• Defence Notes

  LIMA 2017: Could Malaysian MiG-29s be resurrected?

  23rd March 2017

  A Russian-Malaysian joint business effort is offering the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) a life extension option for its decrepit MiG-29N fighter fleet, which now …

• Defence Notes

  Korea decisions - shutting down the DPRK's business

  6th April 2017

  With North Korea responding to international sanctions against its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) development programme with smirks, the US administration has a myriad of …

• Land Warfare

  Upgraded CPT turrets delivered to Australia

  20th March 2017

  Thales and its subcontractor Thomas Global have successfully delivered nine upgraded Crew Procedural Trainer (CPT) turrets for the Australian Army's Australian Light Armoured Vehicle (ASLAV), …

• Special Operations

  ​Gulf SOF operators refine tactics

  9th April 2017

  Special operations forces from across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) coalition continue to refine their approach to counter-terrorism (CT) and counter-insurgency (COIN) missions as part …

• Special Operations

  USSOCOM seeks advanced sniper rifle

  7th April 2017

  US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has officially expressed interest in the Advanced Sniper Rifle (ASR) competition, which aims at procuring a multi-calibre precision rifle for …

• Defence Helicopter

  Singapore enhancing its Apache fleet

  17th April 2017

  A Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow featuring numerous modifications similar to the Israel Defense Forces AH-64D-I Saraf was recently spotted on an evening training flight in …

• Land Warfare

  LAAD 2017: Brazil FMS upgrades roll on

  6th April 2017

  Mistaken reports of the arrival of the first upgraded M109A5+ self-propelled howitzer to the Brazilian Army have been rebuffed by manufacturer BAE Systems.The company has …

• Land Warfare

  Turkey orders new amphibious vehicle

  20th March 2017

  A step towards the production of a new amphibious vehicle for the Turkish marines has been taken that could offer the service new capabilities. Turkey's …

• Digital Battlespace

  Lockheed to support US TBMCS

  5th April 2017

  Lockheed Martin has signed a $38 million contract to support the US military's Theater Battle Management Core System (TBMCS), the company announced on 3 April.The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  OceanServer Technology acquired by L3

  6th April 2017

  L3 Technologies has acquired OceanServer Technology, the company announced on 4 April. The business has been renamed as L3 OceanServer and will be integrated into …

• Naval Warfare

  Austal's PPB-R facility opens

  14th March 2017

  Austal's new Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement (PPB-R) shipbuilding facility has been officially opened in Naval Base, Western Australia, the company announced on 8 March.The company …

• Land Warfare

  LIMA 2017: China reveals loitering attack weapon

  21st March 2017

  China's new WS-43 loitering attack weapon system is ready for the international market, according to representatives of China Aerospace Long-March International (ALIT), at this year's …

• Naval Warfare

  SAS 2017: US Navy outlines fleet priorities

  4th April 2017

  Against ongoing uncertainties surrounding the next US defence budget, the US Navy (USN) has provided some 'ship math' on the current fleet size and priorities …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Lockheed, USAF demo manned/unmanned teaming

  12th April 2017

  Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), US Air Force (USAF) Test Pilot School and Calspan Corporation have carried out a successful …

• Digital Battlespace

  SRC to continue Sensor Beam programme work

  5th April 2017

  SRC will continue development work on the US Air Force's Sensor Beam programme, the company announced on 4 April. The $95.7 million contract was awarded …

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]

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

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

  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]

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

• 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

  Leopard 2A4 [Czech Republic]

  Programme 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  In September 2021, it was announced in a trilateral announcement between Australia, the US and the UK that Australia, in a shock move, will not ...

• 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

  M1A1 Abrams (Ukraine Aid) [Australia]

  Programme Background Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Australia has been amongst the various Western allies providing Ukraine with military aid. Prior ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  AUKUS-SSNs (1-5) [Australia]

  Programme Background AUKUS Australia announced on 16 September 2021 that the contract with Naval Group signed in 2016 had been cancelled. Although not a surprising ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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, ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R [Spain]

  Programme Background On 16 March 2022, the US State Department approved an FMS to Spain for eight MH-60R helicopters and associated equipment and weaponry for $950 ...

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 ...

• S-64 Helitanker Fire-fighting Equipment

  Erickson's 10,031l tank for the S-64 helitanker drops water, retardant or foam mix at a rate of around 95l/h. Microprocessor-controlled tank doors offer eight individual ...

• Naval: RF, IR and 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...