• Uncrewed Vehicles

  RT LTA tests improved bladder material

  17th July 2018

  RT LTA Systems has completed field testing of a newly developed light-weight, elastic material for its aerostat bladders that will allow all SkyStar aerostats to …

• Land Warfare

  Singapore’s SPYDER attains FOC

  9th July 2018

  The Republic of Singapore Air Force’s Surface-to-air PYthon-5 and DERby (SPYDER) ground-based air defence system has achieved full operational capability, the government of Singapore announced …

• Military Logistics

  RAF’s 20th Atlas enters service

  17th July 2018

  The Royal Air Force’s (RAF) 20th A400M Atlas transport aircraft has formally entered into service following its handover at Brize Norton, the UK Ministry of …

• Defence Helicopter

  Brazil on the attack in two decades time

  23rd July 2018

  According to the Brazilian Army, a branch of the armed forces will have to wait until the 2030s before it can operate its attack helicopters, Shephard has …

• Defence Notes

  NATO chief hails German defence spending boost

  7th June 2018

  NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg hailed on 7 June German plans to increase defence spending by 80% by 2024 as 'a step in the right direction' …

• Defence Notes

  Germany says it makes 'independent decisions'

  11th July 2018

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel on 11 July said Germany makes ‘independent decisions,’ firing back at US President Donald Trump after he accused Berlin of being …

• Land Warfare

  Eurosatory 2018: European land modernisation (video)

  5th June 2018

  In recent years European armies have invested heavily in updating legacy land platforms and acquiring new advanced capabilities. The Boxer 8x8 has proved a popular …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Leonardo completes satellite-controlled European MALE-class UAS flight

  24th May 2018

  Leonardo has completed the first flight campaign to demonstrate satellite control of a European-built Medium Altitude Long Endurance class (MALE) UAS, the company announced on …

• Land Warfare

  Taiwan to order M1A2 Abrams

  13th July 2018

  Taiwan has decided to order 108 M1A2 Abrams tanks plus ammunition from the US. These MBTs will equip two armoured battalions in the northern sector …

• Defence Notes

  Farnborough 2018: Those UK jets were as fast as lightning (video)

  9th July 2018

  With the first first four F-35B Lightning II jets arriving at RAF Marham on 6 June, Shephard takes a closer look at the UK's latest addition to its fleet.

• Land Warfare

  Eurosatory 2018: Event expectations (video)

  5th June 2018

  Eurosatory 2018 promises new vehicles and the latest in defence equipment with European nations looking to increase defence spending.  Grant Turnbull, editor at Shephard Media, …

• Defence Notes

  UN set to impose arms embargo on South Sudan

  13th July 2018

  The UN Security Council will vote 13 July on imposing an arms embargo on South Sudan and sanctions on two military officials after the latest …

• Land Warfare

  Chinese arms deliveries to Africa put on hold

  15th June 2018

  France, Britain and the US on 14 June 2018 put a hold on a request from the Central African Republic (CAR) for UN Security Council …

• Defence Notes

  Farnborough 2018: Rolls-Royce unveils hybrid flying taxi

  17th July 2018

  Rolls-Royce has revealed its plans to develop a hybrid electric vehicle, dubbed the ‘flying taxi’, which takes off and lands vertically and could be airborne …

• Defence Notes

  UK jet expert held over 'Chinese plot for military secrets'

  14th June 2018

  British police confirmed on 14 June they had arrested a man under the Official Secrets Act amid reports of a feared Chinese plot against F-35B …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT (1-9) [NATO]

  Programme Background Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT Follow-On (NATO)

  Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that the EDA ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawks [Norway]

  Programme Background NH90 NFH cancellation  The Norwegian government announced the termination of the NH90 NFH helicopter contract for 14 NH90s with NHIndustries in June 2022. Seahawk Acquisition ...

• Tanks

  New MBT [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Tanks

  M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Greece)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

  Programme Background Request for Information (RfI) In September 2022, the Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) launched a request for information in preparation for a possible ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Italy)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

• Maritime patrol

  MAWS/PATMAR [France]

  Programme Background In 2017, Germany and France announced that they would be working towards developing an MPA to replace their current fleets in service. The ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Bidders and Suppliers The Leopard 2A8, the latest in the Leopard family, was selected by the Royal Dutch Army as per announcements in ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Kuwait]

  Background Contract Award On 18 January 2023, Baykar announced signing a $370 million export contract with Kuwait for the Bayraktar TB2. According to the announcement, ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton - Germany (Cancelled)

  Programme Background Germany requested to buy four MQ-4C Triton HALE UAVs from Northrop Grumman. On 5 April 2018, the US State Department announced that it ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [France]

  Programme Background Requirements The European Patrol Corvette (EPC) is one of the new PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defence and Security) projects. PESCO was established ...

• AEW&C

  Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (1-6) [NATO]

  Programme Background NATO’s E-3A AWACS fleet is set to retire in 2035, after 50 years of service. To plan for the required follow-on capability, NATO's ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirements The 2021-2023 Documento Programmatico Pluriennale (DPP) - a multi-year defence planning document from the Italian MoD - includes a plan to acquire eight "Patrol Ships", ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: air defence radar

  APIS

  APIS is a passive high-resolution primary radar system developed by Indra. It is the first passive system in the world capable of offering images using ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  AE50R

  The AE50R is an aviation gasoline single rotary engine with an output of 40.4kW. The engine is certified according to European Aviation Safety Agency Part ...

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

  LOTUS

  The LOTUS, Low Observable Tactical Unnamed System, is a tactical UAV especially designed for border patrol ISR operations.  The development of the project is funded by ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Mistral 3

  The Mistral 3 is the latest member of the Mistral family of very short-range surface-to-air missiles. It entered service in 2018 and has been chosen ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2H

  Safran Helicopter Engines received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) engine type certification for its Arriel 2H engine, installed in the Avicopter AC312E, in April 2018. ...

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

  AR5

  First announced in October 2012, the AR5 is a MALE UAS designed for SAR, surveillance and maritime patrol missions. The AR5 can be flown manually or commanded ...

• Trainer

  Gabriel-TP

  Gabriel-TP is a low-wing, two-seat tandem trainer aircraft aimed at both military and civilian customers. It is certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in ...

• Air: NVGs

  PNL-3M Orlik

  PNL-3M are high-performance, lightweight, passive stereoscopic NVGs for helicopter crew members. Certification by European Aviation Safety Agency also enables civilian use. The device can be ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCH 170

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCH 170 is a fixed-wing loitering munition from MBDA. Similar in design to the Switchblade 300, the catapult launched system ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Standard 3

  Jointly developed by ATR and Thales, The Standard 3 avionics suite has been specifically designed for ATR-600 aircraft. It offers the pilot user-friendly interface, along ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCX 50

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCX 50 is a rotary-wing loitering munition from MBDA.  According to reports, the RCX 50 is designed to support ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  DroneGun

  DroneGun enables controlled management of an adversarial UAS, causing no damage to the UAV or surrounding area. It either forces the drone to perform a ...

• Military - USVs

  NOMARS

  The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) is a US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) effort to develop a first-of-its-kind large uncrewed surface vessel.

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  Trident 100TD2

  The Trident 100TD2 is a compression-ignition engine that is capable of operating on various types of heavy fuel. It is claimed to offer up to ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...