Start Archive: News & Articles

Archive: News & Articles


CAVS – rolling along, gathering strength

Bolstering interoperability and collective defence amongst EU member states is at the heart of the ambitious Common Armoured Vehicle Systems (CAVS) programme, which is gaining momentum, not simply with the numbers of vehicles on order growing significantly, but also in the efficient manner in which the whole effort is being conducted and coordinated. 2024 was […]

Raining down from above

The relative simplicity and effectiveness of explosively-formed penetrators (EFPs) against various types of armoured targets, has led to their use and delivery from a variety of weapon systems for more than a century. In Ukraine, top-attack EFPs, including from artillery and air-dropped systems, have been increasingly effective on both sides in defeating the relatively thin […]

Vehicle-mounted anti-drone solutions

To ensure protection against current and emerging aerial threats, expeditionary and manoeuvre forces must be accompanied by vehicles mounting anti-drone capable weapons. Various approaches to the mobile counter-UAV (C-UAV) mission are undergoing testing or development. Small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and loitering munitions have become a major threat to military forces, as demonstrated in the […]



APS and ERA developments

Emerging threats observed in the ongoing Russo–Ukrainian conflict and a series of conflicts in the Middle East from 2022 to 2024 have sparked renewed interest in armoured vehicles and their protection. Contemporary solutions include various layers of protection designed to increase the survivability of armoured vehicles against multiple threats on the battlefield. Among other measures, […]

Nightmare scenario

With the re-election of US President Donald Trump, questions regarding the transatlantic relationship between the US and Europe have once again come to the forefront, including the extent to which the US needs Europe. A sober reading shows that the US has good reason to remain engaged in Europe; most notably, US security depends on […]

20 years of NATO Life Cycle Management: Looking back, moving forward, facing new challenges

Marking 20 years of NATO Life Cycle Management (LCM), the 20th edition of the NATO LCM Conference will be held on 21 and 22 January 2025 in Brussels. Gathering numerous government and industry representatives, and chaired by Thomas Espelund Pedersen (Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation) and J. Bo Leimand (LEIMAND Freelance Consultancy), the conference […]



European Security: The OSCE at 50

Almost three years since Russia invaded Ukraine, the rules-based order that once governed security on the European continent lies entirely in shreds. Yet, one European security organisation, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was created during the Cold War to deal with precisely the threats that the European continent is faced with […]

SITREP on Ukraine – end of 2024

In late 2024, the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine or at least suspending hostilities remained unclear; however, officials from both Ukraine and its partners in the West are increasingly discussing the possibility of such a scenario. The inauguration of US president-elect Trump on 20 January 2025 is considered the starting point for the […]

Guiding light: lasers provide new direction for dealing with massed maritime threats

In the contemporary operating environment at sea, navies need more mass in conducting both defensive and offensive tasks. For Western navies, defeating threats to ships at sea across the spectrum of operations – from maritime security challenges such as small boats swarming around choke points, to high-end naval warfare threats like large-scale anti-ship attacks – […]



Sustaining the fleet: current logistic support ship acquisitions

Having been largely neglected during the post-Cold War era, the procurement of logistic support ships has undergone a resurgence in recent years. The reasons for this market upsurge are many and varied, including the life-expiry of existing ships, the desirability of meeting enhanced environmental standards, and revised operational concepts that place greater demands on maritime […]

Hitting the big reset button

The Russo-Ukraine war has underlined that the threshold for potential nuclear weapons use still remains where it has always been – to deter threats to the survival of the state There is one simple reason why there has been no further use of nuclear weapons in warfare since August 1945. The destructive power unleashed by […]

Digital gunfire

Much attention has been lavished on Russia’s strategic cyberwarfare waged against Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure. Russia’s use of cyberwarfare at tactical and operational levels, particularly in the land domain, receives less coverage, but has important implications for NATO and its Allies. London’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) thinktank recently published a paper by Daniel Black, […]



V/SHORAD radars: A resurgence

Driven in large part by the increasing proliferation of drones and loitering munitions, recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in very short-range/short-range air defence (V/SHORAD). This article examines recent developments in the field of V/SHORAD radars, as well as the direction these innovations are taking, and their growing significance on the modern battlefield. […]

Strengths and weaknesses of US foreign policy

A rapidly-changing strategic landscape demands additional flexibility from global and regional actors. President Biden’s mantra in his first days in the White House – “America is back” – indicated the renewed involvement of the USA in world affairs. It also meant that the US modus operandi as the most advanced actor in the great power […]

The drone problem – what is to be done?

Over the past two years of war in Ukraine, a fairly broad consensus has emerged that small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), along with loitering munitions and low-cost alternatives such as first-person view (FPV) drones have drastically increased the risks to armoured vehicles on the battlefield. Given their low costs and high numbers, there is general […]



A step too FARA: the demise of the armed reconnaissance helicopter

When the US Army terminated its Future Attack and Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) effort in early 2024, beyond cancelling an individual programme, the decision might also have indicated that the sun may have set on the armed reconnaissance helicopter as a viable type for the 21st century battlefield. On 8 February 2024 the US Army announced […]

Ground-based hypersonic weapons: programmes and development

Western nations continue to develop ground-launched hypersonic weapon systems (HWS). However, despite some incremental success, testing and fielding have progressed more slowly than anticipated. By definition, hypersonic weapons travel at speeds greater than Mach 5 (1,715 m/s). While there are many weapons which meet this definition, such as ballistic missiles, the ‘hypersonic’ label is primarily […]

SITREP: US Army priority programmes

The US Army continues to (mostly) make progress with its core set of priority modernisation programmes, although it has made some adjustments to accommodate both technological challenges and budgetary constraints. In 2017, the Army identified 31 modernisation efforts as top priority programmes essential for military transformation. Subsequently another four development and acquisition programmes were added […]



Robotic combat vehicles: a SITREP

The US Army is developing a modular robotic combat vehicle that is comparatively light and manoeuvrable, while still suitable for a variety of missions. The Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Campaign Plan was established in January 2019 to develop a family of three armed uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) of varying size and with distinct capability and […]

Interview – Bell Textron Inc.

In September 2024, ESD got the chance to conduct an interview with Bell Textron Inc. personnel. The interview was conducted by Ian Frain. ESD: Congratulations on recent achievements in both the military (Milestone B for the V-280 Valor/FLRAA,) and parapublic marketplace (Bell 505 and Bell 407Gxi to law enforcement agencies) – how would you sum […]

Staying unseen to survive

Concealment is critical to survivability, but hiding effectively on the battlefield, whether troops or vehicles, day or night, is no longer as clear-cut as it once was. Hiding from the enemy and staying out of sight with the help of good camouflage is a basic requirement for survival in war. Using natural, or local cover […]




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