• Air Warfare

  Leonardo’s AW249 to enhance Italian Army capabilities and target export market

  20th June 2024

  Leonardo’s new AW249 attack helicopter has made its international debut at Eurosatory 2024, with the Italian defence manufacturer noting it would provide unprecedented capabilities to the Italian Army.

• Naval Warfare

  The future remains unclear for US Coast Guard’s Healy icebreaker

  4th September 2024

  The cutter has been in Seattle where repairs have been taking place to electrical fire damage but no estimate has been given on its return to service leaving the US Coast Guard without surface assets to patrol the Arctic.

• Air Warfare

  Bell and Leonardo to cooperate on tiltrotor technology

  29th February 2024

  The partnership between Leonardo and Bell has signalled a step towards advancing next-generation rotorcraft capabilities as the two company's embark on NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) Concept Study.

• Defence Notes

  How temporary funding could affect the US military’s critical acquisition programmes

  25th September 2024

  Operating under continuing resolutions would affect Patriot, Virginia-class, Columbia-class and B-21 programmes.

• Land Warfare

  MBDA announces new VSHORAD system at Farnborough International Airshow 2024

  23rd July 2024

  The VSHORAD supersonic single-operator interceptor air defence system was unveiled at Farnborough.

• Air Warfare

  US State Department approves $1.9 billion Black Hawk sales for Sweden and Austria

  30th May 2024

  Foreign Military Sales (FMS) have been approved for 12 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to both Sweden and Austria. The announcements follow the approval of 12 to Brazil on 24 May, Greece signing for the procurement 35 of the helicopters in April and FMS approval to Croatia for eight aircraft in January.

• Training

  BAE Systems and VRAI collaborate on data-driven pilot training

  10th April 2024

  BAE Systems and VRAI have set out to harness the power of data to redefine fast jet pilot training.

• Defence Notes

  World Defense Show aims to expand global reach and innovation

  31st July 2024

  The Saudi Arabia defence industry showcase will return in 2026 with promises of more innovation and technologies from around the world.

• Air Warfare

  US Navy’s plan to replace fleet of MH60s moves forward

  16th May 2024

  The US Navy’s Future Vertical Lift (Maritime Strike) has been an effort to recapitalise Sikorsky MH-60R/S naval helicopters which have an out-of-service date in the late-2030s.

• Land Warfare

  Brazil gets go-ahead for 12 Black Hawk helicopters

  28th May 2024

  The Brazilian Army announced in 2023 that it was aiming to replace the eight HM-3 Cougar (Airbus Helicopters AS532 UE) and four HM-2 Black Hawk helicopters (Sikorsky S-70A) that have been in service with Army Aviation Command, with the aircraft beginning to be decommissioned in December 2023.

• Air Warfare

  AW609 titlrotor programme completes ship trial and looks to next phase

  26th June 2024

  The first Leonardo AW609 tiltrotor production aircraft made its maiden flight on 13 October 2022 which included an initial inflight evaluation of systems and general handling and it has now completed a ship trial.

• Air Warfare

  Brazil moves ahead with second-hand Black Hawk deal

  3rd May 2024

  Brazil will replace its HM-3 Cougar and HM-2 Black Hawk helicopters with the second-hand UH-60s.

• Special Operations

  Eurosatory day four: Images from across the show

  20th June 2024

  All the best images from the penultimate day of Eurosatory 2024 which brought the security industry into sharper focus for attendees to the Parc des Expositions de Villepinte.

• Air Warfare

  Brunei orders six H145M helicopters following UK’s lead

  2nd May 2024

  The news Airbus H145M medium helicopters will replace the Royal Brunei Air Force’s BO105 fleet.

• Training

  SkyAlyne awarded $8.2 billion contract for Canada’s Future Aircrew Training programme

  31st May 2024

  A multi-billion-dollar contract will see a joint initiative between CAE and KF Aerospace provide state-of-the-art aircrew training for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F -Kenya

  Crew transition training took place at the MD Helicopters headquarters in Mesa, Arizona, with field service support, armament, and gunnery training scheduled to occur at ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  MD 530G - Malaysia

  Procured for an urgent operational requirement for gunships to support Eastern Sabah Security Command operations, helicopter deliveries had to slip from a planned delivery of ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G Lebanon

  The Armed MD 530G Scout Attack Helicopter features next-generation all-glass cockpit that includes: two Genesys Aerosystems IDU-680 6” x 9” LCD primary displays, Tek Fusion ...

