• Defence Notes

  When the shoe fits: Greece looks to US and Israel for UAV and counter-drone solutions

  5th September 2022

  Greece aims to buy Israeli C-UAS equipment and it also plans to acquire the MQ-9B SeaGuardian — albeit for a hefty price.

• Land Warfare

  Poland advances plans for new armoured vehicles from South Korea

  8th August 2022

  Poland has released further details of its ambitious plans to stock up rapidly on new tanks and self-propelled howitzers of South Korean design, involving over 1,000 K2 MBTs and 600 K9 SPHs. Some will replace equipment supplied to Ukraine, but the bulk of production will be for expansion of the army.

• Land Warfare

  US greenlights sale of Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units to the UK

  3rd August 2022

  The US State Department has approved the possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units (LWCLUs) to the UK worth up to $300m.

• Land Warfare

  Army-2022: New Russian recon vehicles displayed, but capability gap remains

  25th August 2022

  VPK displayed a new variant of its developmental BRM reconnaissance vehicle, while UVZ exhibited an upgraded version of the BRM-1K. Neither seem viable candidates for filling situational awareness capability gaps for Russian mechanised infantry units.

• Air Warfare

  Army-2022: Russia unveils Kh-69 stealth cruise missile

  22nd August 2022

  Russia's Tactical Missile Corporation displayed a new stealth cruise missile, the Kh-69 at the Army-2022 exhibition near Moscow.

• Air Warfare

  Myanmar receives first Su-30SME fighters from Russia

  7th July 2022

  New Su-30SME fighters from Russia began trickling into Myanmar earlier this year.

• Naval Warfare

  Army-2022: Russia details ambitions for next-generation aircraft carriers

  23rd August 2022

  Nevsky Design Bureau displayed a new model of its light carrier design, Varan, and further details were revealed of the Projekt 23900 Ivan Rogov amphibious assault ship at the Army-2022 exhibition.

• Land Warfare

  Complex urban warfare scenarios rise in importance for British Army

  18th July 2022

  Observing the ongoing war in Ukraine, UK defence experts and high-ranked officials claim that urban warfare would be a significant component in a future conflict with Russia.

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Danish Navy poised for possible investments worth up to $5.5 billion

  24th August 2022

  Denmark could invest over $5 billion in its navy and build new ships locally as the country establishes a new partnership to investigate and recommend steps to support indigenous shipbuilding capacity.

• Land Warfare

  First Leopard 2A4 to be delivered to Slovakia this year

  31st August 2022

  Slovakia is set to receive 15 overhauled Leopard 2A4 MBTs from Germany by 2023 but it is arguably only a partial solution.

• Land Warfare

  Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Elbit capture German MLRS zeitgeist with cooperation MoU

  29th July 2022

  Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Elbit agree to cooperate on enhancing the MARS II/MLRS-E multiple launch rocket system, tapping into an existing modernisation plan in Germany.

• Training

  Royal Air Force pilot training troubles not going away

  16th August 2022

  The issue around the Royal Air Force’s fast jet pilot training is multifaceted with no quick fixes at hand. What is the UK not getting right?

• Naval Warfare

  The PLA Navy and its carrier conundrum (Opinion)

  13th July 2022

  China may have launched its third carrier but it has yet to learn much about operating and becoming proficient with them.

• Defence Notes

  Rolls-Royce boosts German capacity to meet MTU engine demand

  2nd August 2022

  Rolls-Royce Power Systems is investing in new assembly lines and an additional 450 employees by 2031, anticipating increased demand for MTU-brand engines following shifts in European security policy.

• Land Warfare

  Nexter contracted for an additional 18 Caesar artillery pieces

  29th July 2022

  French defence manufacturer Nexter will deliver a further 18 Caesar 155mm artillery systems to the French Armed Forces by summer 2024.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Akinci [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Two Export Contracts In January 2022, the Daily Sabah reported that Baykar had "recently" signed its first export contract for the Akinci. Haluk Bayraktar ...

• Main battle tanks

  T-90S (Saudi Arabia)

  Programme Background.  The status of the Saudi Arabian T-90 deal is unclear, it is possible that these tanks may be purchased to replace stocks of ...

• Loitering munitions

  ZT-180 [Russia]

  Background Claims On 23 February 2023, DER SPIEGEL reported that, according to information it had gathered, China and Russia were negotiating the purchase of 100 ZT-180 drones, ...

