• Defence Notes

  Emerging markets key to Thales growth

  28th February 2017

  French aerospace and defence group Thales has posted an increase in sales for 2016, with emerging markets being at the centre of 'strong growth' for …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  EDA moves on MALE UAS training

  22nd February 2017

  Défense Conseil International (DCI) has been awarded a contract by the European Defence Agency (EDA) to lead a partnership with Diginext for UAS training. The …

• Military Logistics

  SOFINS: ​Airbus DS details A400M milestones

  6th April 2017

  Airbus Defence and Space used the recent SOFINS exhibition to detail the latest achievements of its A400M aircraft and the fact the tactical transporter is …

• Land Warfare

  LAAD 2017: Turret developments for Guarani

  5th April 2017

  As Brazilian Army vehicle programmes begin to stall, there is still scope for the installation of new turrets.On the back of a contract to build …

• Defence Helicopter

  LAAD 2017: Airbus bullish about market status

  5th April 2017

  Airbus has said it remains committed to its regional footprint in South America through its array of current and future programmes.Mesrob Karalekian, VP for Latin …

• Defence Helicopter

  CH-53K reaches production milestone

  5th April 2017

  Despite some bumps in the road, the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion has been approved for production by the Pentagon.First launched in 2003, the Heavy Lift …

• Defence Helicopter

  US military helicopters face design hurdles

  4th April 2017

  Various design challenges with several of the Pentagon's key helicopter programmes has resulted in unexpected modifications, a new report has found.The CH-53K, Combat Rescue Helicopter …

• Defence Helicopter

  HAL receives Dhruv order, increases sales

  3rd April 2017

  Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is in receipt of an order for 32 Dhruv Mk III helicopters, according to a contract signed on 30 March, buoying …

• Land Warfare

  Thailand to buy VN1 from China

  3rd April 2017

  The Royal Thai Army (RTA) selected the Chinese-built VN1 8x8 as its newest IFV, after visiting its production facilities and testing the VN1 against the …

• Special Operations

  SOFINS: French company pitches UAV hive concept

  31st March 2017

  French start-up company Drone Hive is showcasing a new concept for unmanned air vehicles (UAV) operations at the SOFINS exhibition.As one of the company's executives …

• Defence Helicopter

  Helisota, Cobham enter partnership

  31st March 2017

  Helisota has signed a partnership deal with UK-based Cobham Helicopter Academy to develop and provide joint training programmes for helicopter maintenance personnel and other specialists, …

• Naval Warfare

  Australia releases frigate RfT

  31st March 2017

  Australia released its awaited RfT for nine Future Frigates on the last day of March, a competition that will be worth $26.8 billion for one …

• Defence Helicopter

  Colombian helicopters provide relief support in Peru

  29th March 2017

  The Colombian Army's Air Assault Aviation Division (DAVAA) and the Colombian Air Force (FAC) are currently deployed in Peru as part of a regional relief …

• Defence Helicopter

  First AS565 MBe Panthers arrive in Indonesia

  29th March 2017

  Two base AS565 MBe Panther platforms have arrived in Indonesia for completion by PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), Airbus Helicopters announced on 29 March. The Indonesian …

• Defence Helicopter

  Companies submit bids for Polish helo tender

  29th March 2017

  Initial bids for Poland's anti-submarine and special forces helicopter tender have been submitted, Poland's Armament Inspectorate has announced.The requirement for a total of 16 helicopters …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT (1-9) [NATO]

  Programme Background Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawks [Norway]

  Programme Background NH90 NFH cancellation  The Norwegian government announced the termination of the NH90 NFH helicopter contract for 14 NH90s with NHIndustries in June 2022. Seahawk Acquisition ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT Follow-On [NATO]

  Programme Background Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that ...

• Main battle tanks

  New MBT [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Greece)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Penguin C VTOL [Croatia]

  Background Announcment Redwire Corporation announced on 12 November 2025 that its wholly owned subsidiary, Edge Autonomy, had been contracted to deliver the Penguin C VTOL ...

• Maritime patrol

  MAWS/PATMAR [France]

  Programme Background In 2017, Germany and France announced that they would be working towards developing an MPA to replace their current fleets in service. The ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Italy)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Bayraktar TB2 [Kuwait]

  Background Contract Award On 18 January 2023, Baykar announced signing a $370 million export contract with Kuwait for the Bayraktar TB2. According to the announcement, ...

• 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 ...

• Main battle tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Bidders and Suppliers The Leopard 2A8, the latest in the Leopard family, was selected by the Royal Dutch Army as per announcements in ...

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

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

  Background Request for Information (RfI) In September 2022, the Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) launched a request for information in preparation for a possible procurement ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [France]

  Programme Background Requirements The European Patrol Corvette (EPC) is one of the new PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defence and Security) projects. PESCO was established ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirements The 2021-2023 Documento Programmatico Pluriennale (DPP) - a multi-year defence planning document from the Italian MoD - includes a plan to acquire eight "Patrol Ships", ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: air defence radar

  APIS

  APIS is a passive high-resolution primary radar system developed by Indra. It is the first passive system in the world capable of offering images using ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  AE50R

  The AE50R is an aviation gasoline single rotary engine with an output of 40.4kW. The engine is certified according to European Aviation Safety Agency Part ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  LOTUS

  The LOTUS, Low Observable Tactical Unnamed System, is a tactical UAV especially designed for border patrol ISR operations.  The development of the project is funded by ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2H

  Safran Helicopter Engines received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) engine type certification for its Arriel 2H engine, installed in the Avicopter AC312E, in April 2018. ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  AR5

  First announced in October 2012, the AR5 is a MALE UAS designed for SAR, surveillance and maritime patrol missions. The AR5 can be flown manually or commanded ...

• Trainer

  Gabriel-TP

  Gabriel-TP is a low-wing, two-seat tandem trainer aircraft aimed at both military and civilian customers. It is certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in ...

• Air: NVGs

  PNL-3M Orlik

  PNL-3M are high-performance, lightweight, passive stereoscopic NVGs for helicopter crew members. Certification by European Aviation Safety Agency also enables civilian use. The device can be ...

• Military UAS - small

  Capa-X

  The Capa-X, or U050, is a VTOL-capable fixed-wing drone from Survey Copter, a subsidiary of Airbus. The drone has been linked with France’s Système de Drone Tactique Léger ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Standard 3

  Jointly developed by ATR and Thales, The Standard 3 avionics suite has been specifically designed for ATR-600 aircraft. It offers the pilot user-friendly interface, along ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  DroneGun

  DroneGun enables controlled management of an adversarial UAS, causing no damage to the UAV or surrounding area. It either forces the drone to perform a ...

• Laser-directed energy weapons

  Tryzub Laser

  Ukraine's Tryzub (Trident) laser was revealed during the European Defence Industry: Prospects for Cooperation with the Ukrainian Defence Industry conference in 2025. Video footage from ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCH 170

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCH 170 is a fixed-wing loitering munition from MBDA. Similar in design to the Switchblade 300, the catapult launched system ...

• Military - USVs

  NOMARS

  The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) is a US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) effort to develop a first-of-its-kind large uncrewed surface vessel.

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  Trident 100TD2

  The Trident 100TD2 is a compression-ignition engine that is capable of operating on various types of heavy fuel. It is claimed to offer up to ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...