• Digital Battlespace

  Ninth WGS satellite launched into orbit

  20th March 2017

  Boeing's ninth Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite has launched into orbit and will provide the US and six allied nations with increased communications capabilities to …

• Land Warfare

  US Army to get 60kW laser

  20th March 2017

  Lockheed Martin has completed the design, development and demonstration of a 60kW-class beam combined fibre laser for the US Army, the company announced on 16 …

• Training

  Cubic to continue JRTC support

  20th March 2017

  Cubic Global Defense (CGD) has won a contract worth over $42 million from the US Army Contracting Command to support live, virtual and constructive (LVC) …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing, US sign Apache E contract

  20th March 2017

  Boeing has been awarded a five-year, $3.4 billion contract through which the US Army and an unnamed international customer will acquire the latest Apache attack …

• Defence Notes

  Latvia says no to conscription

  20th March 2017

  Latvia has reaffirmed its commitment to meet NATO defence spending targets by next year but will not follow other allies in bringing back conscription, the …

• Land Warfare

  US Mobile Protected Firepower surges forward

  17th March 2017

  The US Army's MPF (Mobile Protected Firepower) programme has been confirmed and will be introduced into the Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT).

• Defence Helicopter

  Orbital ATK awarded flares contract

  17th March 2017

  Orbital ATK has been awarded a contract modification from General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems to supply M257 (visible) and M278 (infrared) illuminating flares for …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  New payloads for WASP aerostat

  3rd March 2017

  The US Department of Defense's (DoD's) Winch Aerostat Small Platform (WASP) tactical aerostats will now be capable of hosting simultaneous communications and optical payloads following …

• Training

  Avalon 2017: JP 9711 moves forward

  28th February 2017

  The Australian Department of Defence's Joint Project 9711 Defence Core Simulation Capability Project has taken a step forward with submissions from industry in response to …

• Special Operations

  SOFINS: French Special Forces presents its riverine craft

  28th March 2017

  A key French Army Special Forces (SF) unit is showcasing its Riverine Combat Craft (EFC) at the Special Operations Forces International Seminar (SOFINS) currently taking …

• Land Warfare

  Singapore selects M113 replacement

  23rd March 2017

  Singapore is set to replace its ageing US-built M113 armoured personnel carriers with a new tracked vehicle.The Singaporean MoD has contracted domestic armaments manufacturer ST …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  LIMA 2017: UAVOS flies high with Apus

  23rd March 2017

  Making its first ever appearance in Asia while at the LIMA 2017 exhibition in Langkawi, UAVOS was promoting its Apus high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS) aircraft.Taisia Vasiukovich, …

• Naval Warfare

  LIMA 2017: China and Boustead get set on LMS start line

  23rd March 2017

  More details about Malaysia's purchase of an initial batch of four Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) from China emerged at the LIMA 2017 exhibition in Langkawi.The …

• Defence Notes

  LIMA 2017: MRCA contenders jockey for pole position

  22nd March 2017

  European aviation companies are playing tug of war over Malaysia's next fighter aircraft selection, with Saab and BAE Systems making counter-claims that each has been …

• Digital Battlespace

  New IFF upgrade offer widens

  21st March 2017

  A new identification friend or foe (IFF) modification that will be installed on all British military platforms is being offered on the international market.If countries …

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 ...