• Uncrewed Vehicles

  X-47B UAV successfully launched by catapult

  30th November 2012

  The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator being developed by Northrop Grumman for the US Navy has been successfully launched from a catapult for …

• Naval Warfare

  Thales wins Netherlands Goalkeeper modification contract

  29th November 2012

  Thales is to update the Goalkeeper Close-In Weapon Systems of the Royal Netherlands Navy under a new contract signed between the Netherland’s Ministry of Defence …

• Digital Battlespace

  Raytheon to deliver C4I system to Saudi Arabia

  29th November 2012

  Raytheon will deliver a Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) system to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under a new contract announced on 26 …

• Digital Battlespace

  Rockwell Collins to provide C-130T avionics equipment

  28th November 2012

  Rockwell Collins will provide a suite of avionics equipment for the US Navy C-130T Avionics Obsolescence Upgrade programme under a new contract awarded by the …

• Defence Helicopter

  General Dynamics reaches OH-58D component delivery milestone

  28th November 2012

  General Dynamics has announced that its Global Imaging Technologies business has delivered the 1,000th precision-machined beryllium sensor housing to DRS Technologies for the US Army's …

• Military Logistics

  British forces deploy JAMES technology

  28th November 2012

  Lockheed Martin has announced that its Joint Asset Management and Engineering Solutions (JAMES) technology has been deployed by British forces using ruggedised laptops in Afghanistan. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Pratt & Whitney wins US Army rotorcraft R&D award

  28th November 2012

  Pratt & Whitney will carry out work to research and develop an Advanced Variable-Speed Power Turbine (AVSPOT) to meet the range and lift requirements for …

• Defence Helicopter

  EDA takes helicopter pooling to the next level

  27th November 2012

  The European Defence Agency (EDA) Helicopter Training Programme (HTP) will organise military rotary wing exercises over a ten year period, following the signing of a …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing and MDHI on collision course over AAS contenders

  27th November 2012

  Boeing is in dispute with MD Helicopters (MDHI) over the latter’s development of the MD 540F as a militarised aircraft, it has emerged. A Boeing …

• Naval Warfare

  Northrop Grumman to support Canadian navigation systems

  26th November 2012

  Northrop Grumman will provide in-service support for the MK-49 inertial navigation systems and navigation data distribution systems fielded aboard surface ships and submarines of the …

• Defence Notes

  Germany takes delivery of MANTIS air defence system

  26th November 2012

  Rheinmetall has announced the formal delivery of the MANTIS air defence system to the German Air Force during a ceremony in Husum, Germany, home of …

• Defence Helicopter

  Selex Galileo announces new simulation contracts

  26th November 2012

  A number of new contracts have been issued to Selex Galileo worth a combined €8 million, according to a 23 November company statement. The contracts, …

• Defence Helicopter

  NAVAIR launches Presidential helicopter replacement

  26th November 2012

  US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has begun a fresh effort to find a new Presidential helicopter, with the release of a draft RfP to …

• Digital Battlespace

  Rockwell Collins wins US Army FlexForce award

  23rd November 2012

  Rockwell Collins has announced that the US Army Communication-Electronics Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground has issued it a $35 million award for satellite communication services. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  LUNA TUAS reaches operational milestone

  23rd November 2012

  EMT has announced that its LUNA tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (TUAS) has completed its 50th flight sortie with an EASA-certified Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transponder …

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 ...