• Naval Warfare

  US Navy seeks suppliers for Landing Craft Utility 1700-class

  17th September 2025

  With ongoing market research to find potential shipyards for building LCUs, NAVSEA intends to issue a request for proposals for the programme next year.

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2024: Lockheed Martin showcases an improved version of F-35 simulators

  6th December 2024

  Enhancements to the F-35 training system software will be deployed worldwide starting next year.

• Land Warfare

  US approves more than $650 million in possible Foreign Military Sales to Ukraine

  29th July 2025

  The possible sales focus on maintenance and sustainment for a variety of equipment used by the Ukrainian armed forces, notably air defence equipment, MIM-23 Hawk missiles, M109 howitzers and Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs).

• Land Warfare

  Analysis: British Army Ajax in service after problematic delivery – but what now?

  7th November 2025

  The Ajax has finally rolled into place and achieved what the UK Ministry of Defence describes as Initial Operating Capability. With the production line for UK contracts only going to the end of the decade, what’s next?

• Air Warfare

  Europe will “struggle” to fill capability gaps left by US-Ukraine aid pause

  6th March 2025

  Europe’s capacity to fill the capability gaps created by the US pause on military aid to Ukraine is uncertain, according to analysts, but European defence industry leaders have stressed their readiness to meet demand.

• Naval Warfare

  Managing risk in a changing world: how the Royal Navy can win

  22nd August 2025

  A fighting force such as the Royal Navy must inevitably focus on its core capabilities, platforms and readiness. But to avoid unexpected outcomes and costly oversights, a complex organisation like this needs to be underpinned by sound enterprise-level risk management principles and systems.

• Defence Notes

  European Council to deliver at “pace and scale” on European defence readiness 2030 roadmap

  27th October 2025

  Two of the concrete projects outlined in the readiness report, the European Air Shield and Space Shield, will aim to be launched by Q2 2026.

• Digital Battlespace

  AUSA 2025: Kopin pushes micro-LED plans as China moves faster

  22nd October 2025

  The plan for the new displays follows fresh investment in Kopin’s European facilities by Theon and an order for head-up displays in fielded aircraft, with funding from the US Department of Defense.

• Naval Warfare

  Latest Virginia-class submarine, USS Iowa, commissioned

  8th April 2025

  SSN-797 was commissioned as USS Iowa, the first Virginia-class submarine of the second Trump administration. It was described as “just the beginning” of a revitalisation of US naval shipbuilding by Secretary of the Navy John Phelan.

• Land Warfare

  Babcock secures £1.6 billion MoD contract extension to support British Army readiness

  26th March 2025

  The five-year contract extension will be applied to the existing 10-year DSG Service Provision and Transformation Contract.

• Land Warfare

  Information advantage: what is a data fabric and why is it essential for armed forces?

  9th September 2025

  In Conversation: Shephard's Gerrard Cowan talks to Systematic’s Chris Harris about the vital importance of data fabrics in the networked battlespace, and how this capability can already be provided by existing technology.

• Land Warfare

  Bahrain approved for $500 million HIMARS order as production surges

  15th August 2025

  Lockheed Martin’s M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is being widely ordered and deployed. The company has been working to ramp up production while continuing work to design and produce more potent missiles.

• Air Warfare

  Insight: What future remains for the E-7 Wedgetail aircraft?

  2nd September 2025

  The surveillance aircraft from Boeing is deployed by various countries, most notably the Royal Australian Air Force; but ongoing setbacks for future customers, who cite rising costs and delays, have thrown the aircraft into the spotlight.

• Defence Notes

  Israel defence ministry pushes ambitious spending plans for tanks, drones and KC-46 aircraft

  21st August 2025

  The procurement and acceleration production plans – some of which still await approval – across the air and land domains will aim to strengthen the operational needs of the Israel Defense Forces.

• Land Warfare

  Avon Protection looks to tactical ocular protection with new powered goggle

  3rd September 2025

  At DSEI in September, Avon Protection introduces its newest product, the MITR-PG1 Powered Goggle, designed to provide particulate and CS/CN riot control agent filtration, in addition to high-impact and ballistic protection, for military, first responders, and law enforcement users worldwide.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - MALE

  XQ-58A Valkyrie [USMC]

  Programme Background Contract Award On 30 December 2022, the US DoD announced that it had awarded Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems a $15.52 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to ...

• Fighter - multirole

  JAS-39C/D Gripen replacement [Czech Republic]

  Background Requirements The Czech Republic Air Force operates 14 Gripens (12 JAS 39C and two JAS 39D variants) under a lease agreement that runs until ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) [Japan]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that GCAP's Japanese, British and Italian components are tracked in separate entries. Programme Timeline 2020: The Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency of Japan issued ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Typhoon Tranche 3A [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Timeline In June 2018, Saudi Arabia agreed to procure 48 Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter aircraft from BAE. However, Germany's defence export ban to Saudi ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Kaan additional units [Turkey]

  Background Requirement Geopolitical factors have spurred aircraft development in Türkiye. With its removal from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project following the Russian S-400 air ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A [Turkey]

  Background Programme involvement Turkish involvement in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme began in the early 2000s, with the country's participation beginning in the concept demonstration ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Eurofighter new build fleet [Turkey]

  Background Requirement The Turkish Air Force has operated two main fighter platforms, the F-16 and F-4, for several decades. As older F-16 airframes and F-4s ...

