• Land Warfare

  Spanish Army concludes qualification tests of the Castor armoured engineering vehicle

  30th December 2022

  The programme enters now serial production with the delivery of 35 platforms scheduled for 2023 and 2024.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aerostructures manufacturing deal could smooth path to Indian MQ-9B purchase

  4th January 2023

  General Atomics' strategic partnership with India's Bharat Forge could pave the way to Delhi's long-awaited order of 30 MQ-9Bs.

• Land Warfare

  Brazilian Army signs up for Centauro II armoured vehicles

  2nd December 2022

  The contract with the Iveco-Oto Melara consortium for supply of the first two vehicles will be signed on 5 December.

• Training

  Immersive tactical training simulator for British Army reaches FOC

  21st September 2022

  ICAVS(D) is one of the first pathfinder projects for the Collective Training Transformation Programme.

• Land Warfare

  Finland orders 25 armoured multipurpose vehicles

  21st December 2022

  The domestically produced 4x4s will be used by the Finnish Army.

• Defence Notes

  North Korea shows off multiple ICBMs in parade

  10th February 2023

  The biggest revelation in North Korea's latest parade was the supposed existence of a new solid-fuelled ICBM.

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2022: HII enhances human-machine teaming training for US Army

  9th December 2022

  HII’s crewed-uncrewed teaming training system has been tested with the US Army’s Apache, but it can operate with any autonomous system with the right equipment to receive data.

• Defence Helicopter

  Italian Army takes its final NH90 helicopter on order

  2nd December 2022

  NHIndustries and Leonardo have completed deliveries of NH90 TTH helicopters to the Italian Army.

• Land Warfare

  US State Department approves $180 million anti-tank weapons sale to Taiwan

  29th December 2022

  Taipei has requested to purchase Volcano systems, M977A4 HEMTT trucks and M87A1, M88 and M89 munitions.

• Training

  British Army faces critical digitisation and modernisation challenges

  23rd September 2022

  The UK Integrated Review outlined how the UK plans to compensate for the loss of numbers with more advanced technologies, novel training solutions and the acceleration of digitisation across all forces. A year on, it is still unclear how the British Army will reach the desired sophistication and readiness levels.

• Training

  US Army spotlights constructive synthetic environment re-bids at I/ITSEC 2022

  5th December 2022

  The US Army's Project Manager Synthetic Environments is overseeing two major re-bid programmes.

• Air Warfare

  Bell V-280 Valor wins FLRAA Black Hawk replacement contract

  6th December 2022

  The US Army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) contract awarded to Bell marks the US Army’s largest helicopter procurement in 40 years. Here is everything you need to know about the programme.

• Defence Notes

  Despite sanctions, India's dependence on Russian military equipment likely to persist for decades to come

  23rd January 2023

  Despite boosting indigenous production and diversifying its sources of military equipment, India is in no position to give up its long-time dependence on Russia.

• Naval Warfare

  UK inks long-awaited contract for extra Type 26 frigates

  15th November 2022

  Against the backdrop of the G20 summit in Indonesia, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has greenlit a contract to build five more frigates for the UK Royal Navy (RN).

• Land Warfare

  Thales aims Acusonic at OMFV programme

  19th October 2022

  Will the AGDS acoustic shot detection system break into the US market in a big way?

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - small

  Bug Nano UAS (UK)

  Programme Background The British Army previously took delivery of 160 first-generation Black Hornet PD-100 nano UAS in 2013 to support operations in Afghanistan. After these ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Magni-X (UK)

  Programme Background On 12 January 2022, Elbit Systems UK announced it had been awarded a contract from the UK MoD's Defence Equipment & Support's Future Capability ...

• Military UAS - small

  Black Hornet 3 PRS (UK)

  Programme Background The British Army operated approximately 160 first-generation Black Hornet PD-100 nano UAS between 2013 and 2017, when the decision was made to retire ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6, LTVs - 4x4

  Supacat HMT 400 & 600 [UK - Option]

  Programme Background Programme Requirements The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated in a Contract Notice that it had a requirement for at least 70 new HMT platforms ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8, APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Bulldog FV432 Mk 3 Replacement [UK]

  Programme Background Requirement Serving in several iterations since 1963, the FV432 Mk3 'Bulldog' remains operational and deployed as command vehicles, ambulances, and recovery vehicles within the British Army. Although ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Boxer MIV [UK]

  Programme Background History The UK MoD announced in March 2018 that it would re-join the Boxer programme and pursue a sole-source acquisition of the 8x8 ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Project [UK]

  Programme Background Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Project The British Army launched the RAS project to provide the "direction required to exploit emerging technologies to ...

