Archive: News & Articles

Improved sensors and electronics have forced a major rethink in turret design for armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs). The traditional crewed turret is no longer the default, with uncrewed alternatives rapidly gaining ground. This shift over the last decade is reshaping how armies are balancing protection, situational awareness and firepower. Turret designs for AFVs have seen […]

Several nations are introducing next-generation armoured amphibious vehicles, preserving the capability to conduct amphibious assault operations if required. While the last major amphibious assault was conducted during the Korean War, the major powers maintained strong amphibious capabilities throughout the Cold War, and continue to do so today. Numerous regional powers also recognise the value of […]

Military engineering has been a crucial element of land warfare for hundreds of years, providing essential capabilities that support operations at the tactical, operational, and even strategic levels. Ever since warfare evolved into combined-arms operations heavily dependent on mechanised ground forces, engineering vehicles have appeared on the battlefield and quickly become indispensable in a wide […]

Integrated logistics support (ILS) [1] data connects engineering, procurement, and maintenance across a system’s entire lifecycle. This article examines some of the key specifications, tools, and lessons learned in this sphere. ILS data overview ILS data are all logistical data that you need to operate and maintain your civilian or military system. Industry, armed forces, […]

Europe is rapidly increasing the size of armoured vehicle fleets, but it is long-term readiness – not acquisition – that has become the key challenge. Recurring issues such as shortage of parts, technical-data gaps, and uneven maintenance capacity are also limiting availability across multiple fleets. Solutions, including predictive maintenance and AI-driven life-cycle management are only […]

According to NATO’s Systems Life Cycle Management (SLCM) policy the main goal of systems life cycle management is to deliver, use, and maintain NATO capabilities efficiently and effectively while ensuring a high level of Operational Availability (AO), reducing in-service costs. The application of System Life Cycle Management (SLCM) is based on the following principles: Commitment […]

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, promises naval forces unprecedented autonomy at sea, such as the ability to print replacement parts in hours rather than wait weeks for resupply. However, a 2016 experiment that brought down a drone with corrupted design files exposed a critical vulnerability which poses risks to widespread operational adoption. […]

Unmanned surface vessels (USVs) are well-suited to Russia’s constrained naval reality in the Black Sea theatre: they’re cheap, scalable, and uncrewed. After suffering numerous losses to Ukraine’s indigenous USVs, Russia has rapidly developed multiple designs and established specialised units to deploy them. The era of Russian sea drones looks to have begun, despite significant technical […]

From nerve agent antidotes to radiation sickness treatments, medical countermeasures against CBRN threats remain an oft-overlooked corner of defence spending. This piece examines the current state of play and identifies where the most urgent capability gaps lie. Military medicine has always been worried about how to treat injuries and illnesses caused by chemical, biological, radiological, […]

The skies over the Middle East tell a story of dramatic transformation: Iran’s once-powerful air force is a shadow of its former self, while Syria’s capability has been destroyed, yet Gulf states are acquiring hundreds of advanced Western fighters. This piece charts the changing aerial order of battle in the Middle East over the decades. […]

Project Linchpin is an important but little-known initiative led by the US Army’s Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare, and Sensors (PEO IEW&S). It aims to “deliver trusted AI” capabilities “across the Army enterprise”.  PEO IEW&S is focused on continuing what it calls “the long-term Campaign of Learning for Intelligence and Sensor modernization, including […]

As the US’ strategic focus shifts to the Asia-Pacific theatre, conventional helicopters may not be enough. The vast distances of the region are driving innovation in military heavy-lift rotorcraft, toward development of platforms that can fly faster and farther than today’s workhorses. While the future efficacy of operating light battlefield helicopters has in recent years […]

It can be remarkable how quickly things change in a single month. Writing in late September I discussed the fact that five Ukrainian towns – Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad, Kupiansk, Kostiantinivka, and Siversk – were at risk of capture, with a sixth town – Lyman – likely at risk over the longer term (see: ‘Ukraine: Five sieges’ […]

Following the negotiation of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, along with the release of Israeli hostages, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine is anticipated to regain prominence on President Donald Trump’s foreign policy agenda. The US President was reportedly leveraging the potential provision of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine as a means of […]

The German Navy-hosted Commander Task Force (CTF) Baltic – one of NATO’s newest maritime commands – is bringing added capacity and capability to the alliance’s regional command structure. It is also bringing significant strategic and day-to-day deterrent impact in a region crucial to NATO security. In October 2024 CTF Baltic was formally established at the […]

More than six decades after the M109 entered service and following a series of cancelled replacement programmes costing billions, the US Army is once again seeking a new self-propelled artillery system, but the path forward remains uncertain. At the Association of the US Army (AUSA) exposition in Washington, DC, in October 2025 numerous artillery system […]

Russia’s defence industry has seen a dramatic transformation since the 2008 ‘New Look Reforms’ and especially since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Once dependent on foreign machine tools and regular state orders, it is now operating under wartime conditions, massively expanding its missile, drone, and ammunition production. This article looks at how […]

Western militaries face an acute shortage of complex weapons while confronting numerically superior adversaries. Multifunctional interceptors offer an appealing solution – yet the reality of engineering missiles to excel in multiple roles proves more challenging than theory suggests. The question of whether complex weapons should become more multifunctional is a subject of considerable discussion. In […]

The UK’s deployment of its carrier strike group (CSG) on the CSG25 deployment has demonstrated a subtle but significant shift in UK geostrategic emphasis. It has also underscored once more the wider utility of the UK’s carrier strike capability in supporting UK geostrategic aims, however they may shift. Arguments aimed at the UK’s carrier programme […]

Poland continues to modernise its armed forces, but the process is increasingly challenged by structural issues, particularly financial constraints. In 2024, total defence spending reached EUR 32.4 billion, marking a 23% increase compared to 2023. According to local outlet Dziennik Zbrojny, while the government had planned to allocate 4.2% of GDP to defence in 2024, […]

Air-to-air refuelling (AAR) is vital to projecting and sustaining combat air power, especially in high-intensity conflicts. The US Air Force’s 100th Air Refuelling Wing, therefore, is at the forefront of tactical changes in Europe that aim to ensure fuel – and therefore combat air power – remain available wherever, and whenever they are required. Air-to-air […]