• Military Logistics

  Marine Corps ExFOB explores thermal management issues

  21st September 2012

  As the fifth in the series of semi-annual Experimental Forward Operating Base (ExFOB) investigations, ExFOB 2012-2 was held this week at Camp Pendleton, California. The …

• Defence Helicopter

  AAD 2012: Bell looks to Africa for 407AH

  21st September 2012

  Through the South African aviation platform and service provider National Airways Corporation (NAC), Bell Helicopter has presented its 407AH to an African market for the …

• Defence Helicopter

  AAD 2012: Eurocopter delivers EC-145 to Namibia

  20th September 2012

  Eurocopter has delivered an EC-145 twin-engined multi-mission helicopter to the Namibia Police Force (NAMPOL). Ordered by the Namibia Ministry of Safety and Security, this aircraft …

• Defence Notes

  AAD 2012: Saab continues commitment to SA

  20th September 2012

  Saab is investing R&D funding into its South African division, including improving the sensor capability of its Land Electronics Defence System (LEDS) for combat vehicles. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Turbomeca to continue French helicopter engine support

  20th September 2012

  Turbomeca will continue to ensure the availability of 1,408 turbo-shaft engines equipping French government helicopters for a 10-year period under a renewed ‘MCO’ (Global Support …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  More STARLite radars for US Army MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAV

  20th September 2012

  Northrop Grumman will supply an additional 44 STARLite wide area surveillance radars for the US Army's MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft system under a contract …

• Digital Battlespace

  Swedish radar used to protect London skies during Olympics

  20th September 2012

  The Swedish Armed Forces played a key role in the low-level aerial surveillance of the airspace around London during the Olympics, it has been revealed. …

• Defence Helicopter

  AAD 2012: Russian Helicopters and Denel sign MRO agreement

  20th September 2012

  Russian Helicopters and Denel have signed a teaming agreement for the latter to provide MRO services for helicopters purchased by African countries. Signed during the …

• Defence Helicopter

  AAD 2012: Denel upgrades more Rooivalks

  20th September 2012

  Denel Aviation has announced that two more upgraded Rooivalk combat support helicopters have been delivered to the South African Air Force (SAAF). They were delivered …

• Digital Battlespace

  AFA 2012: US wrestles with cyber security

  20th September 2012

  The Pentagon is looking at a separate cyber command as it considers how best to protect the US against a threat increasingly regarded with trepidation. …

• Digital Battlespace

  AFA 2012: USAF stands up new cyber ops group

  20th September 2012

  As the US Air Force (USAF) sharpens its focus on the cyber mission, the 10th Air Force is opening a new cyber operations unit to …

• Digital Battlespace

  AFA 2012: USAF looks at Sniper as a comms relay

  19th September 2012

  The US Air Force (USAF) is introducing a software upgrade that will enable the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) to become a communications relay for …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AeroVironment Wasp AE to be fitted with secure GPS capability

  19th September 2012

  Rockwell Collins has been selected by AeroVironment to provide its MicroGRAM GPS receiver for the Wasp AE small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS), bringing secure, jam-resistant …

• Military Logistics

  Indonesia takes delivery of new C295 aircraft

  19th September 2012

  Airbus Military has announced that Indonesia has taken delivery of two C295 transport aircraft at the company’s final assembly line site at San Pablo in …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky to integrate and test enhanced Black Hawk capabilities

  19th September 2012

  Sikorsky has announced that it will integrate and test a suite of advanced new technologies for the Black Hawk helicopter under a Combat Tempered Platform …

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 ...