• Digital Battlespace

  RUAG Missim systems for Germany

  11th December 2019

  RUAG has announced that it is supplying 16 Missim sensor test devices for helicopters to the German armed forces. The Missim system simulates a broad …

• Defence Helicopter

  Airbus Helicopters signs Tiger support agreement

  4th December 2019

  Airbus Helicopters has secured a ten-year tri-lateral Global Support Contract with OCCAR for Tiger helicopters in service in the French, German and Spanish armies.The agreement …

• Defence Helicopter

  First modified MV-22 Osprey delivered to USMC

  11th December 2019

  Boeing and Bell Textron have delivered the first modified MV-22 Osprey to the US Marine Corps (USMC). Bell Boeing is upgrading block B aircraft to …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell 412EPI​ delivered to PT Dirgantara Indonesia

  9th December 2019

  Bell has delivered a Bell 412EPI helicopter to PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) as part a nine aircraft order from the Indonesian Army. This is the …

• Defence Helicopter

  NAVAIR and Sikorsky put engine issues to bed (updated)

  18th December 2019

  A joint collaboration between NAVAIR and Sikorsky has led to the pair solving CH-53K King Stallion engine problems that have long been troubling the programme. …

• Defence Notes

  Malaysia publishes its first White Paper

  9th December 2019

  Malaysia’s parliament passed the country’s first ever Defence White Paper on 2 December to guide defence planning and development from 2020-30. Amidst opposition criticism on …

• Defence Helicopter

  First two H145Ms delivered to Hungary

  27th November 2019

  Two H145M military helicopters have been delivered to the Hungarian defence force by Airbus Helicopters, the company announced on 25 November. These are the first …

• Digital Battlespace

  L-3 Technologies receives AN/SRQ-4​ contract modification

  3rd December 2019

  L-3 Technologies is to supply data link systems for the US Navy’s MH-60R aircraft, the US Department of Defense announced on 2 December. Under a …

• Defence Helicopter

  Cobras slither into the Philippines

  27th November 2019

  On 26 November a pair of AH-1S Cobra helicopters arrived aboard a transport aircraft at Clark Air Base in the Philippines, these having been donated …

• Defence Helicopter

  French Cougar and Caracal support contract signed

  26th November 2019

  French Cougar and Caracal helicopters are to be supported by Airbus Helicopters and its partner Heli-Union under a contract announced on 25 November.The contract will …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell-Boeing to continue V-22 support

  2nd December 2019

  The US Department of Defense has issued a contract modification to the Bell Boeing Joint Project Office for the V-22 programme. Under the maximum $218.7 …

• Naval Warfare

  China doubles the size of its carrier fleet

  17th December 2019

  The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) commissioned its second conventional aircraft carrier, and the first to be built indigenously, at Sanya-Yulin Naval Base on Hainan …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing awarded AH-6i retrofit work

  28th November 2019

  Boeing has been awarded a $10.7 million contract to retrofit AH-6i helicopters destined for Saudi Arabia, the Department of Defense announced on 22 November. Under …

• Land Warfare

  Indonesian army presents its shopping list

  5th December 2019

  The Indonesian military operates on five-year procurement cycles, and Phase 3 of its modernisation programme will occur from 2020-24. As the Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) looks …

• Defence Helicopter

  I/ITSEC 2019: US Navy trainer helicopter award schedule slips

  28th November 2019

  The US Navy’s (USN) TH-73A trainer helicopter contract award is to be delayed by at least a month as the US Government continues to function …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F -Kenya

  Crew transition training took place at the MD Helicopters headquarters in Mesa, Arizona, with field service support, armament, and gunnery training scheduled to occur at ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  MD 530G - Malaysia

  Procured for an urgent operational requirement for gunships to support Eastern Sabah Security Command operations, helicopter deliveries had to slip from a planned delivery of ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Uncrewed MD 500 Replacement [South Korea]

  Background Uncrewed Replacement of the MD 500 Throughout the 2010s, South Korea appeared interested in replacing its fleet of crewed MD 500 helicopters that were manufactured under licence ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Project Land 2097 Phase 4 [Australia]

  Programme Background According to the RfI, under Project Land 2097 Phase 4, the selected helicopter must comprise a commercial or military off-the-shelf solution that is ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD-530G [Lebanon]

  Background Order context The Lebanese MD-530 order was placed during a visit of US Central Command Commander General Joseph Votel in December 2017.  MD 530F ...

