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At the center of the Emirati package is the Coyote Block 2 All-Up-Round, which gives FS-LIDS its dedicated kinetic defeat option. The Coyote family was developed as a compact, rail-launched interceptor designed specifically to engage small unmanned aircraft systems, and the Block 2 version has become one of the most visible U.S. responses to the growing drone threat. Its configuration, which combines high-speed engagement characteristics with a dedicated counter-UAS role, makes it particularly relevant for a country such as the UAE, where the likely mission set includes the defense of air bases, ports, command centers, logistics nodes and energy infrastructure against one-way attack drones and other small aerial targets. Rather than using larger and more expensive surface-to-air missiles for every low-end threat, a system built around Coyote Block 2 offers a more tailored response to the problem of repeated drone incursions and saturation attempts.

This glide body is designed to sustain hypersonic velocity while altering trajectory, reducing predictability, and complicating interception by existing missile defense systems. The reported operational range reaches at least 3,500 kilometers, allowing coverage of theater-level targets. The system’s flight profile differs from ballistic trajectories by maintaining atmospheric maneuverability rather than following a fixed arc. The glide body relies on kinetic energy effects combined with a small warhead estimated at under 14 kilograms. Time-to-target for long-range strikes can be under 20 minutes, depending on launch location. The system is intended to engage hardened or time-sensitive targets such as air defenses, command nodes, and missile systems.

It is an odd moment in history that helicopters have never had more of an impact on geopolitics and yet they have never been more ignored by the world as a significant player in geopolitics. It is truly incredibly to look back on the Venezeula operation and see the rest of the world is still deluding itself about the dominance of rotary wing military power.

However, the Japanese analysis focuses on spatial distribution rather than capability, examining how forward deployment, inland concentration, and infrastructure layout indicate a coordinated operational design. The observed structure combines forward staging areas with rear-area stockpiles, suggesting a scalable force that can be expanded rapidly before or during a conflict. The key variable is not the performance of individual fighter jets but the relationship between quantity, positioning, and intended use in a potential war against Taiwan.

Launch flexibility stands at the center of the concept. Kawasaki indicates that the CSA could be deployed from ground-based launchers or naval platforms, allowing integration with existing missile forces and maritime strike capabilities. More notably, the company is exploring airborne deployment using the Kawasaki C-2 transport aircraft. The C-2, powered by two General Electric CF6-80C2 turbofan engines, offers a payload capacity of approximately 36 tonnes and operates at altitudes above 12,000 meters, enabling long-range transport and high-altitude release. Deploying CSA units from such a platform would extend their effective range and allow entry into contested airspace from less predictable vectors, reducing exposure to advanced air defense systems.

What the companies did reveal is operationally significant: Shield AI said the two ARMDs autonomously demonstrated reinforcement-learning behaviors, coordinated motions, and virtual-target pursuit, with the second flight showing more aggressive pursuit logic than the first; MHI said the software package was validated through AI training, simulation evaluation, and hardware-in-the-loop testing before installation on the aircraft. This is a different category of capability from a conventional autopilot following waypoints: it is mission autonomy intended to let an unmanned aircraft sense, decide, and maneuver with much less direct operator control.

SÜPER ŞİMŞEK sits in a particularly useful niche between a target drone, a loitering strike asset, and a stand-in support platform. According to Turkish Aerospace Industries, the system is about 4 meters long with a 1.75-meter wingspan, has a maximum take-off weight of 200 kilograms, carries up to 50 kilograms of payload, reaches 35,000 feet, flies at up to Mach 0.85, remains airborne for around 80 minutes, and can achieve an operational range of roughly 900 kilometers. TUSAŞ also states that it is fully autonomous, can be mission-reconfigured, and may be fitted with electronic warfare functions, parachute recovery, and mission planning updates before and during flight.

also see https://defence-blog.com/turkish-baykar-develops-heavy-k2-kamikaze-drone/

The system highlights a new approach to remote turrets by integrating 70 mm rocket capability in addition to traditional armaments such as machine guns and automatic grenade launchers. By combining precision rockets with stabilized remote weapon technology, the platform expands engagement options against targets at medium range. The configuration allows operators to deliver greater firepower while remaining protected inside the host vehicle or platform, reflecting growing demand for modular weapon stations that increase lethality without exposing crews to battlefield threats.

