• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Marines to test autonomous cargo aircraft

  16th November 2017

  The US Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) has selected Yates Electrospace Corporation's (YEC's) Silent Arrow autonomous cargo aircraft to take part in a 12 month …

• Digital Battlespace

  NATO's ballistic missile exercise sends signals to Russia

  24th October 2017

  While all eyes may currently be on North Korea, NATO’s decision to host its most recent ballistic missile defence (BMD) exercise in the Atlantic theatre is …

• Defence Helicopter

  Motor Sich rolls out first Mi-8MSB from Sharjah plant

  28th November 2017

  Ukrainian company Motor Sich showcased at Dubai Airshow 2017 its first Mi-8MSB upgrade (pictured), completed at its new plant in Sharjah.  This can be regarded …

• Digital Battlespace

  Saab to upgrade Norwegian air surveillance radars

  16th October 2017

  Saab has been contracted by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency to upgrade three SINDRE I air surveillance radars in Norway, the company announced on …

• Defence Notes

  Dubai Airshow 2017: Scorpion in the Arabian sand (video)

  14th November 2017

  Brett Pierson, flight test pilot at Textron Systems, takes Shephard  through the capabilities of the Scorpion and its light attack and ISR mission profiles.

• Defence Notes

  Dubai Airshow 2017: UAE MoD announce international deals

  14th November 2017

  The UAE MoD has announced a multitude of contracts totalling more than AED3.3 billion ($911 million) with a range of companies from the US and …

• Naval Warfare

  Terma’s Scanter radar for RCN’s AOPS

  27th October 2017

  Terma’s Scanter 6002 radar system has been selected for the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) programme, the company announced on …

• Naval Warfare

  Making way for Medway

  20th October 2017

  The UK Royal Navy (RN) carried out the naming ceremony of its latest River-class OPV at BAE Systems Scotstoun shipyard in Glasgow on 20 October. HMS …

• Digital Battlespace

  Kongsberg’s VDS for Swedish corvettes

  24th October 2017

  Kongsberg Maritime will deliver the ST2400 Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) system to the Royal Swedish Navy as part of Saab’s mid-life upgrade of the Göteborg-class …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris logs electronic jammers order

  18th October 2017

  Harris Corporation has received a $133 million contract to supply electronic jammers to protect US Navy and Australian F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet aircraft against …

• Digital Battlespace

  BAE to develop testbed for space technologies

  16th November 2017

  BAE Systems will develop a space evaluation and analysis testbed under a $12.8 million contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced on …

• Defence Notes

  Dubai Airshow 2017: Day three highlights (video)

  14th November 2017

  It's day three of the Dubai Airshow and Rotary Editor Helen Haxell runs through news from the first day of the UAS summit as well …

• Naval Warfare

  D&S 2017: Malaysian navy adjusts command regions

  30th October 2017

  The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) formalised the relocation of its Region 2 Command from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan on 17 October. The relocation actually began …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Australian Army airs UAV ambitions

  9th October 2017

  The Australian Army laid out its road map for future UAVs at the Pacific International Maritime Exposition in Sydney on 4 October. Lt Col Keirin …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Alpha, Sightec enter partnership

  20th November 2017

  Spain's Alpha Unmanned Systems, manufacturer of the Alpha 800 gasoline-powered UAS, has entered into a technology partnership with Sightec, an Israel-based developer of video image …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light attack, Trainer

  PC-21 (Project Air 5428) [Australia]

  The new PTS, including aircraft, flight training simulators and learning environments is being acquired from a single capability contractor, Team 21, which consists of Lockheed ...

• Transport, Transport/tanker aircraft

  Project Air 7404 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement Australia is thinking ahead to an enlarged transport fleet to replace the current C-130Js. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was the second ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (Project Air 6000 Phase 2A/B) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) took delivery of 18 F-35A aircraft as of March 2020 and the remaining aircraft are expected to ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (5-6) [Australia]

  Background Four Contracted Units In the summer of 2020, Northrop Grumman announced that the Australian Government provided $333 million for three MQ-4C Tritons and associated GCS. ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  Medium Range Air Defence [Australia]

  Background Faced with a growing threat from China and a vast land and sea territory to protect, Australia is seeking to establish a medium-range ground-based ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (13-14) [Australia]

  Programme Background Austal was awarded a contract to build six 'Evolved'Cape-class patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on 1 May 2020 (see separate ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [Australia]

  Background Older Efforts On 23 April 2021, the US State Department's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) approval announcement revealed that Australia had requested to buy up ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Project Air 7003 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

• OPVs

  Arafura Class (Project SEA 1180) (1-6) [Australia]

  Programme Background Australia's new class of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), the Arafura-class, will replace the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) fleet of Armidale and Cape-class patrol ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-28 Ghost Bat [Australia]

  Background Goal As stated by the Head of Air Force Capability, Air Vice-Marshal Robert Denney, in March 2022, the Ghost Bat will be an "operational system ...

