• Digital Battlespace

  Second Global Xpress satellite goes live

  4th November 2015

  Commercial satellite company Inmarsat is making waves in the military satellite world with its second Global Xpress (GX) satellite going live on 3 November. The …

• Digital Battlespace

  US awards support contract to CACI

  4th November 2015

  The US Army has awarded a contract to CACI International to provide software application development and sustainment support for the army’s Communications-Electronics Command's (CECOM) Software …

• Land Warfare

  Belarus re-caps land equipment

  4th November 2015

  The Belarus Army has started a couple of recapitalization programmes that will improve their armour and air defence capabilities. The army has signed contracts for …

• Military Logistics

  Airbus tests A400M on grass

  4th November 2015

  Airbus Defence and Space has successfully conducted certification testing of the A400M new generation airlifter on a grass runway, the company announced on 3 November.  …

• Digital Battlespace

  Future Skynet options revealed

  3rd November 2015

  The UK is working on its future beyond line of sight (FBLOS) satellite capability to follow on the Skynet 5 constellation. A contract with Airbus …

• Naval Warfare

  Croatian Navy fires RBS15

  3rd November 2015

  The Croatian Navy has fired the Saab RBS15 anti-ship missile from the Kralj-class missile boat Dmitar Zvonimir, marking the force’s first firing of the missile …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  D&S 2015: Avia spearheads UV tech

  3rd November 2015

  Thai company Avia have completed a series of upgrades to the Black Kite II tactical UAV without the assistance of Saab, which has held a …

• Land Warfare

  Ukraine to ramp up arms production

  3rd November 2015

  Ukraine's state-owned defence firm Ukroboronprom will increase weapon supplies to the Ukrainian army from next year.    The company plans to increase production of the BM …

• Military Logistics

  Stellex acquires MHI ship repair

  3rd November 2015

  Stellex Capital Management (Stellex) has completed the acquisition of Marine Hydraulics International (MHI), Stellex announced on 2 November.  MHI provides marine repair and conversion services …

• Defence Helicopter

  Russian Helicopters eyes Latin America

  3rd November 2015

  Russian Helicopters is to offer after-sales service and maintenance for helicopters operated in Latin America and the Caribbean under a new modernisation programme that will …

• Land Warfare

  D&S 2015: Thailand explores fast attack

  3rd November 2015

  With Thai soldiers regularly using motorcycles to patrol the insurgent-plagued southern provinces of their country, the military is exploring the use of a lightly armoured …

• Land Warfare

  D&S 2015: Thai mobilises artillery

  3rd November 2015

  Thailand is continuing attempts at modernising and making its ageing 105mm and 155mm artillery inventory more mobile via three programmes initiated by the Weapon Production …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Global Hawk in Ex Southern Katipo

  2nd November 2015

  An RQ-4 Global Hawk from the US Air Force (USAF) will take part in the New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF’s) largest military exercise, Exercise Southern …

• Defence Helicopter

  FliteScene SRA introduced

  2nd November 2015

  Curtiss-Wright and Harris Government Communications Systems have collaborated to introduce a new pre-validated, pre-tested FliteScene Digital Mapping Solution and System Ready Application (SRA), it announced …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  D&S 2015: Upgrades for DTI’s UAV family

  2nd November 2015

  Thailand’s state-owned Defence Technology Institute (DTI) has initiated a range of upgrades to its existing UAV portfolio, including the Tiger Shark II and TEagle Eye …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Long-Endurance UAV [US AFRICOM]

  Programme Background Ageing MQ-9A Reapers In November 2022, Shephard reported that GA-ASI would continue supporting contractor SMX with its MQ-9A after winning a $2.3 billion task ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Pakistan]

  Programme Background Requirement Following a 2019 skirmish with India, Pakistan placed newfound importance on EW and ISR, primarily due to the significant advantage gained during that ...

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

  Multidomian Micro Drones [USSOCOM]

  Background Special Notice On 14 November 2024, a Special Notice was released that informed the industry that the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was looking for ...

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

  MQ-9B SkyGuardian [Denmark]

  Background Arctic Capability Package In February 2021, Denmark published the Arctic Capability package, a commitment to invest in new technologies, particularly uncrewed systems, to improve surveillance ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Long-Range Drones [Norway]

  Background Andøya Ambition On 3 April 2023, the Norwegian MoD released a statement confirming its plans for Andøya, the northernmost island in its Vesterålen archipelago. In addition to ...

