• Defence Helicopter

  Singapore Airshow: Asia revs up helo engine buys

  11th February 2016

  The demand for new helicopter engines in Asia is on the rise, despite the global rotorcraft market currently being in the grips of a downturn. …

• Naval Warfare

  Searchmaster radar in first flight

  5th February 2016

  Thales' Searchmaster radar has completed its first flight, marking the start of a six month flight test campaign, the company announced on 4 February. Thales is …

• Military Logistics

  BCB delivers FireDragon fuel

  5th February 2016

  BCB has delivered the first batch of FireDragon fuel packs to the British Army following its contract award in November 2015. A spokesperson for BCB …

• Defence Notes

  Germany to invest €130 billion in defence

  3rd February 2016

  German will invest €130 billion in the Bundeswehr over the next 15 years, defence minister Ursula von der Leyen announced on 27 January.  She said that …

• Military Logistics

  France green lights four C-130Js

  3rd February 2016

  France has finally confirmed its purchase of four Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules aircraft as part of a foreign military sales (FMS) deal with the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  New payload software for AFSOC MQ-9s

  27th January 2016

  The development of a new line of software for the US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) will enable the fielding of ‘new payloads’ on …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Contract award for more French Reapers

  21st January 2016

  General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has been awarded a $43.7 million contract for the production of a MQ-9 Reaper for the French Air Force as part …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UDT Asia: Saab goes underwater

  20th January 2016

  Saab showcased two UUV designs – the Sea Wasp (pictured above) and MuMNS – during UDT Asia in Singapore.  The Sea Wasp is designed to …

• Land Warfare

  Aster missile upgrade underway

  15th January 2016

  The EUROSAM consortium has been awarded a contract to develop a new version of the Aster 30 Block 1 missile for the French Ministry of …

• Land Warfare

  UK to test precision rounds on AS90

  15th January 2016

  The UK Ministry of Defence will begin testing precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds with the AS90 self-propelled gun later this year. An MoD official confirmed to …

• Training

  French Air Force EW experts train with DCI

  14th January 2016

  Future Electronic Warfare (EW) experts of the French Air Force have undergone a training course with Défense Conseil International (DCI), the company announced on 13 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Germany to lease IAI’s Heron TP

  12th January 2016

  Germany will lease up to five Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron TP UAVs ahead of the eventual development of a European MALE UAS in the …

• Defence Helicopter

  France orders more NH90 TTHs

  8th January 2016

  The French Army Aviation has opted to increase its NH90 tactical troop helicopter (TTH) helicopter fleet to 74 units, with a new order for six …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Heron reaches new flight hour milestone

  31st December 2015

  Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) Heron 1 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) has marked its 70,000th flight hour in support of operations in Afghanistan, IAI announced on …

• Digital Battlespace

  France awards Comsat NG contract

  28th December 2015

  The French defence procurement agency has awarded a contract to a consortium formed by Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defence and Space to build and deliver …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Mali]

  Programme Background Six Drones On 22 December 2022, Joseph Dempsey, a research associate at IISS, tweeted photographs showing a Baytraktar TB2 adorned with the Malian ...

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

  Akinci [Mali]

  Background Presentation In December 2024, Akinci drones were presented to the Malian Armed Forces by transitional President General Assimi Goita during a ceremony in Bamako, confirming ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Mi-171Sh

  While the Burkinabe Armed Forces declined to discuss the deal when contacted by Shephard, a Burkinabe military source did acknowledge that the aircraft were being ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Surplus Maxxpro [Bangladesh - Batch 1]

  Programme Background The Bangladesh Army requires MRAPs to provide protected mobility to its troops deployed on UN peacekeeping missions in Mali and the Central African ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Surplus Maxxpro [Bangladesh - Batch 2]

  Programme Background The Bangladesh Army requires MRAPs to provide protected mobility to its troops deployed on UN peacekeeping missions in Mali and the Central African ...

• Fardier SOV

  Programme Background The French Army's airborne units previously operated 280 Lohr FL500 Fardier utility vehicles to carry heavy equipment. Those vehicles increased the tactical mobility ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  UN Peacekeeping Vehicles [Bangladesh]

  Programme Background The Bangladesh Army requires 4x4 armoured vehicles to provide protected mobility to its troops deployed on UN peacekeeping missions in Mali and the ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  HMT Extenda [UK]

  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 ...

• Minehunters

  Mine Warfare Vessels [France]

  Programme Background Requirements France’s Mine Warfare Vessels programme is aimed at replacing the ageing Eridan-class minehunters. The programme will follow the Future Naval Mine Action System ...

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

  Parrot Anafi (Singapore)

  Programme Background On 7 February 2022, the Singapore Army posted photographs on Facebook that showed the Anafi UAV used as training devices in a five-day ...

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

  MQ-9 Reaper [France]

  Programme Background 2013 (Block 1) The then-French Defence Minister, Kean-Yves Le Drian, confirmed on 31 May 2013 that France had ordered its first two MQ-9 platforms. The ...

• APCs/IFVs - 6x6, APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Wheeled Armoured Vehicles (Sri Lanka)

  Programme Background Requirement The Sri Lankan army operates armoured vehicles from several countries, with Russia and China being its biggest suppliers. Its wheeled APC inventory ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | MAWS/PATMAR [France]

  French Navy is planning to purchase up to 22 MPA aircraft to replace its ATL2 fleet in service. Germany and France agreed to develop a ...

• Data links

  Data links | MAWS/PATMAR [France]

  French Navy is planning to purchase up to 22 MPA aircraft to replace its ATL2 fleet in service. Germany and France agreed to develop a ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | MAWS/PATMAR [France]

  French Navy is planning to purchase up to 22 MPA aircraft to replace its ATL2 fleet in service. Germany and France agreed to develop a ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Akeron MP

  The Akeron MP, formerly known as MMP (Missile Moyenne Portée), is a fifth-generation man-portable surface-to-surface missile system developed by MBDA. It features a dual-mode seeker, fiber-optic data link, and a ...

• Individual assault/anti-tank weapons, Multipurpose missiles

  Eryx

  The Eryx wire-guided SACLOS antitank missile was developed from 1985-92 to meet a French Army requirement, and in 1989 the French and Canadian governments agreed ...

• Assault rifles/carbines/shotguns

  HK416 A5

  Heckler & Koch (H&K;) developed the 5.56mm HK416 for US SF as a product improvement over M4/M16-type weapons. Using the gas piston system from the ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons, Individual assault/anti-tank weapons

  MILAN ER

  The MILAN ER (Extended Response) is an advanced anti-tank guided missile system manufactured by MBDA, representing the latest generation of the combat-proven MILAN family. It ...

• Medium/general-purpose machine guns

  FN MAG

  The FN MAG (Mitrailleuse d'Appui Général) is a 7.62x51mm NATO general-purpose machine gun designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. Introduced in 1958, it ...

• Individual assault/anti-tank weapons

  AT4/M136

  The AT4 is an 84mm shoulder-launched, disposable, preloaded, recoilless weapon, ballistically characterised by a combination of a flat trajectory and low dispersion, attained through high ...

• Heavy machine guns, Helicopter guns, Naval guns

  FN M2HB-QCB

  The FN M2HB-QCB is a .50 calibre heavy machine gun manufactured by FN Herstal. It is a Quick Change Barrel (QCB) variant of the iconic ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  FGM-148 Javelin

  The FGM-148 Javelin is a man-portable, fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system developed by the Lockheed Martin-Raytheon Javelin Joint Venture. Key features include fire-and-forget imaging ...