• Air Warfare

  India fast-tracks helicopter procurement with dual RFIs for 276 platforms

  29th August 2025

  India has issued urgent RFIs for more than 270 reconnaissance, surveillance and utility helicopters across its services, signalling a systemic overhaul of rotary-wing capabilities with a renewed emphasis on indigenous production and technology transfer.

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2025: IDV sets eyes on British Army vehicle deal as MD calls for “acceleration” of efforts

  15th September 2025

  The UK’s Land Mobility Programme (LMP) to replace thousands of vehicles is in flux as the tender for the Light Mobility Vehicle segment planned for November is set to be missed. IDV Robotics’ Dr Geoff Davis is calling for the UK government to focus broadly on indigenous capability for procurement and to do it faster.

• Air Warfare

  Italy moves to procure third batch of 29 AW249 helicopters

  30th October 2025

  The €1.22 billion (US$1.41 billion) follow-on order for the additional helicopters will complement the 19 AW249 already ordered by Italy.

• Air Warfare

  US Army order for CH-47F Block II aircraft takes total contracted to 18 in rapid fielding effort

  22nd October 2025

  Boeing has delivered six Chinook CH-47F Block II production helicopters to the US Army, with the helicopters now undergoing a series of evaluations to demonstrate their enhanced capabilities. The company is working with the army on a path forward for Lot 6.

• Air Warfare

  Sikorsky wins five-year $11 billion US Marine Corps contract for CH-53K helicopters

  29th September 2025

  The follow-on order for CH-53K helicopters is the largest one to date for the type and will see deliveries carried out from 2029 to 2034.

• Air Warfare

  Norway cleared for possible $2.6 billion HH-60W helicopter FMS

  14th July 2025

  The possible sale for nine HH-60W by the US government could make Norway the first Foreign Military Sale customer for the rescue and combat helicopter and add to the country’s ongoing acquisition of Sikorsky-made helicopters.

• Land Warfare

  Bids in for Canadian Bv206 replacement

  17th June 2025

  If all goes to plan, initial delivery of the selected vehicle could take place in 2029/2030 with final delivery in 2031/2032. The Bv206 were supplied to Canada many years ago and are in urgent need of replacement. More than 11,000 Bv206 were built for worldwide sale.

• Air Warfare

  British Army seeks ACP to pair with Apache AH-64E helicopter

  13th August 2025

  The event notice to find this ACP solution will see a series of workshops run to assess problems sets for the wider Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform (LACP) programme.

• Air Warfare

  France’s Joint Light Helicopter programme advances with H160M flight tests

  28th July 2025

  With three prototypes being built, the H160M is a militarised version of the H160. Once tests conclude, it will be delivered to the French armed forces from late 2028.

• Air Warfare

  Singapore investigates rotary-wing crewed-uncrewed teaming

  25th July 2025

  Initial exploration of helicopter crewed-uncrewed teaming capabilities will commence in late-2025 and could potentially help shape future programmes involving launched effects.

• Air Warfare

  Paris Air Show 2025: Airbus Helicopters unveils new crewed-uncrewed teaming solution

  12th June 2025

  The solution, named HTeaming, has already been tested in flight with a Spanish Navy H135 helicopter and an Airbus Flexrotor uncrewed aerial system (UAS).

• Naval Warfare

  UK demonstration shows how sensors and C2 can protect ports from multi-domain threats

  26th June 2025

  Naval vessels are at high risk when in harbour, port or dockside and the threat from asymmetric attacks has been shown in the Ukraine war against Russian ships. A demonstration of combined systems in the UK hoped to show a potential solution to defence, government and commercial delegates.

• Air Warfare

  Poland reassesses equipment priorities as S-70i Black Hawk acquisition stopped

  9th June 2025

  The country first entered negotiations for the procurement of Black Hawk helicopters in 2023. Now, the reassessment marks a shift in the country’s military equipment and strategic needs in light of the Ukraine conflict.

• Air Warfare

  South Korea considers cancellation of second AH-64E Apache helicopter purchase

  8th July 2025

  The likely scrapping of Boeing’s Apache helicopter comes after a huge budget cut approved by the South Korean National Assembly. The helicopter procurement had already been reconsidered by the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff earlier in the year.