• MPVs - 4x4, Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  Multi-Role Vehicle (Protected) (MRV-P) Package 1 (UK)

  Programme Background Requirement The MRV-P programme was intended to procure replacements for a diverse fleet of 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles purchased during the wars in Iraq ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Ajax [UK]

  Programme Background Under its $4.3 billion production contract, GDUK will provide 589 Ajax to the British Army. These will be delivered in six different variants: ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6, LTVs - 4x4

  Supacat HMT 400 & 600 [UK - Contracted]

  Programme Background Programme Requirements The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated in a Contract Notice that it required at least 240 new HMT platforms to mitigate ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Land Mobility Programme (Light Protected Mobility) [UK]

  This programme briefly introduces the wider Land Mobility Programme and then focuses on the Light Protected Mobility (LPM) programme. Information on the LMV and MPM can ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Land Mobility Programme [UK - Medium Protected Mobility]

  This programme briefly introduces the wider Land Mobility Programme and then focuses on the Medium Protected Mobility (MPM) programme. Information on the LMV and MPM can ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  French Operational Pocket Drone / DrOP (France)

  Programme Background French UAV Procurment / DrOP Under its 2019-2025 Military Programming Law (LPM), France aims to introduce 1,200 new UAVs into service with the ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Black Hornet 3 (First Order) [Norway]

  Programme Background First Batch The Norwegian Home Guard has procured the Black Hornet 3 to provide each of its districts with a nano UAS that ...

• Tanks

  Leclerc Upgrade (UAE)

  Programme Background The UAE MoD has not disclosed any intention to modernise or replace its Leclerc MBTs, but an unconfirmed report published by the Asian Defence ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  British Army Apache Training Facilities

  Aviation Training International (ATIL) – a Leonardo Helicopters/Boeing joint venture formed in 1998 - was selected to provide the attack helicopter training service to the ...

• Tanks

  Challenger 1

  420 Challenger 1 MBTs were delivered to the British Army between 1983 and 1990. Developed from the Shir 2 MBT originally designed for Iran, the ...

• Unguided Artillery Ammunition

  L52 Smoke

  The L52 Smoke is a 105mm smoke artillery round manufactured by BAE Systems.  The British Army uses it in its L118 Light Guns.

• Self-propelled guns

  AS90

  The AS90 155mm/39cal tracked SPH was designed and built by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering (acquired by BAE Systems in 1999) to meet the requirements of ...

• Unguided Artillery Ammunition

  L21 High Explosive (HE)

  The L21 High Explosive (HE) is a 155mm artillery shell manufactured by BAE Systems. The British Army uses the L21 with its Archer artillery systems.

• Towed guns

  105mm Light Gun

  The 105mm Light Gun was designed and manufactured by Royal Ordnance Nottingham (now BAE Systems), with the first guns introduced to the British Army in ...

• Tanks

  Challenger 2

  The 120mm-armed Challenger 2 MBT was introduced into British Army service in 1994 as a replacement for the Challenger 1, which was successfully employed in ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  FV432 Mk 3 Bulldog

  The FV432 Mk 3 Bulldog is an upgraded version of the long-serving FV432 family of tracked vehicles, of which approximately 3,000 were delivered to the British ...

• Unguided Artillery Ammunition

  L17 Inert

  The L17 Inert is a 155mm training artillery round manufactured by BAE Systems.  It is in service with the British Army, where its Archer artillery systems use ...

• Subsystems: software

  Exonaut Software Suite

  Since 2000, 4C has been developing the Exonaut software suite. The products within the Exonaut suite can either be used standalone or as part of ...

• Armoured engineer vehicles

  Buffalo MPCV

  The Buffalo Mine-Protected Clearance Vehicle (MPCV) is in service with the armed forces of Canada, France, Italy, Pakistan, the UK and the US and has ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  Instrumented Ground Combat Training Systems

  Cubic supplies combat training systems for CTCs, homestations and forward-deployed environments. The systems are designed to support missions including force-on-force, urban operations, joint, combined arms ...

• Tanks

  Olifant

  The Olifant (Elephant) is a South African variant of the British Centurion MBT. Development of the Centurion began in 1943. It was introduced into service ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6

  Cougar 6x6

  The Cougar 6x6 has its origins as a South African vehicle manufactured by Force Protection, a company eventually purchased by General Dynamics. Mine-protected vehicles manufactured ...

• Infrastructure - bridges

  IAB

  The Infantry Assault Bridge (IAB) is a lightweight foot bridge for light infantry and airborne troops to cross dry or wet gaps. One complete bridge ...