• Naval Warfare

  USS Thomas Hudner accepted by US Navy

  21st June 2018

  The US Navy accepted delivery of its newest guided-missile destroyer, USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), from shipbuilder General Dynamics Bath Iron Works on 15 June. …

• Digital Battlespace

  Viasat receives MIDS-LVT contract

  25th June 2018

  Viasat has received an IDIQ contract from the US Air Force for the supply of supplemental units, maintenance and support services for Viasat's AN/USQ-140(V) Multifunctional …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Australia confirms Triton order

  26th June 2018

  On 26 June the Australian government announced it was investing A$1.4 billion ($1.04 billion) to acquire the first of six Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton UAVs …

• Training

  TCTS Inc II programme progresses

  21st June 2018

  Rockwell Collins has completed the Preliminary Design Review of the US Navy's Tactical Combat Training System Increment II (TCTS Inc II) programme and has been …

• Naval Warfare

  UDT 2018: Threat commonality dominates opening discussions

  26th June 2018

  The twin needs for naval services to meet the threats posed by an emergent Russia dominated the opening remarks at the UDT conference and exhibition …

• Land Warfare

  US Army developing Third Arm for soldiers

  1st June 2018

  The US Army Research Laboratory is developing a ‘Third Arm’ to help reduce the burden of heavy weapons on soldiers. The prototype device, which weighs …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DroneShield receives order for DroneGuns

  20th June 2018

  DroneShield announced that it has received an order to deliver 70 DroneGun tactical jammer systems to the ministry of defence (MoD) of an unnamed Middle …

• Digital Battlespace

  Eurosatory 2018: FLIR adopts ambitious growth strategy

  4th June 2018

  Soldier modernisation programmes pursued by militaries around the world offer lucrative opportunities for producers of advanced sensing solutions. Providing essential technology for both modern soldier …

• Military Logistics

  Indian armed forces to acquire hovercraft

  13th June 2018

  India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the procurement of equipment worth over $81.4 million for the Indian armed forces, the Indian MoD announced on …

• Defence Notes

  NATO chief hails German defence spending boost

  7th June 2018

  NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg hailed on 7 June German plans to increase defence spending by 80% by 2024 as 'a step in the right direction' …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ION, Greensea sign agreement

  21st June 2018

  ION Geophysical and Greensea Systems have signed a joint marketing agreement to provide underwater navigation solutions for manned and unmanned underwater vehicle operators, ION announced …

• Naval Warfare

  UDT 2018: HydroCamel thirsts for new markets

  28th June 2018

  Israeli company BG Robotics showcased its HydroCamel II AUV at UDT 2018 for the first time as it looks to the international market for potential …

• Military Logistics

  Netherlands finally receives Kodiak AEV 3​

  12th June 2018

  The Royal Netherlands Army has finally received its first Kodiak Armoured Engineer Vehicle (AEV) 3, the Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 6 June.The …

• Land Warfare

  S-400 – India caught between the devil and deep blue sea

  5th June 2018

  India has started final cost negotiations for acquisition of S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems, Shephard has learned. The final deal is expected to be …

• Defence Notes

  USAF replaces AFFF with environmentally friendly foam

  26th June 2018

  The US Air Force has replaced the legacy Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) in fire vehicles and stockpiles across the service with a new environmentally …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  MQ-1 Gray Eagle [US Army]

  Background Required Quantity Although the US Army first envisioned a requirement for 132 MQ-1C Gray Eagles, the US Army's Army Acquisition Objective (AAO) was increased ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker DVH [USA]

  Background The US Army has been operating the Stryker since 2002. The Stryker DVH is an upgraded variant that has additional armour on its underside ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV (US Army) (Batch 1) [USA]

  Background As of January 2021, the US DoD had signed 15 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) [US Army]

  Background USMC First, Army Second In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial Resupply ...

• Main battle tanks

  Decisive Lethality Platform [USA]

  Background The DLP is one of five vehicle families being developed for the US Army's NGCV programme. Expanded to include five programmes in October 2018, ...