SeeGull NoSeeDrone

This conflict is growing more and more out of control by the hour, I don’t consider the use of smaller nuclear weapons by the US or Israel off the table here at all, and that is obviously extremely alarming.

This is not going to be a short war, don’t believe anyone who says that, stop believing anything they say if you hear them tell you the Iran War will be a short War.

Helicopters are ideal platforms to work in conjunction with UAV networks and the AH-64 is the most dominant platform to do so.

Two Venoms, accompanied by aviation engineers, logisticians, and technical support staff, have been dispatched to maintain full operational autonomy.

In a contested littoral fight, speed of insertion directly affects survivability and tempo. Rapid infiltration for HIMARS has traditionally been associated with airlift, where a launcher is flown into an austere strip, fires, and departs before counterfire can be organized. The Hawaii operation extends that concept to the maritime surface route, enabling the Army to reposition launchers between islands and along coastlines using a platform purpose-built for shallow beaches and degraded port conditions.

The CH-147F Chinook is the most advanced international variant of the CH-47 family, tailored to Canadian requirements with long-range fuel tanks, a strengthened airframe, upgraded electrical system and a fully integrated digital avionics suite designed for demanding tactical profiles. The aircraft can transport up to 45 troops or around 11–12.7 tonnes of cargo internally or underslung, at speeds of more than 300 km/h and a range of roughly 1,100–1,200 km, giving planners the ability to leapfrog forces between coastal communities, inland training areas and remote observation posts in a single sortie.

Belgium’s rotary-wing force is in transition following the retirement in 2025 of four NH90 TTH helicopters due to cost and availability constraints, leaving four NH90 NFH aircraft in maritime and anti-submarine roles. The NH90 NFH continues to operate from Koksijde Air Base for coastal SAR and naval support, but the STAR plan provides for four dedicated SAR helicopters to assume rescue duties from 2026-2027 onward, supported by an investment of €232 million, including infrastructure. Belgium has also ordered 17 Airbus H145M helicopters in June 2024, later expanded by five additional units in 2025, bringing the combined Defence and Federal Police fleet to 20 aircraft with deliveries beginning in 2026 and service entry by the end of 2027. This restructuring separates light utility, SAR, and heavy lift functions into distinct fleets and frames the MH-60R within the SAR requirement.

Internally, it accommodates two full 463L master pallets or five half pallets without dismantling loads between fixed-wing and rotary-wing transport. The cabin measures 9.1 m in length, 2.62 m in width, and 1.98 m in height, allowing internal carriage of a High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. Floor loading is rated at 1,465 kg per square meter, and the internal cargo system supports six 1.22 m x 1.02 m wooden pallets at 1,134 kg each. Fuel capacity totals 8,650 L internally in sponson cells plus 9,085 L in auxiliary cabin tanks. Avionics and flight systems are based on a digital glass cockpit integrating five multi-function displays and two control display units within a joint interoperable CAAS architecture.

Based on the observed flight profile and known Triton mission sets, the most plausible assessment is that this sortie primarily supported maritime security and indications‑and‑warning (I&W), while possibly contributing to preliminary target development for potential U.S. strike planning. Operating over the Gulf of Oman, a Triton can map surface traffic patterns, monitor IRGC Navy activity, and maintain an updated electronic and visual baseline around sensitive coastal zones, including areas linked to missile infrastructure and military facilities. By continuously refreshing this situational picture, analysts can detect deviations from baseline behavior, such as missile dispersals, naval concentrations, or changes in air defense posture, thereby reinforcing deterrence, enabling rapid targeting decisions, and improving escalation management through enhanced situational awareness.

Designed to replace legacy High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, the JLTV family provides significantly improved ballistic and blast protection through its V-shaped hull and scalable armor kits. Protection levels are engineered to withstand improvised explosive devices, underbody mines, artillery fragments, and small arms fire threats that have proven lethal to older light tactical vehicles. The TAK-4i independent suspension system allows for adjustable ride height and superior cross-country mobility, enabling the vehicle to maintain high speeds across rough terrain while carrying heavy payloads. The platform supports a gross vehicle weight exceeding 10,000 kg while retaining strategic mobility, including air transportability by C-130 aircraft and compatibility with NATO sealift and rail systems. For Slovakia, this combination of survivability and maneuverability is particularly relevant given the country’s mixed mountainous and forested operational environment.

