• Special Operations

  SOCOM explores M230 cannon enhancements

  14th September 2017

  US Special Operations Command is exploring operational enhancements to its M230 30mm cannon systems, it has emerged.  Under a $666,229 contract announced on 7 September, …

• Military Logistics

  Northrop wins E-11A BACN support contract

  7th September 2017

  Northrop Grumman has received a contract worth $265 million from the US Air Force for aircraft maintenance and logistics support of the Battlefield Airborne Communications …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Saab Seaeye receives Falcon order

  21st August 2017

  Saab Seaeye has received an order for a second Falcon ROV from Australia-based Huon Aquaculture, the company announced on 17 August. Huon will deploy the …

• Land Warfare

  Cloud Leopard II benefits from TLC

  18th August 2017

  Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) showcased a series of improvements to the Cloud Leopard 8x8 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) at the TADTE 2017 exhibition in Taipei. …

• Training

  First flight of RAAF’s in-service PC-21

  17th August 2017

  The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has completed the first PC-21 in-service flight in East Sale, Australia, marking a new milestone for the AIR 5428 …

• Defence Notes

  UN reports on North Korea challenges

  18th September 2017

  The United Nations released a new panel of experts (POE) report on 5 September under Security Council Resolution 2345, which explored North Korean missile developments …

• Defence Notes

  DSEI 2017: MoD puts innovation and exportability at centre of procurement

  15th September 2017

  Innovation and exportability will be placed at the forefront of UK procurement policy as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) looks to simplify its procurement process. …

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2017: Warrior displays stealth camo

  14th September 2017

  On display at DSEI this year is Saab’s Barracuda Mobile Camouflage System (MCS) configured for the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle, following small orders by the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSEI 2017: Wave Glider makes a splash

  14th September 2017

  The latest iteration of the Liquid Robotics Wave Glider USV is now able to survive in demanding environments up to sea state six and greater, the …

• Land Warfare

  MSPO 2017: Raytheon details Patriot offset

  7th September 2017

  Raytheon has set out more details of its proposed offset solution to Poland, as the US looks to finalise the FMS case for the Patriot …

• Naval Warfare

  Little Rock completes acceptance trials

  5th September 2017

  Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine have successfully completed acceptance trials on the US Navy’s future Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Little Rock. USS …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Philippines acquires six ScanEagles

  16th August 2017

  Insitu is set to supply the Philippines with six ScanEagle UAS following a contract announcement on 15 August. The US Department of Defence (DoD) awarded a …

• Land Warfare

  US equips Lebanese Army with Bradleys

  15th August 2017

  The US has delivered an initial batch of Bradley Fighting Vehicles to the Lebanese Armed Forces during a ceremony held at the Port of Beirut. The …

• Land Warfare

  LAND 400 Phase 2 testing complete

  15th August 2017

  Blast testing has been completed on the two contenders vying for Australia's LAND 400 Phase 2 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV) programme, the Australian Department of Defence …

• Training

  Virtual trainers for LCS crew

  15th September 2017

  The US Navy has installed a number of interim virtual training systems for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) crew training while the LCS Training Facility (LTF) …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Logistics, Ammunition Carrier and Mortar Carrier Variants) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Land 400 Phase 3 (Amphibious Vehicles) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Australian DoD released the initial RfI for the Land 400 Phase 3 programme in November 2015. Following consultations with local industry, the ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams [Poland]

  Background Requirement Since the early 2010s, Poland has wanted to upgrade its Soviet-era tank fleet due to modernisation requirements, the need to increase interoperability with NATO ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - micro

  Drone40 (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background In August 2022, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a think tank, held a podcast with Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, in which ...

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel - Medium (Project Land 8710 Phase 1A) [Australia]

  Background Requirements Australia has set out requirements for a fleet of up to 18 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels - Medium (LMV-M) with the release of a ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Land 400 Phase 2 - Boxer CRV [Australia]

  Programme Background History The Land 400 Phase 2 programme will procure a replacement for the ASLAV, a derivative of the General Dynamics Land Systems Light Armoured Vehicle ...

