• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2017: iSensys aiming for target sales

  10th May 2017

  US-based unmanned target platform manufacturer iSensys is targeting sales of up to ten units of its Scrab II aerial system this year, with additional sales …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Army receives two Kontio launchers

  9th May 2017

  Robonic has delivered two third-generation MC2555LLR pneumatic launchers to the US Army, with both launchers now operational following successful testing in April. Robonic worked alongside …

• Training

  Cirrus wins TACEW and ITA contracts

  19th April 2017

  Cirrus Real Time Processing Systems has received a contract from the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) for the supply of a Tactical Electronic Warfare (TACEW) …

• Training

  ITEC 2017: Festo Didactic delivers to Royal Navy

  18th May 2017

  There has been much debate of recent years about the use of virtual versus live training. Observers tend to relate this to flight simulation but …

• Training

  ITEC 2017: MASA and BISim in strategic alliance

  18th May 2017

  Constructive training and AI specialist MASA and Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim) have signed a product sales and technical cooperation agreement to further develop MASA SWORD …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop investing in Aussie electronic sustainment

  16th May 2017

  Northrop Grumman will invest AUD$50 million in opening an advanced defence electronics maintenance and sustainment centre in Western Sydney, Australia, the company announced on 15 …

• Special Operations

  SOFIC 2017: SOF Expands Science and Technology Directorate

  15th May 2017

  Reflective of a desire to ‘move at the speed of SOF,’ the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Acquisition, Technology & Logistics (SOF AT&L;) community has …

• Defence Notes

  Blitzer railgun tests continue

  12th May 2017

  General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced on 10 May the successful test firing of hypersonic projectiles from the 3MJ Blitzer railgun system.During multiple firings form …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  USCG first ScanEagle deployment a success

  11th May 2017

  The US Coast Guard has completed its first full deployment with the ScanEagle UAS, Insitu announced on 8 May.The UAS was embarked aboard the coast …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ISDEF 2017: Pharad seeks growth beyond special operations

  10th May 2017

  Antenna manufacturer Pharad was a first time exhibitor at the recent AUVSI 2017 exhibition in Dallas and the company's presence there reflected a desire to …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2017: Snipe on target for US military (video)

  9th May 2017

  AeroVironment has unveiled its latest addition to its UAV Family, Snipe, a nano-UAS based on the Hummingbird UAS the company worked on with DARPA. The …

• Special Operations

  SOFIC 2017: SOCOM releases helmet RfP

  9th May 2017

  US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has published its Request For Proposals (RfP) for the Special Operations Forces Personal Equipment Advanced Requirements (SPEAR) Family of Tactical …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2017: MartinUAV seeks entrance to US market

  9th May 2017

  After participating in several recent demonstration events, MartinUAV is looking to establish its V-Bat long endurance VTOL UAS in the US military market. According to …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: Could Malaysia absorb Japanese P-3Cs?

  13th May 2017

  Media reports of Japan donating retired P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft to Malaysia were feverishly celebrated by many in the region. However, on 9 May …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2017: Letting the drone out of the box (video)

  10th May 2017

  Israeli company Airobotics is showcasing its fully automatic drone platform for the first time at AUVSI Xponential following its official launch in 2016. The company …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Puma 3 AE (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Military Aid - $300 Million On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine to "bolster Urkaine's capacity ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  M1165 Special Ops HMMWV [USA]

  Background The HHMWV, or Humvee, has been in US service since 1983. The M1165A1B3 is a special operations variant of the platform.  In 2015, the US ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 300 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (16 March 2022 & 13 April 2022) On 16 March 2022, President Biden announced $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine through ...

• Loitering munitions

  Point Blank [US]

  Programme Background As IAI stated in a 19 January 2023 press release, it had been awarded a multi-million-dollar contract by the Irregular Warfare Technical Support ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  BQM-177A [US Navy]

  Background Previous Purchases The BQM-177A was designed for the USN and has been in service with the USN for many years. Indeed, in August 2022, Shephard reported ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 600 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background $300 Million USAI (1 April 2022) On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine following ...

• Loitering munitions

  Phoenix Ghost (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Background Presidential Drawdown (21 April 2022) Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, on 21 April 2022, President Biden announced an $800 million ...

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

  Puma LE [Kosovo]

  Background Contract Award On 21 January 2022, the US Department of Defence (DoD) announced that AeroVironment had been awarded an $11.01 million firm-fixed contract for Puma ...

