• Defence Helicopter

  Quad A 2016: Lakota FMS efforts stepped up

  28th April 2016

  With end of production on the horizon for the US Army's UH-72A Lakota, Airbus Helicopters Inc (AHI) is redoubling efforts to find international customers for …

• Military Logistics

  Boeing flies fourth KC-46 test aircraft

  28th April 2016

  Boeing has successfully completed the first flight of its fourth and final KC-46 Pegasus test aircraft, a 767-2C, adding it to its flight test aircraft …

• Defence Helicopter

  Quad A 2016: Bell eyes early service for V-280

  28th April 2016

  In the lead up to this year's Quad A in Atlanta, Georgia, Bell Helicopter reaffirmed its belief that its next generation V-280 tilt-rotor could enter …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: LATAS furthers airspace integration

  28th April 2016

  The Low Altitude Traffic and Airspace Safety (LATAS) system has completed its multi-aircraft testing, which took place over a two week period recently at Port …

• Digital Battlespace

  Russia sets sights high

  28th April 2016

  Six next generation mobile early warning air defence radars are expected to enter Russian service over the next few years. The Russian MoD is procuring …

• Training

  SimCentric joins SE Tower

  28th April 2016

  SimCentric has become part of the UK’s Synthetic Environment Tower of Excellence Community Of Practice (COP). The aim of the SE Tower is to develop …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UAV Vision, Ascent Vision team up

  28th April 2016

  UAV Vision (Australia) and Ascent Vision have teamed up under a strategic partnership that will see UAV Vision products distributed and supported within the Americas, …

• Digital Battlespace

  Cobham bags multiple ELINT orders

  27th April 2016

  Cobham has recently been awarded multiple awards worth around $5.5 million for electronic warfare (EW) subsystems and components for an airborne electronic intelligence (ELINT) platform, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Textron joins Centre for UAS

  27th April 2016

  Textron Systems Unmanned Systems has announced that it has become a member of the Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) organisation in the US. C-UAS …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: Crash-resistant drone gets upgrade

  27th April 2016

  Swiss UAV manufacturer Flyability has updated its crash-tolerant drone design, known as the Gimball, improving areas such as propulsion and adding additional sensors. Unlike traditional …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: Power to make its point

  27th April 2016

  South Korean company Kokam launched their new range of unmanned vehicle capable high energy battery solutions on 26 April, days before the start of the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: Sentient pushes ahead with ViDAR

  27th April 2016

  Sentient Vision Systems are continuing with their development of the Kestrel maritime ViDAR software, and revealed that the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) will deploy a …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2016: More substance for the Shadow

  27th April 2016

  The awarding of a $116.5 million deal to Textron Systems Unmanned Systems upgrade 24 US Army RQ-7B Shadow tactical UAS to the V2 standard will …

• Digital Battlespace

  Elbit announces E-LynX radio contract

  27th April 2016

  Elbit Systems has been awarded a $20 million contract from an undisclosed country in Western Europe for radios from its family of E-LynX tactical mobile …

• Military Logistics

  ADF orders Lincad batteries

  27th April 2016

  Lincad is to supply its lithium-ion power system (LIPS) batteries to the Australian Defence Force under a contract announced by the company on 26 April. …

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 ...