• Naval Warfare

  SAS 2016: Concern expressed over US maritime decline

  17th May 2016

  A senior official has expressed serious concern over the declining state of US civil maritime capabilities and its potential impact on future military operations. Participating …

• Military Logistics

  HII delivers LPD 26 to US Navy

  17th May 2016

  Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has made the official delivery of its tenth San Antonio class amphibious transport dock, USS John P Murtha (LPD 26), to …

• Military Logistics

  Hunt class maintenance begins

  17th May 2016

  Deep maintenance on the Royal Navy's Hunt class minehunter HMS Brocklesby has begun at Portsmouth Naval Base, BAE Systems announced on 16 May. The work …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: Visual upgrades continue at MSHATF

  17th May 2016

  In the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), the UK MoD stated that it wanted to conduct 50% of its future training in the …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: Show preview with Trevor Nash (video)

  17th May 2016

  As the final touches were being made to the exhibition floor at this year's ITEC in London, Military Training and Simulation News editor Trevor Nash …

• Digital Battlespace

  Australian Skynet ground station opens

  17th May 2016

  A new ground station has opened in Australia to land Airbus Defence and Space’s Skynet secure military satellite communications network, the company announced on 16 …

• Defence Notes

  Will Duterte rock Philippine defence boat?

  17th May 2016

  The presidential electoral victory of Rodrigo Duterte on 9 May could have seismic implications for not only the Philippines, but also the whole region. Duterte, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Surplus Kiowas an opportunity not competition

  16th May 2016

  The divestment of the Bell Helicopter OH-58D Kiowa Warrior and TH-67 Creek training aircraft is being pitched as an opportunity for customers to buy at …

• Naval Warfare

  LCS 8 completes acceptance trial

  16th May 2016

  The future USS Montgomery (LCS 8) Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) has successfully completed acceptance trials following several underway and in-port demonstrations for the US …

• Defence Helicopter

  USMC orders Venom and Vipers

  16th May 2016

  Bell Helicopter has released details of a $461.1 million contract received in March to supply UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters and AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters for …

• Defence Helicopter

  US approves Hellfire sale to UAE

  16th May 2016

  The US State Department has made a determination approving a potential foreign military sale (FMS) of AGM-114 R/K Hellfire missiles as well as training, equipment …

• Training

  UDT 2016: RNZN furthers Seaeye Falcon training

  16th May 2016

  Personnel from the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) have completed an ROV training course on the Saab Seaeye Falcon, a system regularly used by the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  China reaps Middle East market

  16th May 2016

  Taking advantage of the United States reluctance to give approval for the export sales of armed unmanned aerial systems (UAS), even to friendly nations in …

• Digital Battlespace

  Romania’s Aegis Ashore site begins operations

  16th May 2016

  Europe’s first Aegis Ashore site, located in Romania and based on Lockheed Martin technology, has started monitoring the skies of southern Europe for ballistic missile …

• Training

  US MPs train for combat support

  13th May 2016

  The US Army Reserve Military Police (MP) from the 200th Military Police Command are training on combat support and detainee operations, the US Army announced …

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 ...