However, the visual revealed at Enforce Tac 2026 seems to maintain the Boxer Overwatch role of providing close anti-armour support within heavy combat formations while refining packaging and integration. The first Boxer-Brimstone SL concept emerged in 2021 within the framework of the British Army’s Battle Group Organic Anti-Armour (BGOAA) programme, which aimed to replace legacy anti-tank systems, including Swingfire, Javelin, NLAW, and ASM, with a new system expected to enter service during the 2030s. In that initial configuration, the Brimstone launcher consisted of a large rectangular pack mounted externally on the left-rear side of the Boxer hull. The launcher contained 16 missiles arranged in a 2x8 grid within a single box enclosure and sat relatively low, protruding laterally beyond the side profile of the vehicle.

The SAND-X DOV is built around a hybrid mobility architecture: wide-set forward wheels paired with a tracked rear drive module, a layout intended to keep ground pressure low and stability high on soft substrates while retaining road mobility. The platform features a low center of gravity and can transition between manned and unmanned employment in seconds, with unmanned control supported by mesh-network extenders. The configuration displayed at Enforce Tac reflects that logic, with an open crew position forward and a rear mission deck engineered for payload modules, sensor masts, communications packages, or weapon stations.

This CH-47 was initially produced in the 1960s…. and it is STILL so valuable special forces use them as a primary platform.

HMS Duncan’s response relied on a layered air and missile defence architecture typical of the Type 45 class. At long range, the Sea Viper system, combining multi-function and long-range radars with Aster family missiles, was exercised virtually against mock cruise and ballistic missile profiles. Closer in, the ship used her Phalanx automated gun, a 30 mm cannon, heavy machine guns and the 4.5-inch naval gun against live uncrewed surface vessels, aerial drones and simulated surface targets. The embarked Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron extended the defensive bubble with Martlet lightweight missiles, engaging fast and manoeuvring targets at ranges of up to six kilometres. Together, these layers formed a continuous engagement envelope against low, slow and fast-moving threats, reflecting the kind of multi-axis attacks now seen in several maritime theatres.

The H-POMBS (Heavy Portable Obstacle Minefield Breaching System) itself is a line-charge system originally conceived as a man-portable solution carried in rucksacks by combat engineers. In its baseline form, the system consists of a detonating cord with distributed explosive charges, packed into two backpacks and deployed across the target area by a rocket. Once in place and detonated, it clears a narrow but continuous lane through mines, booby traps and other explosive obstacles.

HAVELSAN has integrated its ADVENT combat management system with Bayraktar TB3 shipborne drones aboard TCG Anadolu, tightening the Turkish Navy’s reconnaissance-to-engagement loop by pushing UAV-derived imagery and mission data directly into the ship’s tactical picture and enabling distribution across the wider task group rather than keeping it confined to a single platform.

Looking ahead, the tactical AI architectures demonstrated on the X-62A VISTA could, hypothetically and through careful, incremental validatio, transition onto other U.S. Air Force platforms as onboard tactical autonomy layers. In the near term, selected decision logics may be deployed as optional, tightly bounded assistance modes within current fourth- and fifth-generation fighters. These could recommend or autonomously execute pre-authorized evasive maneuvers when specific threat envelopes are detected, always preserving pilot authority and override capability. Over the longer horizon, similar AI agents might be integrated more deeply within collaborative combat aircraft concepts, forming the cognitive core of self-protection suites for uncrewed escorts operating alongside crewed fighters in contested airspace.

At Enforce Tac 2026, the Norwegian company Eelume presented its Eelume S autonomous underwater vehicle configured for mine countermeasure missions in coastal and confined seabed environments. The articulated AUV integrates sonar and optical sensors to perform detection, classification, and identification within a single platform. With a range up to 64 km, the Eelume S targets operations in shallow waters, harbors, slopes, and high-relief terrain where conventional AUVs and minehunting vessels face maneuverability constraints.

The Black Shadow project reflects a broader modernization trend in combat diver mobility, filling the gap between individual fin swimming and large swimmer delivery vehicles. Earlier iterations already emphasized two-person transport capability and sonar integration at operational depths up to 60 meters. Over time, the system evolved toward greater modularity and deployment flexibility, including concepts for aerial insertion using parachute harnesses and compatibility with submarine torpedo tubes for submerged launch. These features address a critical constraint in maritime special operations: discreet insertion without exposing surface craft near defended coastlines.

