• Land Warfare

  Russia to begin testing of new mobile mortar

  14th December 2018

  A new 82mm mobile mortar system dubbed Drok is set to begin testing by the Airborne Troops branch of the Russian military. According to the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Bittium products for Austrian tactical comms

  10th December 2018

  Bittium’s tactical backbone network has been selected by the Austrian defence force as part of its new tactical communication system. The contract signing is scheduled …

• Defence Notes

  Trump plans full withdrawal of US troops from Syria

  19th December 2018

  The US will withdraw its troops from Syria, a US official told AFP on 19 December, after President Donald Trump said that America had ‘defeated …

• Defence Notes

  Croatia cancels Israeli F-16 deal after Washington snub

  10th January 2019

  The Croatian MoD has cancelled a deal with Israel for the procurement of 12 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft after the Trump administration failed to approve the order. …

• Military Logistics

  Boeing KC-46A Tanker Completes Phase Two Certification

  4th December 2018

  Boeing’s KC-46 tanker programme on 3 December completed its planned Phase II receiver certification flight testing following three weeks of flights with F-15E aircraft out …

• Land Warfare

  Iskander-M for Russian missile units

  4th January 2019

  Missile units of the Russian land forces will be equipped with the Iskander-M short range ballistic missile system in 2019, the Russian Ministry of Defence …

• Defence Helicopter

  Philippines sizes up Black Hawk as best fit

  10th December 2018

  According to a Philippine Air Force (PAF) technical working group (TWG), Sikorsky’s S-70/UH-60 has been identified as the best solution for the air force’s Combat …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bangladesh looks west for attack helicopters

  4th December 2018

  Bangladesh has approved the purchase of eight Western attack helicopters for the first time, these to be used by the air force to support the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Russian Su-57 deployment to Syria tested countermeasure capability

  10th December 2018

  A video released by the Russian MoD showing footage of its recent Su-57 deployment to Syria revealed a recent aerial countermeasure modification was used during …

• Training

  Simthetiq to support Brazilian armed forces’ training

  14th November 2018

  Simthetiq will provide an enterprise license of its high fidelity 3D simulation models for use in the Brazilian armed forces’ combat simulators. The contract will …

• Defence Notes

  EDEX 2018: Egypt eyes JF-17 Thunder Block 3s

  5th December 2018

  The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) is currently reviewing the progress of the PAC/Chengdu JF-17 Thunder.  At EDEX 2018 in Cairo, Shephard has learnt that representatives …

• Defence Helicopter

  Insight: Awards and delays dominate air power in 2018

  27th December 2018

  A number of key military contract awards and programme delays throughout 2018 showed that the air domain continues to move along a series of peaks …

• Military Logistics

  Moog to build Tarsier FOD detection system

  31st December 2018

  Moog has received a research, development and evaluation contract led by the US Navy to build and deploy its Tarsier automatic runway foreign object debris …

• Defence Helicopter

  EDEX 2018: APKWS production set to surge

  11th December 2018

  BAE Systems is set to increase the production of its Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) laser-guided rocket substantially next year. Given the high usage …

• Military Logistics

  Marines preparing logistics recommendations

  9th December 2018

  Marine Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL) representatives are in the final stages of preparing a report for the Commandant of the Marine Corps, which will include …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  JAS 39E/F Gripen (Brazil)

  In 2016, Gripen’s Project and Development Center was opened in Sao Paulo to allow Sweedish and Brazillian engineers to work together in the Gripen development ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Data links

  Data links | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-390 [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirement The aircraft deliveries were scheduled to start by the end of 2016 and continue over a period of ten years. However,  the first ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-130H Replacement [Sweden]

  Programme Background Requirements Sweden has five C-130H aircraft (designated Tp-84) and one KC-130H. Two C-130Es bought in the 1960s have retired, but the six H ...

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

  Hermes 900 [Chile]

  Methodology Unit cost In 2024, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) acquired one Hermes 900 for 50 million reais ($9.14 million), giving each drone an estimated ...

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

  Hermes 900 (5) [Brazil]

  Background First three batches (2014-2024) Across three purchases, Defence Insight estimates that Brazil has acquired five Hermes 900 UAVs. In 2014, Elbit reported supplying one ...

