• Naval Warfare

  US CBP receives first interceptor vessel

  1st June 2016

  SAFE Boats International (SBI) has completed and delivered a new Coastal Interceptor Vessel (CIV) for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations …

• Defence Helicopter

  Aussie Tiger achieves FOC… finally

  1st June 2016

  The Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) of the Australian Army achieved final operating capability (FOC) on 14 April, a mere seven years behind the original …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UDT 2016: ARCIMS to be at Unmanned Warrior

  31st May 2016

  Atlas Elektronik UK (AEUK) have announced that it will present the company's unmanned mine hunting mission system, ARCIMS, at the Royal Navy’s Unmanned Warrior demonstration …

• Military Logistics

  Team Spartan adds avionics partner

  31st May 2016

  Team Spartan, which is competing with the C-27J Spartan for Canada's Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue programme, has contracted avionics systems from Esterline CMC Electronics (CMC), …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SOFIC 2016: Airbus pushes Zephyr for military applications

  31st May 2016

  Airbus Defence & Space used the SOFIC exhibition to promote the potential military applications of its Zephyr High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) system. ‘Zephyr is …

• Digital Battlespace

  FLIR unveils ground-surveillance systems

  31st May 2016

  FLIR Systems has released two new ground surveillance systems designed for border security and force protection, the company announced on 24 May. The first is …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  China’s unmanned plans for SCS

  31st May 2016

  Unmanned technology is set to play a pivotal role in Chinese monitoring of the South China Sea, where Beijing has been robustly claiming territory and …

• Defence Helicopter

  Ukraine advances Mi-24PU2 upgrade

  31st May 2016

  Ukraine's Mi-24PU2 helicopter upgrade has entered into flight testing phase, according to Ukoboronprom, the holding company that controls a vast majority of the country's arms …

• Training

  EAATTC 16-2 commences in France

  31st May 2016

  The second 2016 European Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Course (EAATTC 16-2), sponsored by the European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) Partnership, has begun in France, the …

• Defence Helicopter

  HMAS Canberra trials Chinooks

  31st May 2016

  The HMAS Canberra (L02), a Canberra class landing helicopter dock ship of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), conducted deck and handling trials with two Boeing …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Agilis comms solution released

  31st May 2016

  ST Electronics has released its fully integrated Agilis High Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) UAV Communication Solution for worldwide satellite connectivity, it announced on 27 May. The …

• Defence Helicopter

  Aurora tests AACUS capabilities

  30th May 2016

  Aurora Flight Sciences has been testing the new capabilities of the Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) for the US Marine Corps (USMC), which announced it …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Raytheon, UVision to modify Hero-30

  30th May 2016

  Raytheon has signed a teaming agreement with UVision to work on small loitering UAVs to meet US military requirements, it announced on 27 May. Under …

• Digital Battlespace

  Thales receives Gecko contract

  30th May 2016

  Thales has signed a contract with an undisclosed Southeast Asian country to provide its Gecko long distance optronic solution to detect and identify small-size UAVs …

• Military Logistics

  KC-46 schedule shifts right

  30th May 2016

  The US Air Force (USAF) has moved the Milestone C formal production decision on the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus military aerial refuelling and transport aircraft programme …

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 ...