• Loitering munitions

  Mission Talon Strike [Australia]

  Background Request for Tender (RFT) On 19 May 2025, the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), an agency aimed at streamlining defence invocation for the Australian Defence ...

• Military UAS - small

  VTOL UAV [New Zealand]

  Background Defence Capability Plan (DCP) In April 2025, the New Zealand government published the DCP, a document that is essentially a blueprint for what procurements ...

• Trainer

  Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirements The RAAF is seeking a future solution that provides a ‘relevant, adaptable, affordable and safe LIFTS out to 2050’ for training pilots ...

• Military UAS - small

  DEF129 (Tactical UAS) [Australia]

  Programme Background Programme Announcement The Australian Army announced the Project Land 129 Phase 3 programme in 2017. This announcement led to the release of an industry ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Harpii Szpon (Loyal Wingman) [Poland]

  Background Market Evaluation On 6 November 2023, speaking at the IQPC International Fighter Conference (IFC) 2023 in Madrid, Major General Cezary Wiśniewski, the Deputy General Commander of the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Air-5416 Project Echidna

  Air-5416 Project Echidna was an initiative launched in 2001 by BAE Systems for the Australian DoD. Its goal was to overhaul the self protection systems ...

• Trainer

  King Air trainer

  Textron / Beechcraft King Air trainers are a family twin-engine aircraft based on King Air 90, 100, 200 and 350 utility aircraft. The King Air ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Australian Defence Force MRH90 Training

  As prime contractor for the ADF's MRH90 training programme, CAE has provided two MRH90 full-flight mission simulators (FFMS), training facilities and engineering and support services. ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  RAAF Hawk Mk 127 FMS

  Under subcontract to BAE Systems, CAE is designing and manufacturing three Hawk Mk 127 full-mission simulators (FMS) for the Royal Australian Air Force that will ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Wanderer

  The Wanderer is a low-altitude, low-cost, long-endurance UAV produced in-house by the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) Jericho Disruptive Innovation Group and the Australian Government's Defense Science ...

• Light attack

  Hawk 200

  The Hawk 200 is a single-seat light attack iteration of the Hawk 100 (see separate entry) and Advanced Jet Trainer or AJT (see separate entry). ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-28A Ghost Bat

  The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is a loyal wingman-type, Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), MALE fixed-wing drone being developed by Boeing Defence Australia. Its development began in ...

• Military - USVs

  Bluebottle

  Bluebottle is a persistent, autonomous, uncrewed surface vessel from Ocius Technology in service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). In ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  Predator Mission Trainer (PMT)

  The CAE Predator Mission Trainer (PMT) is an integrated platform that combines the features of CAE's UAS mission trainer with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Predator-specific ...

• Maritime patrol

  Challenger 604

  Bombardier Challenger CL-604 MPAs are in service with the Royal Danish Air Force and the Korea Coast Guard. The first of three Danish aircraft entered ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Phantom 4 (Series)

  Designed for aerial photograph applications by DJI, the Phantom 4 series of UAVs includes the Phantom 4 Pro, Phantom 4 Pro V2.0, Phantom 4 Advanced ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Hawkei

  Thales Australia developed the 4x4 Hawkei for the Australian Army's Land 121 Phase 4 Protected Mobility Vehicle – Light (PMV-L) project.  The prototype was unveiled in ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  AN/ALR-2001

  BAE Systems’ AN/ALR-2001 Electronic Support Measure (ESM) is thought to be based on Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Elta Systems division’s EL/M-8382 ESM. The AN/ALR-2001 is ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  AGM-88E AARGM

  The AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) is a supersonic, medium-range, air-launched tactical missile compatible with US and allied strike aircraft. Designed to upgrade the AGM-88 ...

• Military UAS - mini

  M Solar-X

  First revealed in August 2020, in February 2024, at its symposium, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) showcased the M Solar-X. This solar-powered fixed-wing drone was ...