Air Warfare

New Turkish Kemankes loitering munition begins testing

17th April 2024

The Kemankes 2 was said to be designed to conduct deep-strike missions on high-priority targets.

Naval Warfare

Northrop Grumman unveils Manta Ray UUV

9th April 2024

The uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) prototype was built through a programme by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) and assembled in Northrop Grumman’s Annapolis facility.

Land Warfare

Japan orders three Mission Master UGVs

8th April 2024

Part of Rheinmetall's Mission Master family, the Mission Master Silent Partner (SP) is an eight-wheeled UGV designed to fulfil various logistics and battlefield support roles. Since 2017, several countries, including the UK, Netherlands and an undisclosed Middle Eastern country, have made purchases for trials and development purposes.

Air Warfare

Saab begins German Eurofighter EW sensor suit works

26th March 2024

The enhanced Eurofighters will replace the ageing Tornado ECR jets in the German Air Force’s fleet.

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

LongShot [USA]

Programme Background Requirement According to DARPA, the objective of the LongShot programme is "to disrupt the paradigm of air combat operations by demonstrating an unmanned ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY (ANCILLARY) [US]

Programme Background Aims & Timeline As stated by DARPA, the ANCILLARY programme aims to develop and fly an X-plane that will provide a "leap-ahead" in long-endurance, ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

V-Bat 128 (Brazil)

Programme Background On 7 February 2022, Sheild AI announced on its website that it had signed a contract with VSK Tactical which included the 'purchase of [the] V-Bat ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

Skyborg [USA]

Programme Background Programme Intention Skyborg is one of three USAF Vanguard programs outlined in the Air Force Science and Technology 2030 initiative. The program intends ...

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

Replicator [US]

Programme Background Announcement & Requirement In late August 2023, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks announced the Replicator programme, an effort to galvanise an industry which the Pentagon believes ...

OPVs

Next Generation OPVs (NGOPVs) Procurement [India]

Programme Background Timeline On 20 December 2023, the Indian Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Mazagon Dockyard Shipbuilders (MDL) to construct six Next Generation Offshore ...

Loitering munitions

Hunter Family [UAE]

Programme Background IDEX Contract Announcement On 21 February 2023, EDGE announced that its subsidiary, HALCON, had been awarded an AED 1.1 billion ($272.29 million) contract to supply ...

ISR/special mission

Strategic Intelligence Aircraft [France]

Programme Background In February 2018, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, announced that the strategic intelligence aircraft program CUGE Universal EW Capability began ...

Minehunters

Pulau Rengat Class MCMV Replacement [Indonesia]

Programme Background Requirements The Indonesian Navy (TNI-AI) currently operate two ageing Dutch-built Pulau Rengat-class MCMVs, which entered service in March 1988. These are now fast approaching ...

Military UAS - tactical

Mi2 Challenge (USN)

Programme Background Requirements The USN wants a UAV to be flown in austere environments without dedicated launch or recovery equipment; since it would be launched ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

Bayraktar TB2 (Pre-War) [Ukraine Navy]

Programme Background Ukrainian Army The Ukraine Army purchased 12 TB2 units in January 2019 for a reported $69 million.  Contract According to Ukrainian Navy Commander ...

Military UAS - rotary-wing

Grenade Launching UAS (South Korea)

Programme Background South Korea's Total UAS Budget The government of South Korea wants to grow its domestic UAS industry. To do this, it was reported in ...

APCs/IFVs - tracked

Project K31 (South Korea)

Programme Background The ROKA currently fields approximately 466 K21 IFVs delivered between 2009 and 2016, as well as more than 1,000 K200 legacy Korean Infantry ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

V-Bat 128 (Canada)

Programme Background Requirement Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) is seeking a platform for the CCG that will significantly expand its surveillance range during search ...

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

Indigenous UAS (South Korea)

Programme Background South Korea's Total UAS Budget The government of South Korea wants to grow its domestic UAS industry. To do this, it was reported in ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

LongShot

The LongShot is a developmental air-launched platform intended to increase the survivability of friendly crewed aircraft. In February 2021, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) ...

Sea: procedural training

2 Sigma Digital Tutor

A Digital Tutor that is designed to outperform schoolhouse instructors, bringing CTC training to a broad spectrum of sailors. Specifications include improving student outcomes for ...

Major networking projects

CHAIN

The Compartmented High Assurance Information Network (CHAIN) is described as a robust architecture that improves interoperability of IT systems among the military services and security ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

XV-24A LightningStrike

The XV-24A LightningStrike, developed by Aurora Flight Sciences and its partners Rolls-Royce and Honeywell, was a project for a tilt-wing UAV powered by an electric-distributed ...

Fixed wing aircraft engines

АI-24

The Ivchenko AI-24 turboprop aircraft engine was initially designed and manufactured in the late-1950s. Manufacturing was later moved to Motor Sich, a Ukraine based manufacturer ...

Fixed wing aircraft engines

AI-222-25

Manufactured by Ukraine’s Motor Sich, the AI-222 is a high thrust-to-weight ratio turbofan engine family developed to power Russian Air Force advanced trainers and light ...

Data links

QNT

The QUINT Networking Technology (QNT) programme is intended to develop robust, affordable, miniature networked data link technologies suitable for use on weapons and by tactical ...

Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

X-61A Gremlin

Dynetics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leidos, is developing the X-61A Gremlin. This low-cost swarming drone can be outfitted with different payloads, launched by a mothership, recovered ...

Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

Shrike

The Shrike was a micro, portable, rugged VTOL-capable UAV designed for frontline day/night ISR.  Development of the Shrike began in 2008 under a $4.6-million contract from ...

Data links

TTNT

The Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT) programme is intended to develop, evaluate and demonstrate reconfigurable, affordable, robust, interoperable and evolvable communications technologies to support emerging ...

Military UGVs

Crusher

The Crusher vehicle was designed by DARPA and the National Robotics Engineering Center to evaluate technologies, such as mobility and autonomy systems, applicable to the UGVs ...

Air: UAS radar

EchoFlight Airborne Radar

The Echoflight is a small electronically-scanned UAS radar.  It provides long-range all-weather detection and tracking to allow users to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) ...

Land: vehicle surveillance/target acquisition systems

TKN-AI

TKN-AI is a commander’s periscope intended for guiding a vehicle, and battlefield observation and target acquisition by day and night. It is compatible with T-62, ...

Fixed wing aircraft engines

AI-20M

The Ivchenko AI-20 is a Soviet turboprop engine developed in the 1950s. Although the engines were originally designed for civil cargo aircraft servicing medium- and ...

Air: helicopter radar, Air: surveillance radar

FORESTER

The Foliage Penetration (FOPEN) Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Tracking and Engagement Radar (FORESTER) is an airborne radar system that provides stand-off, persistent, wide-area surveillance for situational awareness ...