• Defence Helicopter

  Long game on horizon for H160M export customers

  4th November 2019

  Deliveries of the in-development Airbus H160M medium aircraft will not be available to export customers any sooner than 2026, as the manufacturer first concentrates on …

• 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 …

• 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 …

• 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 …

• 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 …

• Land Warfare

  Kovico seeks further breakthroughs in Southeast Asia

  26th November 2019

  A lesser-known South Korean armoured vehicle manufacturer displayed two 4x4 vehicles at Defense & Security 2019 in Bangkok, as Armor Kovico makes a concerted attempt …

• Defence Helicopter

  Lockheed Martin receives M-TADS/PNVS contract modification

  29th November 2019

  The US Army has issued a $7.5 million contract modification to Lockheed Martin for Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight Pilot Night Vision Sensor Systems (M-TADS/PNVS), …

• Defence Helicopter

  Ace Aeronautics | A Next Gen, Turnkey Solution for Black Hawk Operators (sponsored video)

  29th November 2019

  This video is brought to you by Ace Aeronautics Ace Aeronautics, the sole integrator of the Garmin G5000H based ACE DECK VL-60 cockpit for the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing awarded Netherlands AH-64E work

  27th November 2019

  Boeing has been awarded a modification to its Foreign Military Sales (Netherlands) contract to incorporate Royal Netherlands Air Force uniqueness into the AH-64E helicopter, the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Airbus weighs up dropping Romanian investment plans

  25th October 2019

  Manufacturer Airbus could decide to put a hold on investment plans in Romania, following the Bucharest government’s failure to make good on an order for …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  European MALE RPAS builds toward development contract signature

  6th November 2019

  Industry partners involved in the multinational European MALE RPAS effort are set to be awarded with a first full programme contract in 2020, a development that …

• Military Logistics

  Asian countries receive new transport aircraft

  5th November 2019

  Countries in Asia are continuing to bolster their transport fleets as part of continuing modernisation of their air fleets. A new CN-235-220M transport aircraft departed …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Airbus reveals classified ‘untrackable’ low observable UAV

  5th November 2019

  Manufacturer Airbus has shown off a classified Low Observable UAV Testbed (LOUT) for the first time, with a bold claim that the platform’s stealth profile …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky awarded CH-53K​ configuration change work

  26th November 2019

  Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky will carry out CH-53K configuration changes required for initial operational test and evaluation for lot 1 low rate initial production aircraft. The …

• Naval Warfare

  HMS Queen Elizabeth reforms carrier battle group

  4th December 2019

  The Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabethhas reformed its carrier battle group for combined NATO/anti-submarine warfare training in the Western Atlantic. The vessel rejoined HMS Northumberland, …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M - France

  Programme 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 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M [Ireland]

  Programme Background On 30 December 2024 Ireland announced a contract with Airbus for four new H145M helicopters to replace the Air Corps existing fleet of ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System - AHTS (TH-57 Replacement)

  Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single engine 407GXi. ...

• 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 - maritime

  Maritime Operations Helicopters

  The three maritime operations helicopters will be used for logistics and personnel transport, alongside transportation of PASKAL naval special forces in operations in the area. ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  SW4 Puszczyk Replacement [Poland]

  Programme Background  In 2002, Poland order 47 SW4 training helicopters from Italian manufacturer Leonardo; as of Spring 2025, the Ministry of Defence is looking to ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Bell 412EPI-Indonesia

  Programme Background PTDI is assembling Bell helicopters in its factory in Bandung.  The first Bell 412EPI was delivered to Indonesian Army on 29 December 2020 ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  Kondor Naval Helicopters (Poland)

  Programme Background In 2018, the Polish MoD announced its requirement to purchase up to eight naval helicopters to replace in-service SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters. Polish ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Spain HT-29 Caiman (NH90 TTH) - Army First Batch

  HT-29 Caiman GSPAs (NH90 TTH) will be assembled at Airbus Helicopters’ facility in Albacete and will replace AS332 Super Puma fleet in service. Even though ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  AW101 [Poland]

  According to the media reports, Airbus couldn't provide a competitive offer for the programme due to the offset requirements.  The deliveries were to be completed ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-X [Japan]

  There is no mention of the AH-X in the 2019-2023 Medium Term Defence Plan, so it is possible that the requirement has quietly been postponed. ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H135 (UK)

  Programme BackgroundAirbus Helicopters UK announced on 2 February 2022 that it has won an order to provide five additional H135 twin-engine helicopters for the MoD. The ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH-90 [Spain]

  Programme Background Along with a range of other air programmes, the Spanish Government announced the nation has set aside 1 billion euros (USD$1.162 billion) to ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Ka-226T-India-Air Force

  An official contract announcement is expected during the Aero India 2021 exhibition in Bangalore, although negotiations have dragged on for more than five years and ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M (Contracted) [Germany]

  Programme Background Previous Usage The German Armed Forces ordered 15 H145M helicopters, with the initial two delivered in December 2015, for the Kommando Spezialkräfte. These ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - light/training

  H145

  The light, twin-engine EC145 began as an initiative to increase the cabin size of the BK 117 C1 aircraft, involving Kawasaki of Japan and Airbus ...

• Model 301 Fire Attack

  The Model 301 is a belly tank/refill hose system for Airbus Helicopters AS365-series helicopters.

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M

  The H145M (formerly known as the EC645 T2) is the military version of the H145 medium-sized (3.7t) helicopter (covered in a separate entry). It is ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M

  The medium-weight, 11t-class H225M (formerly known as the EC725) is the latest military Super Puma/Cougar family member.  Technical features include a modular design of mechanical ...

• Military helicopters - light/training, Military helicopters - multirole

  H135M

  The H135M (formerly known as the EC635 and also designated as H135) is a light utility variant of the EC135 twin-engine, multipurpose 3t helicopter. In ...

• Model 316 Fire Attack

  The Model 316 is a belly tank/refill hose system for Airbus Helicopters H225 and AS332 L-series helicopters.

• AC67 Airbus Helicopters H135 interior

  Bucher has developed the AC67 medical interior for the Airbus Helicopters H135 in cooperation with ADAC Luftrettung.The lightweight, modular design features a floor with integrated ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H215M

  The H215M (formerly the AS532 ALe) is the most recent addition to the Cougar family.  It is a medium-weight (9t-class), twin-engine helicopter, combining the AS532's ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H175M

  The Airbus H175M is the military variant of the H175, a seven-tonne class aircraft powered by twin PT6C 67E engines. The civilian variants produced by Airbus ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Helionix

  The Helionix digital avionics suite was developed from the need for a more powerful avionics system with greater functions and computing capacity, alongside a user-friendly interface. ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2+/2D

  Unveiled in 2011, the Arriel 2+ is an upgrade of the Arriel 2 and is intended for single- and twin-engine helicopters. It incorporates a new ...

• Helicopter engines

  LTS101

  The LTS101 was first certified in 1975. Since then, over 2,100 engines have been delivered to customers worldwide, logging over 11 million service hours. The ...

• EO/IR systems

  Viviane

  Viviane is an out-of-production gyro-stabilised night and adverse weather observation system with missile sight.  Manufactured by Safran, it was fitted to French Army Gazelles. It contained a ...

• Air: mission management systems

  APM 2000

  The current generation of autopilots is the APM 2000 family, fitted on major worldwide platforms. The APM 2000 is based on an integrated digital computer. ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  H125M

  The H125M, formerly the AS550 C3e Fennec, is a military version of the civil H125. The helicopter platform is manufactured by Airbus Helicopters, through the manufacturer's ...