• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Tesla Offshore selects Bluefin-21 AUV

  28th March 2013

  Bluefin Robotics will supply a Bluefin-21 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to Tesla Offshore under a new purchase agreement announced on 27 March. The AUV will …

• Defence Notes

  LIMA 2013: Companies pitch for Malaysian maritime patrol priority

  27th March 2013

  Critical gaps in maritime patrol capabilities that were highlighted by the Malaysian Ministry of Defence, has sparked interest from European manufacturers looking to fill this …

• Digital Battlespace

  Estonia accepts air defence radar

  26th March 2013

  The Estonian Air Force has accepted into service its first ThalesRaytheonSystems (TRS) Ground Master 403 long-range air defence radar. The radar, inaugurated on 26 March, …

• Defence Helicopter

  First operational lessons identified with NH90 Naval Frigate Helicopter

  25th March 2013

  Early reports show that the Dutch NH90 Naval Frigate Helicopter (NFH), the first of which is currently deployed in support of the EU Naval Force …

• Military Logistics

  MRAP support drawdown

  22nd March 2013

  As the expected drawdown of US forces in Afghanistan gathers pace, the reduction in the number of troops and vehicles in the Middle East has …

• Naval Warfare

  HMS Defender commissioned into Royal Navy fleet

  22nd March 2013

  The Royal Navy’s newest destroyer, HMS Defender, has formally joined the fleet at a commissioning ceremony at Portsmouth Naval Base. The event marks HMS Defender’s …

• Digital Battlespace

  Saab signs airborne surveillance system support contract

  21st March 2013

  Saab has announced that it has signed a support contract with an unnamed customer for a previously delivered Saab 2000 Airborne Early Warning & Control …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Rockwell Collins provides TTNT for X-47B deck handling trials

  20th March 2013

  Rockwell Collins has supplied its Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT) for use in a series of deck handling trials of the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air …

• Land Warfare

  Elbit Systems announces new Asia contracts

  20th March 2013

  Elbit Systems announced on 20 March that its Elbit Systems Electro-optics Elop subsidiary will upgrade the Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFV) of an unnamed Asian customer …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Piccolo Nano autopilot introduced for small UAVs

  19th March 2013

  UTC Aerospace Systems has released the Piccolo Nano autopilot, the newest and smallest addition to the Cloud Cap Technology Piccolo family of flight management systems. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Hughes achieves distortion free SATCOM on rotary platforms

  19th March 2013

  Hughes Network Systems has successfully demonstrated the loss-free transmission of high-throughput data and video over SATCOM links from a variety of rotary platforms, the company …

• Defence Helicopter

  Germany revises number of NH90s and Tigers on order

  18th March 2013

  After lengthy negotiations, the German Ministry of Defence announced on 15 March that it had finally reached an agreement with Eurocopter about the revision of …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman announces new CIP capability

  15th March 2013

  Northrop Grumman’s Common Imagery Processor (CIP) has demonstrated the ability to process Global Hawk Block 40 data on the Distributed Common Ground System – Imagery …

• Military Logistics

  US Army takes delivery of first LRIP MOTS

  15th March 2013

  Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has announced the delivery of the first Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Mobile Tower System (MOTS) to the US Army. This …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  V-Bat UAV demos autonomous payload delivery

  13th March 2013

  MLB has announced that it has concluded a DARPA funded research project that saw its vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV, V-Bat, demonstrate precision autonomous …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Long Range/Long Endurance (LR/LE) [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  MQ-8C Fire Scout (USA)

  Programme Background Timeline According to the Naval Air Systems Command, having first ordered the MQ-8B in 2009, the UAV has become a pillar of the ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Medium Landing Ship (9-18) [USMC]

  Programme Background Requirements As part of the US Marine Corps' future force structure, it is developing a new platform under the Medium Lading Ship programme ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Medium Landing Ship (1-8) [USMC]

  Programme Background Development As part of the US Marine Corps' future force structure, it is developing a new platform under the Medium Lading Ship programme ...