According to specifications released by Dronivo GmbH, the Hildegard is a compact, jet‑powered air vehicle measuring 1.95 meters in length with a 1.35‑meter wingspan. The system features an approximate maximum take‑off weight of 16 to 20 kilograms and a dry weight of around 10 kilograms without fuel, placing it firmly within the lightweight UAV category while retaining a high‑performance propulsion profile. Dronivo reports a top speed of up to 500 km/h, delivered by a turbine engine rated at 22 newtons of thrust and producing 53.8 kilowatts of power, supported by a fuel capacity of 3 to 6 liters of kerosene.

UxV CS is configured with five identical operator workstations, each built around three touch displays, two joysticks, and a keyboard, effectively turning the vehicle into a rolling UxV operations center. Communications are handled through radios and a dedicated antenna fit, with mast options that include a 4 m extendable solution and an alternative 6 m pneumatic mast to improve line-of-sight range. KNDS has positioned the system as open architecture, meaning the control station is not tied to a single drone or robot supplier and can be adapted to different data links and national command networks.

On February 24, 2026, the U.S. Air Force’s 509th Bomb Wing reported that a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber had joined Navy fighters from Carrier Air Wing Eleven for an integrated maritime strike exercise off the coast of California, demonstrating how U.S. strategic bombers and carrier aviation combine in a realistic blue-water scenario amid rising great-power competition and anti-access threats. Featuring the B-2’s low-observable profile alongside F-35C and F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft equipped with long-range AIM-174B missiles, the sortie showcased a networked “kill web” capable of engaging targets hundreds of miles at sea. The event, disclosed through Whiteman Air Force Base’s official account on X, underscored the enduring importance of joint air-maritime integration for U.S. power projection and deterrence.

The company specifies IP67-equivalent waterproofing, indicating a sealed structure designed to protect against dust ingress and short-duration immersion when used with appropriate handling procedures. It is also rated for deployments up to sea state 4, a level at which many small unmanned aircraft can still technically fly near the sea but are difficult to launch or recover safely from small craft. For short-range maritime ISR, Diodon gives a range of 3 nautical miles and a flight time of 30 minutes, placing the HP30 in a mission envelope suited to look-ahead reconnaissance, cueing patrol craft in confined waters and time-sensitive search patterns for SAR missions where the first half-hour is often critical for locating a contact.

In our assessment, the Scorpion Light represents one of the more innovative evolutions in light indirect fire systems currently entering U.S. service. Its combination of automation, reduced crew requirement, digital precision, and ultra-fast displacement directly addresses the vulnerability of traditional mortar teams on today’s sensor-saturated battlefield. By compressing the sensor-to-shooter timeline while simultaneously reducing exposure to counter-battery detection, the system embodies the kind of adaptive, survivable fire support solution required for contested littoral and multi-domain operations. The innovation is not merely technical but doctrinal, enabling smaller Marine units to generate disproportionate combat effects without increasing their logistical footprint.

The 152 mm Krasnopol-M2 integrates a high-explosive fragmentation warhead weighing approximately 8 kg. Russian reports indicate an effective range of up to 20 km when fired from standard 152 mm howitzers, with extended performance, reportedly reaching approximately 25 km, when launched from modern or longer-barrel systems. The munition is certified for use across a range of Russian artillery platforms, including the 2S19 Msta-S, the 2S5 Giatsint-S, the 2A65 Msta-B, and more recently the wheeled 2S43 Malva. The projectile’s aerodynamic refinements and guidance improvements distinguish it from earlier Krasnopol variants, offering enhanced engagement reliability against stationary and slowly moving point targets.

When mounted on an unmanned platform, the missile’s full capability can be used without risking exposure of infantry during launch or post-launch tracking. The remote operator can remain under cover while the UGV positions itself forward, designates targets through its onboard electro-optical suite, and conducts engagements from concealed firing points. This configuration enhances survivability for both personnel and the launch system, particularly in environments saturated with counter-sniper, artillery, or drone surveillance threats.

