• Defence Helicopter

  AFSOC defends CV-22

  22nd June 2012

  The US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has defended the ‘agile and versatile’ V-22 tiltrotor, following the loss of a CV-22 last week. To …

• Military Logistics

  Boeing tanker design passes milestone

  19th June 2012

  Boeing has claimed that the development of its KC-46 for the USAF is 'on time, ahead of schedule' following an 'amazing' PDR that was completed …

• Military Logistics

  Norway seeks C-130J-30 aircraft

  11th June 2012

  The government of Norway has requested 2 C-130J-30 United States Air Force (USAF) baseline aircraft from the US government under a possible foreign military sale …

• Military Logistics

  DynCorp selected for T-6 aircraft support

  7th June 2012

  DynCorp International (DI) has announced that it has been awarded a contract with the US Air Force (USAF) Materiel Command to provide support services for …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing continues international market push

  1st June 2012

  The cuts to the US defence budget mean that Boeing's defence business is now getting a quarter of its sales from the international market. Speaking …

• Digital Battlespace

  SOFIC 2012: Systems Technology launches training system

  28th May 2012

  Systems Technology has launched the Fused Reality training system at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in Tampa, Florida. The system mixes the two conventional …

• Digital Battlespace

  SOFIC 2012: ITT awarded USAF encryption contract

  23rd May 2012

  USAF has awarded ITT Exelis a contract to develop a prototype of its self-encrypting drives for UAV and laptop applications. The company has developed 'trusted …

• Digital Battlespace

  SOFIC 2012: Thales announces development of MBITR 2

  23rd May 2012

  Thales has disclosed that is developing a second generation two-channel variant of its Multiband Inter/Intra team Radio (MBITR) expected to be released 'early next year'. …

• Digital Battlespace

  Boeing wins AWACS modernisation contract

  23rd May 2012

  Boeing has announced that it has received an Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) contract to develop a design that modernises the flight deck and avionics …

• Digital Battlespace

  SOFIC 2012: C4ISR key to SOC operations

  23rd May 2012

  Special Operations Command (SOC) commanders have outlined the importance of C4ISR systems within international SOC operations.  'BICES [Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation System] is pretty …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Digital Wasp AE SUAS introduced

  22nd May 2012

  AeroVironment has launched a digital upgrade to its Wasp SUAS, which has already received an order from the USAF. Announced during the Special Operations Forces …

• Military Logistics

  DynCorp wins aircraft maintenance award

  22nd May 2012

  DynCorp has announced that it has been awarded a task order to provide aircraft maintenance support to the US Air Force (USAF) at Robins Air …

• Defence Helicopter

  HH-60G Pave Hawk simulator enters USAF service

  21st May 2012

  FlightSafety has announced that its new Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter simulator has entered service at Kirtland US Air Force (USAF) Base in New Mexico …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris receives USAF manpack order

  14th May 2012

  Harris Corporation has announced that it has been awarded a contract from the US Air Force (USAF) for the delivery of its Falcon III AN/PRC-117G …

• Military Logistics

  USAF awards Lockheed Martin new C-130J training contract

  2nd May 2012

  Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract by the US Air Force (USAF) to provide new training devices to accommodate the growing pipeline of C-130J …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-9A Reaper [USAF]

  Background First order Following a development that began in 1998, in October 2002, the USAF ordered the first four MQ-9s of the production series. In ...

• Military UAS - mini

  RQ-20B Puma [USAF]

  Background Requirement According to Trace Stevenson, the AeroVironment (AV) Vice President and product line general manager, the USAF Security Forces required a small UAV to ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV (USAF) (Batch 1) [USA]

  Baclground As of November 2020, the US DoD had signed 14 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) (Increment 1) [USAF]

  Background Requirements The programme’s requirements are based on the USAF’s belief that mass is necessary to compete effectively against an adversary in symmetrical warfare. However, ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  HH-60W - Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH)

  Background In 2010, the USAF announced the replacement of the HH-60G with a new Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH), and in 2012, the request for proposals ...

• AEW&C

  E-7A Wedgetail (1-2) [USA]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that this entry covers the two rapid-prototype E-7 aircraft, whose contract was signed in August 2024. A second programme entry covers the ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-Y tanker aircraft [USA]

  Programme Background The USAF is replacing its fleet of 396 KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft, built in the 1950s and 60s, and 59 KC-10 Extenders, which entered service ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-15EX (2025-2026) [USA]

  Methodology Units required Based off the FY2027 USAF budget request, between FY2025 and FY2026, the U.S. Air Force received funding for 40 F-15EX platforms. Congress ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-46A (USA)

  Programme Background The first five Low Rate Initial Production lots were contracted for a total of 67 aircraft for $10.94 billion. The initial contract signed ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-46A Add-On [USA]

  Background In July 2025, the former Chief of Staff for the US Air Force (USAF) Gen David Allvin confirmed that the USAF has authorised the procurement of ...

