• Defence Notes

  Paris Air Show: FCAS takes centre stage as fighter talk peaks

  17th June 2019

  As with the last edition of the Farnborough Air Show where former UK defence secretary Gavin Willamson presented the UK’s future fighter Tempest concept, France …

• Land Warfare

  Boxer Support Partnership holds first meeting

  11th June 2019

  The NATO Support and Procurement Agency's (NSPA’s) Support Partnership for the Boxer 8x8 multi-role armoured vehicle held its first committee meeting recently.  Originally established in …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  New Zealand selects EOD robots from Roboteam

  23rd May 2019

  Roboteam, a Tel Aviv-based ground robotics developer, has won a contract from the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) for a suite of robots suitable for …

• Land Warfare

  German Army trains with Spike

  5th June 2019

  The German Army has wrapped its annual firing training of the Rafael Spike LR anti-tank guided missile as of 3 June. Carried out in Germany …

• Land Warfare

  Sensory solutions to update UK Fuchs

  13th June 2019

  The first delivery of the Fuchs 1A8 vehicle, an armoured survey and reconnaissance vehicle which is used to detect, identify and monitor chemical and radiological sources, took place …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky to offer CH-53K to Germany

  30th May 2019

  Sikorsky will offer its CH-53K King Stallion for Germany’s heavy lift helicopter requirement, the company announced on 27 May. The official request for proposals for …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Romania acquires Polish C-IED robots

  21st May 2019

  The Romanian Air Force has taken delivery of an unspecified number of counterterrorism Gryf UGVs designed and manufactured by the Polish Lukasiewicz-PIAP Institute. The deliveries …

• Training

  ITEC 2019: Germany closes Tornado gap

  15th May 2019

  The German Air Force (GAF) and navy was one of the largest customers for the Panavia Tornado aircraft and although the latter has disposed of …

• Training

  ITEC 2019: CAE’s trauma patient simulator in action (video)

  14th May 2019

  Shephard takes a look at CAE’s trauma patient simulator which is currently in use by the German Army and Special Forces. From mid-May 2019 CAE …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Preliminary safety assessments for European MALE RPAS completed

  15th May 2019

  The European MALE RPAS Programme Division (MRPD) has completed a contract with Germany’s DFS Aviation Services (DAS) on a preliminary safety assessment, the Organisation for …

• Defence Helicopter

  RUAG completes first NH90 inspection

  7th May 2019

  RUAG MRO International has completed the first inspection of an NH90 transport helicopter for the German Bundeswehr in Oberpfaffenhofen. Before commencing work on the NH90 …

• Defence Notes

  Sweden seeks defence growth if budget demands met

  22nd May 2019

  With increased military activity in the Baltic Sea and Russia’s aggression in the air and on the ground, it is hardly surprising Sweden is looking …

• Land Warfare

  Australia resuscitates howitzer ambitions

  19th May 2019

  Australia is again on the hunt for a new self-propelled howitzer (SPH), seven years after it abruptly cancelled the Project Land 17 Phase 2 tender …

• Training

  ITEC 2019: DiSTI launches GL Studio 6.3

  6th May 2019

  DiSTI’s Human Machine Interface (HMI) and Embedded User Interface (UI) development tool kit for safety critical applications, GL Studio, has just been enhanced through the …

• Naval Warfare

  Sea-Air-Space 2019: VT Halter Marine to kick off work on US icebreaker

  9th May 2019

  VT Halter Marine, the newly selected prime contractor for the US Coast Guard’s Polar Security Cutter (PSC), will soon host a five-day meeting with government’s …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - mini

  X10D (Airman’s toolkit) [USAF]

  Background November 2025 contract award Skydio announced in November 2025 that the USAF had awarded it two initial multi-million dollar contract awards to acquire the ...

• Light UGVs

  L3 Harris T7 [USA]

  Programme Background  In 2021 and 2022 the US Air Force ordered over 107 L3Harris T7 EOD UGVs to replace its 20 year old fleet of ...

• Military UAS - mini

  X10D (Base defence) [USAF]

  Background Contract award On 8 April 2026, Skydio announced that it had been awarded a $9 million contract by the US Air Forces Central (USAFCENT), the air component ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  VAMTAC ST5 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) [Spain]

  Background The VAMTAC ST5 is already in Spanish service with the Spanish Army, Navy, and Air Force in various configurations. In June 2025, the Spanish ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Render Safe Sets, Kits & Outfits (RS SKO) (UAV) [US]

  Programme Background Definition The RS SKO provides capabilities needed for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams to render safe US and foreign ordnance and improvised explosive ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  VTMM 2 [Italy]

  Background The Italian Army has a requirement for 633 VTMMs, known as the Orso (Bear) in Italian service. These will be used to perform specialised ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Puma IFV (Batch 3) [Germany]

