• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Zephyr S to get solar sheets

  23rd May 2016

  Airbus Defence and Space has issued a production contract to MicroLink Devices for its epitaxial liftoff (ELO)-based multi-junction solar sheets to use for the former's …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: ASI to upgrade C-2A OFT

  23rd May 2016

  The C-2A Greyhound has long been the mainstay of the US Navy’s carrier on-board delivery (COD) capability. Delivering everything from personnel to spare parts, the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Orbital bags proximity sensor order

  23rd May 2016

  Orbital ATK has been awarded a $16 million order for its DSU-33D/B proximity sensors, with deliveries to begin in mid-2016, it announced on 19 May. …

• Digital Battlespace

  ADF C-RAM to merge with air defence capability

  23rd May 2016

  The Australian Defence Force's (ADF) counter-rocket, artillery and mortar (C-RAM) capability will be absorbed into a new ground-based air defence system to be tendered later …

• Military Logistics

  Sabre bags Seaport-e task order

  23rd May 2016

  Sabre has been awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee task order under the US Seaport-e Multiple Award Contract (MAC), it announced on 20 May. The five-year order is …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ECA demonstrates IT180 UAV

  20th May 2016

  ECA Group has disclosed details of a demonstration held in late April of its IT180 tethered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for military and civilian applications. …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: Netherlands to receive SUIT training systems

  20th May 2016

  The Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) will soon take delivery of two RE-liON Small Unit Immersive Trainer (SUIT) systems: one for special operations forces and the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Royal Navy selects iXBlue MARINS M7

  20th May 2016

  iXBlue has been selected to provide 70 MARINS M7 inertial navigation systems (INS) to the Royal Navy's ships and submarines, under a five-year contract to …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: Saab shows new capabilities

  20th May 2016

  Saab has used ITEC 2016 to announce a number of new contracts and highlight their participation in Exercise Arrow, the first time that the US and …

• Naval Warfare

  SAS 2016: US Navy expands patrol boat forward presence

  20th May 2016

  With a pending deployment of two craft to Guam, the US Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) is expanding the forward presence of its new Mk …

• Digital Battlespace

  Plans for future GPS III emerge

  20th May 2016

  Lockheed Martin is gearing up to produce satellites the can be upgraded on-orbit for the US Air Force’s future Global Positioning System (GPS) procurement plan. …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: Trevor Nash reviews the show (video)

  20th May 2016

  MTSN Editor Trevor Nash gave the pedometer a good thrashing at this year's ITEC 2016 to get to grips with all the key developments at …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: CAE TRPS upgrade for USN MH-60R/S

  20th May 2016

  The US Navy has issued a contract to CAE to upgrade their MH-60R/S operational flight trainers (OFT) and tactical operational flight trainers (TOFT), which includes …

• Land Warfare

  Rheinmetall bags Oerlikon Skyguard upgrade order

  20th May 2016

  Rheinmetall Air Defence has been awarded a major modernisation order for the Oerlikon Skyguard air defence system of the Swiss armed forces, the company announced on …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aeryon SkyRanger integrates with AUDS platform

  20th May 2016

  The Aeryon SkyRanger small UAS has been integrated into Liteye Systems' AUDS counter-UAS platform, Aeryon announced on 17 May. This new partnership and integration aims to …

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 ...