• Hybrid effector systems

  US Air Force Air Base Defence Missile Defence [US]

  Background The US Air Force's (USAF) Air Base Air Defence Missile Defence (ABAD MD) programme is part of the Air Force Physical Security System and sits ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) First Batch (South Korea)

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Army)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Navy)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (Second Batch) [South Korea]

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton [Germany]

  Background Global Hawk Early in the development of the Global Hawk, the German MoD also expressed interest in procuring the aircraft as a replacement for ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow-On [USA]

  Programme Background In March 2019, Airbus stated that it expected orders from the US Army for between 12 and 15 UH-72A helicopters. In March 2020, ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Multirole Helicopters [Poland]

  Programme Background In 2020, Poland announced the launch of the Perkoz programme to acquire 32 support helicopters to replace its fleet of Mi-2 aircraft stationed ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145 Helicopter [Honduras]

  Programme Background  The Honduran Government has purchased a total of four H145 Helicopters manufactured by Airbus to develop the armed forces preparedness against natural disasters ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M [France]

  Background In April 2021, the French government signed a deal for the purchase of eight H225M Airbus helicopters to replace its ageing fleet of SA330 Puma ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F Cayuse Warrior

  An evolution of the OH-6 Cayuse light observation helicopter, the MD 530F was initially Federal Aviation Administration-certified in July 1985 as the Model 369FF. It ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  MDHI Glass Cockpit

  The American aerospace manufacturer MD Helicopters Inc. (MDHI) has designed and developed a glass cockpit specifically for MD 500E AND MD 520N aircraft. It is ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 500

  US-based MD Helicopters' MD 500 is a single-engine light helicopter derived from the Hughes OH-6A Cayuse developed for the US Army in the early 1960s and ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  IDU-680

  The IDU-680 is Genesys Aerosystems’ 3D synthetic vision integrated Electronic Flight Instrument System. The system includes a Highway in the Sky navigation system, geo-referenced hover ...

• Helicopter guns

  FN HMP

  The FN HMP (Heavy Machine Gun Pod) is a self-contained airborne weapon system armed with a 50cal FN M3P heavy machine gun. It is available ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G

  The MD 530G is the newest addition to the MD Helicopters (MDHI) line of light scout attack platforms. It has increased-capacity landing gear and a ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  KUS-VH

  The Korean Air Korean Air Unmanned System-Vertical Helicopter (KUS-VH) is a large, rotary-wing UAV based on the MD 500. The first flight of the platform ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  6XX

  Publicly unveiled at Heli-Expo in March 2017, the MD Helicopters 6XX is the next evolution in the MD 500 series and is a redesigned, single-engine ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C30

  The M250-C30 and -C30P are the exclusive powerplants for the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger and the MD Helicopters MD 530F and MD 530G. In addition, the AH-6i is ...

• EO/IR systems

  LEO-III

  The LEO-III, or LEO-III HD, was an airborne observation system with HD sensors and video outputs. It was a COTS, gyro-stabilised platform containing a multi-sensor HD ...

• Airborne rockets - unguided

  Aculeus MD-36 and MD-432

  The Aculeus MD-36 unguided multi-dart rocket provides 36 darts for the neutralisation of columns of light armoured vehicles. The Aculeus MD-432 provides 432 darts to ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C47E

  The C47E is the latest growth variant of the C47B/8 engine. In addition to a hot-and-high Value Improvement Package Kit, the C47E also includes dual-channel ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MD-1366 EBEM

  The US government selected the MD-1366 Enhanced Bandwidth Efficient Modem (EBEM) from ViaSat to set the DoD standard for high-speed, high-performance,flexibility and compatibility in a ...

• EO/IR systems

  Wescam MX-10

  The Wescam MX-10 EO/IR low-weight imaging system is designed for low-altitude tactical surveillance and reconnaissance missions from crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The MX-10 has had a close ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT)

  The Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT) is an in-development UAV from Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) based on an MD 500 twin-seat American commercial helicopter airframe. With the ...