• Military UAS - micro

  eBee Vision [US]

  Background Multiple orders In November 2025, the US Army acquired three eBee Vision systems to enhance training operations at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany. A ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  AMPV [USA]

  Background Platform development The US Army initiated the AMPV programme to acquire a replacement for several variants of the M113 tracked APC, which has been ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker (Sergeant Stout) (Batch 2) [USA]

  Background As part of the Army Transformation Initiative, the US DoD is fundamentally reorganising the structure of the US Army. The development of the Sergeant ...

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

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 2) [US Army]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was intended to ...

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

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 1) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Stryker (Sergeant Stout) [USA]

  Background As part of the Army Transformation Initiative, the US DoD is fundamentally reorganising the structure of the US Army. As part of this all Infantry Brigade ...

• Self-propelled guns

  Mobile Tactical Cannon [USA]

  Background The US Army began using the M777 in 1995. Since then, it has served as a field artillery piece providing fire support for American ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow-On [USA]

  Programme Background In March 2019, Airbus stated that it expected orders from the US Army for between 12 and 15 UH-72A helicopters. In March 2020, ...

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

  Group 4/5 UAV [US Army]

  Background Request for Information (RFI) On 5 June 2024, the American DoD published an RfI with an original response date of 19 July 2024. The ...

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

  Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) [Tranche 1] / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) (USA)

  Programme Background The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) Programme The RPUAS programme will provide the Battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army AVCATT PDSS

  L3Harris Technologies is the prime contractor for the US Army’s Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT) Post Deployment Software Support (PDSS) programme. L3Harris Technologies is ...

• Maritime patrol

  US-2

  The ShinMaywa US-2 is an amphibious short take-off and landing aircraft used primarily by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) for SAR. 

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army Flight School XXI OFT/RCTD

  L3Harris Technologies is a major subcontractor to CSC on the US Army’s Flight School XXI (FSXXI) programme. L3Harris Technologies has built or is under contract ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  OH-58 Kiowa

  The single-engine OH-58 Kiowa, derived from the Bell 206, entered US Army service in 1969 as a light observation helicopter. More than 2,200 were built for ...

• Towed guns

  M198

  The US Army developed the M198 155mm towed howitzer from 1969 to replace the M114 155mm howitzer. From 1978, 1,600 weapons were built by Rock ...

• Towed mortars

  M120/M120A1

  The M120/M120A1 120 mm Towed Mortar System is a US-built version of the Soltam K6 mortar that was accepted into US Army service in 1990.

• Light tanks

  M10 Booker

  The US Army awarded General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) a contract worth US$1.14 billion to supply 96 light tanks under the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72A/B Lakota

  In 2006, the US Army selected a version of the medium-sized, twin-engine H145, designated the UH-72A Lakota,  to meet its requirement for a new Light ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  M1150 ABV

  The M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) project, launched by the USMC in 2002, is a joint programme to meet the requirements of both the US ...

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

  RQ-7 Shadow 200

  The Shadow 200, designated RQ-7B by the US Army, is flown by the army brigade combat teams and combat aviation brigades along with the UAV ...

• Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  AN/PLQ-9 Thor-III

  Sierra Nevada’s AN/PLQ-9 Thor-III is the standard Counter Improvised Explosive Device (CIED) manpack system in service with the US Army and US Marine Corps (USMC). ...

• Individual grenade launchers

  M320 GLM

  The M320 Grenade Launcher Module (GLM) is a further development of the HK AG36 (see separate entry) to meet a US Army requirement. The M320 ...

• Unguided Mortar Ammunition

  M821A3 High Explosive Mortar Round

  The M821A3 High Explosive Mortar Round is an 81mm mortar round manufactured by Day & Zimmerman for the US Army.

• Unguided Mortar Ammunition

  M933A1 High Explosive Mortar Round

  The M933A1 High Explosive Mortar Round is a 120mm mortar round manufactured by Day & Zimmermann for the US Army.

• Unguided Mortar Ammunition

  M934A1 High Explosive Mortar Round

  The M934A1 High Explosive Mortar Round is a 120mm mortar round produced by Day & Zimmermann for the US Army.