• Digital Battlespace

  West 2013: budget cuts will affect US military readiness, warns vice chairman

  30th January 2013

  The ability of US military forces to maintain high levels readiness is under threat due to the budgetary challenges faced by the US government. Speaking …

• Military Logistics

  Details of Chinese Y-20 emerge

  29th January 2013

  Following the successful maiden flight of the Y-20, China’s first domestically developed heavy air transport, Chinese media revealed further details of the project on 26 …

• Land Warfare

  Spain selects Husky Mounted Detection System

  28th January 2013

  Critical Solutions International (CSI) has delivered six Husky Mounted Detection Systems (HMDS) to the Spanish Army as part of a contract valued at more than …

• Defence Notes

  Canada moves on CF-18 fleet replacement

  28th January 2013

  Canada’s National Fighter Procurement Secretariat has kicked off its replacement of the CF-18 fleet with the issuing of a draft questionnaire to five companies on …

• Defence Helicopter

  Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter takes flight

  28th January 2013

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that the first Wildcat attack helicopter to be delivered to the Royal Navy successfully completed its first …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Anka UAV completes test flight programme

  25th January 2013

  Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has announced that the Anka Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV has completed the last flights of its acceptance test campaign. …

• Digital Battlespace

  General Dynamics details US Army MUOS upgrade award

  25th January 2013

  General Dynamics has received an order from the US Army for upgrade kits that will enable the force’s AN/PRC-155 two-channel Manpack radios to communicate with …

• Digital Battlespace

  Thales to upgrade NATO protected SATCOM capability

  25th January 2013

  Thales will upgrade the protected SATCOM capability of NATO under a new contract announced on 25 January. The award, issued by the NATO Communications and …

• Digital Battlespace

  Raytheon submits GASNT proposal to USAF

  24th January 2013

  Raytheon announced on 23 January that it has submitted its proposal to build the US Air Force’s (USAF) Global Aircrew Strategic Network Terminal (GASNT). The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AeroVironment announces new Wasp AE order

  24th January 2013

  AeroVironment will supply its Wasp AE small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS) to support an as yet unspecified US Marine Corps requirement under a contract announced …

• Military Logistics

  IFS enhances supply chain management offerings

  24th January 2013

  IFS has introduced a new pre-configured version of its Corporate Performance Management (CPM) solution called CPM Lite. The product is designed to optimise strategic supply …

• Military Logistics

  Indian Air Force's 1st C-17 moves closer

  23rd January 2013

  The first C-17 Globemaster III airlifter for the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been delivered by Boeing and will now enter a US Air Force …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Northrop Grumman to continue Hunter UAV support

  23rd January 2013

  The US Department of Defense (DoD) has announced that Northrop Grumman Technical Services will continue to provide logistics and engineering support for the US Army’s …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  BoldIQ software selected for Silent Guardian UAV

  23rd January 2013

  BoldIQ has been selected to provide operations optimisation and disruption management software for the Silent Guardian hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being developed by Bye …

• Land Warfare

  Precision mortar development forges ahead

  22nd January 2013

  Raytheon has been contracted to design, develop and demonstrate a new production representative 120mm long-range guided-mortar system munition for the US Marine Corps’ Expeditionary Fire …

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 ...

• 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

  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 - 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 ...