  Background The contract award for Germany's second batch of Pumas was originally scheduled for 2021, following the final deliveries of Germany's first batch. However, in April ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Tornado Replacement (F-35A) [Germany]

  Background Requirement In March 2020, it emerged that the German government was considering  30 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to replace 45 nuclear-capable Tornados. The remaining 40 Tornados ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Puma IFV [Germany]

  Background The SPD-led approach Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany has been under consistent pressure to increase its defence spending. In the immediate ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Vector / Scorpion (Ukraine Aid) [Germany]

  Programme Background German Enablement Initiative On 18 April 2024, Quantum-Systems announced that German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and Ukrainian Minister of Strategic Industry Alexander Kamyshin had opened the ...

• Hybrid effector systems

  Skyranger 30 [Germany]

  Background The SPD-led approach Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany has been under consistent pressure to increase its defence spending. In the immediate ...

• Military UAS - small

  Zielplan Marine 2035+ (Rotary-Wing UAVs) [Germany]

  Background Zieplan Marine 2035+ Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at the 2022 Bundeswehr Conference that Germany must become the "cornerstone of conventional defence in Europe". To ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer (Heavy Weapons Infantry Carrier) [Germany]

  Background The German Army is believed to require a total of 43 Boxer Heavy Weapons Infantry Carriers to equip its Division 2027. 36 of these ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Germany]

  Background The SPD-led approach Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany has been under consistent pressure to increase its defence spending. In the immediate ...

• Submarines: conventional/attack

  Type 212CD (1-2) [Germany]

  Background Norway selected TKMS as the shipbuilder for its new class of Type 212CD submarines to replace the six Ula-class SSKs currently in service. TKMS ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• MPVs - 4x4

  Shrek

  The Shrek is an MRAP vehicle developed by the Streit Group in collaboration with the Ukrainian Kremenchug Automotive Plant (KrAZ). It is available in three ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  DURO IIIP

  The DURO IIIP (also known as the GMTF) 6x6 is a protected, mobile off-road armoured vehicle based on the DURO (Durable, Robust) family of 4x4 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  Fuchs 1

  Spanning now 8 variants, the Fuchs 1 is the German Army's longstanding wheeled armoured personnel carrier. The army received 1,125 Fuchs, with most delivered between 1979-86. ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  German HFTS

  Helicopter Flight Training Services (HFTS) was founded by the consortium of CAE, Airbus Helicopters, Thales and Rheinmetall Defence Electronics. Each company owns a 25% share ...

• Land: UGV simulators

  Remote Controlled Vehicle Simulation

  The Remote Controlled Vehicle Simulation is designed for users such as EOD forces.  Key features: use of original control devices; PC-based VR simulation; multiple scenarios ...

• Military - UUVs

  Bluefin-HAUV

  The Bluefin Hovering AUV (HAUV) is a two-man system used for ship hull and infrastructure inspection, port and harbour security and MCM. Operators are able ...

• Light UGVs

  Oto-TRP7-HS

  The Oto-TRP7-HS (Homeland Security) is a semi-autonomous, electric-powered, tracked UGV. It is designed to undertake a number of homeland security missions. 

• Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  Manpack-6 Bomb Ranger

  Manpack-6 is a portable jamming system that can be carried by a person in areas where there is a risk of encountering remoted controlled improvised ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  Eagle V 6x6

  GDELS unveiled the fifth generation of its Eagle light tactical vehicle in both 4x4 and 6x6 models at Eurosatory 2012. The Eagle V has replaced ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Eagle V 4x4

  GDELS unveiled the fifth generation of its Eagle light tactical vehicle at Eurosatory 2012. The platform has replaced earlier-generation vehicles in production. More than 1,250 ...

• Light UGVs

  Zeus

  NIC Instruments' Zeus UGV is a development of its First Responder (see separate entry) platform and was unveiled at Milipol Paris in November 2017. The company ...

• EO/IR systems

  Gyrocam 15DHD

  Gyrocam 15DHD is a 15in dual system that delivers HD and mid-wave thermal optics, in a modular payload that supports ISR missions. The 15DHD features ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  MPV/GFF 4

  Iveco Defence Vehicles cooperated with KMW to develop the Medium Protected Vehicle (MPV). This vehicle is designed to have sufficient payload, protection, capacity and mobility to ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  Varan

  Streit unveiled the Varan 6x6 amphibious armoured vehicle at the IDEX defence exhibition in February 2013. The vehicle can be fitted with additional ballistic protection ...

• Light UGVs

  Vanguard

  The Vanguard UGV is designed to provide mission support for EOD technicians in both law enforcement and the military. It can be deployed in EOD/IED ...