• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky to advance VTOL X-Plane programme

  13th December 2013

  The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Sikorsky Phase 1 of the VTOL Experimental Aircraft (X-Plane) programme.   The new contract, valued …

• Land Warfare

  Lockheed Martin JLTV completes latest assessment

  13th December 2013

  Lockheed Martin’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) bid remains on track with the successful completion of the US government’s Manufacturing Readiness Assessment (MRA). This assessment, …

• Naval Warfare

  MBDA to continue MCM- ITP programme work

  13th December 2013

  MBDA will continue research and development work for the Materials and Components for Missiles - Innovation and Technology Partnership (MCM-ITP) programme, following the issue of …

• Digital Battlespace

  Textron AirLand's ISR/Strike platform takes flight

  13th December 2013

  Textron AirLand has completed the first flight of its Scorpion ISR/Strike technology demonstrator, with a 1.4 hour flight from McConnell AFB in Wichita, Kansas. The …

• Digital Battlespace

  Sixth Boeing-built WGS-6 enters service

  12th December 2013

  The sixth Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS-6) built by Boeing has been delivered on orbit to the US Air Force, boosting communications capabilities for the US …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  TAF Anka crashes during operational testing

  12th December 2013

  The Turkish Air Force’s (TAF’s) Anka UAV crashed during operational flight testing due to unforeseen circumstances that are yet to be revealed, officials have stated. …

• Military Logistics

  US Navy buys Caesar medical simulators

  12th December 2013

  The US Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) has bought 44 Caesar trauma patient simulators from CAE Healthcare for tactical medical care field training in sites throughout …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Iran claims successful reverse-engineering of stealth UAV

  11th December 2013

  Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) will reveal a reverse-engineered version of the US stealth UAV which it claims to have captured in 2011, local …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  USN unveils submarine-launched UAV

  11th December 2013

  The US Navy has revealed details of a submarine-launched electric UAV concept following the conclusion of 12 months of live demonstrations this year. The all-electric, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Royal Australian Navy receives first MH-60R helicopters

  11th December 2013

  The first two MH-60R helicopters have been accepted by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) at ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s Owego facility. The RAN has 24 …

• Military Logistics

  GOCO dies, but will live again

  11th December 2013

  The UK government has finally abandoned proposals to privatise the MoD’s defence equipment procurement agency, DE&S. The secretary of state for defence, Philip Hammond, told …

• Defence Notes

  EADS details Defence and Space restructure plans

  10th December 2013

  EADS has presented a plan to the European Works Council that will see its future Airbus Defence and Space Division (Airbus DS) and corporate functions …

• Land Warfare

  Excalibur successfully fired from PzH2000 howitzer

  10th December 2013

  Testing to assess Excalibur’s compatibility and performance with the PzH2000 self-propelled howitzer has been completed at Yuma Proving Ground by the US Army and Raytheon. …

• Land Warfare

  Puma AIFV completes hot climate testing

  10th December 2013

  Germany’s Puma armoured infantry fighting vehicle (AIFV) have completed hot climate trials, it has emerged. Two of the new AIFVs were flown to the UAE …

• Defence Notes

  European ‘go-it-alone’ defence approach a major weakness, report says

  9th December 2013

  In the run-up to the European Council meeting on defence, a report from the EU Parliament has highlighted the costs resulting from the lack of European …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The FVL-MS programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft utilised ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 1) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was ...

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

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) [US Army]

  Background USMC First, Army Second In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial Resupply ...

• Loitering munitions

  Launched Effects-Short Range (LE-SR) [US]

  Background Goal The Army sees LE-SR as a family of systems comprising an air vehicle, an effects payload, mission system applications, and associated support equipment, ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) [USA]

  Programme Background US Army's Future Vertical Lift Programme The FLRAA is one of three strands of a broader army programme. The others are the Future ...

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

  Large ULS-A / Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) [USMC]

  Background US Marine ULS-A programmes The US Marines are seeking a family of Unmanned Logistics Systems-Air (ULS-A), which will provide logistics and ground units with their ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 2) [US Army]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was intended to ...

• Tiltrotors

  V-22 Osprey [Japan]

  Programme Background Procurement Contracts The Japanese government is the first export customer of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, having ordered 17 helicopters from the US across ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F Chinook [U.S Army]

  As the Army's only heavy-lift helicopter, the CH-47F Improved Cargo helicopter is an essential component of the Army's Multi-Domain Battle framework. The CH-47F and MH-47G ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Data links

  Data links | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

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

  V-247 Vigilant

  The V-247 Vigilant is a tiltrotor UAV from Bell. Officially introduced in 2016, it features an open modular architecture and can host several payloads. These include ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  SB-1 Defiant

  The SB-1 Defiant is a Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) aircraft. Sikorsky and Boeing announced in February 2013 that they would submit a joint proposal ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Aerosonde Mk 4.8 HQ FTUAS

  From the Texton family of Aerosonde UAS, the Aerosonde Mk 4.8 Hybrid Quad (HQ) FTUAS is a tactical drone purpose-built to meet the US Army's Future Vertical Lift ...

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Korean Future Vertical Lift (KFVL)

  Unveiled at KADEX 2024, the Korean Future Vertical Lift (KFVL) is a family of uncrewed helicopters from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). Despite being in the ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  S-97 Raider

  The S-97 Raider helicopter is based on the five-year, company-funded X2 Technology Demonstrator project. Like the X2, the S-97 Raider will feature twin coaxial, counter-rotating ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AVX JMR

  AVX Aircraft proposed a compound helicopter with coaxial rotors, small wings and dual ducted-fan propulsors for the US Army’s JMR-TD FVL programme. In April 2015, ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers

  APR-39E(V)2

  The AN/APR-39E(V)2 is a digital radar warning receiver manufactured by Northrop Grumman. The receiver is a modernised version of the AN/APR-39 radar warning receiver and ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  HQ-60

  Similarly to other platforms in the L3 Technologies Hybrid Quadrotor (HQ) and Fixed-Wing Rotator family (see separate entries) of VTOL fixed-wing UAVs, the HQ-60 has ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  H6 Poseidon

  Manufactured by Swarmly, the H6 Poseidon is a fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV. The second largest member of the Poseidon family, the vertical lift is provided through ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  X-Sight

  Elbit X-Sight is a developmental helmet-mounted display system designed for helicopters. According to the manufacturer, it will offer a high field of view and colour binocular ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Bell 360 Invictus

  The Bell 360 Invictus was the company's prototype for the US Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) programme.  The helicopter features retractable weapon bays, two ...

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Kargo II

  The Kargo II is a cargo-carrying rotary-wing UAV from Piasecki. It has a cargo capacity of 1,300 lbs, 500 lbs more than the original Kargo ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - industry programmes

  Warrior Systems

  General Dynamics Mission Systems is prime contractor and system integrator for the US Army’s Warrior soldier systems, which include Air Warrior, Future Force Warrior, Land Warrior ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Veloce-15

  The ST Engineering Veloce-15 (V-15) is a hybrid fixed-wing UAV with four rotors for vertical lift and a tail-mounted two-bladed pusher propeller for horizontal propulsion.  ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Integrated Avionics Suite

  Northrup Grumman's Integrated Avionics Suite is an open architecture mission equipment package, which can be deployed on a number of rotorcraft platforms. It consists of ...