• Digital Battlespace

  GD Canada awarded domestic cyber contract

  11th October 2013

  General Dynamics Canada has been awarded a contract for the Canadian Department of National Defence's Armour programme that will see it develop an automated computer …

• Defence Helicopter

  New Zealand evaluates cost of NH90 lightning strike

  11th October 2013

  The cost of repairing a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) NH90 tactical transport helicopter (TTH) that was struck by lightning is likely to run …

• Defence Notes

  RFP released for Kiribati maritime safety vessel

  11th October 2013

  New Zealand has released a Request For Proposals (RFP) for a new maritime safety vessel for Kiribati. The RFP describes proposals for an ocean-going boat …

• Defence Helicopter

  Moog joins Team Valor as flight control system expert

  10th October 2013

  Moog has been announced as the newest addition to Team Valor for the Bell V-280 Valor helicopter programme. The company has been selected to design, …

• Defence Notes

  Canada unveils Defence Renewal Strategy

  10th October 2013

  The Canadian Ministry of National Defence has launched an initiative to maintain operational capability and readiness by streamlining business processes and reducing overhead costs within …

• Defence Helicopter

  Canada considers Cyclone alternatives

  10th October 2013

  The Canadian government has confirmed meetings are underway with rival aircraft manufacturers to determine the future of the troubled CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopter project (MHP).  …

• Military Logistics

  USN logistics scandal widens

  9th October 2013

  In late September, Military Logistics International interviewed Capt Daniel Dusek, (see Autumn edition 2013) commander of the USS Bonhomme Richard, a US Navy Wasp class …

• Military Logistics

  Portsmouth gears up to support UK carrier

  9th October 2013

  More than half a billion pounds of funding is expected to be made available for the development of Portsmouth Naval Base out to 2020, according …

• Defence Notes

  MBDA makes Australia hub of Asia Pacific growth

  9th October 2013

  MBDA has opened an office in Canberra, making Australia the centre of its targeted growth in the Asia Pacific region.  The company is looking at …

• Military Logistics

  Dutch choose Airborne Systems delivery system

  9th October 2013

  The Dutch Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) has selected Airborne Systems to deliver Firefly and Microfly guided precision aerial delivery systems to Dutch SOF units. Airborne …

• Defence Helicopter

  Indonesian helicopter issues denied by Eurocopter

  9th October 2013

  Technical issues have grounded much of the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) Puma/Super Puma fleet in recent months, it has emerged. TNI-AU sources told Shephard that electrical …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Bluefin Robotics acquires SeeByte

  8th October 2013

  Bluefin Robotics has enhanced its autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) software capabilities with the acquisition of SeeByte. The deal – the details of which have not …

• Defence Helicopter

  Downturn in light military rotorcraft sales predicted

  8th October 2013

  As the overall international demand for light military helicopters contracts, manufacturers continue to pursue emerging markets to sustain production levels, according to a new study. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Watchkeeper receives MAA approval

  7th October 2013

  The WK450 Watchkeeper UAV design has finally received certification from the UK’s Military Aviation Authority (MAA), Thales UK has announced. According to Thales, which manufactures …

• Defence Helicopter

  UTC reverses furlough plans

  7th October 2013

  United Technologies (UTC) has announced that it will cancel the furloughs it had planned for this week following the US government’s decision to recall most …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT (1-9) [NATO]

  Programme Background Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT Follow-On (NATO)

  Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that the EDA ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawks [Norway]

  Programme Background NH90 NFH cancellation  The Norwegian government announced the termination of the NH90 NFH helicopter contract for 14 NH90s with NHIndustries in June 2022. Seahawk Acquisition ...

• Tanks

  New MBT [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Tanks

  M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Greece)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

  Programme Background Request for Information (RfI) In September 2022, the Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) launched a request for information in preparation for a possible ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Italy)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

• Maritime patrol

  MAWS/PATMAR [France]

  Programme Background In 2017, Germany and France announced that they would be working towards developing an MPA to replace their current fleets in service. The ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Bidders and Suppliers The Leopard 2A8, the latest in the Leopard family, was selected by the Royal Dutch Army as per announcements in ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Bayraktar TB2 [Kuwait]

  Background Contract Award On 18 January 2023, Baykar announced signing a $370 million export contract with Kuwait for the Bayraktar TB2. According to the announcement, ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton - Germany (Cancelled)

  Programme Background Germany requested to buy four MQ-4C Triton HALE UAVs from Northrop Grumman. On 5 April 2018, the US State Department announced that it ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [France]

  Programme Background Requirements The European Patrol Corvette (EPC) is one of the new PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defence and Security) projects. PESCO was established ...

• AEW&C

  Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (1-6) [NATO]

  Programme Background NATO’s E-3A AWACS fleet is set to retire in 2035, after 50 years of service. To plan for the required follow-on capability, NATO's ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirements The 2021-2023 Documento Programmatico Pluriennale (DPP) - a multi-year defence planning document from the Italian MoD - includes a plan to acquire eight "Patrol Ships", ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: air defence radar

  APIS

  APIS is a passive high-resolution primary radar system developed by Indra. It is the first passive system in the world capable of offering images using ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  AE50R

  The AE50R is an aviation gasoline single rotary engine with an output of 40.4kW. The engine is certified according to European Aviation Safety Agency Part ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  LOTUS

  The LOTUS, Low Observable Tactical Unnamed System, is a tactical UAV especially designed for border patrol ISR operations.  The development of the project is funded by ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Mistral 3

  The Mistral 3 is the latest member of the Mistral family of very short-range surface-to-air missiles. It entered service in 2018 and has been chosen ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2H

  Safran Helicopter Engines received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) engine type certification for its Arriel 2H engine, installed in the Avicopter AC312E, in April 2018. ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  AR5

  First announced in October 2012, the AR5 is a MALE UAS designed for SAR, surveillance and maritime patrol missions. The AR5 can be flown manually or commanded ...

• Air: NVGs

  PNL-3M Orlik

  PNL-3M are high-performance, lightweight, passive stereoscopic NVGs for helicopter crew members. Certification by European Aviation Safety Agency also enables civilian use. The device can be ...

• Trainer

  Gabriel-TP

  Gabriel-TP is a low-wing, two-seat tandem trainer aircraft aimed at both military and civilian customers. It is certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCH 170

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCH 170 is a fixed-wing loitering munition from MBDA. Similar in design to the Switchblade 300, the catapult launched system ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Standard 3

  Jointly developed by ATR and Thales, The Standard 3 avionics suite has been specifically designed for ATR-600 aircraft. It offers the pilot user-friendly interface, along ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCX 50

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCX 50 is a rotary-wing loitering munition from MBDA.  According to reports, the RCX 50 is designed to support ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  DroneGun

  DroneGun enables controlled management of an adversarial UAS, causing no damage to the UAV or surrounding area. It either forces the drone to perform a ...

• Military - USVs

  NOMARS

  The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) is a US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) effort to develop a first-of-its-kind large uncrewed surface vessel.

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  Trident 100TD2

  The Trident 100TD2 is a compression-ignition engine that is capable of operating on various types of heavy fuel. It is claimed to offer up to ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...