• Defence Notes

  Singapore Airshow 2018: Aircraft on display (video)

  31st January 2018

  The Shephard team will be out in full force at Singapore Air Show 2018. In this latest video we take a look at some of the aircraft …

• Defence Notes

  Opinion: Should we be alarmed when China beats its war drums?

  31st January 2018

  Why are constant references to ‘preparations for war’ emanating from China? And should neighbours and the wider world be alarmed?

• Digital Battlespace

  Safran’s INS for Dutch submarines

  6th February 2018

  Safran Electronics and Defense’s inertial navigation system (INS) has been selected for the Royal Netherlands Navy's Walrus class submarines, the company announced on 1 February. …

• Training

  UK MoD signs deal for training support

  8th February 2018

  Smit International has been awarded a seven-year contract to support and supply a range safety and aircrew training vessels to the UK Ministry of Defence …

• Defence Notes

  ADECS 2018: What to expect (video)

  29th January 2018

  Clarion Defence and Security's Simon Williams runs through what to expect from this week's ADECS 2018 at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Williams comments on …

• Defence Notes

  Boost to Japan's bid to relocate US base

  5th February 2018

  Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on 5 January welcomed the result of a mayoral election in the southern Japanese island of Okinawa seen as key …

• Defence Helicopter

  CHF probes refuelling concept

  8th February 2018

  Lt Col Will Penkman, commanding officer of 846 Naval Air Squadron, said that the Royal Navy’s Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) would like to have an …

• Military Logistics

  GDELS to supply IRB to Sweden

  5th February 2018

  General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS) will produce and supply its Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB) to the Swedish Army under a contract with the Swedish …

• Land Warfare

  Test of US-Japanese missile interceptor fails again

  31st January 2018

  A test of a missile interceptor failed in Hawaii on 31 January, a US defence official said, marking the second such unsuccessful attempt in less …

• Defence Helicopter

  The bell tolls for Philippine helicopter deal

  14th February 2018

  Bringing to an end one of the Philippines’ shortest ever military deals, the government has formally cancelled its contract for 16 Bell 412EPI helicopters for …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Atlas Dynamics, Luxriot enter partnership

  31st January 2018

  Atlas Dynamics has partnered with Luxriot to develop UAS-based solutions for the defence, security and first response markets, the companies announced on 29 January. Atlas Dynamics …

• Defence Helicopter

  Singapore Airshow 2018: Singapore receives final Seahawks

  8th February 2018

  The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has displayed one of its two newest Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk helicopters at Singapore Airshow 2018, with the pair of …

• Defence Notes

  ADECS 2018: Day one highlights (video)

  30th January 2018

  Simon Williams speaks with Shephard about a very busy ADECS 2018 and highlights the sizeable increase in footfall, the prolific appearance of military attendees and wide-ranging dialogue …

• Land Warfare

  Singapore Airshow 2018: NGAFV to reach Singapore Army next year

  7th February 2018

  ST Kinetics will begin production of its Next Generation Armoured Fighting Vehicle (NGAFV) ‘soon’, the company said, as the tracked vehicle made its first appearance …

• Defence Helicopter

  JetLease secures UH-60A resale, leasing rights

  6th February 2018

  JetLease has secured the rights, with partner Arista Aviation, to supply the UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter to military and civilian markets through a variety of …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  Black Hornet 3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Programme Background Russo-Ukraine War Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UAVs have proved vital to the country's defence. Consequently, as in this programme, the ...

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

  FPV Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Background Statement of Intent On 14 June 2024, the Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries Serhiy Boyev, Minister of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umerov and the Minister of ...

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

  ISR Drones (Second Batch) (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background First Batch On 20 March 2024, Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, announced that, following a 19 March Ukraine Defense Contact ...

• Military UAS - mini

  UAVs (Ukraine Aid) [Norway]

  Background September 2024 On 3 September 2024, the Norwegian government announced that “Ukraine will get more drones donated to their frontline, and more air defence ...

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

  GA-ASI Drone [Ukraine]

  Programme Background MQ-9A Reaper - April 2022 On 13 April 2022, Forbes reported that Ukraine was talking with GA-ASI to acquire the MQ-9A Reaper. Ukrainian officials ...