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

  Seeker 400 - First Batch (UAE)

  Programme Background The UAE has a long history of transactions with Denel Dynamics. The country has been purchasing various Seeker systems from as far back ...

• Loitering munitions

  Long Range One-way Platforms [US]

  Solicitation In October 2024, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) released a solicitation for long-range, one-way platforms. The DIU noted recent conflicts highlighted the asymmetric impact of low-cost, ...

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

  V-Bat 128 [Canada]

  Programme Background Requirement Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) was seeking a platform for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) that would significantly expand its surveillance range ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  NH90 NFH-Italy

  Programme Background  The Italian Navy has taken delivery of its first NH90 NFH helicopter in Full Operational Capability (or Step B) configuration in November 2013. ...

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

  CH-4 (First Batch) [Pakistan]

  Programme Background First Batch According to the Pakistan Exim Trade Info website, five aircraft were delivered to the country on 15 January 2021. According to a ...

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

  Mini Intelligence Drone System (SMDR) [France]

  Background Requirement The French Army identified a need for a new tactical UAS to replace the Drac, which entered service in 2008. The Mini Reconnaissance ...

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

  M Solar-X [Thailand]

  Programme Background Roadmap In February 2024, the RTAF unveiled its White Paper 2024. Incorporating lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Israel-Hamas War, and other events ...

• Loitering munitions

  Medium-Range Loitering Munition with LEO Satellite Data Link [South Korea]

  Background New Project In April 2025, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) announced a new project titled “Development of Medium-Range ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Arctic Frigates Procurement/Thetis Class Replacement (4-5) [Denmark]

  In January 2025, Denmark announced the acquisition of "three new Arctic ships, additional long-range drones with advanced image acquisition capacity" and "satellite capacity" worth over ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Arctic Frigates Procurement/Thetis Class Replacement (4-5) [Denmark]

  In January 2025, Denmark announced the acquisition of "three new Arctic ships, additional long-range drones with advanced image acquisition capacity" and "satellite capacity" worth over ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Caihong

  The Caihong (Rainbow), also known as the Cai Hong or CH, is a solar-powered HALE platform designed for near-space flight. It is suitable for military ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  Morning Star

  Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s Morning Star is a quasi-satellite, near-space, solar-powered platform. It is designed for both military and civilian applications, including reconnaissance, navigation ...

• ISR/special mission, Maritime patrol

  A320neo M3A

  Currently under development by Airbus, the A320 M3A is the Maritime Patrol version of the civilian A320neo aircraft. The aircraft can be fitted with a wide ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...

• Space: radar systems

  SARah

  SARah is the planned follow-on system for the SAR-Lupe radar satellite constellation operated by the German Armed Forces. In 2013, it was announced that OHB ...

• Major networking projects

  EAC

  The NATO Communications and Information Agency awarded ACTIA Sodielec a contract in June 2013 to provide NATO with an Extended Advanced SATCOM Network Monitoring and ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Vocality Pro Series

  The Pro Series includes the V25, V50, V150 and V20. These are designed to be used in a central communications hub or as part of ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  S-70UAS U-Hawk

  Unveiled at AUSA 2025, the S-70UAS U-Hawk is an uncrewed version of Sikorsky’s crewed UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter.  It will act as a delivery aircraft for medium-sized uncrewed ground vehicles ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish Maritime

  The FlyingFish Maritime SIGINT system is one of several derivatives of the FlyingFish Airborne Satellite Monitoring System developed by Horizon Technologies. Designed to be mounted ...

• Guided munitions

  GP155B

  The GP155B is a 155mm artillery round developed by Norinco. The GP155B integrates satellite-based guidance systems that are compatible with both the Chinese Beidou Navigation ...

• Data links

  Space CDL

  The Space Common Data Link (CDL) system provides a wideband data link capability adaptable to a variety of space-based applications. It consists of separate transmitter ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  FlyingFish

  FlyingFish is an Airborne Satellite Monitoring System designed to detect and intercept SATCOM from airborne ISR platforms. As a passive system, it cannot be detected ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  ULTRA

  The Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft (ULTRA) is a fixed-wing drone from DZYNE Technologies. It is described as a long-endurance, GPS-hardened intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform with full global ...

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

  Pelican / Rumrunner

  The Pelican Cargo is an electric cargo-carrying drone from Pyka. Powered by four electric motors, the Pelican can carry 400lb of cargo in its 70 ...

• Data links

  MiMMC

  Microsat Man-Packable Mission Command (MiMMC) is a satellite-based BLoS communications system providing the ability to extend mission command applications including voice, video and data transfer ...