• Military Logistics

  Pegasus flies amid budget issues

  26th September 2015

  Budget uncertainty in Washington has the potential to severely affect the US Air Force’s KC-46A programme, despite the new tanker making its maiden flight.  The …

• Land Warfare

  BAE offers Colombia artillery

  25th September 2015

  Colombia has a requirement for 25 artillery pieces, but it is unclear what kind of system they want. BAE Systems told Shephard: ‘It is our …

• Training

  GA-ASI set up Predator training

  25th September 2015

  A new remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) training academy in North Dakota is expected to train 50 crews to operate MQ-1 and MQ-9 UAS over the …

• Land Warfare

  BAE body armour for US

  25th September 2015

  BAE Systems has been awarded a $45 million contract modification by the US Army for the low-rate initial production of lightweight torso and side body …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop awarded ARL-E radar contract

  25th September 2015

  The US Army has awarded an indefinite delivery indefinite/quantity contract to Northrop Grumman for the development of the Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Enhanced (ARL-E) Long-Range Radar (LLR), …

• Land Warfare

  Australia receives RTVs

  25th September 2015

  The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has taken delivery of new Rough Terrain Vehicles (RTVs) that will improve the off-road mobility of its commando forces. A …

• Defence Notes

  Interview: Liam Fox on UK SDSR

  24th September 2015

  Dr Liam Fox was defence secretary from May 2010 to October 2011 and brought in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). In a …

• Digital Battlespace

  Alion supports USN ISR

  24th September 2015

  The US Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) has awarded a contract to Alion Science and Technology to support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) technologies, the …

• Defence Notes

  Fallon tries to reassure SDSR critics

  24th September 2015

  UK defence secretary Michael Fallon has responded to criticism about the upcoming Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). There are concerns that the review will neither …

• Defence Helicopter

  Spirit completes fuselage for V-280 Valor

  23rd September 2015

  Spirit AeroSystems has completed construction of the first fuselage for Bell Helicopter's V-280 Valor aircraft, the company announced on 22 September. The composite fuselage will …

• Digital Battlespace

  CACI to continue NAWCAD support

  23rd September 2015

  The US Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) has awarded a $63.5 million bridge contract to CACI International to continue its support for NAWCAD’s …

• Land Warfare

  Cubic books US I-MILES IWS orders

  23rd September 2015

  The US military has awarded approximately $20 million in orders to Cubic Global Defense for its Instrumentable-Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System Individual Weapon Systems (I-MILES …

• Naval Warfare

  LCS shows off SeaRAM skills

  23rd September 2015

  A US Navy littoral combat ship (LCS) has fired a Rolling Airframe Missile from a SeaRAM anti-ship defence system for the first time, Raytheon has announced. …

• Military Logistics

  Japan's tanker bid goes solo

  23rd September 2015

  In its quest to obtain four aerial tankers via its KC-X competition launched in June, the Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) has been left with …

• Defence Helicopter

  India clears Boeing helicopter deal

  22nd September 2015

  India has cleared the procurement of 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy lifters for the Indian Air Force.  The country’s Cabinet …

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 ...