• Loitering munitions

  ALTIUS-600M (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background On 24 February 2023, the US DoD announced that the Biden Administration had released an additional aid package under the Ukraine Security Assistance ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  M1152A1B2/M1165A1B3 HMMWV [USA]

  Background The HMMWV has been in US service since the 1980s. Despite the introduction of newer platforms, the US DoD continues to utilise the platform ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawk (India)

  Programme Background On 25 February 2020, a letter of acceptance for 24 MH-60Rs, worth approximately $2.12 billion, was signed by India and the US in Delhi. ...

• Loitering munitions

  Lethal Unmanned Systems (LUS): Switchblade [US]

  Background DoD Contract On 27 August 2024, the US DoD announced that AeroVironment had been awarded a ceiling $990 million hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract to provide “an ...

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

  Puma 2 AE [Estonia]

  Programme Background The US DoD announced that it had awarded AeroVironment an $8.868 million firm-fixed-price contract to supply an undisclosed number of RQ-20B Puma AE ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-46A (3-6) [Japan]

  On 30 October 2020, the US DoD announced that it awarded a $342 million contract to Boeing for two Japanese KC-46A tanker aircraft. Work will be performed ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  ACV-30 PRTV [USA]

  Background The Armoured Combat Vehicle (ACV) programme is intended to provide a replacement for the USMC's fleet of Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7 (AAV7) tracked vehicles. ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Pistols

  M9

  M9 is the US DoD designation for the military-specification 9mm Beretta 92FS, selected in 1985 to replace the 45cal M1911A1 in US service. Sales to ...

• Man-portable missile systems

  Igla/SA-18

  The 9K38 Igla (US DoD designation SA-18, NATO reporting name Grouse ) IR-homing MANPADS was developed by KBM and entered service in 1983 to meet the requirements ...

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

  ScanEagle 3

  Insitu unveiled the ScanEagle 3 at the Xponential exhibition in Denver in May 2018. The platform has twice the payload capacity of its ScanEagle predecessor ...

• Loitering munitions

  Point Blank

  Point Blank Weapon System is a hand-launched electro-optical VTOL-capable loitering munition developed by Isreal Aerospace Industries (IAI). IAI has been awarded a contract by the US ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  BAT-850

  Pathfinder's BAT-850 VSAT is a carbon fibre, tri-band terminal with auto-acquisition capability. Suitable for flyaway (case-based) and vehicle-mounted applications, it is in service with the ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  URC-300

  The URC-300 is a software-defined radio designed for line-of-sight, ground-to-air communications in particular. Introduced in 2020, it adheres to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards as well ...

• Air: aerial targets, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  BQM-177A/i

  The BQM-177A subsonic aerial target (SSAT) was designed for the USN, and the BQM-177i is the export variant. The BQM-177 provides realistic threat emulation for ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Banshee Tactical Radio

  Developed by Fenix Group, the Banshee Tactical Radio (BTR) is a communications system that uses 4G/LTE connectivity to provide secure mesh networking capability on the ...

• Crew-served grenade launchers

  Striker 40/MK47

  General Dynamics is systems integrator for the Striker 40 (MK47 AGL in US service). The complete system comprises the weapon, AN/PWG-1 Lightweight Video Sight and ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/ARC-231 Skyfire

  The AN/ARC-231 Skyfire is an airborne VHF/UHF/LOS and DAMA SATCOM system. This system supports US DoD requirements for airborne, multi-band, multi-mission, secure anti-jam voice, data ...

• Air-to-air missiles

  9M39 Igla-V

  The 9M39 Igla-V (‘needle’) is a Russian IR homing SAM adapted for helicopter use. It is an air-launched version of the Igla MANPADS, which the ...

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

  Global Observer

  The AeroVironment Global Observer HALE UAV was a developmental HALE UAV designed for various civil, commercial and government applications.  Development of the platform began in 2007 ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  CLWS

  Developed by Boeing, Compact Laser Weapon System (CLWS or CLaWS) is a medium-range, low-power laser C-UAS system. According to the reports, the CLWS prototype has ...

• Weapon sights for day use

  CompM4/M4s

  The US DoD has bought over one million Aimpoint sights since 1997. The US Army is now fielding the CompM4s as the latest version of ...

• Heavy machine guns

  M2HB

  US Ordnance is one of two US M2HB heavy machine gun manufacturers which has received multi-year contracts to supply weapons to the US DoD. The ...