• Air Warfare

  New Zealand to procure MH-60R and A321XLR aircraft as plan to “rebuild” the NZDF begins

  21st August 2025

  The MH-60R Seahawk and A321XLR aircraft are the first procurement announcements designed to help delivery of a more combat capable and interoperable fleet to the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), as outlined in the New Zealand government’s April Defence Capability Plan.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F -Kenya

  Crew transition training took place at the MD Helicopters headquarters in Mesa, Arizona, with field service support, armament, and gunnery training scheduled to occur at ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  MD 530G - Malaysia

  Procured for an urgent operational requirement for gunships to support Eastern Sabah Security Command operations, helicopter deliveries had to slip from a planned delivery of ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G Lebanon

  The Armed MD 530G Scout Attack Helicopter features next-generation all-glass cockpit that includes: two Genesys Aerosystems IDU-680 6” x 9” LCD primary displays, Tek Fusion ...

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

  Uncrewed MD 500 Replacement [South Korea]

  Background Uncrewed Replacement of the MD 500 Throughout the 2010s, South Korea appeared interested in replacing its fleet of crewed MD 500 helicopters that were manufactured under licence ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Project Land 2097 Phase 4 [Australia]

  Programme Background According to the RfI, under Project Land 2097 Phase 4, the selected helicopter must comprise a commercial or military off-the-shelf solution that is ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) First Batch (South Korea)

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Army)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Navy)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (Second Batch) [South Korea]

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• 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 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8, Tanks

  Tracked & Wheeled Light Tank (Philippines)

  Programme Background The decision to split the programme into a wheeled and a tracked element follows the belief of the Philippine Army that this will ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M - France

  Programme Background In April 2021, the French government signed a deal for the purchase of eight H225M Airbus helicopters to replace its ageing fleet of SA330 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60A [Portugal]

  Programme Background At the end of February 2025, the Portuguese Minister of National Defence said that as part of the Portuguese Army's Support, Protection & ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145 Helicopter [Honduras]

  Programme Background  The Honduran Government has purchased a total of four H145 Helicopters manufactured by Airbus to develop the armed forces preparedness against natural disasters ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M (Contracted) [Germany]

  Programme Background Previous Usage The German Armed Forces ordered 15 H145M helicopters, with the initial two delivered in December 2015, for the Kommando Spezialkräfte. These ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F Cayuse Warrior

  An evolution of the OH-6 Cayuse light observation helicopter, the MD 530F was initially Federal Aviation Administration-certified in July 1985 as the Model 369FF. It ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G

  The MD 530G is the newest addition to the MD Helicopters line of light scout attack platforms. It has increased-capacity landing gear and a mission-configurable ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  MDHI Glass Cockpit

  The American aerospace manufacturer MD Helicopters Inc. (MDHI) has designed and developed a glass cockpit specifically for MD 500E AND MD 520N aircraft. It is ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  IDU-680

  The IDU-680 is Genesys Aerosystems’ 3D synthetic vision integrated Electronic Flight Instrument System. The system includes a Highway in the Sky navigation system, geo-referenced hover ...

• Helicopter guns

  FN HMP

  The FN HMP (Heavy Machine Gun Pod) is a self-contained airborne weapon system armed with a 50cal FN M3P heavy machine gun. It is available ...

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

  KUS-VH

  The Korean Air Korean Air Unmanned System-Vertical Helicopter (KUS-VH) is a large, rotary-wing UAV based on the MD 500. The first flight of the platform ...

• Helicopter Armour

  Armor of America (AoA) produces custom armour kits for any rotary-wing aircraft. AoA helicopter armour protects areas such as the cockpit floor and doors, cabin ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  6XX

  Publicly unveiled at Heli-Expo in March 2017, the MD Helicopters 6XX is the next evolution in the MD 500 series and is a redesigned, single-engine ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C30

  The M250-C30 and -C30P are the exclusive powerplants for the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger and the MD Helicopters MD 530F and MD 530G. In addition, the AH-6i is ...

• HEMS Completions

  RSG has been providing modification, retrofit, completion services and component overhaul to the air medical industry for over 38 years on aircraft produced by Airbus ...

• HS-16600

  Breeze-Eastern's HS-16600 external electric hoist system is operational on the Leonardo Helicopters AW109 and AW119, Bell Helicopter 206 and 222, and MD 500. It is ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 500

  The MD 500 is a single-engine light helicopter derived from the Hughes OH-6A Cayuse developed for the US Army in the early 1960s and the ...

• EO/IR systems

  LEO-III

  The LEO-III, or LEO-III HD, was an airborne observation system with HD sensors and video outputs. It was a COTS, gyro-stabilised platform containing a multi-sensor HD ...

• Airborne rockets - unguided

  Aculeus MD-36 and MD-432

  The Aculeus MD-36 unguided multi-dart rocket provides 36 darts for the neutralisation of columns of light armoured vehicles. The Aculeus MD-432 provides 432 darts to ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C47E

  The C47E is the latest growth variant of the C47B/8 engine. In addition to a hot-and-high Value Improvement Package Kit, the C47E also includes dual-channel ...