• Land Warfare

  Czech Republic set to order RBS 70 NG systems as CAESAR howitzers begin production

  2nd June 2025

  The Czech Government is to approve the purchase of a fleet of vehicle mounted integrated air defence systems as the country invests to overhaul its equipment. Spending includes two dozen F-35As, CAESAR howitzers and refurbished Leopard tanks.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ideaForge unveils new UAVs at Aero India 2025

  12th February 2025

  India UAV supplier ideaForge has launched the Netra 5 and Switch V2 drones at Aero India 2025, boasting of enhanced endurance, AI-driven autonomy and improved operational capabilities.

• Air Warfare

  StormShroud enters service with UK RAF to suppress enemy air defences

  2nd May 2025

  StormShroud is designed to support UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Lockheed Martin F-35B and Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft by providing suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD). It is built around the Tekever AR3 uncrewed aerial system (UAS) and Leonardo BriteStorm electronic warfare (EW) jammer payload.

• Air Warfare

  US services test Raytheon ASTARTE AI-enabled software system

  6th May 2025

  The solution was evaluated by the US Army and Air Force during the Project Convergence Capstone 5.

• Land Warfare

  BAE Systems expands Amphibious Combat Vehicle family with modular capabilities for future missions

  13th May 2025

  BAE Systems recently announced two contracts for a total of 60 ACVs for the US Marines and has displayed its ACV Logistics concept.

• Air Warfare

  Why is the US far behind Russia and China in the space warfare domain?

  21st April 2025

  While Beijing and Moscow have been working on anti-satellite weapons at an accelerated speed, Washington still does not have capabilities to defeat them, with one US legislator describing the situation as “the Cuban Missile Crisis in space”.

• Land Warfare

  Company formed to lead Franco-German main battle tank replacement

  18th April 2025

  Launched at the initiative of the French and German governments, the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) project aims to replace the German Leopard 2 and French Leclerc main battle tanks with a multi-platform ground combat system by 2040.

• Land Warfare

  Lithuania increases ground capability and spending in a high-threat environment

  9th January 2026

  It has been more than two decades since Lithuania joined the EU and NATO, which followed the country’s independence from the USSR almost 15 years before that. The country is now in the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine war with air incursions from Russian ally Belarus.

• Naval Warfare

  Managing risk in a changing world: how the Royal Navy can win

  22nd August 2025

  A fighting force such as the Royal Navy must inevitably focus on its core capabilities, platforms and readiness. But to avoid unexpected outcomes and costly oversights, a complex organisation like this needs to be underpinned by sound enterprise-level risk management principles and systems.

• Land Warfare

  US Army awards RTX Raytheon follow-on contract for the RCADE modelling and simulation capability

  24th March 2025

  The agreement covers the establishment of a continuous experimentation environment.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force has big plans for the F-47

  28th April 2025

  The USAF Chief of Staff has claimed that the sixth-generation fighter would allow for guaranteeing “air superiority for generations to come”.

• Air Warfare

  Leonardo’s Proteus structural tests “nearing completion” ahead of first flight

  30th June 2025

  The company has tested over 15 mission sets for the drone, with the rotorcraft used to demonstrate the viability of armed forces utilising large uncrewed aerial systems’ (UAS) for autonomous missions in the future.

• Defence Notes

  US forces’ heads lay out their needs and requirements before Senate committees

  22nd May 2025

  The new US administration has introduced or outlined plans for substantial change across the Department of Defence (DoD) and its branches. Several branch heads faced up to Senate Committees to outline needs and challenges.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force needs to “rebuild to win”, says deputy chief of staff of operations

  21st March 2025

  Aging aircraft, fewer platforms and a lack of replacements for retired systems has impacted the US Air Force’s lethality and training capabilities, according to the force’s deputy chief of staff for operations.

• Air Warfare

  Can emergent suppliers of fighter aircraft crack Middle East markets?

  9th January 2026

  The 2025 Dubai Airshow saw several aspiring suppliers of combat aircraft to the region’s air forces parade their wares in the sky and on the ground. Shephard’s Edward Hunt explores their chance of success in the Middle East.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  Project Brakestop [UK]

  Background Information Notice On 25 September 2024, the UK MoD published a prior information notice for Project Brakestop, informing industry of the upcoming competition. Requirements ...

• Loitering munitions

  Medium Range Precision Strike (MRPS) [UK]

  Programme Background Prior Information Notice (PIN) On 21 October 2024, the MoD published a PIN in collaboration with the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S;). The notice ...

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

  Dominator XP [Thailand]

  Programme Background Purchase As reported by Shephard, in September 2023, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) inducted three Dominator XPs. The RTAF purchased the trio ...

