• Uncrewed Vehicles

  OceanServer Technology acquired by L3

  6th April 2017

  L3 Technologies has acquired OceanServer Technology, the company announced on 4 April. The business has been renamed as L3 OceanServer and will be integrated into …

• Military Logistics

  SOFINS: ​Airbus DS details A400M milestones

  6th April 2017

  Airbus Defence and Space used the recent SOFINS exhibition to detail the latest achievements of its A400M aircraft and the fact the tactical transporter is …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SAS 2017: USCG envisions UAS blend

  6th April 2017

  The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has made no secret of its interest in small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) for shipboard operations aboard its new …

• Defence Helicopter

  LAAD 2017: Helibras outlines helo upgrade prospects

  6th April 2017

  Brazilian helicopter manufacturer Helibras, based in Itajubá, Brazil, is looking to grow further through additional Panther and Dauphin upgrades.Currently, there are two ongoing contracts at …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Subscale LightningStrike completes flight test

  6th April 2017

  Aurora's XV-24A LightningStrike VTOL XPlane subscale demonstrator has completed its flight test programme at Webster Outlying Field in Southern Maryland in the US, the company …

• Defence Notes

  Korea decisions - shutting down the DPRK's business

  6th April 2017

  With North Korea responding to international sanctions against its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) development programme with smirks, the US administration has a myriad of …

• Naval Warfare

  Orbital ATK awarded MFF contract

  6th April 2017

  Orbital ATK has received a $20.8 million contract for first article test and production of the MK419 Mod 1 Multi-Function Fuze (MFF) for use on …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sea Venom cleared for Lynx exports

  6th April 2017

  European missile manufacturer MBDA has successfully completed air carriage and jettison trials of its new Sea Venom anti-ship missile from a Royal Navy Lynx Mk8 …

• Defence Helicopter

  Philippine Navy bolsters patrol fleet

  6th April 2017

  The Philippines received the first two of five leased TC-90 (a Beechcraft King Air variant) aircraft from Japan on 27 March, with a formal transfer …

• Digital Battlespace

  Milipol Asia 2017: SuperneT U-Agile+ bridges comms gaps

  6th April 2017

  Seeing a gap between military and homeland security communication networks, ST Electronics has developed application-based software named SuperneT U-Agile+ to bridge the two systems.Its release …

• Digital Battlespace

  UTC begins first LVA build

  5th April 2017

  UTC Aerospace Systems has commenced manufacturing on the first Large Vertical Array (LVA) for the US Navy's Virginia class submarines, the company announced on 3 …

• Land Warfare

  LAAD 2017: Turret developments for Guarani

  5th April 2017

  As Brazilian Army vehicle programmes begin to stall, there is still scope for the installation of new turrets.On the back of a contract to build …

• Digital Battlespace

  Lockheed to support US TBMCS

  5th April 2017

  Lockheed Martin has signed a $38 million contract to support the US military's Theater Battle Management Core System (TBMCS), the company announced on 3 April.The …

• Defence Helicopter

  LAAD 2017: Airbus bullish about market status

  5th April 2017

  Airbus has said it remains committed to its regional footprint in South America through its array of current and future programmes.Mesrob Karalekian, VP for Latin …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  MQ-4C flies with upgraded software suite

  5th April 2017

  The US Navy's MQ-4C Triton UAS has flown with an upgraded software suite following the completion of formal lab testing, Northrop Grumman announced on 4 …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60M Black Hawk [Latvia]

  Programme Background In August 2018, the Latvian government approved the acquisition of four UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters. The UH-60Ms are intended for both military and ...

• Transport

  C-130J [USA]

  Programme Background The C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop transport aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin to replace aging C-130 variants. The US and foreign ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF

  Background The programme’s early competitive phase included three different airframe designs. Boeing submitted one design, Lockheed Martin submitted another, and McDonnell Douglas submitted a third ...

• Transport

  King Air 360 [Nigeria]

  Programme Background On 7 October 2021, Nigeria’s Budget Office published its proposed budget details. The Nigerian Air Force requested 10.86 billion Nigerian Naira (US$26.4 million) ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  Light Attack/Trainer Aircraft - Ghana

  In 2013, the Chief of Ghana Air Force stated that A-29 is their preferred platform and this position was also submitted to the Government. In ...

• Bomber

  B-21 Raider [USA]

  Programme Background Development The US DoD is developing a new long-range bomber called the B-21 Raider, previously known as LRS-B. At least 100 units are ...

