• Air Warfare

  Avarint offered DIADS engineering contract

  1st April 2020

  Avarint was awarded a $52.35 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursement, indefinite-quantity engineering service contract by the USAF Test Centre Specialised Contracting Branch. Under the agreement, Avarint will …

• Air Warfare

  Boeing’s first F-15QA test completed

  15th April 2020

  Boeing as successfully completed the first test of its F-15 Qatar Advanced (QA) fighter jet (pictured) which has been developed for the Qatar Emiri Air …

• Defence Notes

  Coronavirus chews up South Korean defence budget

  17th April 2020

  The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is having a global economic impact, and defence spending will not be immune. One of the earliest casualties is the South …

• Defence Notes

  Production resumes at Boeing’s Philadelphia sites

  21st April 2020

  Boeing restarted ‘essential’ production at its Ridley Township facilities near Philadelphia on 20 April after being closed since 3 April. The CH-47D Chinook, V-22 Osprey (pictured) …

• Air Warfare

  Northrop Grumman continues AARGM production for USN

  23rd April 2020

  Northrop Grumman, on 23 April, secured a $165 million contract for Lot 9 full rate production of the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) for …

• Digital Battlespace

  HII to perform analytical services for USSOCOM

  17th April 2020

  Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has secured a $22 million contract as part of the SOCOM-Wide Mission Support-A (SWMS-A) contract. It allows for the provision of …

• Naval Warfare

  Coronavirus lacerates Thai naval spending

  21st April 2020

  The COVID-19 outbreak has now struck down the annual budget of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), which is being slashed by a third. In total, …

• Defence Notes

  Russian industry feels the pinch from COVID-19

  27th April 2020

  According to information circulated by the Russian media and confirmed to Shephard, several officials working at the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) headquarters in Moscow have …

• Naval Warfare

  COVID-19 prompts Poland to reassess naval plans

  30th April 2020

  The Polish MoD will have to reshape its Technical Modernization Plan and re-evaluate some of its procurement goals, due to the economic crisis that is …

• Defence Notes

  Saab staves off COVID-19 complications to deliver first UAE GlobalEye

  29th April 2020

  The first of three GlobalEye multirole Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C;) aircraft has been delivered by Saab to the UAE, in a move made possible by …

• Defence Notes

  Israeli intelligence unit confronts COVID-19

  30th April 2020

  A research and development laboratory called Unit 81, part of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Intelligence Directorate, has been working with the  health ministry, the …

• Defence Notes

  Textron delays release of Q1 earnings

  14th April 2020

  Textron has confirmed that it will delay the release of its Q1 FY2020 earnings report which was due to take place on 22 April. Instead, …

• Training

  US sim business continues at pace

  8th April 2020

  Selling a simulator is one thing but the real long-term benefits come from upgrading that device over its lifetime to keep the training device current …

• Defence Helicopter

  Italy approves AW169MA order for army

  21st April 2020

  The Italian MoD's Air Force Armaments and Airworthiness Directorate (AFAAD) has approved the acquisition of 15 new Leonardo AW169MA advanced multirole helicopters and associated technical support, …

• Training

  Red 6 LVC visual solution shows promise

  29th April 2020

  One issue with the numerous airborne LVC trials and evaluations that have taken place over the past decade or so has been the inability to …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light attack, Trainer

  F-5E/F Adversary Trainer US Navy

  The F-5N is a single seat, dual engine supersonic land based fighter. It is designed to a service life of 9000 flight hours. The aircraft ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | F-16 Replacement [Portugal]

  On 12 April 2024, General João Cartaxo Alves, the Chief of Staff of the Portugese Air Force, revealed that Portugal would replace its fleet of F-16A/B ...

• Data links

  Data links | F-16 Replacement [Portugal]

  On 12 April 2024, General João Cartaxo Alves, the Chief of Staff of the Portugese Air Force, revealed that Portugal would replace its fleet of F-16A/B ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | F-16 Replacement [Portugal]

  On 12 April 2024, General João Cartaxo Alves, the Chief of Staff of the Portugese Air Force, revealed that Portugal would replace its fleet of F-16A/B ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | F-16 Replacement [Portugal]

  On 12 April 2024, General João Cartaxo Alves, the Chief of Staff of the Portugese Air Force, revealed that Portugal would replace its fleet of F-16A/B ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | F-16 Replacement [Portugal]