On 25 February 2026, reports from The Economic Times and The Jerusalem Post stated that U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft had reportedly landed in Israel as tensions with Iran continue to rise and U.S. military assets are reinforced across the region. The development remains publicly unconfirmed by both Washington and Jerusalem, which makes the reporting particularly notable in the current diplomatic and military context. The reports emerged one day after Army Recognition published that 12 F-22s had departed RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom toward the Middle East under tanker support. Together, these reports point to a possible forward positioning of high-end U.S. airpower at a moment when deterrence signaling and contingency planning are becoming increasingly visible.

The new facility establishes U.S.-based manufacturing capacity for the stabilized 30mm remote turret integrated on the ACV-30 variant of the U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle. This development not only accelerates delivery timelines but also reduces supply chain vulnerabilities for a combat system designed to operate at the forefront of contested littoral operations. For the U.S. Marine Corps, which is reshaping its force structure under Force Design 2030, industrial sovereignty over key lethality systems is directly tied to operational readiness.

Combining the combat-proven IRIS-T SLM with the upcoming SLX variant within the IRIS-T SLM/X would offer a layered air defence capability to the IRIS-T SL air defense system while preserving a common command and launcher infrastructure. The current SLM missile engages aerial threats such as aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and drones out to about 40 km and up to 20 km altitude, and it operates with a full 360-degree coverage and networked target data to coordinate with radar and control units. Adding the SLX fills the gap toward about 80 km range and roughly 30 km altitude, using a dual seeker and dual pulse motor to extend interception reach without requiring new fire control or sensor systems beyond those already fielded for the SLM.

From a strategic perspective, the Fuchs JAGM reflects Europe’s accelerating shift toward mobile, high-volume precision fires as a response to renewed armored warfare on the continent. The resurgence of heavy mechanized formations and the widespread deployment of active protection systems have increased the demand for platforms capable of delivering rapid, multi-vector missile engagements. By adapting air-launched missile technology to a ground-based vertical launch system, Rheinmetall bridges the gap between traditional anti-tank teams and heavier surface-to-surface missile systems.

According to ARG (Army Recognition Group) analysis, while multiple drones have been adapted to carry light machine guns or rocket systems, no previously documented heavy multi-rotor UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) has been purpose-built around a stabilized twin .50 cal configuration with integrated recoil mitigation. This distinction places the HD-606 in a new capability category between loitering munitions and manned attack helicopters.

The AH-1W Super Cobra is well-suited to the demanding littoral close air support profile flown over Putlos. The twin-engine helicopter is powered by two General Electric T700-GE-401 turboshafts, giving a maximum speed of around 190 knots and a typical combat radius of more than 300 nautical miles depending on payload and profile. Its nose turret houses a three-barrel 20 mm M197 cannon with approximately 750 rounds available, allowing crews to deliver short, precise bursts against hardened firing points, light vehicles and infantry positions along a defended shoreline. Four under-wing stations can be loaded with 70 mm Hydra rockets in 7- or 19-shot pods for area suppression, larger 127 mm Zuni rockets, up to eight TOW or AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missiles for engaging armoured threats, and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles for short-range air defence. Coupled with night-vision systems, thermal imaging and a helmet-cueing sight, this armament suite allows Turkish crews to fly low-level ingress routes over water, establish racetrack orbits over the beachhead and deliver controlled fires in close coordination with forward air controllers and amphibious commanders.

Official reporting highlights a mix of advanced radiotechnical systems and passive listening stations, with Barbara aerostats to follow in later years. That mix matters: passive sensors can geolocate emitters and track certain targets without radiating, complicating jamming and anti-radiation tactics, while the aerostat-borne radar restores line-of-sight coverage at low altitude where conventional ground radars are physics-limited.

The broader strategic implications of this training have been highlighted by specialized defense analysis, including a recent Army Recognition report that details how the U.S. Army is systematically hardening the AH-64E Apache for Arctic missions and positioning Alaska as a testbed for high-latitude deep-attack aviation.

The platform on which these digital enhancements are being installed is highly distinctive in naval terms. The Skjold class is a surface effect ship (SES) built in a catamaran configuration, using twin rigid sidewalls to contain an air cushion generated by lift fans. Rubber finger seals forward and a stern bag seal limit air leakage, while a ride-control system actively manages cushion pressure to reduce motions and wave slam at speed. The hull and superstructure are realised as a glass-fibre and carbon-fibre sandwich with vinylester or polyester resins and PVC or PMI cores, combining low structural weight with high stiffness. Radar-absorbing material is integrated directly into load-bearing structures as so-called structural RAM, allowing the designers to shape the vessel with large, angled panels and no right angles while keeping mass under tight control.

