• Defence Helicopter

  Elbit Systems wins Apache processor award

  22nd October 2012

  Elbit Systems of America has announced that it has been awarded a contract by Boeing to redesign and upgrade the Apache Block III AH-64D mission …

• Naval Warfare

  New MK 54 torpedo award for Raytheon

  19th October 2012

  Raytheon will supply MK 54 lightweight torpedo equipment to the US Navy under a $45.3 million contract announced on 18 October. The contract will increase …

• Defence Notes

  Netherlands requests AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder missiles

  19th October 2012

  The government of the Netherlands is reportedly seeking to purchase AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder Block II all-up-round missiles from the US government at an estimated cost of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UAV test bed aircraft prepares for UK airspace flight

  19th October 2012

  A UAV test bed aircraft known as ‘The Flying Test Bed’ is to perform a series of flight trials this month in preparation for the …

• Military Logistics

  KC-46 refuelling boom enters production

  18th October 2012

  This week will see Boeing begin assembly of the refuelling boom for the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) KC-46 tanker aircraft. The KC-46 Boom Assembly Center, …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman wins Australian cyber contract

  18th October 2012

  Northrop Grumman is to build a cyber test range at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) under a contract announced on 17 October. The range …

• Military Logistics

  Thales selected for DIRISI logistics information system

  17th October 2012

  Thales has revealed that it will develop, implement and maintain the future logistics information system for DIRISI (Direction interarmées des réseaux d’infrastructure et des systèmes …

• Defence Helicopter

  Ecuador MoD receives AS550 C3A Fennec helicopters

  17th October 2012

  Eurocopter has announced that it delivered two AS550 C3 Fennec helicopters to the Ecuadorian Ministry of Defence (MoD) in September. The aircraft are the first …

• Digital Battlespace

  Thai Air Force activates TPS-77 long range radar

  17th October 2012

  Lockheed Martin has announced that the TPS-77 long range radar that it delivered to the Royal Thai Air Force has been activated, making it the …

• Digital Battlespace

  New MASS Electronic Warfare training facility opens

  17th October 2012

  MASS has announced that it has opened a new state-of-the-art Electronic Warfare (EW) training centre in Lincoln. The training facility will allow students to learn …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Simlat selected for UAS training & simulation contract

  17th October 2012

  Simlat has announced that it has been selected to provide a high fidelity UAS training system to an undisclosed Large Scale Synthetic Environment lab. Under …

• Defence Helicopter

  French Army Gazelles leave Afghanistan

  17th October 2012

  French Army Gazelle helicopters have left Afghanistan as part of the drawdown of French combat units in the country. The four helicopters operated as part …

• Military Logistics

  Airbus Military announces new A400M AAR simulation

  16th October 2012

  Airbus Military has announced the successful simulated air-to-air refuelling (AAR) of the new generation A400M airlifter from a C-160 Transall tanker of the French Air …

• Digital Battlespace

  Rockwell Collins to develop GPS jamming technology

  16th October 2012

  Rockwell Collins is to develop technology to locate and classify an adversary’s attempts to interfere with GPS signals and disrupt military operations under a contract …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Tekever reveals new AR5 Life Ray TUAV

  12th October 2012

  Tekever has unveiled the newest addition to its family of unmanned vehicles at the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) convention in Portugal, …

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 ...