• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Fire Scout UAV reaches 5,000 flight hours in Afghanistan

  14th August 2013

  The MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter has surpassed 5,000 flight hours in support of operations in Afghanistan since its first deployment in 2011. Prime contractor …

• Land Warfare

  Lockheed Martin awarded PAC-3 Missile contract

  14th August 2013

  Lockheed Martin will provide hardware and services associated with the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment programme under a $308 million contract modification received from …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2013: Triton aims for 11-hour endurance mark

  14th August 2013

  The US Navy’s MQ-4C Triton will attempt an 11-hour flight on 14 August as part of ongoing tests, programme managers have revealed. Addressing a media …

• Defence Helicopter

  AUVSI 2013: Royal Navy selects AgustaWestland for RWUAS

  13th August 2013

  The Royal Navy has awarded AgustaWestland a £2.3 million contract to develop its Rotary Wing Unmanned Aerial System (RWUAS) concept. It is understood that the …

• Digital Battlespace

  ROK goes international to counter HEMP threat

  13th August 2013

  The Republic of Korea (ROK) has initiated steps to counter the growing threat of a high-altitude electro-magnetic pulse (HEMP) attack from the Democratic People’s Republic …

• Digital Battlespace

  E-2D Advanced Hawkeye enters full-rate production

  13th August 2013

  The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft will move into full-rate production following the award of a $617 million contract to Northrop Grumman by the US Navy …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Keymerging Technologies orders Responder UAV

  13th August 2013

  ING Robotic Aviation has announced that it will provide its Responder rotary wing unmanned aerial vehicle system (UAV) to Keymerging Technologies for use in aerial …

• Defence Helicopter

  Lockheed Martin to supply M-TADS/PNVS to South Korea

  13th August 2013

  Lockheed Martin will supply Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) systems for South Korea’s AH-64E Apache helicopter fleet under a new contract …

• Defence Helicopter

  AUVSI 2013: Sikorsky goes public with 'Matrix'

  13th August 2013

  Sikorsky has officially introduced its latest unmanned research and development (R&D) programme, the Matrix autonomous technology demonstrator, at the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2013: ‘Wave Relay’ unveiled for UAV swarm ops

  13th August 2013

  Persistent Systems is integrating a MANET communications capability onto an undisclosed US customer’s UAV for use in ‘swarm’ applications, company officials have revealed. Speaking to …

• Defence Helicopter

  Northrop Grumman CIRCM completes Preliminary Design Review

  12th August 2013

  Northrop Grumman’s Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) has completed Preliminary Design Review (PDR), marking the end of the company's technology demonstration programme.  Northrop Grumman is developing …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  HoodTech Vision introduces dual-payload on a single aircraft

  12th August 2013

  HoodTech Vision has demonstrated the ability for a single aircraft to carry two stabilised imaging systems. The system allows operators to simultaneously and independently operate …

• Digital Battlespace

  New systems flown on EA-18G Growler

  9th August 2013

  The Boeing EA-18G Growler airborne electronic attack aircraft has demonstrated new sensor system upgrades in a US Navy flight to show how the enhanced technologies …

• Digital Battlespace

  CAE to develop Hawk simulators for RAAF

  9th August 2013

  BAE Systems has selected CAE to build three Hawk Mk127 full-mission simulators for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The contract for the work was …

• Defence Helicopter

  Apache sensor marks one million hours of flight

  9th August 2013

  Lockheed Martin’s Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) system for the AH-64D Apache has completed one million hours of flight-time, the company …

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 ...