• Land Warfare

  Australia orders new thermal sights

  21st April 2016

  Elbit Systems of Australia has received a $30 million contract from the Australian Department of Defence for the supply of its XACTth65 thermal weapon sights, …

• Defence Helicopter

  DSA 2016: AIROD signs MoUs for RMAF upgrades

  21st April 2016

  On 20 April, the third day of DSA 2016, AIROD signed MoUs with two foreign companies to propose upgrades for two types of Malaysian military …

• Naval Warfare

  Austal to build Pacific Patrol Boats

  21st April 2016

  Austal has been selected by the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) as preferred bidder to build and maintain up to 21 patrol boats for Australia’s …

• Defence Helicopter

  DSA 2016: AgustaWestland and Weststar team for AW159

  21st April 2016

  Finmeccanica Helicopter Division is positioning its AW159 Wildcat helicopter for a Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) requirement for naval helicopters capable of anti-submarine warfare (ASW). It …

• Defence Notes

  Russian expeditionary logistics in the spotlight

  20th April 2016

  During panel discussions at the 32nd Annual National Logistics Forum, Washington D.C sponsored by the National Defense Industrial Association, service representatives were asked about possible …

• Defence Notes

  Affordability gap to face ‘next administration’

  20th April 2016

  Hon. Frank Kendall, US under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, at the 32nd Annual National Logistics Forum, in Washington D.C., outlined significant …

• Naval Warfare

  Customer confirmed for engine jamming tech

  20th April 2016

  UK electronics specialists e2v has announced the first contract for its engine jamming technology, which will be used for maritime anti-piracy purposes. Known as RF …

• Naval Warfare

  EU ferry security measures lacking

  20th April 2016

  Despite a marked increase in the threat posed by Daesh terrorists in Europe, as demonstrated by recent attacks in Paris and Brussels, ‘very few measures’ …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UltiSat receives Global Hawk support order

  20th April 2016

  UltiSat has received a COMSATCOM Transponded Capacity (CTC) task order from the US Defense Information Systems Agency's (DISA) to provide Ku bandwidth capacity to support …

• Digital Battlespace

  IBCS in dual engagement testing

  20th April 2016

  The US Army has conducted a dual engagement flight test of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) developed by Northrop …

• Naval Warfare

  OPV utility will have future relevance

  20th April 2016

  Offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) will be able to play a number of roles in future operations by services like the UK Royal Navy and, together …

• Defence Helicopter

  Aurora flies subscale LightningStrike

  20th April 2016

  Aurora Flight Sciences has successfully conducted the first flight of a subscale vehicle demonstrator (SVD) of its LightningStrike vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) X-Plane for DARPA …

• Digital Battlespace

  DSA 2016: Pakistan proffers radio technology

  20th April 2016

  Pride of place at the National Radio & Telecommunication Corporation’s (NRTC) booth at DSA 2016 was its software-defined radios (SDR). The Pakistani corporation, which was …

• Training

  ASTi to enhance RAF Ch-47 trainers

  20th April 2016

  Advanced Simulation Technology (ASTi) equipment will be fitted on a suite of CH-47 Mk6 Chinook helicopter weapons system trainers for the British Royal Air Force …

• Digital Battlespace

  DSA 2016: Malaysian LCS gets IP comms

  20th April 2016

  Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) has signed a contract with Malaysian shipbuilder, Boustead Naval Shipbuilding to provide communications for its new Littoral Combat Ships. Signed at …

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 ...