• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Chinese V750 grows arms

  24th June 2016

  China’s military UAV efforts continue to advance, with the most recent revelation surrounding an armed version of the V750 rotary-winged platform. Photos on the Chinese …

• Training

  Bluedrop CH-148 training extended

  24th June 2016

  Bluedrop Training and Simulation has been awarded a $13 million contract by Sikorsky to provide training courseware and instructors for pilots and maintainers learning to …

• Defence Helicopter

  T129 hot and high in Pakistan

  24th June 2016

  Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has sent its T129 ATAK advanced attack and reconnaissance helicopter to Pakistan, at the request of the Pakistan Army Aviation Command …

• Training

  Hercules Training Center breaks ground

  23rd June 2016

  Lockheed Martin has broken ground for the Hercules Training Center (HTC), which will open at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics site in Marietta, Georgia, in 2018, …

• Digital Battlespace

  Lockheed Martin wins SS-AISR task order

  23rd June 2016

  Lockheed Martin has received the $733 million Sensor Systems - Aerial Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (SS-AISR) task order from the US Army Contracting Command – …

• Training

  Saber Strike 16 conducted in Baltics

  23rd June 2016

  US Marine Corps (USMC) troops from Combat Logistics Regiment 2 out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and Black Sea Rotational Force based in Romania participated …

• Training

  HMAS Adelaide completes Exercise SEA EXPLORER

  23rd June 2016

  The Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Adelaide has successfully completed Exercise Sea Explorer off the North Queensland coast, the service announced on 21 June. The Royal …

• Defence Helicopter

  ZedaSoft to provide Apache simulator

  23rd June 2016

  ZedaSoft has received a contract to provide ZedaSoft simulation hardware products and a Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter simulator running its CBA for Simulation software …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing, Tata construct JV facility in Hyderabad

  22nd June 2016

  Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems have started the construction of a facility in Hyderabad for their joint venture (JV) Tata Boeing Aerospace (TBAL), it was …

• Defence Helicopter

  LORD receives AVCS development contract from KAI

  22nd June 2016

  LORD has received an Active Vibration Control System (AVCS) development contract from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) for Light Civilian Helicopter (LCH) and its variants, it …

• Digital Battlespace

  Raytheon achieves two milestones in development of GPS OCX

  22nd June 2016

  Raytheon has cleared both a critical design review and a qualification milestone as part of its development of the US Air Force's (USAF) Global Positioning …

• Defence Helicopter

  US Navy delivers first three MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to Denmark

  22nd June 2016

  The US Navy has made the delivery of first three MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to Denmark, it was announced on 15 June. The helicopter will be …

• Defence Notes

  Eurosatory: Dropping SF boats from the sky

  22nd June 2016

  European Special Forces are set to benefit from enhanced airborne insertion of maritime vessels with several test programmes now underway across the Continent, Shephard Media …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  FAA introduces commercial UAS rules

  21st June 2016

  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) moved to finalise the operational rules for commercial use of small UAS on 21 June, a move widely expected following …

• Digital Battlespace

  Eurosatory: New SIGINT for UK SF

  21st June 2016

  UK Special Forces are understood to have become the first customer for L-3 Linkabit’s latest tactical signals intelligence (SIGINT) system, the PRD-13(V)3 which provides an …

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 ...