• Defence Notes

  3D-printed component on Trident missile

  21st March 2016

  A 3D-printed missile component, a connector backshell, has flown on three of Lockheed Martin's Trident II D5 fleet ballistic missiles during US Navy testing, the …

• Training

  CAS closes in on UK augmented success

  1st April 2016

  Close Air Solutions (CAS), in partnership with Cursive Simulation, has submitted a second bid as part of the UK’s defence growth partnership (DGP) innovation challenge and …

• Digital Battlespace

  Lockheed Martin looks to future of GPS

  28th March 2016

  The Lockheed Martin GPS III programme has not been without its challenges. Nevertheless, the company remains confident that it will meet the August 2016 available-for-launch …

• Naval Warfare

  US tests AN/SPQ-9B’s PDD capability

  22nd March 2016

  The upgraded Periscope Detection and Discrimination (PDD) capabilities of the AN/SPQ-9B anti-ship missile defence radar have been successfully tested by the US Navy, it was …

• Defence Notes

  FIDAE 2016: RAF eyes role in LATAM exercises

  31st March 2016

  Despite the Royal Air Force’s A400M Atlas missing this year’s FIDAE airshow due to operational commitments, the service’s deputy commander of operations still sees a …

• Land Warfare

  DefExpo 2016: These boots are made for walking

  28th March 2016

  Noga-Einat Shoe Industries, an Israeli manufacturer, announced at DefExpo 2016 that it has completed construction of a production plant for military footwear.  Noga-Einat built the …

• Land Warfare

  DefExpo 2016: Indian air defence still up in the air

  1st April 2016

  The Indian Army currently has several air defence programmes on the go. These include antiaircraft artillery, very short-range air defence systems (VSHORADS), which are outlined …

• Land Warfare

  DefExpo 2016: Punj Lloyd offers artillery upgrades

  30th March 2016

  India’s artillery modernisation woes are legendary, with the army unable to induct new artillery pieces for many years. One solution is the upgrade of existing …

• Digital Battlespace

  Patriot radar upgrade on offer

  29th March 2016

  A new AESA radar antenna is being offered for the Patriot air defence system that could improve its capabilities. Using Gallium Nitride (GaN) the full …

• Land Warfare

  DefExpo 2016: Nimda offers T-72 upgrade

  28th March 2016

  Israeli firm Nimda is positioning itself to offer an upgrade for the Indian Army’s ageing Ajeya main battle tanks (MBT), a domestic version of the …

• Naval Warfare

  DIMDEX 2016: Pre-show planning by European OEMs

  28th March 2016

  European OEMs are positioning themselves for potential procurement programmes in the GCC region. They are eager to explore a maritime security and defence market still …

• Digital Battlespace

  Japan’s new Field Communication System

  28th March 2016

  The Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF) has fielded a new communication system featuring dedicated wireless devices of various frequency bands and modulation systems, the service …

• Digital Battlespace

  US to upgrade LPDS

  22nd February 2016

  Thales and Ultra Electronics Advanced Tactical Systems have received a US General Services Administration contract to provide an upgraded version of Link-16 Pulse Deconfliction Server …

• Land Warfare

  DefExpo 2016: Indian Army homes in on SAMs

  1st April 2016

  An earlier survey of Indian Amy air defence requirements discussed antiaircraft artillery and VSHORADS. A third area of need is for short-range surface-to-air missiles (SR-SAM). …

• Land Warfare

  Ukraine resumes Thai armour deliveries

  30th March 2016

  After a two-year pause, the Ukrainian arms export company, Ukroboronprom, has resumed BTR-3 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) deliveries to Thailand. A batch of BTR-3s were …

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 ...