• Defence Notes

  Poland joins NATO’s 2% club

  24th June 2015

  Poland’s defence spending has reached above the 2% benchmark according to a NATO report, amid general reductions by many other European alliance members. The NATO …

• Military Logistics

  HII bags carrier modernisation order

  24th June 2015

  The Newport News Shipbuilding division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has received a US Navy contract for modernisation and nuclear propulsion work on the USS …

• Military Logistics

  A400M deliveries to recommence

  23rd June 2015

  Spanish regulator DGAM has lifted all remaining flight restrictions on new production Airbus A400Ms, paving the way for the recommencement of aircraft deliveries by Airbus …

• Military Logistics

  Airbus to acquire Safe Air

  23rd June 2015

  Air New Zealand is selling its aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company, Safe Air to Airbus Group Australia Pacific. According to an Air New Zealand statement …

• Defence Helicopter

  Spirit delivers third King Stallion fuselage

  22nd June 2015

  Spirit AeroSystems has delivered the third fuselage of the CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter to prime contractor Sikorsky, the company announced on 19 June. With …

• Digital Battlespace

  Paris Air Show: Octopod spreads its tentacles

  22nd June 2015

  German company Aerodata unveiled its new all-in-one surveillance pod, the Octopod, at the Paris Air Show this year.  The company’s new product contains eight different …

• Naval Warfare

  China issues rules for ship use

  19th June 2015

  China is implementing technical guidelines that will ensure civilian vessels can be mobilised and operated by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) during an emergency. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Belarus orders 12 Mi-8MTV-5 helicopters

  18th June 2015

  Russian Helicopters signed a contract to deliver 12 Mi-8MTV-5 military transport helicopters to the Belarus Department of Defence at the Army-2015 forum on 16 June. …

• Military Logistics

  Paris Air Show: Antonov develops jet-powered An-70

  18th June 2015

  Ukrainian company Antonov has revealed that it is working on a new cargo and military transport aircraft, developing a jet-powered version of the An-70. Alongside …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell V-280 Valor assembly begins

  17th June 2015

  Bell Helicopter announced the start of major assembly work on the fuselage of the Bell V-280 Valor tilt-rotor aircraft on 15 June, with Spirit AeroSystems …

• Land Warfare

  Nexter presents first Aravis to Gabon

  17th June 2015

  Nexter Systems has presented the first Aravis infantry mobility vehicle in peacekeeping configuration to the Gabon defence forces, the company announced on 16 June. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  COMINT system on Schiebel Camcopter

  17th June 2015

  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) subsidiary ELTA Systems and Schiebel will demonstrate the ELK-7065 3D high frequency (HF) band COMINT system on the Schiebel Camcopter S-100 …

• Digital Battlespace

  Paris Air Show: Tornado appears in Paris

  17th June 2015

  Controp Precision Technologies is displaying its new infrared (IR) camera, Tornado, for the detection of UAVs at the Paris Air Show 2015. Already in use …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Paris Air Show: Italian Air Force to receive Predator trainer

  17th June 2015

  CAE has been contracted to develop and deliver upgrades to a Predator UAS mission trainer being developed for the Italian Air Force (ITAF). The company …

• Military Logistics

  US Navy gets new Mobile Landing Platform

  16th June 2015

  General Dynamics NASSCO delivered the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) USNS Lewis B. Puller, configured as an Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB), to the US Navy …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Loitering munitions

  DELI [Türkiye]

  Programme Background Speaking to Shephard at SAHA Expo 2022, a spokesperson stated that the platform was expected to enter into service with the Turkish Armed ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Ground Master 403 Radar [Egypt]

  Background In 2020, Egypt ordered four of France-based Thales Ground Master 403 radars, the mobile member of their GM400 radar family.  At least one of the ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Akinci [Libya]

  Programme Background 2022 Reports In October 2022, various Libyan media outlets reported that the country was eyeing a possible procurement from Baykar, possibly the Akinici ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Bayraktar TB2 [UK]

  Background Rumours In mid-October 2022, Mustafa Varank, Turkey’s minister of industry, revealed to CNN Turk that the UK was interested in Turkish armed drones. The ...

• Transport

  C-130J [Vietnam]

  Programme Background Requirement Vietnam’s interest in acquiring the C-130J reflects a broader effort to modernise its air transport fleet, which was previously dominated by Russian ...

• Corvettes

  Steregushchy Class (Project 20380) (11-18)

  Programme BackgroundThe Steregushchiy class (Project 20380) corvettes are designed to operate in littoral combat zones and engage with enemy ships and submarines. The multi-role missions ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) (Tranche 2) / Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) [USA]

  Background The Rucksack Portable UAS (RPUAS) programme The RPUAS programme will provide the battalion and below-ground manoeuvre elements within the US Army with an organic, ...

