emerge

  20th September 2018

  Temporary danger and diversion areas were established by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to assist the July 2018 transatlantic flight and UK touch down of …

• Training

  FAAC receives funding for VCTS updates

  14th September 2018

  Arotech’s FAAC has received $10.2 million in funding for the US Army's Virtual Clearance Training Suite (VCTS) follow-on programme, Arotech announced on 10 September. The …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - micro

  Drone40 (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background In August 2022, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a think tank, held a podcast with Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, in which ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel - Medium (Project Land 8710 Phase 1A) [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirements Australia has set out requirements for a fleet of up to 18 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels - Medium (LMV-M) with the release of ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams [Poland]

  Programme Background Requirement Since the early 2010s Poland wanted to upgrade its Soviet-era tank fleet due to modernisation requirements, the need to increase interoperability with NATO ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Land 400 Phase 2 - Boxer CRV [Australia]

  Programme Background History The Land 400 Phase 2 programme will procure a replacement for the ASLAV, a derivative of the General Dynamics Land Systems Light Armoured Vehicle ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A4 [Czech Republic]

  Programme Background  The Czech Republic currently operates a small fleet of T-72s, which, while undergoing upgrades and life extension programmes, are increasingly obsolete. In October ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  Second Hand SSNs [Australia]

  Programme Background Timeline In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Main battle tanks

  Viatura Blindada de Combate-Carro de Combate (VBC-CC) [Brazil]

  Programme Background Several key technical requirements have been outlined by the Brazilian MoD. Among the most important are that the platform should weigh less than ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  HIMARS (Batch 2) [Australia]

  Programme background Prior to selecting HIMARS in January 2023, Australia did not operate an MLRS system. However, the effectiveness of Ukrainian HIMARS convinced the Australian government ...

• Military - USVs

  Bluebottle USV (16-55) [Australia]

  Programme Background Timeline The RAN purchased a number of the 6.8m-long Bluebottles, including five under an A$4.9 million ($3.3 million) contract signed in November 2022. ...

• Medium UGVs

  Mission Master (RPV Sprial 2) [UK]

  Background First announced in April 2017 and referred to in early MOD documents as the ‘last mile resupply’ initiative, the British Army is reportedly evaluating ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A1 Abrams (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Australia has been amongst the various Western allies providing Ukraine with military aid. Prior ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Carl-Gustaf M3

  The Carl-Gustaf M3 is the third generation of the 84mm shoulder-fired recoilless antitank gun, first fielded by the Swedish Army in 1946. Since then, it ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120mm KE DM63 / DM53 A1 Tank Ammunition

  The 120mm kinetic energy tank ammunition is manufactured by Rheinmetall. There are several variations of the ammunition, including the DM63, which can be fired from ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120MM HEAT-TP F1A

  Franco-German KNDS-Nexter produce the 120mm High-Explosive Anti-Tank Training-Purpose F1A (HEAT-TP F1A) round to enable reduced-cost training for Main Battle Tank crews. 

• Main battle tanks

  M1/M1A1 Abrams

  The 105mm-armed M1 Abrams tracked MBT was introduced into US Army service in 1980 as a replacement for the 105mm-armed M60 MBT. In April 1991, ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120mm PELE Tank Ammunition

  The 120mm Penetrator with Enhanced Lateral Effect (PELE) tank ammunition is an inert round produced by Rheinmetall. It is suitable for use against semi-hard targets ...

• Light mortars

  60mm Mortar Ammunition

  US-based LD Systems' 60mm Mortar ammunition fulfils the NATO standard for lightweight mortar ammunition.

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  120mm L55A1

  The 120mm L55A1 is a smoothbore high-pressure gun based on the L55 tank gun. The L55A1 has been qualified and in service since 2019. It ...

• Naval: RF/IR/acoustic decoys

  Nulka

  The Nulka is an active anti-ship missile decoy originally conceived in Australia, and developed under a joint Australian-US programme. BAE Systems Australia is prime contractor, while ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  120mm L55 Tank Gun

  The 120mm L55 is a smoothbore tank gun produced by Rheinmetall. It is designed for use on the Leopard main battle tank, to which it ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3

  The M1A2 System Enhancement Package 3 (M1A2 SEPv3, also known as M1A2C) is the latest production-standard variant of the Abrams MBT. Designed primarily to address ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP)

  The M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) is a 120mm tank round developed by Northrop Grumman Defence Systems. Various customers, including Bahrain, Israel, and the US, use the tank ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition

  The Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition (NGVA) is a family of ammunition being developed by the US Army's Armaments Center and manufactured by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  CVTESS

  Saab's Combat Vehicle Tactical Engagement Simulation System (CVTESS) is a laser-based simulator which supports every version of the Abrams Main Battle Tank and the Bradley ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  SSN AUKUS

  The SSN-AUKUS will be the submarine design resulting from the AUKUS trilateral pact between Australia, the US and the UK. Expected to incorporate technology from ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Spike LR2

  The Spike LR2 (also known as NT-S) is Rafael's fifth-generation anti-tank guided missile system. It is a long-range, multi-purpose, multi-platform weapon designed for infantry, armored ...