• Uncrewed Vehicles

  NASA readies FT4 UAS tests

  18th April 2016

  NASA will conduct a further series of test flights over the next two months to continue the validation process of technologies aimed at assisting the …

• Naval Warfare

  DSA 2016: MMEA patrol boats fulfil Destini

  19th April 2016

  Malaysian shipbuilder Destini have showcased a scale model of the New Generation Patrol Craft (NGPC) it is constructing for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).  …

• Training

  NZ opens SAS battle training facility

  14th April 2016

  The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) inaugurated its new Battle Training Facility (BTF) dedicated for special forces use, on 8 April.  It replaces what the NZDF …

• Land Warfare

  Estonia sharpens its spears

  7th April 2016

  The US and NATO are starting to ramp up weapon supplies to the Baltic states in response to Russian activity in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. …

• Digital Battlespace

  Raytheon, USAF test GPS OCX

  14th April 2016

  Raytheon has successfully completed the first qualification test milestone for the US Air Force's (USAF) Global Positioning System Next Generation Operational Control System (GPS OCX), …

• Land Warfare

  Ajax completes live firing test

  14th April 2016

  The British Army has successfully completed an early live firing test programme of its Ajax armoured fighting vehicle, in Wales, the UK government announced on …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UAV Solutions demonstrates two SUAS

  15th April 2016

  Two of UAV Solutions’ small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) have taken part in flight demonstrations for the Robotic Aircraft for Public Safety (RAPS) Phase II …

• Naval Warfare

  UK takes command of CTF 150

  14th April 2016

  The British Royal Navy has taken command of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 from the Australian Navy, the UK government announced on 12 April. The …

• Land Warfare

  DSA 2016: Condor could fly for longer

  18th April 2016

  DRB-HICOM DefTech is offering an upgraded version of the Condor APC at the Defence Services Asia 2016 exhibition in Malaysia. The company has presented a …

• Naval Warfare

  BAE Systems to build more Mk 41 canisters

  8th April 2016

  BAE Systems has been awarded a $38.2 million contract modification from the US Navy to supply additional missile canisters for the Mk 41 Vertical Launching …

• Training

  IMCMEX kicks off in Middle East

  6th April 2016

  The International Mine Countermeasures Exercise (IMCMEX) has begun, with civilian maritime and international naval forces from over 30 nations training together across the Middle East, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Pakistan boosts Viper order

  7th April 2016

  Pakistan will now receive an extra nine new-build Bell Helicopter AH-1Z Viper attack platforms from the US, according to a US Department of Defense announcement …

• Defence Helicopter

  Singapore to replace US-based Chinooks

  7th April 2016

  Singapore will replace the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) fleet of six Boeing CH-47D Chinook helicopters. The replacement will only affect the Peace Prairie …

• Naval Warfare

  Canadian frigate tests surface missiles

  12th April 2016

  Canada's HMCS Vancouver, a Halifax-class frigate, has successfully tested Harpoon Block II surface-to-surface missiles against a shore-based target, it was announced on 8 April. The …

• Land Warfare

  Raytheon-DRS receive 3rd gen FLIR EMD contract

  7th April 2016

  A Raytheon and DRS Technologies team have received $56 million from the US Army to engineer, develop and manufacture the third-generation, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) night …

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, Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract (US Navy) [US]

  As of November 2020, the US DoD had signed 14 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches of ...

• 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 ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF

  According to the US FY2021 budget document, Turkey's removal from the JSF program and transition to the alternate supply chain sources may challenge to achieve ...

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

  Puma LE (Kosovo)

  Programme Background 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 LE. ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35B STOVL - US Navy

  The JSF programme will develop and field a family of aircraft that meets the needs of the US DoD and US allies with the F-35A ...

• MPVs - 4x4, Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract [US Air Force]

  As of November 2020, the US DoD had signed 14 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches of ...

• 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

  Lethal Unmanned Systems (LUS) [US Army]

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

• Fighter - naval

  F-35C Carrier Variant

  The US Navy is planning to order 130 F-35Cs between FY2026 and FY2030 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase is estimated be ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Phoenix Ghost (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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. ...

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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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

  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 ...

• Autonomous GPADS

  Airborne Systems has developed a family of smart systems ranging in payload capacity from 90-4,536kg. Utilising the technology developed and used in ram-air canopies, Guided ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Data links, Land: Radio and SATCOM, UAS: communication systems

  QNT-200

  The Collins QNT-200 is a dual-channel software-defined radio (SDR) designed for size, weight and power-constrained platforms. Using IP-based mesh networks, it offers high-bandwidth mobile networking ...