• Military Logistics

  Lockheed Martin delivers C-130J aircraft to US

  13th May 2016

  Lockheed Martin has delivered two C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft to the US, the company announced on 12 May. An HC-130J long range surveillance/search and …

• Defence Helicopter

  Tough talk on European attack helicopter programmes

  13th May 2016

  Bell Helicopter’s commitments to eastern European attack helicopter programmes in the Czech Republic and Poland are strong in the light of the signing of a …

• Defence Helicopter

  Good vibrations for the Chinook

  13th May 2016

  The first CH-47F Chinook fitted with an improved vibration control system (IVCS) has rolled off the Boeing production line in Pennsylvania. Supplier Lord Corporation confirmed …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: T-BOS for Mexican Navy

  13th May 2016

  The Mexican Navy has ordered a Transportable Blackhawk Operations Simulator (T-BOS) from Rockwell Collins. The foreign military sales (FMS) procurement is valued at just over …

• Digital Battlespace

  EW Europe: NATO to tackle SEAD gap

  13th May 2016

  NATO is pushing ahead with a programme to fill its capability gap in the suppression of enemy air defence (SEAD). The programme intends to develop …

• Defence Helicopter

  Newcomers continue FVL development

  13th May 2016

  Heavyweight industry players may have been selected to build full-scale helicopters for the US Army’s Joint Multi-Role (JMR) technology demonstrator programme, but smaller companies are …

• Military Logistics

  Damen to maintain Dutch, Swedish tugs

  13th May 2016

  The Damen Shipyards Group has been awarded a seven-year, in-service maintenance contract from the Swedish and Dutch ministries of defence for five tugs that have …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Army tests GBSAA system

  13th May 2016

  he US Army has been testing the Ground Based Sense And Avoid (GBSAA) system at its Dugway Proving Ground, it announced on 10 May. The …

• Defence Helicopter

  Airbus to retrofit French EC145s

  13th May 2016

  Airbus Helicopters has received a contract from the French Defence Procurement Agency DGA to retrofit 35 H145 (formerly EC145) helicopters operated by the Sécurité Civile …

• Land Warfare

  SOFEX 2016: Centurion re-born

  13th May 2016

  A prototype tracked armoured personnel carrier called Al-Dawsar (Lion) was displayed at SOFEX for the first time. Built by Jordan’s King Abdullah II Design and …

• Land Warfare

  SOFEX 2016: Ukraine debuts Multirole APC

  13th May 2016

  Making its debut in the Middle East at SOFEX was the Ukraine Promoboronexport’s Dozor-B light 4x4 armoured personnel carrier (APC). Ukraine has been boosting its …

• Training

  US, Germany conduct Operation Sharp Griffin

  13th May 2016

  US and German armed forces underwent training on multiple complex situations at the multinational Operation Sharp Griffin training exercise, it was announced in early May. The exercise …

• Training

  ITEC 2016: LMCO home on the range

  12th May 2016

  The US Department of Defense has announced that Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $424 million cost-plus fixed fee, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for a …

• Land Warfare

  New tank calibres to increase lethality

  12th May 2016

  Rheinmetall is set to work on a path to upgrade the lethality of main battle tanks rather than begin work on a clean sheet design. …

• Military Logistics

  USAF reserve starts KC-135 upgrade

  12th May 2016

  The 507th Air Refueling Wing of the US Air Force (USAF) will be the first to receive KC-135 Block 45 upgrade, it was announced on …

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 ...