• Defence Notes

  Analysis: Djibouti – China’s first base challenges American dominance

  16th August 2017

  For a strategic planner looking for a critical maritime chokepoint, beyond canals there are only two really scary ones on the planet worthy of attention …

• Land Warfare

  US Army orders fifth JLTV batch

  2nd August 2017

  Oshkosh Defense will deliver additional Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) to the US Army under an order announced on 1 August. The order, valued at …

• Defence Notes

  Romania boosts defence spending

  3rd August 2017

  Romania’s Supreme Defence Council (CSAT) has approved the Armed Forces Endowment Plan 2017-2026, as Bucharest vies to meet NATO’s 2% of GDP spending target, it was …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Afghanistan forces to gain additional ScanEagles

  26th July 2017

  Additional ScanEagle UAS will be heading to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) following a $19.6 million award from the US Department of Defence. The new …

• Defence Helicopter

  German Army Tiger helicopter crashes in Mali

  2nd August 2017

  An Airbus Helicopters Tiger attack helicopter belonging to the German Helicopter Detachment (HELIDET) based in Gao, Mali, crashed South of Tabankort on 26 July according …

• Naval Warfare

  BAE racks up RIB production (video)

  1st August 2017

  BAE Systems has reached the 50% production milestone of its Pacific 24 Mk 4 Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) programme for the UK’s Ministry of Defence …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky refurbishing Black Hawks for Australian fire-fighting

  3rd August 2017

  Sikorsky Australia is to refurbish ten ex-US Army UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters for firefighting and disaster relief operations in Australia. The A$63 million contract announced …

• Training

  Thailand procures more T-50 trainers

  31st July 2017

  Thailand has bought eight additional T-50TH Golden Eagle advanced jet trainers from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), with an approximate $260 million government-to-government contract signed on …

• Defence Helicopter

  Indian Sea Kings riddled with problems

  28th July 2017

  The Indian Navy’s (IN) ageing UH-3H Sea Kings are riddled with deficiencies that have compromised their availability for missions, the country’s top auditor has revealed.  …

• Special Operations

  Ukraine special ops development continues

  28th July 2017

  Force elements from Ukraine’s Special Operations Command have completed a joint training programme with the US Naval Special Warfare Command in the Black Sea as …

• Land Warfare

  Australian Army reservists closely integrate in TS17

  4th August 2017

  Exercise Talisman Saber, held last month in Australia, saw close integration between the Army Reserve and the Regular Army. Furthermore, signifying their growing importance, reservists …

• Land Warfare

  Canada’s delayed soldier upgrade on horizon

  27th July 2017

  The Canadian Army expects to take delivery of a new soldier electronics suite ‘within a few months’, in a sign that the service’s long-delayed soldier …

• Land Warfare

  Vietnam orders T-90 tanks from Russia

  25th July 2017

  Vietnam has ordered 64 T-90S/SK main battle tanks (MBT) from Russia, the culmination of months of speculation as the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) sought to …

• Land Warfare

  Poland relaunches 4x4 Mustang tender

  21st July 2017

  The Polish Armament Inspectorate has relaunched a competition for a new light multipurpose 4x4 vehicle, after the initial tender fell through last month. The new …

• Naval Warfare

  Mixed results for Philippine maritime surveillance

  25th July 2017

  The Philippine Air Force’s (PAF) second quest to acquire a pair of maritime patrol aircraft met with failure on 21 July when all contenders were …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Xtender [US]

  Programme Background Previous Procurement In early 2021, the US Department of Defence awarded a contract to XTEND for the platform in partnership with Isreal's MoD. ...

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

  V-Bat [Greece]

  Background Contract Award In May 2025, Kathimerini, a Greek morning political and economic newspaper, reported that the Greek Army had acquired two V-Bat UAVs. Funded partly by ...

• Loitering munitions

  Echelon 0: Ground Organic Precision Strike Systems (GOPSS) [USSOCOM]

  Programme Background Requirements The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has made loitering capabilities a priority in its efforts to support counter-violent extremist organization (C-VEO) operations ...

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

  Gray Eagle 25M (National Guard) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement In FY2021, the National Guard Association of the United States (NGUAS) announced that it was "critical" that it fielded the MQ-1C Gray Eagle ...

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

  V-Bat 128 [Colombia]

  Programme Background Procurement In August 2024, The Rio Times reported that the Columbian Navy had begun to equip its four Type FS 1500  frigates with the V-Bat ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Vertical & Horizontal UAV [Italy]

  Programme Background Speaking in late January 2024 at the SAE Maritime Reconnaissance and Surveillance Technology conference in London, Commander Mauro Ghezzi stated that the Italian ...

