• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UAV Vision gimbal selected for Airbus Zephyr 8

  8th May 2015

  The solar-powered Zephyr 8 is part of the High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) programme being conducted by Airbus Defence and Space, and in early May the company …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2015: US Navy outlines vision for the future

  7th May 2015

  The US Navy has ambitious goals for the future use of unmanned assets, which will see families of interconnected systems gathering information able to be …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2015: Product diversity crucial for market survivability

  7th May 2015

  Product and service diversity are crucial for maintaining market position, officials from UAV Solutions said, attending the AUVSI conference in Atlanta. UAV Solutions was present …

• Defence Helicopter

  Japanese Osprey buy moves a step closer

  7th May 2015

  The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified the US Congress on 5 May that it had cleared a sale of 17 Bell Boeing V-22B Osprey …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  BAE Systems to provide TSP systems to US Army

  7th May 2015

  BAE Systems has received an order for the initial production of 12 Tactical Signals Intelligence Payload (TSP) sensors for the US Army, the company announced …

• Land Warfare

  Supacat to supply HMT Extenda to Norway

  7th May 2015

  Supacat has inked a £23 million contract with the Norwegian Defence Logistic Organisation (NDLO) for the supply of HMT Extenda high mobility vehicles, the company …

• Defence Notes

  IDEF 2015: New ammo R&D company for Turkey

  7th May 2015

  Rheinmetall and MKEK will set up a new ammunition research and development company in Turkey within one year. The companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding …

• Defence Notes

  IDEF 2015: First sight of SOM-J cruise missile

  7th May 2015

  The new SOM-J (stand-off missile) cruise missile destined for the F-35 aircraft is about to begin Phase IIB risk reduction studies. According to Roketsan, which …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Textron expands unmanned training options

  7th May 2015

  Textron announced the introduction of its new unmanned systems training course catalogue on 4 May, with a comprehensive range of unmanned systems coursework. The company …

• Defence Notes

  IDEF 2015: Gunship solution heading for Italian SF

  7th May 2015

  A six-barrelled variant of Oto Melara’s 20mm Gatling Gunship system for cargo aircraft is destined for the Italian Special Forces. Roberto Rossi, project manager at …

• Naval Warfare

  IDEF 2015: Aselsan displays laser-Igla concept

  7th May 2015

  A new laser concept demonstrator is on show from Aselsan at the IDEF exhibition in Istanbul that merges the Igla missile launching system with a …

• Land Warfare

  IDEF2015: Otokar exhibits new CBRN 8x8

  7th May 2015

  A new CBRN variant of the Otokar 8x8 Arma is on display for the first time at the IDEF 2015 exhibition in Istanbul, Turkey. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  CPI awarded MALE UAV antenna contract

  6th May 2015

  Communications & Power Industries' (CPI) Malibu Division has been awarded a $3.5 million contract to supply advanced antenna products for a medium altitude long endurance …

• Defence Helicopter

  Australia commissions first pair of CH-47F Chinooks

  6th May 2015

  The Australian Army commissioned its first pair of Boeing CH-47F Chinook helicopters at RAAF Base Townsville on 5 May. They will be operated by the …

• Defence Helicopter

  IDEF 2015: TAI position for Polish Kruk attack helicopter

  6th May 2015

  TAI has signed two MoUs with Polish defence companies at the IDEF exhibition as it builds up to compete for Poland’s attack helicopter programme – …

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 ...