• Digital Battlespace

  Canada to rejoin NATO’s AWACS programme

  19th February 2018

  Canada is to rejoin NATO's Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) programme, the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) announced on 14 February. In 2011, …

• Land Warfare

  Russian Army receives Solntsepek systems

  16th February 2018

  The Russian armed forces' Central Military District in Altai Krai has taken delivery of new TOS-1A Solntsepek heavy flamethrower systems, the Russian Ministry of Defence …

• Defence Notes

  Turkey urged to refocus its Syria fight against IS

  15th February 2018

  US Defence Secretary, Jim Mattis, has appealed to Turkey to concentrate its fight in Syria against the Islamic State (IS) group as tensions mount between …

• Defence Helicopter

  Final assembly of first HH-60W CRH begins

  22nd February 2018

  Sikorsky has started final assembly of the first HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) for the US Air Force (USAF), the company announced on 20 February. …

• Military Logistics

  UK MoD signs agreement for C-17 support

  20th February 2018

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a £260 million agreement with the US government to support the Royal Air Force’s (RAF's) C-17 aircraft, …

• Defence Helicopter

  UK helo engine support wanted

  19th February 2018

  Leonardo Helicopters is seeking an engine support provider for the UK Ministry of Defence’s Merlin and Apache helicopters. Bids are being invited for the £1.1-£1.4 …

• Defence Notes

  Turkish air strikes pound Kurdish fighters in Syria

  31st January 2018

  Turkish air strikes pounded the Syrian border region of Afrin on 30 January and fighting raged on two fronts as Ankara pursued its offensive against …

• Digital Battlespace

  Germany continues to develop cyber command

  23rd January 2018

  The German Armed Forces is continuing to expand its Cyber and Information Domain Service Command (CIDS) as part of ongoing efforts to improve the nation’s …

• Defence Notes

  Canada to accept bid from Boeing for new fighter jets

  23rd February 2018

  Canada said on 22 February that it was allowing Boeing to submit a bid to replace the country's aging F-18 fleet, after an earlier trade …

• 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

  Marines drink cobra blood in US-Thai war drills

  19th February 2018

  US and Thai marines slurped snake blood and ate scorpions in a jungle survival programme on 19 February as part of the two nations' annual …

• 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 …

• Land Warfare

  Western demand for active protection systems intensifies

  23rd January 2018

  ADS, a member of the Rheinmetall Group, is preparing for the broader and rapid adoption of active protection systems (APS) by Western armies in response …

• Defence Notes

  Opinion: China goes to the Poles

  14th February 2018

  China’s extravagant territorial claims in the South China Sea, its testing of Japanese resolve around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and its gradual operational expansion into 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. …

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 ...

• 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 ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT Follow-On [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 ...

• Main battle 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 ...

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

  Penguin C VTOL [Croatia]

  Background Announcment Redwire Corporation announced on 12 November 2025 that its wholly owned subsidiary, Edge Autonomy, had been contracted to deliver the Penguin C VTOL ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

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

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

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

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

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

  Capa-X

  The Capa-X is a VTOL-capable fixed-wing drone from Survey Copter, a subsidiary of Airbus. The drone has been linked with France's Système de Drone Tactique Léger (SDTL) ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  Tryzub Laser

  Ukraine's Tryzub (Trident) laser was revealed during the European Defence Industry: Prospects for Cooperation with the Ukrainian Defence Industry conference in 2025. Video footage from ...

• 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 ...