• Fighter - multirole

  TF-X Kaan Next Generation Fighter [Turkey]

  Background Requirement Geopolitical factors have spurred aircraft development in Türkiye. With its removal from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project following the Russian S-400 air ...

• Trainer

  Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirements The RAAF is seeking a future solution that provides a ‘relevant, adaptable, affordable and safe LIFTS out to 2050’ for training pilots ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A [Denmark]

  Programme Background  Denmark joined the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program in 2002 during the System Development and Demonstration phase and has influenced technical elements ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Project Halcon I [Spain]

  Programme Background The Spanish Air Force began requirements assessments, although potential suppliers including Boeing (F/A-18E/F), Lockheed Martin (F-35), Airbus-BAE-Leonardo (Eurofighter Typhoon) are already engaged with ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-18 Replacement Phase II/Project Halcon II [Spain]

  Programme Background The Spanish Air Force began requirements assessments, although potential suppliers, including Boeing (F/A-18E/F), Lockheed Martin (F-35), and Airbus-BAE-Leonardo (Eurofighter Typhoon), are already engaged ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Japan

  In 2019, Japan requested to be an official partner in the F-35 programme, but this request was rejected by the Pentagon. The F-35 Joint Strike ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35B (1-30) [Italy]

  The 2019 and 2020 budget contained significant funding for the F-35 programme: €690 million ($775 million) in 2019 and €859 million ($962 million) in 2020, ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (61-75) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirement In 2009, the Italian MoD planned to purchase 131 F-35 aircraft, which was later reduced to 90. According to the MoD documentation, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  F-35 Training System

  BAE Systems is involved in F-35 Lightning II Training System design and sustainment, working with prime contractor Lockheed Martin. BAE Systems leads the instructional systems ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers, EW test systems

  Model 527

  The Model 527 radar signal simulator is used for end-of-runway and walk-around radiated RWR testing to verify the operational status of the aircraft and its ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming, Air: chaff/flare/decoy systems

  AN/ALE-55 FOTD

  The ALE-55 Fibre Optic Towed Decoy (FOTD) is a high-powered electronic off-board countermeasure that works with an aircraft’s onboard EW equipment to defeat radiofrequency (RF) threats. It ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  SPEAR-EW

  The SPEAR-EW missile, developed by MBDA in collaboration with Leonardo, is an air-to-surface weapon designed to perform Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) missions. This ...

• EW test systems

  A2PATS

  Advanced Architecture Phase Amplitude and Time Simulator (A2PATS) is a real-time EM test environment simulator for military platforms and installed systems, designed to deliver mission ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  HAPS / PHASA-35

  The High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) is a solar-electric Persistent High Altitude Solar Aircraft (PHASA-35).  Produced by BAE Systems and Prismatic, the platform is designed to provide a persistent, ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-81

  AN/APG-81 is operating in the X-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire control radar designed by Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems for the F-35 “Lightning” all-weather ...

• Fighter - multirole

  MiG-35

  The MiG-35 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum F) is a multirole fighter, the latest variant of the MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter family.  The production of the MiG-35 ...

• EO/IR systems

  F-35 Lightning II Advanced EOTS

  The F-35 Lightning II Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) is a sensor that combines targeting forward-looking IR (FLIR) and IR search and track (IRST) capabilities for ...

• Fighter - multirole, Fighter - naval

  F-35B

  The F-35B Lightning II is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft with short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capability. The USMC is the main customer for the F-35B, ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35I Adir

  The F-35I Adir is an F-35A Lightning II variant customised to meet the requirements of the Israel Defense Forces to replace the F-16 fleet in ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  F-35 Gen III HMDS

  The F-35 Gen III helmet-mounted display system (HMDS) is provided by a joint venture between Elbit Systems of America and Rockwell Collins, developed for the F-35 ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  AN/ALQ-178V(5)+

  The AN/ALQ-178(5)+ is an internally mounted self-protection system designed and developed by Aselsan and BAE Systems for the Turkish F-16C fighter aircraft. The system comprises ...

• Air-to-surface missiles, Anti-ship missiles

  JSM

  The Joint Strike Missile (JSM) is a multi-role version of the Naval Strike Missile. Norway funded the programme to develop and produce the JSM for the ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A

  The F-35A Lightning II is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft with CTOL capabilities. It is a multinational programme led by the US DoD, bringing together ...