• Loitering munitions

  Shahed-136 [Russia]

  Programme Background Iran's Involvement On 11 July 2022, according to US intelligence, Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor, announced during a statement that the Iranian ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Russian Aircraft Carrier Programme

  Russia currently has one aircraft which is nonoperational which the need for a new aircraft carrier at the heart of the Russian naval modernisation programme. ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Russian Aircraft Carrier Programme

  Russia currently has one aircraft which is nonoperational which the need for a new aircraft carrier at the heart of the Russian naval modernisation programme. ...

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

  Vector / Scorpion (Selected) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background 500 Systems Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Quantum-Systems has provided many drones to Ukraine. Over 400 units have been provided as aid ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  SkyRanger R70 (Ukraine Aid) [Canada]

  Programme Background On 19 February 2024, the Canadian Defence Minister, Bill Blair, announced that the country would donate more than 800 SkyRanger R70 UAVs to ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Heavy Lift Helicopter [Philippines]

  Programme Background Procurement from Russia In November 2021, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed that a contract had been signed to acquire 16 Mi-171 heavy ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  T-150 (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background Virtual Address On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. On 3 May 2022, the UK's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, virtually addressed the Ukrainian ...

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

  Black Hornet 3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Programme Background Russo-Ukraine War Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UAVs have proved vital to the country's defence. Consequently, as in this programme, the ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Ka-226T- Air Force [India]

  Programme Background India had operated a diverse and antiquated fleet of helicopters to support its high-altitude operations along contested borders with China and Pakistan. Reducing ...

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

  Quantix Recon (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background April Meeting In mid-April, just shy of two months after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the Ambassador and the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Ukraine met ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Spartan SUT [Russia]

  Programme Background Despite international sanctions following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Streit Group vehicles are believed to have continued to make their way into ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Main battle tanks

  T-80UD

  The 125mm-armed T-80UD MBT is a variant of the T-80 which was in production in Ukraine when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. An ...

• Loitering munitions

  AQV 100 Scalpel

  The AQV 100 Scalpel, or AQV-100, is a low-cost loitering munition manufactured by One Way Aerospace.  The drone is operated using a first-person view and ...

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

  Mini 2

  The Mini 2 is a micro rotary-wing drone from DJI. It features a 3-axis gimbaled 12MP camera for photographs and 4k/30fps for video capture. Shephard believes ...

• Transport

  An-140

  The An-140 is a light turboprop military transport aircraft developed from the An-140 regional airliner, which first flew in September 1997. It is designed to ...

• Loitering munitions

  Shahed-236

  The Shahed-236, or MC 236, is a successor to the Shahed-126. It is a loitering munition designed in Iran. The drone was presented to Russia in ...

• Air: sonar systems

  VGS-3

  The VGS-3 is a dipping sonar for the Ka-27/Ka-28 helicopter developed by the State Enterprise Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Hydrodevices.

• Fighter - air superiority

  MiG-29

  The MiG-29 (NATO reporting name Fulcrum) is an air superiority fighter aircraft designed to engage air targets in any weather, day and night.  The production ...

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

  Orlan-10/10E

  Developed by the Russia-based Special Technology Center, the Orlan-10 is a medium-range UAS with many variants, such as the 10E, an export version introduced in 2017. The ...

• Fighter - ground attack

  Su-25

  The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) is a single-seat ground attack aircraft developed for close combat air support missions. Production of the Su-25 began in ...

• Land: coastal surveillance radars

  Predel-E

  The Predel-E is a coastal surveillance radar produced by Russian manufacturer Concern Morinformsystem-Agat JSC. The system is intended as an over-the-horizon surveillance system, designed to ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Matrice 300 RTK

  The Matrice 300 RTK is a rotary-wing UAV manufactured by DJI. Despite being primarily aimed at industrial applications, militaries utilise it for ISR tasks.  In ...

• Artillery rockets

  9M55

  9M55 is a family of 300 mm artillery rockets developed for the BM-30 Uragan MLRS developed by the USSR.

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  SURA HMTDS

  SURA is a helmet-mounted display system produced in Ukraine. Notably, it offers off-boresight acquisition capability to pilots and can cue the aircraft's sensor systems using ...

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

  Orion / Orion-E

  The Orion, sometimes called the Inokhodets, is the first Russian-manufactured MALE UAV that has been designed to carry out a wide variety of military surveillance applications. Russia has ...

• Guided munitions

  Kvitnyk/Kvitnik-E 152mm

  The development of the Kvitni 152mm guided artillery shell traces back to the early 2000s, with its first public revelation occurring in 2001. This high-precision ...