• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AeroVironment receives USAF Raven order

  27th September 2011

  AeroVironment, Inc. today announced that it received a $6,874,175 firm-fixed-price order from the US Air Force under an existing contract with the US Army. The …

• Military Logistics

  Lockheed Martin delivers new personnel recovery capability to USAF

  26th September 2011

  Lockheed Martin today delivered the first HC-130J Combat King II to the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). The aircraft was flown from …

• Military Logistics

  Rolls-Royce engine marks 3 million C-130J flight hours

  21st September 2011

  Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has completed three million engine flight hours of the AE 2100, which powers the C-130J. This milestone demonstrates the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris receives $29m in orders from USAF

  15th September 2011

  Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, has received $29 million in orders from the US Air Force for Falcon III AN/PRC-117G multiband …

• Military Logistics

  AmSafe awarded $45m contract from Boeing

  13th September 2011

  AmSafe Industries, Inc., the leading provider of engineered restraint systems to the aviation, defense and specialty vehicle markets, today announced the award from Boeing of …

• Military Logistics

  Lockheed Martin to provide training technology for USAF C-130J

  13th September 2011

  The US Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin an $84.3 million contract to provide the first phase of the C-130J Maintenance and Aircrew Training System (MATS) …

• Digital Battlespace

  Ultra Electronics integrates USAF C4 network

  7th September 2011

  Ultra Electronics, DNE Technologies successfully integrated radar and secure voice radio traffic across a US Air Force tactical C4 network at a recent US Department …

• Defence Helicopter

  USAF CV-22 to receive Elbit Systems' colour HMDs

  6th September 2011

  Elbit Systems Ltd. announced that its US subsidiary, Elbit Systems of America, LLC, has been awarded a contract to supply Boeing Military Aircraft with the …

• Digital Battlespace

  General Dynamics awarded $900m for joint USAF contract

  2nd September 2011

  General Dynamics C4 Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, was awarded a contract from the Global Broadcast Service (GBS) Joint Program Office at Hanscom …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris awarded $12m USAF IT Infrastructure contracts

  1st September 2011

  Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, was awarded four contracts worth a total of over $12 million by the US Air Force's …

• Naval Warfare

  BAE Systems completes successful test of Mk 38 TLS

  31st August 2011

  BAE Systems, Boeing, and the US Navy recently conducted a successful test of the Mk 38 MOD 2 Tactical Laser System (TLS) concept at Eglin …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  New aerostat to protect troops in Afghanistan

  29th August 2011

  Carolina Unmanned Vehicles, Inc. (CUV), Raleigh North Carolina, announces an order for a new version of their Lightweight Aerostat System (LAS). The new LAS, being …

• Military Logistics

  Lockheed Martin delivers USAF C-5M Super Galaxy

  25th August 2011

  Lockheed Martin completed delivery today of the third production C-5M Super Galaxy to the US Air Force. The sixth C-5M overall to be delivered to …

• Defence Helicopter

  Afghan Air Force continues Mi-17 maintenance training

  24th August 2011

  Defense Technology Inc. announced today that they completed teaching one year of Mi-17 intermediate level maintenance training for the Afghan Air Force. Over thirty Afghan …

• Military Logistics

  Lockheed Martin to support USAF C-5 programme

  18th August 2011

  Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $5.8 million one-year contract from FlightSafety Services Corporation to manage C-5 aircrew training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, …

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 ...