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

  Project Corvus [UK]

  Programme Background Retirement In November 2024, speaking in the House of Commons, Defence Secretary John Healey stated that the WK 450 Watchkeeper was to be retired ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F Chinook (Singapore)

  Programme Background In July 2020, photos have emerged on the internet of the first Boeing CH-47F Chinook destined for the Republic of Singapore Air Force ...

• Transport

  VC-25B - USAF

  The modifications to the 747-8 aircraft will include an electrical power upgrade with dual Auxiliary Power Units that are usable in flight, a mission communication ...

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

  MQ-9B SkyGuardian (US)

  Programme Background On 6 March 2023, GA-ASI announced that the Air Force Special Operations Command (ASFOC) had contracted three MQ-9B SkyGaurdians, making it the first US customer of the ...

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

  Anka-S (Second Batch) [Turkey]

  Programme Background First Batch Based on comments by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Turkish media in 2018, Shephard believes that Türkiye acquired 26 Anka-S drones ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Mi-28NE Night Hunter

  Algerian military's follow-up order suggests that the country is satisfied with the Mi-28NE Night Hunters' performance in operational conditions in the desert environment featuring sandstorms ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-390 [Poland]

  Programme Background Reports of a possible purchase of the C-390 by Poland began circulating in June 2024 after a Polish journalist revealed that Embraer executives ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  F-5E/F Adversary Trainer US Navy

  The F-5N is a single seat, dual engine supersonic land based fighter. It is designed to a service life of 9000 flight hours. The aircraft ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | SSN(X) Programme [USN]

  The US Navy may be far from reaching the end of procuring the current Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines (SSNs), but that does not mean planning for ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | SSN(X) Programme [USN]

  The US Navy may be far from reaching the end of procuring the current Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines (SSNs), but that does not mean planning for ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Mobile Strike Force Vehicle (Ukraine Aid) [USA]

  Programme Background The US first provided Ukraine with the M1117 ASV in September 2022, when 250 vehicles were donated as part of a $400 million ...

• 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 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  PL-5

  The PL is a Group 3 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capable UAV from EDGE Group. According to the company, it is engineered for persistent surveillance and ...

• Air: surveillance radar

  AN/APQ-181

  The AN/APQ-181 is a low-probability-of-intercept radar fitted to USAFNorthrop Grumman B-2 stealth bombers. During the B-2 Radar ModernizationProgram – completed in 2012 – the B-2’s legacy ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  CreoLand HP

  CreoLand HP is a 10W MANET radio designed for command centres, long-range applications, artillery and special forces units. Notably, it offers a data throughput of 100Mbps ...

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

  Gogol-M

  The Gogol-M is a Ukrainian fixed-wing drone carrier, or mothership, from Strategy Force Solutions. The system can deliver two first-person view (FPV)-type attack drones to hit precision ...

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

  H10 Poseidon

  The H10 Poseidon, or H-10, is a fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV manufactured by Swamrly. Due to the UAV's electric propulsion system, small radar cross-section, lack of detachable thermal signature and ...

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

  DT-101

  The DT-101 is a small fixed-wing UAV from Deftech. The VTOL-capable platform features SATCOM with up to 10Mbs bandwidth capability. DefTech lists various payloads for ...

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

  ARX

  Unveiled at Xponential 2024, the ARX is a fixed-wing drone developed by Tekever.  It features common electronics and software with other Tekever drones. Unlike those ...

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

  DT-001

  The DT-001 is a tandem wing UCAV from Deftech. It can host a range of non-offensive payloads, such as IO/EO cameras and an airborne LIDAR. ...

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

  Khronos

  The Khronos is a tethered, fully automated UAV for ISR missions in GPS/GNSS-denied and RF-denied environments. The drone's manufacturer, Elistair, stated that it could be deployed from a ...

• Loitering munitions

  Q-SLAM-100

  Unveiled at DSEI 2025, the Q-SLAM-100 is a man-portable loitering munition. Manufactured by Arquimea, the system is designed for medium-range missions with 120 minutes of flight autonomy ...

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

  Spider VTOL

  The Spider VTOL is a mini electrical fixed-wing UAV. Unlike traditional VTOL UAVs with dedicated motors, propellors and structural parts for performing take-off and landing, the Spider ...

• Data links

  MAQA Terminal 3.8m Flyaway Variant

  The Modular Aperture Quad-Band Antenna (MAQA) Terminal is designed to provide a ruggedised, mobile, quad-band SATCOM terminal that supports operations with the WGS constellation, legacy ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/VRC-118(V)1

  The AN/VRC-118(V)1 is a Mid-tier Networking Vehicular Radio (MNVR) which provides warfighters with the ability to share situational awareness. The MNVR utilises two joint tactical ...

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

  BLADE-55

  The Ballistic Loitering Attack Drone (BLADE, or BLADE-55) is a multi-role, weaponised rotary-wing UAV from Alare Technologies.  The drone can notably host two NAMMO M72 LAW weapons. Additionally, 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 ...