• Digital Battlespace

  Defence Services Asia: Malaysian service chiefs to tackle 21st Century cyber threat

  10th April 2014

  Malaysia’s minister of defence, Dato Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, has highlighted cyber security as a ‘crucial’ and ‘unconventional threat’ that must be tackled. Speaking ahead …

• Defence Notes

  Defence Services Asia: Export decision allows Japan to target SE Asian market

  10th April 2014

  Japan’s removal of its arms export ban could offer up opportunities for defence sales to Southeast Asian countries, government officials have divulged. The news follows …

• Military Logistics

  Rolls-Royce to continue US Navy T-45 engine support

  10th April 2014

  Rolls-Royce will continue to support the F405 Adour engines that power the US Navy's T-45 training aircraft under a follow-on contract announced on 9 April. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SAS14: RAF pax to be trained on Triton

  9th April 2014

  Four Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel are to conduct training on the US Navy’s MQ-4C Triton UAS as part of the UK’s Seedcorn programme which …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SAS14: Royal Navy considers ScanEagle extension

  9th April 2014

  Insitu has submitted a bid to the Royal Navy to extend the provision of its ScanEagle operations beyond the existing two-year contract, the company has …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SAS14: USN reveals extended test plans for UCAS-D

  9th April 2014

  The US Navy PM for the UCAS-D programme has outlined a series of objectives for X-47B following the award of additional funding to continue testing …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SAS14: UCLASS draft RfP expected within weeks

  9th April 2014

  The highly anticipated draft RfP for the air vehicle segment of the US Navy’s future Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) programme is …

• Digital Battlespace

  Airbus D&S receives Spexer 2000 contract extension

  9th April 2014

  Airbus Defence and Space (D&S) will supply new Spexer 2000 security radars to an existing unnamed customer in the Middle East to improve the country’s …

• Defence Helicopter

  Phantom Badger certified for V-22

  9th April 2014

  The US Navy has certified the Phantom Badger combat support vehicle for transport within the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. A series of successful tests were …

• Land Warfare

  GD assesses AMPV options

  8th April 2014

  General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) has announced an internal review following the US Army Materiel Command’s (AMC) decision to deny the company’s protest regarding the …

• Military Logistics

  Boeing brings forward closure of C-17 production line

  8th April 2014

  Boeing has brought forward the end of C-17 Globemaster III production by three months, following an analysis of current market trends and the timing of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SAS14: Textron boosts Scorpion test schedule

  8th April 2014

  Textron AirLand is due to ramp up flight testing of its Scorpion strike/ISR aircraft as it aims to achieve more than 300 flight hours by …

• Defence Helicopter

  K-MAX to demonstrate new mission-specific interface

  8th April 2014

  A planned trial will see a new advanced task-based mission management and control system, known as VERTI, integrated with the K-MAX aircraft under a Phase …

• Naval Warfare

  US Coast Guard HC-144A deliveries remain on-track

  8th April 2014

  A new HC-144A Ocean Sentry maritime patrol aircraft has been delivered by Airbus Defense and Space (D&S) to the US Coast Guard, bringing the fleet …

• Defence Helicopter

  SAS14: AACUS completes first phase test

  8th April 2014

  The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has completed the first flight test programme of its five year Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) effort, it has …

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 - fixed-wing, 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. ...

• Data links

  Data links | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• 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 - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (11-12) [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 - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Project Vixen [UK]

  Background Project Goal The Royal Navy uses Leonardo crewed Merlin (AW101) helicopters fitted with CROWSNEST pods to provide airborne early warning capabilities for carriers. An early 2021 Royal ...

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. ...

• AMAS

  AMAS – Australian Minesweeping System – was developed with the assistance of the Defence Science & Technology Organisation and the Royal Australian Navy. It adopts ...

• 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).

• 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 - fixed-wing, 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 - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-28A Ghost Bat

  The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is a loyal wingman-type, Collobrative Combat Aircraft (CCA), MALE fixed-wing drone being developed by Boeing Defence Australia. Its development began in 2013 and took its ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  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 ...

• Submarine-launched torpedoes

  Mk 48 Mod 7AT CBASS

  The MK 48 MOD 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) is the latest variant of the Mk 48 torpedo family manufactured by Lockheed Martin and ...