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

  Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Unmanned Expeditionary (MUX) (Increment 1) [USMC]

  Programme Background All-in-One UAV Since 2016, the USMC has wished to acquire a UAV that could be deployed from a vessel, be used for various missions, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Medium Range/Medium Endurance (MR/ME) [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The FVL-MS programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft utilised ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  HH-60W - Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH)

  According to the FY2021 Base funding, the HH-60W helicopter unit cost is $43.2 million. The HH-60W will be capable of employment day or night, in ...

• Destroyers

  Next-Generation Large Surface Combatants (LSC) - DDG(X) [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy (USN) is acknowledging a need to move away from the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer design, which is slowly outgrowing. Flight III ...

• Military UAS - small

  RQ-21A Blackjack / STUASLO - Replacement Units (USN)

  Programme Background Joint USN and USMC Procurment The RQ-21 Blackjack, or STUALSO, was a combined United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) programme ...

• Military UAS - small

  RQ-21A Blackjack / STUASLO - Replacement Units (USMC)

  Programme Background Joint USN and USMC Procurment The RQ-21 Blackjack, or STUALSO, was a combined United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) programme ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  Maritime Operations Helicopters

  The three maritime operations helicopters will be used for logistics and personnel transport, alongside transportation of PASKAL naval special forces in operations in the area. ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  Naval Multi Role Helicopters

  The IN is seeking two configurations of future multirole helicopters – one for general use and one for special operations. These two variants will meet ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Naval: RF, IR and acoustic decoys

  Sea Lightning

  Developed by a joint venture between BAE Systems and General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Sea Lightning is being offered to the USN for the Block ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  SECAT

  In 2022, Textron Systems unveiled its new Surface Effect Cargo Amphibious Transport (SECAT) craft, designed to support logistics behind the US Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations and ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Tactical Mission System for Helicopter Applications

  The Saab tactical mission system is a system for transport, utility, C2 and combat helicopters intended to operate in a net-centric environment. It is designed ...

• Major networking projects

  CANES

  The Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) programme is a USN-wide effort to rationalise shipboard computing assets. It is designed to create a common ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems, Land: COMINT and ELINT systems, Naval: COMINT and ELINT systems

  LOKI

  The LOKI family is a cross-platform C2 system designed to integrate EW, SIGINT and Electro-Magnetic Spectrum Operations on many distributed platforms. The platform can be ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  MQ-9 MTD

  SDS’s ROVATTS-based MQ-9 Mission Training Device (MTD) was developed to provide high-fidelity simulation to support US Air National Guard operational Reaper crew training. The PC-based ...

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

  MQ-8C Fire Scout

  The MQ-8C is a newer version of the Fire Scout and is based on a Bell 407 commercial helicopter. It offers a greater range, endurance and ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - national programmes

  MERS

  The Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad (MERS) takes a systems engineering approach to equipping the USMC’s fundamental fighting unit. The integration and configuration management of all ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  AN/ZPY-1 STARLite

  The AN/ZPY-1 Small Tactical Radar-Lightweight (STARLite) is a synthetic aperture radar and GMTI sensor for UAVs, manufactured by Northrop Grumman. It offers strip and spot synthetic ...

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

  MQ-8B Fire Scout

  The MQ-8B Fire Scout is a rotary-wing UAV that provides situational awareness and precision targeting support for the US Armed Forces. The MQ-8B Fire Scout, ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-53E Sea Dragon

  Sikorsky developed the MH-53E (S-80) Sea Dragon variant of its CH-53E to provide the USN with a dedicated airborne mine countermeasures helicopter. Equipped with enlarged ...

• Military - UUVs

  Mission Specialist Defender

  The Mission Specialist Defender is a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) developed by VideoRay, now part of BlueHalo's unmanned maritime systems. The ROV is known ...

• Trainer

  Saab 340 trainer

  The Saab 340 trainer aircraft is based on the Saab 340 regional airliner. It is used by the USN for pilot training. The aircraft replaced ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Air Operations Systems of Systems

  Air Operations System of Systems is designed to enable management of airspaces across large states and/or regions focusing on strategic planning. The system integration approach ...

• Major networking projects

  DIB 1.3

  The Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) Integration Backbone (DIB) is a key element of the US DoD strategy to build a net-centric capability, enabling service DCGS elements ...