• Special Operations

  IDF prepares for multinational SOF exercise

  26th February 2018

  Israeli special operations forces are set to host a multinational exercise towards the end of 2018 designed to encourage extended levels of cooperation and interoperability …

• Defence Notes

  Chairman of Taiwanese shipbuilder charged with fraud

  13th February 2018

  The chairman of a Taiwan shipbuilding company that won a contract to build six naval ships was charged in a loan fraud case on 13 …

• Military Logistics

  Marshall to continue Swedish C-130 support

  13th February 2018

  Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group has received a contract from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration to continue supporting the Swedish Air Force’s fleet of C-130 …

• Digital Battlespace

  EO/IR Special Report: Elbit prepares As-Pac optics deliveries

  25th February 2018

  Elbit Systems is preparing to deliver the Condor 2 airborne sensor system for integration on an undisclosed Asia-Pacific fighter fleet next year. Under a $82 …

• Defence Helicopter

  Panama commissions new AW139s

  22nd January 2018

  The president of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela, formally handed over to the country’s National Air Naval Service (SENAN) two new Leonardo Helicopters AW139Ms at the …

• Land Warfare

  IAF tests Arrow 3 interceptor missile

  21st February 2018

  The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has successfully tested the Arrow 3 weapon system against a simulated target in space, the IAF announced on 19 February. …

• Defence Notes

  Pentagon prepares for a FY19 spending holiday

  12th February 2018

  With the Pentagon’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget set at $686 billion, the department has unveiled its spending priorities for next year and says it wants …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  European unmanned ambitions continue into 2018

  10th January 2018

  The European MALE RPAS project enters 2018 on schedule and on budget as industrial partners begin the development phase, Shephard understands. The three industry members, Airbus …

• Defence Notes

  Trump's nuclear policy may spark arms race

  25th January 2018

  The US DoD is set to unveil US president Donald Trump's nuclear policy next week, and critics are already warning it could trigger another arms …

• Defence Notes

  UN draft calls for 'measures' over Iran missiles to Yemen

  19th February 2018

  The UN Security Council is considering a draft resolution that would condemn Iran for violating the arms embargo on Yemen and call for measures to …

• Defence Helicopter

  Russia’s East European MRO business grows

  12th January 2018

  Russian Helicopters has reported good growth in its MRO business in Eastern Europe. Towards the end of last year there were two major MRO contracts …

• Defence Notes

  Iran accuses West of using lizards for nuclear spying

  13th February 2018

  The former Chief of Staff of Iran's armed forces said on 13 February that Western spies had used lizards which could ‘attract atomic waves’ to …

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Expo 2018: MD softly, softly on 6XX

  28th February 2018

  Despite an aggressive timeline for MD Helicopters' 6XX attack helicopter to be market-ready this year, certification delays have hindered this process with the aircraft now …

• Digital Battlespace

  Finland’s Dragon Shield achieves FOC

  13th February 2018

  The Finnish Defence Forces’ Dragon Shield airborne surveillance system has achieved final operational capability (FOC) following the completion of flight testing, Lockheed Martin announced on …

• Military Logistics

  VolkerStevin completes Mare Harbour upgrades

  14th February 2018

  VolkerStevin has completed work to upgrade the Mare Harbour jetty in the Falkland Islands, the UK Ministry of Defence announced on 8 February. The improvements …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT (1-9) [NATO]

  Programme Background Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT Follow-On (NATO)

  Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that the EDA ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawks [Norway]

  Programme Background NH90 NFH cancellation  The Norwegian government announced the termination of the NH90 NFH helicopter contract for 14 NH90s with NHIndustries in June 2022. Seahawk Acquisition ...

• Tanks

  New MBT [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Tanks

  M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Greece)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

  Programme Background Request for Information (RfI) In September 2022, the Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) launched a request for information in preparation for a possible ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Italy)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

• Maritime patrol

  MAWS/PATMAR [France]

  Programme Background In 2017, Germany and France announced that they would be working towards developing an MPA to replace their current fleets in service. The ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Bidders and Suppliers The Leopard 2A8, the latest in the Leopard family, was selected by the Royal Dutch Army as per announcements in ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Kuwait]

  Background Contract Award On 18 January 2023, Baykar announced signing a $370 million export contract with Kuwait for the Bayraktar TB2. According to the announcement, ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton - Germany (Cancelled)

  Programme Background Germany requested to buy four MQ-4C Triton HALE UAVs from Northrop Grumman. On 5 April 2018, the US State Department announced that it ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [France]

  Programme Background Requirements The European Patrol Corvette (EPC) is one of the new PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defence and Security) projects. PESCO was established ...

• AEW&C

  Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (1-6) [NATO]

  Programme Background NATO’s E-3A AWACS fleet is set to retire in 2035, after 50 years of service. To plan for the required follow-on capability, NATO's ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirements The 2021-2023 Documento Programmatico Pluriennale (DPP) - a multi-year defence planning document from the Italian MoD - includes a plan to acquire eight "Patrol Ships", ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: air defence radar

  APIS

  APIS is a passive high-resolution primary radar system developed by Indra. It is the first passive system in the world capable of offering images using ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  AE50R

  The AE50R is an aviation gasoline single rotary engine with an output of 40.4kW. The engine is certified according to European Aviation Safety Agency Part ...

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

  LOTUS

  The LOTUS, Low Observable Tactical Unnamed System, is a tactical UAV especially designed for border patrol ISR operations.  The development of the project is funded by ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Mistral 3

  The Mistral 3 is the latest member of the Mistral family of very short-range surface-to-air missiles. It entered service in 2018 and has been chosen ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2H

  Safran Helicopter Engines received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) engine type certification for its Arriel 2H engine, installed in the Avicopter AC312E, in April 2018. ...

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

  AR5

  First announced in October 2012, the AR5 is a MALE UAS designed for SAR, surveillance and maritime patrol missions. The AR5 can be flown manually or commanded ...

• Trainer

  Gabriel-TP

  Gabriel-TP is a low-wing, two-seat tandem trainer aircraft aimed at both military and civilian customers. It is certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in ...

• Air: NVGs

  PNL-3M Orlik

  PNL-3M are high-performance, lightweight, passive stereoscopic NVGs for helicopter crew members. Certification by European Aviation Safety Agency also enables civilian use. The device can be ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCH 170

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCH 170 is a fixed-wing loitering munition from MBDA. Similar in design to the Switchblade 300, the catapult launched system ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Standard 3

  Jointly developed by ATR and Thales, The Standard 3 avionics suite has been specifically designed for ATR-600 aircraft. It offers the pilot user-friendly interface, along ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCX 50

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCX 50 is a rotary-wing loitering munition from MBDA.  According to reports, the RCX 50 is designed to support ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  DroneGun

  DroneGun enables controlled management of an adversarial UAS, causing no damage to the UAV or surrounding area. It either forces the drone to perform a ...

• Military - USVs

  NOMARS

  The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) is a US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) effort to develop a first-of-its-kind large uncrewed surface vessel.

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  Trident 100TD2

  The Trident 100TD2 is a compression-ignition engine that is capable of operating on various types of heavy fuel. It is claimed to offer up to ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...