• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Lockheed announces first US customer for VCSi

  3rd May 2018

  Aurora Flight Sciences has become the first US customer to purchase Lockheed Martin’s new Vehicle Control Station (VCS) software product, Lockheed announced on 1 May. …

• Special Operations

  SOFEX 2018: Hawkeye catches militaries attention

  11th May 2018

  AM General displayed its HMMWV Hawkeye 105mm mobile weapons solution at SOFEX 2018, a solution which has gathered both domestic US and international interest. In …

• Land Warfare

  Sig Sauer comes out on top for Denmark's new pistol

  16th April 2018

  Denmark has selected the 9x19mm Sig Sauer P320 X-Carry as its new pistol after an evaluation of four shortlisted designs. The P320 will be fielded …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Insitu and partners progress payload offerings

  15th May 2018

  Alongside its recently launched ScanEagle 3, Insitu is evolving its payload capabilities for its family of unmanned solutions with new technologies on the horizon. At its …

• Defence Helicopter

  BAE to demonstrate optical seeker for DARPA

  9th May 2018

  BAE Systems has received a $13.1 million contract from DARPA to demonstrate a new optical seeker for precision-guided munitions, the company announced on 7 May. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Lockheed upgrades Indago 3 with IR payload

  7th May 2018

  Lockheed Martin has upgraded its Indago 3 small quadrotor UAS with high resolution infrared (IR) sensors capable of performing day or night operations, the company …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2018: Show talking points (video)

  3rd May 2018

  Shephard editors Richard Thomas and Helen Haxell talk through the news at AUVSI's Xponential this week in Denver. The team share their thoughts on the narrative …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  New target drone complete for Italian operations

  16th April 2018

  After unveiling its new Mirach-40 (M-40) target drone during Paris Air Show 2017 Leonardo has been given the green light to operate the system with the …

• Land Warfare

  IDEB 2018: New APC jostles for Slovakian tender

  17th May 2018

  Czech company, Zetor Engineering, has unveiled its new 4x4 armoured tactical vehicle as the company seeks to pursue the Slovakian Army’s land modernisation programme. Known …

• Land Warfare

  Latvia begins trials for new tactical 4x4

  15th May 2018

  Testing has begun on four platforms selected by the Latvian Ministry of Defence for phase two of the nation's acquisition of new 4x4 tactical vehicles. …

• Land Warfare

  DefExpo 2018: Mahindra pursues diversity with four MoUs

  15th April 2018

  Mahindra Defence and Aeronautics announced four separate MoUs during DefExpo 2018, ranging from naval UAVs to amphibian aircraft to fast jets. Illustrating the company’s diverse …

• Defence Notes

  Boeing says it will follow US policy on Iran

  8th May 2018

  Boeing said on 8 May it will continue to take its cue from US government policy on sales to Iran after President Donald Trump announced …

• Naval Warfare

  Hanoi demands Beijing withdraw missiles from disputed islands

  9th May 2018

  Hanoi has demanded Beijing remove military equipment from contested islands in the South China Sea, saying reported missile installations are a ‘serious violation’ of Vietnam's …

• Defence Notes

  US jets intercept Russian bombers off Alaskan coast

  12th May 2018

  US fighter jets intercepted two long-range Russian 'Bear' bombers in international airspace off western Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said 12 May. The …

• Digital Battlespace

  Industry readies for Patriot radar replacement requirements

  2nd May 2018

  The US Army is expected to release technical requirements for the replacement Patriot radar system in the coming months, ahead of the next phase of …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Data links

  Data links | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-390 [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirement The aircraft deliveries were scheduled to start by the end of 2016 and continue over a period of ten years. However,  the first ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-130H Replacement [Sweden]

  Programme Background Requirements Sweden has five C-130H aircraft (designated Tp-84) and one KC-130H. Two C-130Es bought in the 1960s have retired, but the six H ...

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

  Hermes 900 [Chile]

  Methodology Unit cost In 2024, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) acquired one Hermes 900 for 50 million reais ($9.14 million), giving each drone an estimated ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  H145M [Brazil]

  Background  Brazilian leadership announced in February 2022 that the Sabre Mil Mi-35M Hind-E attack helicopters were being retired from active service. This decision came as a ...

