• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: That's a wrap (video)

  6th May 2016

  Unmanned Vehicles editor Richard Thomas runs through some of the key highlights during this year's AUVSI Xponential event held in New Orleans.

• Digital Battlespace

  ViaSat introduces BATS-D radio

  6th May 2016

  ViaSat has introduced its new Battlefield Awareness and Targeting System - Dismounted (BATS-D) handheld Link 16 radio for US forces, it announced on 4 May. …

• Training

  Boeing equips P-8 maintenance training centre

  6th May 2016

  Boeing has delivered and installed new training systems at the US Navy's P-8 Maintenance Training Facility at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida, the company …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris to upgrade US MRAP radios

  6th May 2016

  Harris Corporation has been awarded a $12 million order to upgrade the tactical radios used by the US Air Force (USAF) for multiband communications in …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: Endeavor Robotics to continue with current UGV lineup

  5th May 2016

  Attending Xponential for the first time since the formation of Endeavor Robotics, company officials say they will concentrate on marketing their existing lineup of UGVs …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: Sikorsky eyes K-MAX technology

  5th May 2016

  Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky are set to leverage each other’s autonomous technologies following their merger last year, potentially creating a powerhouse in the industry for …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: New business angles with VTOL UAS

  5th May 2016

  Textron Systems say that their Aerosonde Hybrid UAS would need to continue development before any thought was given to customer sales, although as it stands …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: Insitu form commercial business unit (video)

  5th May 2016

  Best known for its customers in various navies around the globe Insitu has announced the formation of a commercial business unit as it takes its …

• Military Logistics

  KC-135s support KC-46A testing missions

  5th May 2016

  The US Air Force (USAF) KC-135 Stratotanker is supporting testing and evaluation missions of the new Boeing KC-46 Pegasus military aerial refuelling and transport aircraft. A KC-135 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: Legacy Black Hawks to go unmanned

  5th May 2016

  Sikorsky is on track to roll out the first UH-60A Black Hawk prototype fitted with optionally-piloted capabilities later this year, company officials have confirmed. It …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell mates V-280 wing to fuselage

  5th May 2016

  Bell Helicopter has successfully mated the wing and nacelles to the aircraft fuselage of the V-280 Valor tilt-rotor Joint Multi Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD), the company …

• Defence Helicopter

  Nuri to receive cockpit upgrade

  5th May 2016

  Airod signed an MoU with Heli-One on 20 April that will pave the way for Sikorsky S-61A-4 Nuri helicopters of the Royal Malaysian Air Force …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: A big hit for V-Bat (video)

  5th May 2016

  Texas-based Martin UAV showcased a unique VTOL UAV design at this year's AUVSI Xponential in New Orleans, which it calls V-Bat. While some manufacturers have …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: Next-gen sensors for Global Hawk (video)

  4th May 2016

  While Northrop Grumman continues to provide its Global Hawk High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAV to Nasa for various research purposes the company is looking …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: CybAero touches down on Swedish corvette

  4th May 2016

  CybAero and Airbus Defence and Space (DS) have successfully teamed up to perform a test launch and recovery of the Apid One VTOL UAV from …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• ISR/special mission, Maritime patrol

  C295 MPAs/MSAs [Spain]

  Programme Background Required to replace Spain's existing P-3M Orion fleet set to reach OSD in the mid-late 2020s, Airbus' C295W has been selected as the replacement ...

• Loitering munitions

  Deluge (First batch) [France]

  Background Unveiling MBDA unveiled a scale model of the One-Way Effector (OWE), later named the Deluge, at the Paris Air Show 2025. As Breaking Defence reported at the ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-390 [Portugal]

  Programme Background Leadership from the Portuguese Air Force and Embraer signed a contract for a sixth C-390, with the option for ten additional aircraft for ...

• Loitering munitions

  Deluge (Additional batches) [France]

  Background Unveiling MBDA unveiled a scale model of the One-Way Effector (OWE), later named the Deluge, at the Paris Air Show 2025. As Breaking Defence reported at the ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-390 Options [Portugal]

  Programme Background Leadership from Embraer and the Portuguese Air Force formalised a contract that includes 10 aircraft options that can be utilised by any NATO ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  French MALE UAVs [France]

  Background Requirements The French Ministry of the Armed Forces wishes to develop a French MALE offering comparable to the MQ-9 Reaper, which would, it is hoped, promote ...

