• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: China develops coast guard into major force

  14th May 2015

  Beijing’s recent merging of four organisations into the China Coast Guard has raised questions whether the new agency is being used as an instrument of …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: Experts warn of oil and gas vulnerabilities

  14th May 2015

  Offshore oil and gas facilities are becoming an increasingly attractive target for terror attacks seeking to target vulnerable critical infrastructure, particularly across Asia, experts warn. …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: US and Malaysian navies conduct joint exercises

  14th May 2015

  Vessels from the US and Malaysian navies conducted bilateral training exercises in the South China Sea on May 10, as part of efforts to build …

• Digital Battlespace

  L-3 to supply 236 VSATs to ADF

  14th May 2015

  L-3 Communications has been awarded a contract from Raytheon Australia to supply 236 Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) to the Australian Defence Force (ADF), it …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  China becoming global centre for consumer UAV production

  14th May 2015

  Start-up firms in China are looking to tap into the success of established in-country UAV firms such as DJI, whose products account for 70% of …

• Digital Battlespace

  Augmented reality applications inch closer

  14th May 2015

  British BAE Systems engineers are working with the University of Birmingham to develop augmented reality applications, the company announced on 11 May. The applications being …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  NW-44 UAV engine undergoes flight testing

  13th May 2015

  Northwest UAV's (NWUAV’s) NW-44 UAV engine has been successfully integrated into an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and completed the first round of flight tests with …

• Digital Battlespace

  Aitech launches A661m military GbE switch

  13th May 2015

  Aitech Defense Systems has launched the rugged A661 Layer 2/3 IPv6 48-port Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switch for military applications, as announced by the company on …

• Digital Battlespace

  SBIRS Increment 2 completes development

  13th May 2015

  Lockheed Martin has completed the development of its next-generation Increment 2 ground system for the US Air Force's Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS), it announced …

• Military Logistics

  US Army awards ESPC contract to 14 businesses

  13th May 2015

  The US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, has issued awards to fourteen companies under a $1.5 billion, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) …

• Defence Helicopter

  USAF Ospreys to deploy to Japan in 2017

  13th May 2015

  The Pentagon has announced it will begin deploying its first squadron of Bell Boeing CV-22 Ospreys to Japan in 2017. The specially modified tiltrotor aircraft …

• Digital Battlespace

  Engility, NGA announce new GEOINT programme

  13th May 2015

  Engility and the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) have announced a new government programme to solicit, screen and acquire geospatial applications from commercial developers on …

• Military Logistics

  AAR to manage repairs of UK MoD's BAe146 fleet

  12th May 2015

  AAR has been selected to manage the repairs of the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD) fleet of BAe146 aircraft, it announced on 7 May. Under …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2015 (video): CAE promotes virtues of TigerShark XP

  12th May 2015

  In conjunction with Navmar Applied Sciences Corp, CAE displayed its TigerShark XP ground control station at the AUVSI exhibition in Atlanta at the beginning of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  IAI, Sky Sapience team for tethered hovering systems

  12th May 2015

  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Sky Sapience have signed an agreement to develop, produce and market new tethered hovering aerial systems. The agreement will see …

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 ...