The Belgian Ministry of Defence confirmed on February 17, 2026, that the induction of the mine countermeasures vessel Oostende marks a major milestone in the Belgian Navy’s modernization, highlighted by the deployment of a containerized mobile control center capable of commanding unmanned surface, underwater, and aerial systems directly from shore. Recently validated in Zeebruges, the concept enables operators to conduct full-spectrum mine countermeasures without sending a ship to sea, effectively projecting naval mine warfare capability from a modular land-based installation. The development signals the operational maturation of the Belgian-Dutch Mine Countermeasures program, a flagship NATO effort to replace legacy minehunters with highly automated, drone-centric platforms designed to operate in contested littorals.

UMEX 2026 confirms that unmanned combat aviation is entering a multipolar era. The UAE is consolidating its role as a regional production hub, China and Russia are expanding their technological footprint, and European manufacturers are refining adaptable platforms for export markets. For defense planners in Washington, Brussels, and beyond, the message is unambiguous: the future air combat environment will be shaped as much by autonomous systems as by manned aircraft, and the competition to define that future is accelerating.

Central to the AH-64E’s lethality is its sensor and fire control suite. The helicopter integrates the AN/APG-78 Longbow fire control radar mounted above the rotor mast, capable of detecting and prioritizing multiple targets in adverse weather and through battlefield obscurants. Coupled with the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight and Pilot Night Vision Sensor, the crew can identify armored vehicles at extended standoff distances and engage without direct line of sight in certain conditions.

The precision air-to-surface munition is designed to engage moving and stationary targets in adverse weather, using a multi-mode seeker to operate over land and at sea. With carrier air wings increasingly expected to operate in contested, sensor-dense environments, the integration gives naval aviators a broader and more flexible strike option against time-sensitive and mobile threats. The decision marks a significant step in aligning Navy strike capabilities with evolving maritime warfare demands.

Operationally, the configuration shown in the video aligns closely with the air-superiority and multirole doctrine of the Turkish Air Force. KAAN is designed as a low-observable, twin-engine platform with internal weapons bays, high thrust-to-weight ratio and advanced avionics, capable of conducting both air-dominance and deep-strike missions in heavily contested airspace.

The recent reporting by The New York Times, citing Airbus commercial satellite imagery captured Friday, shows a substantial U.S. air power buildup at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in eastern Jordan, with at least 60 combat aircraft now parked on the aprons alongside unmanned aerial systems, helicopters, and newly emplaced air defense assets. Flight tracking data referenced in the report indicate dozens of cargo aircraft arrived within days, delivering personnel, munitions, and support equipment, suggesting a rapid force surge.

Looking ahead, the Luchs 2 package illustrates how armoured reconnaissance is being redefined by the convergence of persistent drone surveillance, electronic warfare and faster artillery kill chains. In this environment, reconnaissance vehicles are increasingly required to operate as survivable, networked collectors that can sense, classify and transmit faster than an adversary can locate and strike, while retaining enough organic firepower to suppress threats and break contact without waiting for heavier forces.

AN is conceived as a short-range, battery-level counter-uncrewed aerial system architecture optimized for low-altitude threats. While detailed procurement data were not reiterated during the February 19 presentation, earlier information indicated that 18 SAN batteries are to be fielded, structured around three fire platoons and one support platoon per battery. This modular organization allows dispersion along vulnerable sectors of the eastern frontier while maintaining centralized coordination through the support element.

For decades, Slovakia’s mechanized units have relied on BMP-1 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles inherited from the former Czechoslovak arsenal. Although maintained and partially upgraded, these platforms were designed for a different era of warfare. Their limited armor protection, vulnerability to mines and improvised explosive devices, analog targeting systems, and absence of networked battlefield management capabilities increasingly restricted operational effectiveness. Recent conflicts, particularly in Eastern Europe, have demonstrated the vulnerability of legacy IFVs against precision-guided munitions, loitering drones, and modern anti-tank weapons.

