• Uncrewed Vehicles

  X-47B conducts carrier touch-and-go landing operations

  21st May 2013

  The US Navy has reported that the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D) has commenced touch-and-go landing operations on board the aircraft carrier USS …

• Land Warfare

  Cubic wins small arms trainer FMS contract

  21st May 2013

  Cubic Corporation will supply its Engagement Skills Trainer 2000 (EST 2000) Plus to an unnamed armed force under a foreign military sales contract from the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Australia issues tender for High Power Array Radar development

  21st May 2013

  The Australian Department of Defence released a Request for Tender to CEA Technologies on 17 May for the development of a High Power Phased Array …

• Military Logistics

  Raytheon wins US Air Force quick-deploy ATC contract

  20th May 2013

  Raytheon will supply a rapidly deployable air traffic control (ATC) system to the US Air Force under a contract announced on 20 May. The contract, …

• Defence Helicopter

  UK MoD orders additional Hellfire missiles

  20th May 2013

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that it has ordered additional supersonic Hellfire missiles for the British Army’s Apache helicopter fleet. The £15 …

• Land Warfare

  New Zealand acquires 200 Rheinmetall trucks

  20th May 2013

  Rheinmetall MAN will supply the New Zealand Defence Force with 200 military vehicles under a NZ$135 million contract announced on 16 May.    The trucks …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Australia to issue LOR for US Navy MQ-4C Triton UAV

  17th May 2013

  The Australian Minister for Defence has announced that Australia is considering the US Navy’s MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as part of the replacement …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX 2013: Pacific navies further information sharing

  16th May 2013

  Information sharing has become a priority for navies in the Pacific region as they focus their efforts on frameworks and exercises to better deal with …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX 2013: Royal Navy argues it is still relevant

  16th May 2013

  The chief of naval staff for the Royal Navy has drawn parallels from the UK’s experiences in recent land based operations to how the navy …

• Naval Warfare

  First Indian P-8I MPA arrives in-country

  16th May 2013

  The first P-8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) delivered by Boeing for the Indian Navy has arrived in India. The aircraft is the first of eight …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Germany ends Eurohawk programme

  15th May 2013

  Germany plans to end the Eurohawk UAV programme due to problems relating to air space integration and airworthiness, it has emerged. The German government informed …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris receives US Marine Corps Falcon radio order

  15th May 2013

  Harris will supply Falcon III AN/PRC-117G radios to the US Marine Corps under a new $26 million  order announced on 15 May. The Joint Tactical …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  X-47B completes first carrier-based catapult launch

  15th May 2013

  The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator has become the first unmanned aircraft to be launched by catapult from a ship, following the completion …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Skeldar V-200 reaches test programme milestones

  15th May 2013

  Saab has revealed that its Skeldar V-200 vertical lift unmanned aerial system (UAS) has carried out successful flight demonstrations for a number of potential customers. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Gray Eagle UAS to gain EW attack capabilities

  14th May 2013

  The US Army’s MQ-1C Grey Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will be fitted with an electronic attack payload capable of jamming enemy communications systems for …

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 ...