• Military UAS - mini

  RemoEye-002B [South Korea]

  Background Contract award The RemoEye-002B was adopted by the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) as a battalion-level ISR asset in late 2013, when Uconsystem received ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Rafale Procurement (1-36) [Qatar]

  Methodology PGO As this programme is complete, the PGO is 100%. Units required A total of 36 units were required through this programme. This was ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | JF-17 [Azerbaijan]

  Azerbaijan has been known to be a potential buyer of JF-17 Thunder aircraft since 2015. The country is operating Su-24/25 and MiG-29 jets in service; ...

• Data links

  Data links | JF-17 [Azerbaijan]

  Azerbaijan has been known to be a potential buyer of JF-17 Thunder aircraft since 2015. The country is operating Su-24/25 and MiG-29 jets in service; ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | JF-17 [Azerbaijan]

  Azerbaijan has been known to be a potential buyer of JF-17 Thunder aircraft since 2015. The country is operating Su-24/25 and MiG-29 jets in service; ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | JF-17 [Azerbaijan]

  Azerbaijan has been known to be a potential buyer of JF-17 Thunder aircraft since 2015. The country is operating Su-24/25 and MiG-29 jets in service; ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | JF-17 [Azerbaijan]

  Azerbaijan has been known to be a potential buyer of JF-17 Thunder aircraft since 2015. The country is operating Su-24/25 and MiG-29 jets in service; ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Dominator [Mexico]

  Background Confirmation In September 2015, the Mexican government purchased two Dominator XPs after the UAS completed a series of flight trials. Data from the Stockholm ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• EO/IR systems

  OWLS

  Observation Wide-area Low-altitude Sensor (OWLS), demonstrated at Heli-Expo 2015, is a two-axis micro gimbal imager that combines a night vision sensor and an image-stabilised enclosure. ...

• EO/IR systems

  Skybox

  The Skybox allows gimballed camera systems developed for small UAVs to be integrated on the nose of manned helicopters. It accommodates cameras such as DJI’s ...

• Helicopter engines

  RR300

  The RR300 combines new design methodologies with the legacy of the M250 engine to produce a new engine family for the small rotorcraft market. Intended ...

• Air: mission management systems

  TM-100 Map and Video Management system

  Trakka Systems introduced a new TM-100 Map and Video Management system at HAI Heli-Expo 2017 in Dallas. The augmented reality mapping system with metadata video and audio ...

• EO/IR systems

  Geodetic photomapping and monitoring payload and blind zone cameras

  Heliatica unveiled a geodetic mapping and monitoring payload with Geoscan at Heli-Expo 2017. The system is designed to fit two Sony DSC-RX1 (24MP resolution) cameras ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  6XX

  Publicly unveiled at Heli-Expo in March 2017, the MD Helicopters 6XX is the next evolution in the MD 500 series and is a redesigned, single-engine ...

• Multipurpose missiles

  LAHAT

  The Laser Homing Attack (LAHAT) is an Israeli, semi-active, laser homing guided, low-weight, ATGM. It was designed to be fired from 105mm and 120mm tank guns.

• Tiltrotors

  AW609

  The Bell/Agusta BA609 became the first tiltrotor designed for the civilian market to fly in March 2003. In June 2011, Leonardo announced that it had ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Bars-8

  Following on from the 7t Bars-6 4x4 multipurpose armoured vehicle, Bogdan developed the 10t Bars-8 4x4 multipurpose armoured vehicle which was unveiled at the September ...

• Land: RWS

  AU-220M

  The AU-220M unmanned turret, developed by TsNII Burevestnik, a subsidiary of Uralvagonzavod (UVZ), mounts a dual-feed 57mm automatic cannon and a PKTM 7.62mm coaxial machine ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  525 Relentless

  Bell Helicopter announced in February 2012 that it was developing the Model 525 Relentless. The aircraft is designed primarily for the oil and gas industry ...

• Military vehicle engines

  TCD 2015

  The TCD 2015 is a modern water-cooled four stroke diesel V-engine that is currently integrated on the RG41 armoured vehicle.

• Military helicopters - light/training

  AW119

  The AW119 is a lightweight helicopter designed and produced by Augusta, then AugustaWestland, and, since 2016, by Leonardo. The helicopter first flew in 1995 and entered ...

• Military helicopters - maritime, Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  S-92/H-92

  The H-92 is the military version of the commercial S-92. It has a stand-up cabin, higher gross weight, more power and new composite rotor blades. ...

• OPVs

  Uribe/Holzinger Class

  Uribe- and Holzinger-class offshore patrol vessels are similar ships in service with the Mexican Navy. Six Uribe-class ships entered service in 1982-83, but one of ...