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

  Vector / Scorpion (Contracted) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Previous Orders & Donations On 29 March 2022, the US Embassy in Warsaw announced that Quantum Systems had donated an unknown quantity of ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 600 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background $300 Million USAI (1 April 2022) On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine following ...

• Loitering munitions

  One-Way Attack Drones (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background 2024/2025 Military Aid Package On 12 January 2024, the UK government announced it would provide Ukraine with £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) in military ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 300 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (16 March 2022 & 13 April 2022) On 16 March 2022, President Biden announced $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine through ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 [Sweden]

  Programme Background As the domestic manufacturer and original operator of the CV90 IFV, Sweden has had a continuous fleet of CV90s in service since the ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  HIMARS [Sweden]

  Programme Background Following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sweden began a process of military modernisation, in line with trends across much of Europe.  The ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Combat Fighter Jet [Ireland]

  Programme Background  In February 2025, the Irish Minister for Defence and Tánaiste Simon Harris highlighted Irelands need to procure a new combat fighter jet to combat ...

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

  Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase I) [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 ...

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

  Larger UAVs [Estonia]

  Background 2026-2029 Defence Investment On 30 July 2025, the Republic of Estonia’s Minister of Defence, Hanno Pevkur, announced the approval of a development plan allocating more ...

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

  5,000 Latvian UAVs (Ukraine Aid) [Latvia]

  Background Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG) In January 2024, the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG), a multi-nation organisation that coordinates military aid for Ukraine, established a drone ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Akash-NG missile

  The Akash-NG (New Generation) missile is an advanced surface-to-air missile system developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to enhance the country's air ...

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

  Vespa-15

  The Vespa-15 is a first-person view (FPV) rotary-wing UAV manufactured by a Ukrainian company.  In May 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Ukraine announced it ...

• Core systems: cameras and IR detectors

  Ophir 26-105mm f/1.6 LWIR continuous zoom

  Ophir's plethora of IR optics includes a wide range of long-range zoom lenses for every application. Ophir's budget range has been extended to include a ...

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

  Black Hornet 3

  The Black Hornet 3 is the next generation of the PD-100 Black Hornet, the world’s smallest nano-UAS. This new model of the Black Hornet provides ...

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

  Kazhan

  The E620 Kazhan is a Ukrainian-made rotary-wing attack drone. It is available in hexacopter and quadcopter configurations and can drop 60mm, 82mm, and 120mm mortar shells. ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  DM73

  The 120mm × 570 armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS) DM73 is a kinetic-energy (KE) round with an enhanced propulsion unit. It is produced by Rheinmetall ...

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

  Cetus Lite

  The Cetus Lite is a fixed-wing UAV from Abris Design Group. The company describes the aircraft as a mobile system that is hand-launched. It is ...

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

  Cetus Plus

  The Cetus Plus is a fixed-wing UAV from Abris Design Group.  The manufacturer describes it as a universal UAV designed to perform various tasks like photo ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Beetle

  The Beetle is a rotary-wing octocopter from Abris Design Group. According to the manufacturer, the UAV provides photo and video ISTAR and signal relay for first-person ...

• Alpha/Omega

  Alpha and Omega are multipurpose frame tents that require minimal maintenance and can be used in extreme climatic conditions. The Omega is more spacious and ...

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

  Linza 3.0

  The Linza 3.0 is a rotary-wing UAV from Quantum Frontline Industries (QFI), a German-Ukrainian joint venture from Quantum Systems and Frontline Robotics. The UAV was first delivered ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  CB90

  Combatboat (Stridsbåt) 90 (CB90) is a class of small, rapid attack boats designed for raiding and inshore/nearshore coastal protection operations or deploying up to 20 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - micro

  Corvo PPDS

  The Corvo Precision Payload Delivery Systems (PPDS) is a micro fixed-wing drone constructed from cardboard. It is a low-cost, single-use drone for delivering supplies and equipment ...

• Main battle tanks

  Type 10

  Mitsubishi developed the 120mm-armed Type 10 MBT to meet the requirements of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and publicly revealed a prototype in February 2008. ...

• EO/IR systems

  USG-212

  Described as a plug-and-play turnkey solution, the USG-212 is an EO/IR camera gimbal from Ukrspecsystems. It appears to be out of production. The gimbal has ...