• Training

  IT2EC 2023: Get ready to explore the future of military training and simulation in Rotterdam

  17th April 2023

  The IT2EC military training and simulation event returns to Rotterdam in April 2023. Sanjay Khetia, director of PLEXSYS and chairman of IT2EC told Shephard what attendees can expect when visiting the show this year.

• Land Warfare

  French Army to equip new infantry regiments with 120mm mortars and loitering munitions by 2030

  3rd May 2023

  The 20 regiments of the French infantry will receive additional equipment to be able to generate more firepower independently within a radius of 8km.

• Naval Warfare

  Exclusive: Royal Navy Second Sea Lord on ships, the defence command paper, and the future Indo-Pacific presence

  5th May 2023

  The UK Royal Navy’s Second Sea Lord VAdm Martin Connell said it shouldn’t be a surprise that adjustments must be made ahead of a hotly anticipated new Defence Command Paper and praised the progress made by HMS Tamar and Spey in reinforcing the UK’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific.

• Air Warfare

  NATO air forces need to focus on air superiority and ‘realistic’ training

  30th March 2023

  At the RUSI Combat Air Conference 2023, experts and senior air force personnel openly talked about the lessons air forces learned from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. NATO air arms must focus on SEAD/DEAD missions, stockpiling ammunition and air superiority.

• Land Warfare

  How NATO countries plan to overcome ammunition shortages

  28th March 2023

  Measures include ramping up production, facilitating acquisitions, improving infrastructure and logistics and increasing cooperation and joint procurements.

• Land Warfare

  Mobility and deception keeping Ukrainian air defence systems intact

  20th March 2023

  Mobility and deception tactics have helped keep Ukrainian air defence systems stay online during Russia's invasion of the country.

• Defence Notes

  What has the US learned from the Ukraine war about missile defence?

  13th April 2023

  After analysing the conflict, the Pentagon intends to upgrade systems and accelerate both acquisition of new sensors and technologies and their integration with its equipment in addition to improving the procurement process.

• Defence Notes

  US Congress warns: Pentagon's capabilities may not be ready to face future threats

  5th April 2023

  Legislators warn that the DoD has not been funding the right equipment and technology to succeed in tomorrow’s warfare.

• Defence Notes

  MBDA navigates supply chain pressures amidst increased demand for armaments

  21st March 2023

  MBDA is adapting to supply chain pressures as the Russian invasion of Ukraine leads to increased demand for armaments.

• Air Warfare

  Finland prepares for F-35 fighter's arrival, contemplates fate of ageing F/A-18 Hornets amid NATO cooperation

  5th April 2023

  Finland is preparing to replace its aging fleet of F/A-18 fighters with the F-35A. The delivery of the new equipment is expected to take years, and the fate of the decommissioned Hornets remains uncertain.

• Land Warfare

  Polish Army signs new agreement for over a thousand armoured vehicles

  2nd March 2023

  Poland's defence minister has inked a deal with manufacturer HSW for 1,000 Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles, plus 400 specialist vehicles based on the same chassis, and the country is also looking to rapidly acquire a heavy IFV to deploy alongside its new Abrams tank fleet.

• Land Warfare

  NATO countries seek joint acquisition of armoured engineer vehicles

  9th March 2023

  Seven NATO members are interested in common procurement of equipment including armoured engineering and breaching vehicles, autonomous engineering systems and modular mission payloads.

• Land Warfare

  Why NATO is seeking an advanced modular air defence solution

  3rd March 2023

  Under the Modular Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) project, ten NATO members want to rapidly develop or acquire an air defence system that can respond to threats along the very short, short and medium-range spectrum.

• Land Warfare

  How the US Army plans to accelerate replenishment of stockpiles

  2nd February 2023

  The service is betting on multi-year contracts, reducing procurement process bureaucracy and partnering with industry to speed up production.