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

  Uncrewed MD 500 Replacement [South Korea]

  Background Uncrewed Replacement of the MD 500 Throughout the 2010s, South Korea appeared interested in replacing its fleet of crewed MD 500 helicopters that were manufactured under licence ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Project Land 2097 Phase 4 [Australia]

  Programme Background According to the RfI, under Project Land 2097 Phase 4, the selected helicopter must comprise a commercial or military off-the-shelf solution that is ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) First Batch (South Korea)

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Army)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Navy)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (Second Batch) [South Korea]

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• 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 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8, Tanks

  Tracked & Wheeled Light Tank (Philippines)

  Programme Background The decision to split the programme into a wheeled and a tracked element follows the belief of the Philippine Army that this will ...

• 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

  UH-60A [Portugal]

  Programme Background At the end of February 2025, the Portuguese Minister of National Defence said that as part of the Portuguese Army's Support, Protection & ...

• 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 - 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 - scout/light attack

  MD 530F Cayuse Warrior

  An evolution of the OH-6 Cayuse light observation helicopter, the MD 530F was initially Federal Aviation Administration-certified in July 1985 as the Model 369FF. It ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G

  The MD 530G is the newest addition to the MD Helicopters line of light scout attack platforms. It has increased-capacity landing gear and a mission-configurable ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  MDHI Glass Cockpit

  The American aerospace manufacturer MD Helicopters Inc. (MDHI) has designed and developed a glass cockpit specifically for MD 500E AND MD 520N aircraft. It is ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  IDU-680

  The IDU-680 is Genesys Aerosystems’ 3D synthetic vision integrated Electronic Flight Instrument System. The system includes a Highway in the Sky navigation system, geo-referenced hover ...

• Helicopter guns

  FN HMP

  The FN HMP (Heavy Machine Gun Pod) is a self-contained airborne weapon system armed with a 50cal FN M3P heavy machine gun. It is available ...

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

  KUS-VH

  The Korean Air Korean Air Unmanned System-Vertical Helicopter (KUS-VH) is a large, rotary-wing UAV based on the MD 500. The first flight of the platform ...

• Helicopter Armour

  Armor of America (AoA) produces custom armour kits for any rotary-wing aircraft. AoA helicopter armour protects areas such as the cockpit floor and doors, cabin ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  6XX

  Publicly unveiled at Heli-Expo in March 2017, the MD Helicopters 6XX is the next evolution in the MD 500 series and is a redesigned, single-engine ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C30

  The M250-C30 and -C30P are the exclusive powerplants for the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger and the MD Helicopters MD 530F and MD 530G. In addition, the AH-6i is ...

• HEMS Completions

  RSG has been providing modification, retrofit, completion services and component overhaul to the air medical industry for over 38 years on aircraft produced by Airbus ...

• HS-16600

  Breeze-Eastern's HS-16600 external electric hoist system is operational on the Leonardo Helicopters AW109 and AW119, Bell Helicopter 206 and 222, and MD 500. It is ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 500

  The MD 500 is a single-engine light helicopter derived from the Hughes OH-6A Cayuse developed for the US Army in the early 1960s and the ...

• EO/IR systems

  LEO-III

  The LEO-III, or LEO-III HD, was an airborne observation system with HD sensors and video outputs. It was a COTS, gyro-stabilised platform containing a multi-sensor HD ...

• Airborne rockets - unguided

  Aculeus MD-36 and MD-432

  The Aculeus MD-36 unguided multi-dart rocket provides 36 darts for the neutralisation of columns of light armoured vehicles. The Aculeus MD-432 provides 432 darts to ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C47E

  The C47E is the latest growth variant of the C47B/8 engine. In addition to a hot-and-high Value Improvement Package Kit, the C47E also includes dual-channel ...