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

  Hermes 900 (1-4) [Brazil]

  Background First batch (2014) In 2014, Elbit reported supplying one Hermes 900 UAV to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The drone is called the RQ-900 in Brazilian ...

• Transport

  C-130 Replacement [Greece]

  Programme Background Requirement The existing C-130 fleet of the Hellenic Air Force has faced operational readiness issues, with only one or two airframes in service at ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Polar Support Vessel [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirements In June 2020, the Brazilian Navy released a Request for Proposal (RfP) to procure a new Antarctic vessel to be manufactured in Brazil. The ...

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

  Hermes 900 [Undisclosed European Country]

  Background Various Contracts On 18 November 2024, Elbit Systems announced it had awarded various contacts with a combined $335 million to an undisclosed European country. ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering munitions [Brazilian Navy]

  Background Growth Acceleration Plan (PAC) As reported by Shephard, in August 2023, the Brazilian government announced plans to invest BRL 52.8 billion ($10.6 billion) in new ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air-to-surface missiles

  MAR-1

  The MAR-1 is a Brazilian air-to-surface anti-radiation missile (ARM) developed by Mectron in collaboration with the Aerospace Technology and Science Department (DCTA) of the Brazilian ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  EMB-312 Tucano

  The EMB-312 Tucano (Brazilian designation T-27) is a trainer and light attack aircraft developed by Embraer to meet the training requirements of the Brazilian Air ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  TPTS

  Tactical Procedures Training Simulators (TPTS), operating with SWARM software, can be used to provide most core training elements to pilots or offload training tasks from ...

• Guided munitions

  SMKB (Smart-MK-Bomb)

  The Smart-MK-Bomb, or the SMKB, is a precision guidance kit developed by Mectron and designed to turn Mk 82 and Mk 83 bombs into guided munitions.

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

  Condor

  The Condor, or Atobá XR, is an in-development MALE-class UAV from Stella Technologia.  The development of the multi-role is tied to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), which has ...

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

  Albatroz Vortex

  The Albatroz Vortex from Stella Tecnologia is a development of the company's Albatroz UAV.  The key differentiator is that the Vortex is fitted with an ATJR ...

• Trainer, Transport

  EMB-121 Xingu

  The EMB-121 Xingu is a twin-turboprop light transport and advanced multi-engine trainer aircraft developed by Embraer based on the EMB-110 Bandeirante. Its maiden flight was ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M

  The medium-weight, 11t-class H225M (formerly known as the EC725) is the latest military Super Puma/Cougar family member.  Technical features include a modular design of mechanical ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-390/C-390 Millennium

  The KC-390 is a high-wing, twin-turbofan, T-tail design intended to meet the needs of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) for a tanker/transport aircraft. Developed and ...

• Land: battle management systems

  Arkhe Mission & Combat

  Launched in 2017, Atech's Arkhe Mission & Combat solutions offer a variety of solutions enabling operator to conduct missions from planning to execution and debriefing. It ...

• Fighter - air superiority

  F-5E/F Tiger II

  The F-5E (single-seat)/F (twin-seat) Tiger II is an air superiority fighter developed by Northrop Grumman based on the original F-5 Freedom Fighter. Production of the ...

• EO/IR systems, Land: unattended sensor/surveillance systems, Sea: ship surveillance and fire control systems

  SHAPO

  SHAPO is a multi-sensor, gyro-stabilised observation payload. It is intended for UAVs, helicopters, light aircraft, patrol boats, aerostats, airships, armoured vehicles and masts. Sensors include a ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Saber M60

  The Saber M60 is a low-altitude air-defence radar developed by the Brazilian Army's CTEx (Army Technology Centre) in collaboration with Bradar, part of Embraer Defence ...

• EO/IR systems

  Skyward

  The SkyWard system is an advanced Infrared Search and Track (IRST) solution developed for next-generation airborne platforms, including 5th-generation fighter aircraft.  Designed with modularity in ...

• Man-portable missile systems

  RBS 70 system

  The RBS 70 was developed in the 1970s to meet the Swedish Army’s requirement for a low-cost, easy-to-use MANPADS which could function in extreme climatic ...