• Main battle tanks

  Viatura Blindada de Combate-Carro de Combate (VBC-CC) [Brazil]

  Programme Background Several key technical requirements have been outlined by the Brazilian MoD. Among the most important are that the platform should weigh less than ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A4 [Czech Republic]

  Background  The Czech Republic currently operates a small fleet of T-72s, which, while undergoing upgrades and life extension programmes, are increasingly obsolete. In October 2022, ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  Second Hand SSNs [Australia]

  Programme background Timeline In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Chios class LST replacement [Greece]

  Background Requirements The Hellenic Navy’s Chios-class tank landing ship platforms have been in service for almost 30 years. Shephard estimates they will start reaching their out-of-service date (OSD) ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  HIMARS (Batch 2) [Australia]

  Programme background Prior to selecting HIMARS in January 2023, Australia did not operate an MLRS system. However, the effectiveness of Ukrainian HIMARS convinced the Australian government ...

• Medium UGVs

  Mission Master (RPV Sprial 2) [UK]

  Background First announced in April 2017 and referred to in early MOD documents as the ‘last mile resupply’ initiative, the British Army is reportedly evaluating ...

• Military - USVs

  Bluebottle USV (16-55) [Australia]

  Programme Background Timeline The RAN purchased a number of the 6.8m-long Bluebottles, including five under an A$4.9 million ($3.3 million) contract signed in November 2022. ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Project Land 400 Phase 3 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement: 2015 RfI The Land 400 Phase 3 programme will procure a new tracked IFV to replace the Australian Army's legacy fleet of ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Project Air 7003 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  Carl-Gustaf M3

  The Carl-Gustaf M3 is the third generation of the 84mm shoulder-fired recoilless antitank gun, first fielded by the Swedish Army in 1946. Since then, it ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120mm KE DM63 / DM53 A1 Tank Ammunition

  The 120mm kinetic energy tank ammunition is manufactured by Rheinmetall. There are several variations of the ammunition, including the DM63, which can be fired from ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120MM HEAT-TP F1A

  Franco-German KNDS-Nexter produce the 120mm High-Explosive Anti-Tank Training-Purpose F1A (HEAT-TP F1A) round to enable reduced-cost training for Main Battle Tank crews. 

• Main battle tanks

  M1/M1A1 Abrams

  The 105mm-armed M1 Abrams tracked MBT was introduced into US Army service in 1980 as a replacement for the 105mm-armed M60 MBT. In April 1991, ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  120mm PELE Tank Ammunition

  The 120mm Penetrator with Enhanced Lateral Effect (PELE) tank ammunition is an inert round produced by Rheinmetall. It is suitable for use against semi-hard targets ...

• Light mortars

  60mm Mortar Ammunition

  US-based LD Systems' 60mm Mortar ammunition fulfils the NATO standard for lightweight mortar ammunition.

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  120mm L55A1

  The 120mm L55A1 is a smoothbore high-pressure gun based on the L55 tank gun. The L55A1 has been qualified and in service since 2019. It ...

• Naval: RF/IR/acoustic decoys

  Nulka

  The Nulka is an active anti-ship missile decoy originally conceived in Australia, and developed under a joint Australian-US programme. BAE Systems Australia is prime contractor, while ...

• Crew-served assault/anti-tank weapons

  120mm L55 Tank Gun

  The 120mm L55 is a smoothbore tank gun produced by Rheinmetall. It is designed for use on the Leopard main battle tank, to which it ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP)

  The M1147 Advanced Multi-Purpose (AMP) is a 120mm tank round developed by Northrop Grumman Defence Systems. Various customers, including Bahrain, Israel, and the US, use the tank ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3

  The M1A2 System Enhancement Package 3 (M1A2 SEPv3, also known as M1A2C) is the latest production-standard variant of the Abrams MBT. Designed primarily to address ...

• Land: RWS

  R400 Slinger

  The R400 Slinger is a counter-uncrewed aerial system (C-UAS) remote weapon system (RWS) being developed in Australia. The development is a response to growing international ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition

  The Next Generation Combat Vehicle Ammunition (NGVA) is a family of ammunition being developed by the US Army's Armaments Center and manufactured by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems ...

• Land: tactical engagement simulators

  CVTESS

  Saab's Combat Vehicle Tactical Engagement Simulation System (CVTESS) is a laser-based simulator which supports every version of the Abrams Main Battle Tank and the Bradley ...

• Submarines: nuclear/attack

  SSN AUKUS

  The SSN-AUKUS will be the submarine design resulting from the AUKUS trilateral pact between Australia, the US and the UK. Expected to incorporate technology from ...