• Hybrid effector systems

  US Air Force Air Base Defence Missile Defence [US]

  Background The US Air Force's (USAF) Air Base Air Defence Missile Defence (ABAD MD) programme is part of the Air Force Physical Security System and sits ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  MH-139 (UH-1N Huey Replacement)

  Background  Competing bids In competition with the Boeing/Leonardo bid was Sikorsky with a HH-60U offer, and Sierra Nevada with an upgrading offer of UH-60As to ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV (USAF) (Batch 2) [USA]

  Background According to the FY2021 USAF budget request documents, the USAF procured 103 JLTVs in FY2019, 146 in FY2020 and 142 in FY2021. In 2023, ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  Next-Generation Air-Refueling System (NGAS) [USA]

  Background The U.S. Air Force originally planned the KC-Y programme as a follow-on acquisition of an estimated 179 tankers to bridge the gap between the delayed ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-37A [USA]

  Programme Background The USAF was using C-20B transport aircraft, variant of civilian Gulfstream III, to provide worldwide airlift for DoD and government officials. With the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - HALE

  EX-3 Revenant

  The EX-3 Revenant is a developmental fixed-wing aircraft being developed by Exosonic. It is a Mach 1.2 supersonic UAV designed to be a 5th-generation representative, modular, autonomous ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Next Generation Survivor Radio

  The Next Generation Survivor Radio (NGSR) is a software-defined radio being developed by General Dynamics Mission Systems. It is expected to enter into service after June 2026.

• Air: aerial targets

  QF-16 FSAT

  The QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) is an optionally piloted supersonic aerial target developed to replace the QF-4 in USAF service. Retired F-16 fighters are ...

• Air: transport/tanker simulators

  USAF KC-135 ATS

  The KC-135 Aircrew Training System (ATS) programme delivers initial qualification, requalification, continuation and upgrades training for USAF KC-135 aircrews, including pilots, co-pilots and boom operators. ...

• Major networking projects

  C2 ConstellationNet

  According to David Tillotson, director of C4ISR architecture AF/XI, in a report to Congress: 'The ConstellationNet is the communications network – air, space and terrestrial ...

• Major networking projects

  DCGS 10.2 Upgrade

  Raytheon’s Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) Block 10.2 upgrade allows intelligence data to be posted to the network for immediate use by analysts and warfighters, ...

• Military UAS - mini

  SPX

  The SPX drone is a fixed-wing UAV manufactured by RapidFlight. It features a modular payload bay and is fitted with RapidFlight’s Common Avionics 2.0 modular interface. ...

• Combat Search and Rescue

  HC-130P/N

  HC-130P/N is a SAR aircraft developed as extended-range version of C-130 Hercules transport airframe to execute all weather personnel recovery operations from austere airfields and ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-10 Extender

  The KC-10 Extender is a tanker/transport aircraft developed for the USAF by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). It was derived from the company’s three-engine ...

• EW test systems

  JTE

  The Joint Threat Emitter (JTE) is a multi-threat, high-fidelity simulator with realistic ERP levels, which simulates single- and double-digit surface-to-air and anti-aircraft artillery radar systems. ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  R-HUD

  The Replacement Heads-Up Display (R-HUD) is a Primary Flight Reference system designed to replace legacy HUD units on C-17 aircraft. Manufactured by Elbit Systems of ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Flat Panel Control Indicator

  BAE Systems Flat Panel Control Indicator (FPCI) is designed to replace legacy Navigation Control Indicators in F-15C/D aircraft. It features a new AMLCD display and ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Wasp III

  Produced from 2007 until 2012, the Wasp III was a hand-launched UAV produced by AeroVironment. The platform was powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and featured two camera ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  RQ-4 Global Hawk

  The Global Hawk is a HALE UAV manufactured by Northrop Grumman. Primarily designed to carry ISTAR payloads, the platform has accumulated more than 200,000 flight hours ...

• Bomber

  B-2 Spirit

  The B-2 Spirit is a multirole stealth bomber manufactured by Northrop Grumman for the USAF. The Spirit is a flying wing aircraft, meaning that it ...