• Digital Battlespace

  Lockheed delivers GPS signal receivers

  10th August 2017

  Lockheed Martin has delivered three of six satellite signal receivers to the US Air Force as part of efforts to update the service's GPS ground …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop to upgrade JSTARS radio terminals

  10th August 2017

  Northrop Grumman has received a contract from the US Air Force to upgrade radio terminals aboard the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) …

• Military Logistics

  New CHP plant for Portsmouth Naval Base

  8th August 2017

  BAE Systems has begun work to install a new Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant at Portsmouth Naval Base in the UK, the company announced …

• Naval Warfare

  Keel laid for first Pacific Patrol Boat

  3rd August 2017

  Austal has laid the keel for the first Pacific Patrol Boat for the Australian government’s Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement (PPB-R) project, the company announced on …

• Digital Battlespace

  ViaSat to deliver SATCOM equipment to ADF

  31st July 2017

  ViaSat has been selected by Northrop Grumman as a partner in the delivery of a next-generation satellite communications (SATCOM) network to the Australian Defence Force …

• Digital Battlespace

  Australian tanks to get BMS hardware

  28th July 2017

  Leonardo DRS is supplying battle management system (BMS) hardware to the Australian Army for fitment in its M1A1 AIM Abrams main battle tanks (MBT). The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  MSPO 2017: Azerbaijani export license a ‘matter of technicality’

  6th September 2017

  The Orbiter 1K loitering munition, manufactured by Israel-based Aeronautics, was on display at the MSPO exhibition and conference just days after an export license to …

• Defence Helicopter

  Aviakon modernises Russian helicopters

  1st September 2017

  Ukroboronprom's Aviakon has completed the modernisation of Russian-made Mi-24 helicopters with domestic equipment for the Ukraine armed forces, Ukroboronprom announced on 29 August. The new …

• Land Warfare

  USMC upgrades mine clearing system

  29th August 2017

  The US Marine Corps has a new upgraded version of the MK-154 Mine Clearance System that is safer and more reliable than its previous iteration.The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  MQ-1C surpasses flight test goal

  29th August 2017

  General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ (GA-ASI's) MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range UAS has flown for more than 40 hours during an endurance flight test, the company …

• Digital Battlespace

  Hensoldt’s 3D radar demos detection capabilities

  29th August 2017

  Hensoldt’s Spexer 2000 3D radar has proved its detection capabilities against asymmetric threats during two customer demonstrations held in real operational conditions.  During the first …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky refurbishing Black Hawks for Australian fire-fighting

  3rd August 2017

  Sikorsky Australia is to refurbish ten ex-US Army UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters for firefighting and disaster relief operations in Australia. The A$63 million contract announced …

• Naval Warfare

  Upgrade for Gibraltar naval station

  31st July 2017

  The Royal Navy’s Gibraltar naval station is set to be upgraded under a £2 million programme to improve its ability to monitor the movement of …

• Land Warfare

  MSPO 2017: Tank killing Rosomaks unveiled

  6th September 2017

  Two new prototype variants of the Polish Army’s Rosomak vehicle are on display at this year’s MSPO, with both demonstrating a potential future requirement from …

• Defence Helicopter

  DSEI 2017: Omnetics connecting next-gen army missions

  5th September 2017

  Omnetics has been delivering connectors of the micro-  and nano-minature variety to the US Army for more than 25 years. With cyber security threats to …

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 ...