• AEW&C

  GlobalEye [France]

  Programme Background Saab and the French Defence Procurement Agency signed an MoU at Paris Air Show 2025 for the firm purchase two GlobalEye aircraft and the ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [French Air Force]

  Background Rafale F5 companion During a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the French Strategic Air Forces (FAS) at Saint-Dizier Air Base in October 2024, France’s Minister of ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-390 [Lithuania]

  Programme Background The Lithuanian Armed Forces confirmed the selection of the C-390 as the Air Force's new military transport aircraft during Paris Air Show 2025. ...

• Military UAS - small

  Flexrotor [Phillipines]

  Background Horizon 3 In September 2024, Airbus offered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) various military equipment, including the Flexrotor, A400M and H225M, to ...

• Loitering munitions

  Larinae: Medium-range loitering munition [France]

  Background Origins French Ministry of Armed Forces spokesperson Hervé Grandjean stated at a press conference in May 2022 that the General Directorate for Armament (DGA) ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  Super Galeb Replacement [Serbia]

  Programme Background Serbia is looking to replace their aged fleet of Super Galeb aircraft from Yugoslavia with a new trainer and light attack aircraft.  According ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Watchkeeper X (Contracted) [Romania]

  Background 2021 In mid-2021, the Romanian manufacturer Aerostar signed a collaboration with U-TacS to potentially produce the Watchkeeper X in Romania. U-TacS is a joint ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Watchkeeper X (Uncontracted) [Romania]

  Background 2021 In mid-2021, the Romanian manufacturer Aerostar signed a collaboration with U-TacS to potentially produce the Watchkeeper X in Romania. U-TacS is a joint ...

• Military UAS - small

  Aerosonde Mk 4.7 [Qatar]

  Background Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) At DIMDEX 2016, a QAR 54.7 million ($14.97 million) MoU between the Qatar Armed Forces and the US company Textron Systems for ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Displays

  LAD2008DA

  Produced by Psion DSP, LAD2008DA is a 20"x8" Large Area Display for full-glass cockpit applications. It was showcased during the 2022 Farnborough Air Show and the 2023 ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Wing Loong X

  The Wing Loong X, or WL-X, is a fixed-wing UAV developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Debuted at the Paris Air Show ...

• Air: Displays

  RDU-4208 LAD

  ScioTeq RDU-4208 is a 20"x8" Large-Area Display. It features a fully redundant, high-resolution screen with multitouch support. Unveiled in 2022, it was also demonstrated in ...

• Air: aerial targets, Loitering munitions

  Super Simsek

  The Super Simsek (Süper Şimşek) is an improved version of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) training drone turned loitering munition.  The drone has reconfigurable payload options ...

• EO/IR systems

  M-19 HD

  The M-19 HD multi-sensor, multispectral, HD observation and targeting payload was unveiled at the Paris Air Show in June 2015. It can incorporate up to ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Orbiter 5

  Unveiled at Paris Air Show 2023, the Orbiter 5 is a fixed-wing UAV from Aeronautics.  The multi-mission drone can host two payloads simultaneously, features autonomous flight and ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Rotary Wing Cargo UAV

  Displayed at Paris Air Show 2023, the Rotary Wing Cargo UAV is a cargo-carrying and ISR drone manufactured by Turkish Aerospace (TAI). Powered by a ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Stealth UCAV (nEUROn Successor)

  At the Paris Air Show 2025, Dassault Aviation showcased a stealthy UCAV, the successor of the nEUROn aircraft. A Safran M88 engine will power the ...

• Loitering munitions

  SpyX

  The SpyX is a loitering munition from BlueBird Aero Systems. Unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2023, the munition offers autonomous electro-optical guided attack capabilities and ...

• Loitering munitions

  FWD-LM01

  The FWD-LM01 is a loitering munition unveiled by Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace at the Paris Air Show 2025. The manufacturer states the drone is built for ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  AeroForce 380

  The AeroForce 380 is a MALE fixed-wing drone. Based on the Milkor 380, it is tailored for maritime surveillance and Coast Guard missions. It can ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Strix 425

  The Strix 425 is a mini fixed-wing drone from EOS Technologie. The hand-launched platform can host a removable VTOL system and multiple payloads.  According to a company ...

• Military UAS - small

  LR2M

  The Long Range and Multi-Missions (LR2M) is a fixed-wing VTOL-capable small UAV from Aeronefs Services. Unveiled at the Paris Air Show 2025, the drone is suited to ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  Air Keeper

  Elbit Systems unveiled the Air Keeper, an airborne SIGINT and EW system for aircraft at the Paris Air Show 2015. Already operational, Air Keeper is ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  HeliSure

  Rockwell Collins HeliSure is a product line of situational awareness solutions for rotary-wing aircraft. It provides glass cockpit capabilities using commercial off-the-shelf equipment that can be ...