• Fighter - multirole

  JAS 39E/F Gripen [Brazil]

  Background In 2016, Gripen’s Project and Development Center was opened in Sao Paulo to allow Sweedish and Brazillian engineers to work together in the Gripen ...

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

  Hermes 900 [Colombia]

  Methodology Unit cost In 2024, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) acquired one Hermes 900 for 50 million reais ($9.14 million), giving each drone an estimated gross ...

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

  Hermes 900 (5) [Brazil]

  Background First three batches (2014-2024) Across three purchases, Defence Insight estimates that Brazil has acquired five Hermes 900 UAVs. In 2014, Elbit reported supplying one ...

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

  Hermes 900 (1-4) [Brazil]

  Background First batch (2014) In 2014, Elbit reported supplying one Hermes 900 UAV to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The drone is called the RQ-900 in Brazilian ...

• Maritime patrol

  C295 add-on [Brazil]

  Programme Background  In 2014 Brazil signed a contracted for two additional C-295 SAR platforms with the option to acquire one additional platform. In 2018, reports ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Polar Support Vessel [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirements In June 2020, the Brazilian Navy released a Request for Proposal (RfP) to procure a new Antarctic vessel to be manufactured in Brazil. The ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air-to-surface missiles

  MAR-1

  The MAR-1 is a Brazilian air-to-surface anti-radiation missile (ARM) developed by Mectron in collaboration with the Aerospace Technology and Science Department (DCTA) of the Brazilian ...

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

  Harpia

  Described as the UAV with the most onboard technology in Latin America, Harpia is a multifunctional fixed-wing Brazilian drone developed by Advanced Technologies Security & Defence.  The Uruguayan ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  EMB-312 Tucano

  The EMB-312 Tucano (Brazilian designation T-27) is a trainer and light attack aircraft developed by Embraer to meet the training requirements of the Brazilian Air ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  TPTS

  Tactical Procedures Training Simulators (TPTS), operating with SWARM software, can be used to provide most core training elements to pilots or offload training tasks from ...

• Guided munitions

  SMKB (Smart-MK-Bomb)

  The Smart-MK-Bomb, or the SMKB, is a precision guidance kit developed by Mectron and designed to turn Mk 82 and Mk 83 bombs into guided munitions.

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

  Albatroz Vortex

  The Albatroz Vortex from Stella Tecnologia is a development of the company's Albatroz UAV.  The key differentiator is that the Vortex is fitted with an ATJR ...

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

  Condor

  The Condor, or Atobá XR, is an in-development MALE-class UAV from Stella Technologia.  The development of the multi-role is tied to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), which has ...

• Trainer, Transport

  EMB-121 Xingu

  The EMB-121 Xingu is a twin-turboprop light transport and advanced multi-engine trainer aircraft developed by Embraer based on the EMB-110 Bandeirante. Its maiden flight was ...

• Land: battle management systems

  Arkhe Mission & Combat

  Launched in 2017, Atech's Arkhe Mission & Combat solutions offer a variety of solutions enabling operator to conduct missions from planning to execution and debriefing. It ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-390/C-390 Millennium

  The KC-390 is a high-wing, twin-turbofan, T-tail design intended to meet the needs of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) for a tanker/transport aircraft. Developed and ...

• Fighter - air superiority

  F-5E/F Tiger II

  The F-5E (single-seat)/F (twin-seat) Tiger II is an air superiority fighter developed by Northrop Grumman based on the original F-5 Freedom Fighter. Production of the ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M

  The medium-weight, 11t-class H225M (formerly known as the EC725) is the latest military Super Puma/Cougar family member.  Technical features include a modular design of mechanical ...

• EO/IR systems

  Skyward

  The SkyWard system is an advanced Infrared Search and Track (IRST) solution developed for next-generation airborne platforms, including 5th-generation fighter aircraft.  Designed with modularity in ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Saber M60

  The Saber M60 is a low-altitude air-defence radar developed by the Brazilian Army's CTEx (Army Technology Centre) in collaboration with Bradar, part of Embraer Defence ...

• Man-portable missile systems

  RBS 70 system

  The RBS 70 was developed in the 1970s to meet the Swedish Army’s requirement for a low-cost, easy-to-use MANPADS which could function in extreme climatic ...