• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aussie Bluebottles show signs of intelligence

  24th June 2019

  Ocius Technology announced on 17 June that two of its Bluebottle autonomous persistent USVs had begun running scenarios off the coast of New South Wales …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Army adjusts SMET robot concept

  24th June 2019

  A tiny name change – from ‘squad’ to ‘small’ – reflects a huge lesson learned in the US Army’s newly named Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport (SMET) programme. …

• Naval Warfare

  Moscow orders new submarines

  2nd July 2019

  The Russian MoD has placed orders for two Project 885M (Yasen-M-class) nuclear-powered submarines and two Project 677 (Lada-class, pictured) diesel-electric submarines to boost its sub-surface …

• Land Warfare

  US Army to deploy enhanced Stinger missile

  21st June 2019

  The US Army is set to roll out Stinger missiles enhanced with proximity fuzes as it looks to counter the growing threat of enemy UAS.The …

• Special Operations

  Safran's first MFF delivery due

  27th June 2019

  Safran will deliver its first military freefall (MFF) ensemble to the French Army in the final quarter of 2019 as part of the Multi-Mission Parachute …

• Training

  US Navy eyes new Arctic training exercise

  2nd July 2019

  The US Navy and Marine Corps plan to conduct a new, large-scale amphibious training exercise in Alaska this year to improve their ability to operate …

• Military Logistics

  A400M operators sign multinational support contract

  2nd July 2019

  Airbus has signed the new A400M Global Support Step 2 contract with the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR), which is the first support contract …

• Land Warfare

  Estonia selects Spike ATGM missile

  25th June 2019

  The Estonian ministry of defence has signed a €40 million framework agreement with the Eurospike consortium for the supply of the Spike LR anti-tank guided …

• Training

  Kratos UAVs used in war games

  27th June 2019

  Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced on 24 June that its Unmanned Systems Division had completed missile firing exercises with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration …

• Land Warfare

  Sweden signs framework agreement for Carl-Gustaf M4

  27th June 2019

  Saab has signed a framework agreement with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to provide the Swedish armed forces with the Carl-Gustaf M4 shoulder-launched weapon. …

• Naval Warfare

  Austal USA protests Littoral Combat Ship services contract

  30th May 2019

  Austal USA is formally challenging a recent US Navy contract award to Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) to oversee work on in-service Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). …

• Defence Notes

  Paris Air Show: Fighting talk (video)

  19th June 2019

  Two days into the 53rd edition of Paris Air Show and the Shephard editorial team takes a look back at the fast-jet highlights, conceptual models …

• Land Warfare

  Specialist enhancements for new Arquus Scarabee

  26th June 2019

  Vehicle manufacturer Arquus is developing specialist trailer technology to enhance the capability of the Scarabee 4x4 light armoured vehicle (LAV) to support airborne operations, company …

• Defence Notes

  Raytheon enhances radar and sensor capabilities (Studio)

  24th June 2019

  This video is brought to you in partnership with Raytheon. Beth Maundrill, Deputy Editor, Shephard Media, speaks to Bryan Rosselli, VP of Raytheon Mission Systems and Sensors, …

• Land Warfare

  BAE and Iveco to develop new USMC amphibious vehicle variants

  27th June 2019

  BAE Systems and Iveco Defence Vehicles have jointly been awarded a $67 million contract modification by the US Marine Corps to develop new variants for …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT (1-9) [NATO]

  Programme Background Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawks [Norway]

  Programme Background NH90 NFH cancellation  The Norwegian government announced the termination of the NH90 NFH helicopter contract for 14 NH90s with NHIndustries in June 2022. Seahawk Acquisition ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT Follow-On [NATO]

  Programme Background Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that ...

• Main battle tanks

  New MBT [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Greece)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

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

  Penguin C VTOL [Croatia]

  Background Announcment Redwire Corporation announced on 12 November 2025 that its wholly owned subsidiary, Edge Autonomy, had been contracted to deliver the Penguin C VTOL ...

• Maritime patrol

  MAWS/PATMAR [France]

  Programme Background In 2017, Germany and France announced that they would be working towards developing an MPA to replace their current fleets in service. The ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Italy)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Kuwait]

  Background Contract Award On 18 January 2023, Baykar announced signing a $370 million export contract with Kuwait for the Bayraktar TB2. According to the announcement, ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton - Germany (Cancelled)

  Programme Background Germany requested to buy four MQ-4C Triton HALE UAVs from Northrop Grumman. On 5 April 2018, the US State Department announced that it ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Bidders and Suppliers The Leopard 2A8, the latest in the Leopard family, was selected by the Royal Dutch Army as per announcements in ...

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

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

  Background Request for Information (RfI) In September 2022, the Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) launched a request for information in preparation for a possible procurement ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [France]

  Programme Background Requirements The European Patrol Corvette (EPC) is one of the new PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defence and Security) projects. PESCO was established ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirements The 2021-2023 Documento Programmatico Pluriennale (DPP) - a multi-year defence planning document from the Italian MoD - includes a plan to acquire eight "Patrol Ships", ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: air defence radar

  APIS

  APIS is a passive high-resolution primary radar system developed by Indra. It is the first passive system in the world capable of offering images using ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  AE50R

  The AE50R is an aviation gasoline single rotary engine with an output of 40.4kW. The engine is certified according to European Aviation Safety Agency Part ...

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

  LOTUS

  The LOTUS, Low Observable Tactical Unnamed System, is a tactical UAV especially designed for border patrol ISR operations.  The development of the project is funded by ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2H

  Safran Helicopter Engines received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) engine type certification for its Arriel 2H engine, installed in the Avicopter AC312E, in April 2018. ...

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

  AR5

  First announced in October 2012, the AR5 is a MALE UAS designed for SAR, surveillance and maritime patrol missions. The AR5 can be flown manually or commanded ...

• Air: NVGs

  PNL-3M Orlik

  PNL-3M are high-performance, lightweight, passive stereoscopic NVGs for helicopter crew members. Certification by European Aviation Safety Agency also enables civilian use. The device can be ...

• Trainer

  Gabriel-TP

  Gabriel-TP is a low-wing, two-seat tandem trainer aircraft aimed at both military and civilian customers. It is certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCH 170

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCH 170 is a fixed-wing loitering munition from MBDA. Similar in design to the Switchblade 300, the catapult launched system ...

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

  Capa-X

  The Capa-X is a VTOL-capable fixed-wing drone from Survey Copter, a subsidiary of Airbus. The drone has been linked with France's Système de Drone Tactique Léger (SDTL) ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  Tryzub Laser

  Ukraine's Tryzub (Trident) laser was revealed during the European Defence Industry: Prospects for Cooperation with the Ukrainian Defence Industry conference in 2025. Video footage from ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Standard 3

  Jointly developed by ATR and Thales, The Standard 3 avionics suite has been specifically designed for ATR-600 aircraft. It offers the pilot user-friendly interface, along ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCX 50

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCX 50 is a rotary-wing loitering munition from MBDA.  According to reports, the RCX 50 is designed to support ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  DroneGun

  DroneGun enables controlled management of an adversarial UAS, causing no damage to the UAV or surrounding area. It either forces the drone to perform a ...

• Military - USVs

  NOMARS

  The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) is a US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) effort to develop a first-of-its-kind large uncrewed surface vessel.

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  Trident 100TD2

  The Trident 100TD2 is a compression-ignition engine that is capable of operating on various types of heavy fuel. It is claimed to offer up to ...