Designed, developed and manufactured by ASELSAN, ASLAN is a Medium Class Level 1 unmanned ground vehicle designed primarily for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition missions, with the ability to carry a wide range of payloads. The compact tracked platform measures roughly 1.85 metres in length, 1.35 metres in width and about 1.45 metres in height, with a combat weight of up to 750 kilograms including mission equipment. It can be operated by remote control or in autonomous modes, enabling it to conduct patrols, approach suspected enemy positions or provide close support in urban environments while keeping operators under cover. Within Turkish doctrinal thinking, ASLAN is conceived as a forward robotic scout and remote weapon carrier that extends the brigade’s situational awareness and firepower into high-risk areas where human exposure would be unacceptable.

Where Iran becomes most technically dangerous to U.S. surface forces is the coastal anti-ship missile belt and its expanding reach into the Gulf of Oman. The Noor and Qader families, derived from Chinese C-802 technology, are sea-skimming anti-ship cruise missiles with reported ranges between 200 and 300 kilometers and warheads of around 200 kilograms in the Qader configuration. They are deployable from mobile coastal launchers, surface vessels, and selected aircraft. More strategically significant is Iran’s push toward longer-range anti-ship cruise missiles in the 1,000-kilometer class, exemplified by systems such as the Ghadr-380. Even if real-world wartime accuracy proves lower than claimed, extended reach forces U.S. naval planners to assume that ships operating in the Sea of Oman can be held at risk while Iranian launch crews remain under hardened cover deep inland.

Air defence is deliberately stitched into the JLTV story. Kaunas noted that, because air defence remains a top priority, part of the purchased vehicles are RBS70 NG short-range air defence system-capable. The ministry repeats the same point in its technical description, presenting compatibility with the RBS70 NG as an embedded feature of the fleet rather than a separate add-on, indicating that at least a portion of Lithuania’s JLTVs are intended to move and support short-range air defence teams as a mobile element of the force.

The Treva-30 Tactical Recovery and Evacuation Vehicle was first publicly introduced at Eurosatory 2022 in Paris and is built on the Tatra Force 8x8 chassis family. It is intended for recovery of stranded or damaged equipment, removal of disabled armored vehicles, evacuation and rescue work, crane operations, engineering terrain modification, and obstacle clearance in operational environments. The vehicle is also suitable for civil rescue missions, firefighting operations, and heavy engineering support tasks beyond military use. Propulsion is provided by an engine rated at nearly 400 kW, enabling the handling of heavy loads under desert, off-road, and uneven terrain conditions. The 8x8 drivetrain and independent suspension architecture associated with the Tatra chassis support mobility across soft ground and rugged surfaces.

That platform, Saab’s Docksta CB90 Next Generation, known in Swedish service as the CB 90HSM, is built for exactly this kind of distributed littoral warfare. The all-aluminum craft measures 16.3 m in overall length, 3.8 m in beam, and draws only 0.9 m of water. Powered by two 900 hp diesel engines driving twin waterjets, it can exceed 40 knots and offers a range of about 300 nautical miles at cruise. The design’s tactical value is not only speed but also handling. Its waterjet agility and shallow draft allow it to operate inside archipelagos, river mouths, and narrow coastal approaches where larger combatants are constrained, including the ability to stop quickly and maneuver violently without surrendering control. The latest configuration integrates improved ergonomics, an updated combat management system, and enhanced ballistic and CBRN protection measures tailored for high-threat environments.

According to Mashregh News and other Iranian media, the launch occurred during the “Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz” exercise, a drill designed to demonstrate integrated surveillance and fire-control across the narrow waterway. The footage shows Shahid Sayyad Shirazi steadying on course before a single canister-stored missile erupts vertically from the forward section of the ship, where the class’s vertical launch system (VLS) is located. Open-source monitoring accounts on X had previously highlighted still images of the same launcher, describing it as the first clear view of the vertical-launch Sayyad-3F family missile at sea; the latest reports now refer to this specific naval configuration as Sayyad-3G rather than earlier provisional labels such as Sayyad-3N. Although Tehran has not yet publicly detailed the exact designation, the sequence of images and videos indicates that the missile tested from Shahid Sayyad Shirazi is a vertically launched, ship-integrated evolution of the land-based Sayyad-3.

At Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, a CH-53K King Stallion from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 lifted clear of a desert drop zone during Service Level Training Exercise 1-26, while Marines on the ground worked an improvised forward refueling site designed for operations under threat. The sequence is a compact illustration of what the Marine Corps is trying to institutionalize in 2026: assault support aviation that can keep moving, keep fueling, and keep delivering heavy lift even when the battlespace is saturated with surveillance, long-range fires, and electronic attack. In that construct, the helicopter is only the visible edge of the capability; the decisive factor is the expeditionary aviation ground support that builds, defends, and rapidly displaces the refueling and servicing nodes that make sustained sortie generation possible.

BAE Systems Australia has successfully demonstrated its ATLAS autonomous driving system installed on a Boxer 8x8 armored vehicle, according to a video released February 17, 2026, on the company’s official X account. The footage shows the vehicle maneuvering autonomously in a configuration tailored to support operations of main battle tanks and combat reconnaissance vehicles, highlighting its integration with frontline armored formations. The test represents a concrete step in advancing Australia’s next-generation modular autonomous land capability. It builds directly on the formal unveiling of the ATLAS platform in September 2024, reinforcing Canberra’s stated ambition to strengthen sovereign uncrewed ground vehicle development.

The Wave Glider architecture differs fundamentally from conventional fuel-powered unmanned vessels. It consists of a surface float equipped with solar panels, communications systems, and mission electronics, tethered to a submerged glider unit that converts vertical wave motion into forward propulsion. This wave-and-solar hybrid design enables endurance measured in months, with some configurations capable of operating for up to 12 months without refueling, depending on payload and maintenance cycles. Typical cruising speeds range between one and two knots, optimized for persistence rather than rapid maneuver. The system can maintain station within a radius of roughly 30 meters, making it suitable for fixed-area monitoring missions. Its open architecture supports modular payload integration, including passive acoustic arrays for submarine detection, AIS receivers for vessel tracking, electro-optical and infrared sensors, meteorological equipment, and electronic support measures. The contract’s reference to control software, payload work, and launch-and-recovery equipment suggests that Japan’s final capability will be defined by mission system configuration rather than by structural changes to the vehicle itself.

The U.S. Army’s latest Foreign Military Sales action for Israel quietly signals something bigger than a spare-parts purchase. On February 17, 2026, a notice released by the U.S. Department of War showed Rolls-Royce Solutions America Inc. awarded a $73,528,916 firm-fixed-price contract for Merkava Power Pack Less Transmission full and lite kits, metal containers, and contractor engineering technical services, with work centered in Graniteville, South Carolina, and scheduled through December 31, 2032. Framed inside a broader cumulative program value of $462,947,478 and managed by Army Contracting Command at Detroit Arsenal under contract W912CH-26-C-0019, the award points to a long-horizon sustainment pipeline designed to keep Israel’s heavy armor fleet moving, not a one-time replenishment.

Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 unmanned rotary-wing aircraft equipped with Wescam MX-10 EO-IR sensor and maritime surveillance payload, the system selected to equip the Hellenic Navy’s FDI Belharra-class frigates for extended ISR and EEZ monitoring missions. (Picture source: Wikimedia)

REGENT positions Seagliders as a distinct class of maritime mobility: hydrofoiling wing-in-ground effect (WIG) craft designed to operate over water within roughly a wingspan of the surface, combining aircraft-like transit speed with boat-like basing and handling. In this flight regime, REGENT Defense emphasizes a “low altitude, low signature” operating profile enabled by autonomous flight systems, intended to fly above sonar and below long-range radar horizons, while retaining the option to function across roles typically assigned to uncrewed surface vessels and uncrewed aerial vehicles.

At just 150 kilograms and fully manufactured in Spain, Razor stands out for its combination of autonomy, robust communications and recoverability. Sener emphasizes secure data links and navigation systems designed to remain effective where GPS and other GNSS signals might be denied or jammed, a capability increasingly demanded by militaries grappling with advanced electronic warfare. This puts Razor in line with global shifts toward platforms that do not rely exclusively on external positioning systems, enhancing reliability in complex electromagnetic environments.

On 14 February 2026, Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defence announced that a Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle embarked on the drone-carrying amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu had executed a live maritime strike during NATO exercise Steadfast Dart 2026 in the Baltic Sea. According to the official statement published on the ministry’s verified X account, the TB3 took off from the ship, engaged a surface target with two MAM-L precision-guided munitions and then recovered safely back on board. This marks the first time a Turkish shipborne UCAV has flown a complete combat profile from a naval platform within a NATO exercise, turning a national demonstration program into an operationally relevant capability under allied command.