• Land Warfare

  UK rethinks tank fleet numbers as Challenger 3 project hits critical milestone

  16th February 2023

  Unlike some UK combat vehicle programmes, the Challenger 3 project is on track and on budget, having passed its critical design review earlier this February.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Multirole Helicopters [Poland]

  Programme Background In 2020, Poland announced the launch of the Perkoz programme to acquire 32 support helicopters to replace its fleet of Mi-2 aircraft stationed ...

• Military UAS - small

  Small UAS [Spain]

  Programme Background Fuerza 35 Project This project is a Spanish Army initiative to create and maintain an effective force by forming flexible and cohesive operational ...

• Loitering munitions

  Loitering Munitions [Estonia]

  Background Framework Agreement On 6 December 2024, the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) announced a tender for a 7-year framework agreement for loitering munitions, with ...

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

  Twister [Spain]

  Background Background Fuerza 35 Project This project is a Spanish Army initiative to create and maintain an effective force by forming flexible and cohesive operational ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Larger UAVs [Estonia]

  2026-2029 Defence Investment On 30 July 2025, the Republic of Estonia’s Minister of Defence, Hanno Pevkur, announced an approved development plan, allocating more than €10 billion ($11.42 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer (RCH 155) (Batch 1) [Germany]

  Programme Background The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of maintaining a large number of long-range fires. Since February 2022, Germany has donated a ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Heavy Lift Helicopter [Philippines]

  Programme Background Procurement from Russia In November 2021, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that a contract had been signed to acquire 16 Mi-171 heavy ...

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

  Vector / Scorpion [Spain]

  Background Fuerza 35 Project This project is a Spanish Army initiative to create and maintain an effective force by forming flexible and cohesive operational organisations, ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer (RCH 155) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of maintaining a large number of long-range fires. Since February 2022, Germany has donated a ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer (RCH 155) (Batch 2) [Germany]

  Programme Background The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of maintaining a large number of long-range fires. Since February 2022, Germany has donated a ...

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

  X10D [Spain]

  Background Fuerza 35 Project This project is a Spanish Army initiative to create and maintain an effective force by forming flexible and cohesive operational organisations, ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 [Sweden]

  Programme Background As the domestic manufacturer and original operator of the CV90 IFV, Sweden has had a continuous fleet of CV90s in service since the ...

• Main battle tanks

  K2 (Phase 1) [Poland]

  Programme Background Requirement Poland's K2 purchase is the successor of the Wilk programme which aimed to replace the country's Soviet-era T-72 and PT-91 MBTs with a ...

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

  StormShroud: Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) [UK]

  Background Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) Strategy Reflecting on lessons learned from the cancellation of the Mosquito programme, the Royal Air Force (RAF) redefined the role ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6, MPVs - 4x4

  New Reconnaissance Vehicles [Italy]

  Programme Background The Italian Army's current reconnaissance needs are met by the Puma 4x4, of which the Italian Army previously received 180. It has also previously ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• 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 ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Attritable Multirotor First Person View (AM-FPV)

  Unveiled in May 2025, the Attritable Multirotor First Person View (AM-FPV) is a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Tur 7

  Unveiled in 2022, AMZ-Kutno's Tur 7 is the latest iteration of the company's Tur 4x4 armoured vehicles. The 12t vehicle is offered in several configurations ...

• Land: RWS

  Pitbull

  General Robotics developed the lightweight Pitbull family of remote weapons station for use on aerial, land and naval crewed or uncrewed platforms. Armed with a single ...

• 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 ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Cougar

  The Cougar is a lightweight 4x4 APC based on the Toyota Land Cruiser. Designed to deliver high mobility in urban and rural environments, the Cougar ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BMP-3

  The BMP-3 was designed as a successor to the BMP-1 and BMP-2 IFVs, entering service with the Soviet Red Army in 1987.  Armed with a ...

• Main battle tanks

  Challenger 2

  The 120mm-armed Challenger 2 MBT was introduced into British Army service in 1994 as a replacement for the Challenger 1, which was successfully employed in ...