• Land Warfare

  US Army Sentinel A4 radar will be integrated into DC region defence architecture in 2025

  25th October 2024

  Lockheed Martin confirmed that the service would also conduct integration tests with the IBCS and IFPC next year.

• Land Warfare

  BAE Systems Hagglunds’ latest CV90 IFV on show in Paris

  17th June 2024

  The newest member of the CV90 family of vehicles features a new turret and more internal space for crews.

• Training

  Florida firm wins Bell 412 maintenance training contract in El Salvador

  2nd October 2024

  The deal, ECS’s 12th contract under the Enterprise Training Services Contract (ETSC) programme, will run from late-August 2024 to late-August 2025.

• Air Warfare

  Australia wins approval from US for 100 AGM-88G missiles

  30th September 2024

  All Australia’s fixed-wing fighter aircraft can carry the missiles and work has been underway to investigate the use of the missile from P-8A MPAs which are also operated by Australia.

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2025: IAI pushes ahead with new systems as international interest is roused in Iron Dome

  18th February 2025

  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) CEO Boaz Levy spoke to Shephard about the company’s decades-long development of it missile portfolio, at a time when countries around the world have been demonstrating a growing appetite in procuring national missile defence systems.

• Air Warfare

  What the retirement of the KC-10 Extender means for the US Air Force

  27th September 2024

  The tanker will be replaced by the KC-46A Pegasus, which is a more capable platform in terms of avionics, but with less payload capacity.

• Land Warfare

  British Army’s Challenger 3 undertakes qualification firings in Germany

  25th April 2024

  The Challenger 3 Main Battle Tank (MBT), which will be delivered to the British Army by Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) under an £800 million (US$1 billion) contract, will stay in service beyond 2040.

• Naval Warfare

  Norway to massively increase defence budget by 2036

  5th April 2024

  Strengthening the Norwegian Navy has been laid out as the main investment in the new long-term plan, which will increase defence spending by almost US$60 billion (NOK600 billion) in the coming 12 years.

• Air Warfare

  Japan cleared for more KC-46A aerial refuelling aircraft under $4.1 billion deal

  16th September 2024

  Japan ordered two KC-46A tanker aircraft under an FMS contract with the US Air Force awarded in December 2017. The deal was increased to six tankers with subsequent orders. Japan has now been approved for up to nine more aircraft.

• Air Warfare

  Insight: How India’s Tri-Service MQ-9B $4 billion deal was awarded

  22nd October 2024

  After lengthy negotiations, the Indian Ministry of Defence has now signed a US$4 billion contract with the US Government to procure 31 MQ-9B drones from General Atomics, marking India as the largest customer of this UAV model.

• Training

  What is preventing the US Pentagon from succeeding in multi-domain scenarios?

  28th October 2024

  Outstanding issues to be addressed include improving doctrine, increasing the number of joint exercises and better integrating capabilities across the services.

• Air Warfare

  Indonesia orders Airbus H145s for military training

  23rd September 2024

  The decision to purchase the H145 by the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) has marked the first time the Indonesian military has selected the platform.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2024: Mack Defense shows latest MD6 electric vehicle

  15th October 2024

  Designed for medium operations with proven civilian technology, Mack Defense’s MD6 electric vehicle has been on show at AUSA 2024, while production on the US Army’s M917A3 Heavy Dump Truck has continued.

• Air Warfare

  Lockheed Martin promotes F-35 as economic ‘catalyst’ ahead of UK budget

  29th October 2024

  The company estimated a gross value add to the UK economy of £45.2 billion up to 2046, with the F-35 programme sustaining more than 20,000 UK jobs over its development, production, integration and maintenance.

• Land Warfare

  Latvia enters talks to buy GDELS ASCOD IFV

  15th November 2024

  The ASCOD is in service with, or has been ordered by, five countries. In the UK it forms the basis of the British Army’s Ajax and for the US it is the chassis for the M10 Booker.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  Programme Background  In February 2025, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste Simon Harris highlighted Irelands need to procure a new combat fighter jet to combat ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-390 Options [Portugal]

  Programme Background Leadership from Embraer and the Portuguese Air Force formalised a contract that includes 10 aircraft options that can be utilised by any NATO ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-390 [Portugal]

  Programme Background Leadership from the Portuguese Air Force and Embraer signed a contract for a sixth C-390, with the option for ten additional aircraft for ...

• OPVs

  Samarth Class (Batch 2)

  Programme Background The Samarth class Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessels (AOPVs) are a class of six in service with the Indian Coast Guard with a further five vessels ...

• Fighter - multirole

  MiG-35 (Russia)

  The MiG-35 is a new-generation derivative of the twin-engine MiG-29 (NATO code-name ‘Fulcrum’) featuring multi-role combat capabilities, significantly reworked airframe and a vastly expanded arsenal ...

• AEW&C

  Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (1-6) [NATO]

  Programme Background NATO’s E-3A AWACS fleet is set to retire in 2035, after 50 years of service. To plan for the required follow-on capability, NATO's ...