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

  Wolverine / Honeybadger [US]

  Programme Background During the Modern Day Marine (MDM) exhibition, held in Washington between 10-12 May 2022, XTEND announced it would supply hundreds of Wolverine platforms ...

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

  Maritime UAS (MUAS) [USCG]

  Background Contract Award In June 2024, the USCG awarded Shield AI an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity firm-fixed-price contract to supply UAVs for its cutter vessels. The contract, which will ...

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

  V-Bat [India]

  Programme Background Make In India The 'Make In India' is an initiative by the Indian government to grow the domestic manufacturing industry. In the context of ...

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

  Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase II) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) provides short-range day and night ISR to US Army units at the squad, platoon and other small ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  XM30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The OMFV programme is the latest of several attempts to develop a Bradley replacement.  Designed to be capable of operating with or without ...

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

  Large ULS-A / Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) [USMC]

  Programme Background US Marine ULS-A programmes The US Marines are seeking a family of Unmanned Logistics Systems-Air (ULS-A), which will provide logistics and ground units with ...

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

  Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) (Tranche 2) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  Programme Background The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) Programme The RPUAS programme will provide the battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) [USA]

  Programme Background US Army's Future Vertical Lift Programme The FLRAA is one of three strands of a broader army programme. The others are the Future ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | JF-17 [Azerbaijan]

  Azerbaijan has been known to be a potential buyer of JF-17 Thunder aircraft since 2015. The country is operating Su-24/25 and MiG-29 jets in service; ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: mission management systems

  iCommand 2.5

  The iCommand 2.5 is the latest version of the iCommand integrated command suite, designed by Textron Systems Advanced Information Solutions. The system has been designed ...

• Military vehicle engines

  TCD 2015

  The TCD 2015 is a modern water-cooled four stroke diesel V-engine that is currently integrated on the RG41 armoured vehicle.

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Bradley NG/RB301

  BAE Systems introduced the Bradley Next Generation (NG) at AUSA 2016 to showcase a cost-effective option for extending the M2 Bradley's service life into the 2030s. Centred around ...

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

  Reliant

  The Reliant is a Quantum Systems VTOL-capable fixed-wing drone unveiled at the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week Exhibition 2024. The hybrid drone is due to ...

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

  Fang

  Fang is a first-person view (FPV) UAS for precision strike roles. The drone is aimed to launch in Q2 2025. Developed by Red Cat, the drone ...

• Loitering munitions

  HERO-400

  The HERO-400 is a loitering munition manufactured by UVision. Part of the HERO family, the HERO-400 can accurately strike against a range of targets. It ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Twister

  Unveiled at AUSA 2023, the Twister is a mini fixed-wing UAV manufactured by Quantum-Systems. It will be released in Q2 2025. It is an eVTOL drone ...

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

  P550

  Designed by AeroVironment, the P550 is a fixed-wing UAV that can host reconnaissance, EW or offensive payloads. It was developed with Parry Labs and features Modular Open Systems ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - small

  Golden Eagle HS

  The Golden Eagle HS (Heavy Strike) is a rotary-wing UAV that can be armed with Rafael's powerful Spike SR and LR2 missiles, providing ground troops with anti-armour ...

• Military UGVs

  Tracked Robot 10-Ton (TRX)

  The TRX (Tracked Robot 10-ton) is a UGV developed by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS). The vehicle has been intended to be an enabling technology in critical ...

• Loitering munitions

  HERO-1250

  The HERO-1250 is the largest lethal loitering system in the HERO series by UVision. It is capable of long-range multipurpose operations. This weapon system is ...

• Loitering munitions

  HERO-900

  The HERO-900 is a lethal loitering system in the HERO series by UVision. It is capable of long-range multipurpose operations. This weapon system is designed ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  StrykerX

  Unveiled at AUSA 2022, the StrykerX from General Dynamics Land Systems is the technology demonstrator for the next-generation Stryker vehicle family. Featuring a hybrid diesel-electric power ...

• Loitering munitions

  HERO-250

  The HERO-250 is a gasoline-powered loitering munition manufactured by UVision. This weapon system is designed for operating units in urban areas carrying out strikes against armoured ...

• Loitering munitions

  HERO-70

  The HERO-70 is a lethal loitering system in the HERO series by UVision. Like its siblings, it is man-pack portable, launched by a canister and ...