• Trainer

  Trainer Aircraft (1-12) [Vietnam]

  Programme Background After years of operating Russian-built military equipment, Vietnam is more willing to procure US-supplied equipment following the lifting of the arms embargo in ...

• Military UAS - mini

  RemoEye-006A [Bolivia]

  Background Ceremony In June 2013, the Bolivian air force inducted its first two UAVs into service, with the models, FAB 0001 and FAB 0002, being ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  Barak MX [Thailand]

  Background Thailand is procuring the Barak MX air defence system, which will be operated by the Anti-Aircraft Regiment of the Security Force Command. The system ...

• CUAS - jammers

  Airbase Air Defence Systems CUAS [US]

  Background The US Air Force's Budget Documentation for FY 2027 included $1.529 billion for Air Base Air Defence, part of which was to be used for ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 [Jordan]

  Background Requirement The Jordanian Air Force has a requirement for training helicopters that are to be used in the King Hussein Air College. The country currently ...

• 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 ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Tornado Replacement (F-35A) [Germany]

  Background Requirement In March 2020, it emerged that the German government was considering  30 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to replace 45 nuclear-capable Tornados. The remaining 40 Tornados ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V (1-8) [Bulgaria]

  Programme Background Requirement Bulgarian MoD plans to procure 16 new-built fighter aircraft to replace its fleet of 15 Russian-manufactured MiG-29 fighters. Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-47 Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  Background Requirement Originally conceived as a replacement for the F-22, the PCA was designed to counter various air threats, including integrated air defence systems and ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: EO/IR – Jamming Systems

  AN/AAQ-45

  Leonardo’s AN/AAQ-45 Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasures is designed to equip rotorcraft. The system is being installed on Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk medium-lift utility helicopters used ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  J/ALQ-8

  Like Israel, Japan elected to outfit its McDonnell Douglas/Boeing F-15J/DJ combat aircraft with an indigenous self-protection system. This takes the form of Mitsubishi Electric’s J/ALQ-8 ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  FAB-T Force Element Terminal

  The Family of Advanced Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminals - Force Element Terminal (FAB-T FET) is a nuclear-hardened SATCOM solution designed for airborne applications. Produced by Raytheon, ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  25mm PGU-48/B

  The 25mm PGU-48/B is a medium-calibre armour-penetrating round manufactured by American Rheinmetall. The US Air Force uses the PGU-48/B with its F-35 aircraft.

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  25mm PGU-23/U

  The 25mm PGU-23/U is a medium-calibre training round manufactured by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. The US Air Force utilises it with its AC-130 and ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - industry programmes

  Warrior Systems

  General Dynamics Mission Systems is prime contractor and system integrator for the US Army’s Warrior soldier systems, which include Air Warrior, Future Force Warrior, Land Warrior ...

• Air: mission management systems

  TBMCS

  Theater Battle Management Core Systems (TBMCS) is a US joint C2 integrated BMS used to plan and execute air campaigns in theatres of operations worldwide. ...

• Fighter - air superiority

  F-5E/F Tiger II

  The F-5E (single-seat)/F (twin-seat) Tiger II is an air superiority fighter developed by Northrop Grumman based on the original F-5 Freedom Fighter. Production of the ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  30mm PGU-13B High Explosive Incendiary

  The 30mm 30mm PGU-13B High Explosive Incendiary (HEI) is a medium-calibre munition manufactured by Northrop Grumman. The US Air Force uses the PGU-13B HEI with ...

• 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 ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  CLS-200

  The CLS-200 is part of the Yates Electrospace Corporation Silent Arrow family. It is a powered cargo-carrying one-use UAV, based on the company's GD-2000 glider.  In ...

• Trainer

  T-6A/B Texan II

  The T-6 Texan II is a single-engine trainer aircraft, which was developed from the Pilatus PC-9 to meet the training requirements of USAF and USN ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-4 Phantom II family

  The F-4 Phantom II is a two-seat multirole fighter developed originally by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) to meet USN interceptor requirements. It soon became a unified ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  EMB-312 Tucano

  The EMB-312 Tucano (Brazilian designation T-27) is a trainer and light attack aircraft developed by Embraer to meet the training requirements of the Brazilian Air ...

• Loitering munitions

  Sureshastra

  The Sureshastra, or Smart Unmanned Munitions System (S-UMS), is a jet-powered, catapult-launched loitering munition manufactured by Veda Aeronautics.  In 2023, the Indian Air Force (IAF) acquired ...