• OPVs

  Vikram Class

  Programme Background The Vikram class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) for the Indian Coast Guard are being built at the Kattupalli shipyard by Larsen and Toubro (L&T;)  Shipbuilding. ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | C-390 [Portugal]

  During the Paris Air Show 2025, Embraer and the Portuguese Air Force formalised the procurement of Portugal's sixth C-390 aircraft with the option for ten ...

• Data links

  Data links | C-390 [Portugal]

  During the Paris Air Show 2025, Embraer and the Portuguese Air Force formalised the procurement of Portugal's sixth C-390 aircraft with the option for ten ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | C-390 [Portugal]

  During the Paris Air Show 2025, Embraer and the Portuguese Air Force formalised the procurement of Portugal's sixth C-390 aircraft with the option for ten ...

• ISR/special mission

  EC-37B Compass Call [USAF]

  Programme Background Requirement The retirement of the EF-111A in 1990 left the USAF largely out of the operational and tactical level radar jamming business. Lockheed Martin ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Jamming and Escort Electronic Attack Aircraft (luWES) [Germany]

  Under the Luftgestützte Wirkung im Elektromagnetischen Spektrum (luWES) programme, Germany is committed to NATO to provide 15 electronic warfare escort aircraft to support its aerial jamming capability, ...

• Data links

  Data links | Jamming and Escort Electronic Attack Aircraft (luWES) [Germany]

  Under the Luftgestützte Wirkung im Elektromagnetischen Spektrum (luWES) programme, Germany is committed to NATO to provide 15 electronic warfare escort aircraft to support its aerial jamming capability, ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Jamming and Escort Electronic Attack Aircraft (luWES) [Germany]

  Under the Luftgestützte Wirkung im Elektromagnetischen Spektrum (luWES) programme, Germany is committed to NATO to provide 15 electronic warfare escort aircraft to support its aerial jamming capability, ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Jamming and Escort Electronic Attack Aircraft (luWES) [Germany]

  Under the Luftgestützte Wirkung im Elektromagnetischen Spektrum (luWES) programme, Germany is committed to NATO to provide 15 electronic warfare escort aircraft to support its aerial jamming capability, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Major networking projects

  Air Policing

  Air Policing is a collective peacetime mission that requires NATO to take action against all violations and infringements of its airspace using agreed procedures. Supreme ...

• Land: battlefield and ground surveillance radar

  O-PEN Wall Penetration Radar

  SRC’s O-PEN sense-through-the-wall radar system, previously known as SOMISR II, was developed to address urban warfare requirements under a US Army Technology Objective programme. The ...

• Awing-F100J

  Awing-F100J is the latest UAV from Tianjin-based Quadrant Space (Tianjin) Technology and was displayed at the 11th Zhuhai Airshow in China for the first time ...

• RemoCopter-001

  The Uconsystem RemoCopter-001 is a very lightweight (1kg) quadrotor UAV dedicated to commercial and hobby applications, with an integrated EO payload. 

• Major networking projects

  Air and Missile Defence

  NATO Air and Missile Defence comprises all measures aimed at monitoring and reacting to potential air threats in NATO airspace, as well as countering hostile ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  Blackbird

  The Blackbird UAV detection and geolocation system detects and locates both the UAV and its controller, using signal processing technology. It can be deployed interactively ...

• Major networking projects

  NATO SATCOM

  Leonardo has been awarded a turnkey contract to rationalise and upgrade NATO’s SATCOM systems and associated infrastructure. The company will design, build, test, commission and ...

• Major networking projects

  NATO DCIS

  Airbus is delivering the NATO Deployable Communication and Information System (DCIS). The project represents a major upgrade in the capability of NATO Response Forces (NRF) ...

• Land: RWS

  Qimek NATO

  Rheinmetall's RWS family includes the Qimek single-weapon RWS and the Nanuk dual-weapon RWS. The Qimek NATO combines full stabilisation, long-range day/night all-weather sights and a ...

• Land: RWS

  Nanuk NATO

  Rheinmetall's RWS family includes the Qimek single-weapon RWS and the Nanuk dual-weapon RWS, which was introduced in 2008. The Nanuk NATO combines full stabilisation, long-range ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  V-RAPTOR

  Unveiled at LAAD 2023 in Rio de Janeiro, the V-RAPTOR is a tactical police armoured vehicle from domestic manufacturer Combat Armor Defense do Brasil.

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

  Phoenix

  The Phoenix UAV is a delta-wing platform designed largely for civilian applications such as policing, border patrol, coast guard, fire-fighting and surveillance, as well as ...

• Destroyers

  TF-2000

  The TF-2000 class Air Defence Warfare (ADW) destroyers are part of Turkeys Milgem project to revitalise the fleet. The ships are intended to be NATO ...

• Air-to-air missiles

  Vympel R-27

  The Vympel R-27 (NATO reporting name AA-10 Alamo) is a Soviet air-to-air missile. It remains in service with the Russian Air Force and is also ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  SDR-H Special Role Radio

  In February 2018, Domo Tactical Communications (DTC) announced the development of the SDR-H Special Role Radio (SRR), designed for tactical and special operations. The SRR ...