• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Industry stands by for next ASTRAEA phase

  28th April 2014

  Industry bids are being prepared for the next phase of a UK effort to ease the validation and certification of UAS in national airspace, an …

• Digital Battlespace

  Airbus pushes on with airborne data transfer solution

  25th April 2014

  Airbus Defence and Space has started the second development stage of its Dazzle laser beam data transferral system following an initial phase that exceeded expectations, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Turkish Army inducts first nine T-129As

  25th April 2014

  The Turkish Army has formally taken delivery of its first nine T-129A attack helicopters, as Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) completes the early-delivery (EDH) phase of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Lockheed Martin develops new control system for SUAS

  25th April 2014

  Lockheed Martin is migrating its Group 1 family of UAS to enhanced automation capabilities using its Kestrel "Fly Light" flight control systems and mobile Ground …

• Digital Battlespace

  Experts highlight increased cyber threat over Crimea

  25th April 2014

  Territorial disputes between Russian and Ukraine over Crimea have led to an increase in cyber terrorism in the region and sparked debate on the ownership …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Airbus launches Zephyr 8 project

  25th April 2014

  Airbus Defence and Space announced on 23 April that it had launched the Zephyr 8 programme to develop the next generation of the world record …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  French Reaper reaches 500 Mali flight hours

  24th April 2014

  The French Air Force has reported that the Reaper detachment deployed in support of Operation Serval in Mali passed the 500 hour flight milestone on …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Arcturus UAV enables VTOL for fixed-wing UAVs

  24th April 2014

  Arcturus UAV has introduced a new vertical takeoff and landing system to enhance launch and recovery processes for its T-20 and T-16 fixed wing unmanned …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky reports sales and profit growth

  24th April 2014

  Increased international and commercial sales have led to overall sales growth for Sikorsky after declining revenues for the division had a negative impact on parent …

• Defence Helicopter

  Optionally Piloted Black Hawk takes off

  23rd April 2014

  The Optionally Piloted Black Hawk (OPBH) demonstrator currently in development between Sikorsky and the US Army has completed a successful first flight at Sikorsky’s Development …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  MDA to support Canadian DND UAV solution

  22nd April 2014

  MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) has been awarded a CA$5 million contract by the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) to provide support for the …

• Defence Helicopter

  UH-60M sale to Mexico approved by US State Department

  22nd April 2014

  The US State Department has approved the potential sale of 18 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Mexico as part of a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris awarded US Navy broadband SATCOM contract

  21st April 2014

  Harris Corporation will provide the US Navy with additional shipboard terminals to provide crew access to high-bandwidth voice and data communications under a new contract …

• Military Logistics

  Leidos to manage NATO Fuel Monitoring System

  21st April 2014

  Leidos will manage the NATO Fuel Monitoring System (NFMS) under a new contract awarded by the NATO Support Agency (NSPA), announced on 21 April. The …

• Defence Helicopter

  BAE Systems’ CMWS software update achieves CDR

  21st April 2014

  The latest software update for BAE Systems’ Common Missile Warning System (CMWS) has completed Critical Design Review (CDR), marking a key milestone in the advancement …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Data links

  Data links | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-390 [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirement The aircraft deliveries were scheduled to start by the end of 2016 and continue over a period of ten years. However,  the first ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-130H Replacement [Sweden]

  Programme Background Requirements Sweden has five C-130H aircraft (designated Tp-84) and one KC-130H. Two C-130Es bought in the 1960s have retired, but the six H ...

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

  Hermes 900 [Chile]

  Methodology Unit cost In 2024, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) acquired one Hermes 900 for 50 million reais ($9.14 million), giving each drone an estimated ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  H145M [Brazil]

  Background  Brazilian leadership announced in February 2022 that the Sabre Mil Mi-35M Hind-E attack helicopters were being retired from active service. This decision came as a ...

• Fighter - multirole

  JAS 39E/F Gripen [Brazil]

  Background In 2016, Gripen’s Project and Development Center was opened in Sao Paulo to allow Sweedish and Brazillian engineers to work together in the Gripen ...

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

  Hermes 900 [Colombia]

  Methodology Unit cost In 2024, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) acquired one Hermes 900 for 50 million reais ($9.14 million), giving each drone an estimated gross ...

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

  Hermes 900 (5) [Brazil]

  Background First three batches (2014-2024) Across three purchases, Defence Insight estimates that Brazil has acquired five Hermes 900 UAVs. In 2014, Elbit reported supplying one ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  Long Range Air Defence [Brazil]

  Background Brazil is in the process of expanding its medium-range air defence capabilities and is known to be interested in acquiring a long-range air defence ...

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

  Hermes 900 (1-4) [Brazil]

  Background First batch (2014) In 2014, Elbit reported supplying one Hermes 900 UAV to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The drone is called the RQ-900 in Brazilian ...

• Maritime patrol

  C295 add-on [Brazil]

  Programme Background  In 2014 Brazil signed a contracted for two additional C-295 SAR platforms with the option to acquire one additional platform. In 2018, reports ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air-to-surface missiles

  MAR-1

  The MAR-1 is a Brazilian air-to-surface anti-radiation missile (ARM) developed by Mectron in collaboration with the Aerospace Technology and Science Department (DCTA) of the Brazilian ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Harpia

  Described as the UAV with the most onboard technology in Latin America, Harpia is a multifunctional fixed-wing Brazilian drone developed by Advanced Technologies Security & Defence.  The Uruguayan ...

• 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 ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  TPTS

  Tactical Procedures Training Simulators (TPTS), operating with SWARM software, can be used to provide most core training elements to pilots or offload training tasks from ...

• Guided munitions

  SMKB (Smart-MK-Bomb)

  The Smart-MK-Bomb, or the SMKB, is a precision guidance kit developed by Mectron and designed to turn Mk 82 and Mk 83 bombs into guided munitions.

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

  Albatroz Vortex

  The Albatroz Vortex from Stella Tecnologia is a development of the company's Albatroz UAV.  The key differentiator is that the Vortex is fitted with an ATJR ...

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

  Condor

  The Condor, or Atobá XR, is an in-development MALE-class UAV from Stella Technologia.  The development of the multi-role is tied to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), which has ...

• Trainer, Transport

  EMB-121 Xingu

  The EMB-121 Xingu is a twin-turboprop light transport and advanced multi-engine trainer aircraft developed by Embraer based on the EMB-110 Bandeirante. Its maiden flight was ...

• Land: battle management systems

  Arkhe Mission & Combat

  Launched in 2017, Atech's Arkhe Mission & Combat solutions offer a variety of solutions enabling operator to conduct missions from planning to execution and debriefing. It ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-390/C-390 Millennium

  The KC-390 is a high-wing, twin-turbofan, T-tail design intended to meet the needs of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) for a tanker/transport aircraft. Developed and ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• EO/IR systems

  Skyward

  The SkyWard system is an advanced Infrared Search and Track (IRST) solution developed for next-generation airborne platforms, including 5th-generation fighter aircraft.  Designed with modularity in ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Saber M60

  The Saber M60 is a low-altitude air-defence radar developed by the Brazilian Army's CTEx (Army Technology Centre) in collaboration with Bradar, part of Embraer Defence ...

• Man-portable missile systems

  RBS 70 system

  The RBS 70 was developed in the 1970s to meet the Swedish Army’s requirement for a low-cost, easy-to-use MANPADS which could function in extreme climatic ...