• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DRS accredits Aquila Micro UAV payload

  12th June 2015

  Liteye Systems' new Aquila Micro has become the first commercial UAV thermal payload to receive DRS Technologies' 'Powered by DRS' accreditation, it was announced on …

• Land Warfare

  Industry teams bid for Aussie CRV

  12th June 2015

  Australia's Request for Tender (RfT) for the Land 400 Phase 2 programme will close in August as contenders have struggled to respond. The initial date of …

• Land Warfare

  Raytheon lab tests AMRAAM-ER

  11th June 2015

  Raytheon has completed lab testing the extended-range variant of its AMRAAM ground-based missile, the AMRAAM-ER, the company announced on 10 June. The tests showed that …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris bags ADF radio support contract

  11th June 2015

  Harris Corporation will provide the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with comprehensive technical and logistics support for Harris tactical radios under a $55 million order announced …

• Defence Helicopter

  Australian 725 Squadron to operate MH-60R

  11th June 2015

  The Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) commissioned its newest unit, 725 Squadron, which is equipped with Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawks, on 11 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  CUV debuts new tactical aerostat

  11th June 2015

  The latest version of Carolina Unmanned Vehicles’(CUV) Small Tactical Multi-Payload Aerostat System (STMPAS), called STMPAS-II has made its debut at the North Carolina Federal Advanced …

• Land Warfare

  German GBAD competition gets testy

  10th June 2015

  The competition for the new Tactical Air Defence system to be fielded by the German Air Force is heating up. And whilst the two main …

• Defence Notes

  BMT gets research grant for Aussie sub

  10th June 2015

  BMT Design and Technology, a BMT Group subsidiary, has secured a research grant in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) for Australia's …

• Military Logistics

  CACI to provide EO sensor support

  10th June 2015

  CACI International has been awarded a contract to provide technical and engineering support to the Electro-Optic (EO) Technology division of the US Naval Surface Warfare …

• Digital Battlespace

  Paris Air Show: CAE wins US Army training contract

  10th June 2015

  CAE has been awarded a US Army contract for initial and annual recurrent training for more than 600 US Air Force and army fixed-wing pilots, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Paris Air Show: Heron TP payload hits the market

  10th June 2015

  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has integrated its high definition M-19HD EO payload with its Heron TP UAV, enabling area dominance capabilities and long-range persistent surveillance …

• Defence Helicopter

  Slovakia set to upgrade its Mi-17s

  10th June 2015

  Slovakia is looking to upgrade a number of its Mi-17 helicopters, Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on his recent trip to Moscow. Fico said Slovakia …

• Digital Battlespace

  WIN-T Increment 2 gets FRP approval

  10th June 2015

  The US Army's Warfighter Information Network –Tactical (WIN-T) Increment 2 has received approval for full-rate production (FRP). The approval was announced on 8 June by …

• Digital Battlespace

  US approves Aegis sale to ROK Navy

  10th June 2015

  South Korea has taken a step closer to the purchase of three Aegis shipboard combat systems, following the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency's (DSCA) notification to Congress …

• Naval Warfare

  BAE starts building second UK OPV

  9th June 2015

  BAE Systems in Glasgow has started construction on the second Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) for the Royal Navy, the future HMS Medway, on 8 June. …

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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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

  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 ...