  On 12 April 2024, General João Cartaxo Alves, the Chief of Staff of the Portugese Air Force, revealed that Portugal would replace its fleet of F-16A/B ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16 Replacement [Portugal]

  Programme Background At the Portuguese National Defense Conference on April 22, 2025, General João Cartaxo Alves reaffirmed that the F-35A remains the sole viable successor ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  Hawk Mk 165 Advanced Jet Trainer- Saudi Arabia

  The fleet will be used to train Saudi pilots before they transition to the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-15 in service with RSAF.  Under the Saudi-British Defence Cooperation Programme, ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Next Generation Fighter Aircraft (Vietnam)

  Programme Background Requirement The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) operates an ageing fleet of Su-22 aircraft as well as Su-27s and Su-30s. According to expert commentary, ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) [Japan]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that GCAP's Japanese, British and Italian components are tracked in separate entries. Programme Timeline 2020: The Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency of Japan issued ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V [Türkiye]

  Programme Background Requirement Turkish Air Force ordered 100 F-35A aircraft as a partner nation, however, the country was removed from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement Originally conceived as a replacement for the F-22, the PCA was designed to counter various air threats, including integrated air defence systems ...

• Fighter - multirole

  H-X Fighter Programme (Finland)

  Programme Background In June 2020, Finnish MoD announced that the Hornet fleet life extension programme is neither cost-effective solution nor sufficient in terms of Finland’s ...

• Tiltrotors

  V-22 Osprey (USN)

  Programme Background Requirement According to USN FY2023 Budget Estimate documentation, the V-22 programme provides an aircraft to meet the amphibious and vertical assault needs of ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Phoenix Ghost (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (21 April 2022) Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, on 21 April 2022, President Biden announced an $800 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: air combat simulators

  Air Combat Training

  Boeing has experience in delivering training for fixed-wing air combat platforms including F-15C/E, F-16, F/A-18E/F, EA-18G, F-22 and MV/CV-22.

• Training Services

  Boeing’s training systems and services provide a full range of training activities, including mission planning systems; aircrew and maintenance training devices; training centres; and training ...

• Fighter - air superiority

  F-22A Raptor

  F-22A Raptor is a fifth-generation stealth air superiority fighter with air-to-ground attack capability. It was developed by Lockheed Martin to meet the requirement of the USAF ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  Collective Training

  Boeing has delivered and operates three USAF F-15C Mission Training Centers (MTCs), three F-15E MTCs and three F-16 MTCs. The F-22 platform was added into ...

• Subsystems: hardware

  Flight Simulation Products

  Bugeye Technologies (BT) manufactures simulated-grade flight grips, controls and avionic displays for fixed-wing, rotary-wing and unmanned crafts. BT's full line of products includes replicated control ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  DACTS

  The DRS Air Combat Training System (DACTS) has been delivered to military customers worldwide. Customised versions have supported coalition training for the US government and ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-77

  The AN/APG-77 is a low-probability-of-intercept fire control radar for the F-22 Raptor. It is designed to significantly improve capability in air-to-air combat, allowing the pilot ...

• Air: chaff, flare and decoy systems

  IRCM Flares

  Kilgore develops and manufactures a range of airborne IR decoy flares. These are compatible with most available dispenser systems. Standard flare products manufactured include: MJU-7A/B, ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-81

  AN/APG-81 is operating in the X-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire control radar designed by Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems for the F-35 “Lightning” all-weather ...

• EW test systems

  CRIIS

  The Common Range Integrated Instrumentation System (CRIIS) provides time, space and position information (TSPI) as well as systems evaluation data to support testing for a ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-83 SABR

  The AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) is an active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire control radar being developed by Northrop Grumman using its own ...

• Data links

  Multifunction Advanced Data Link

  Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) is a Ku-band data link designed for fifth-generation aircraft. The directional, interflight system is integrated into all F-35 variants, allowing ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  25mm PGU-48/B

  The 25mm PGU-48/B is a medium-calibre armour-penetrating round manufactured by American Rheinmetall. The US Air Force uses the PGU-48/B with its F-35 aircraft.

• Fixed wing aircraft engines

  F100-PW-229

  The F100 family of engines, selected by 23 air forces globally, power all of the USAF's F-15 Eagles and a substantial proportion of the global ...

• Subsystems: visual

  SpectraView Front Projection Display System

  Designed to support a variety of training requirements, SpectraView systems provide cost-effective, scalable and flexible options for single, tandem and side-by-side seating configurations. Standard and ...