• Military Logistics

  RAAF KC-30A tanker debuts in Exercise Pitch Black

  14th August 2012

  The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has announced that the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has deployed its KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport to RAAF Base …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Army JLENS programme moves forward

  13th August 2012

  Raytheon has announced that the US Army’s first class of soldiers have completed mission operator training on the company’s Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defence …

• Digital Battlespace

  Cobham issued Wideband Global SATCOM contract

  13th August 2012

  Cobham has revealed that it has been awarded a contract to supply electronic systems to Boeing’s Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite programme. The contract, worth …

• Military Logistics

  Lockheed Martin announces new C-130 heavy maintenance centre

  13th August 2012

  Lockheed Martin has announced that Cascade Aerospace will become the second C-130 Heavy Maintenance Centre (HMC) in the world, expanding upon the company’s current role …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  LEMV successfully completes first flight

  13th August 2012

  Northrop Grumman has confirmed, along with Hybrid Air Vehicles Limited, that the US Army’s Army's Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) has successfully completed its first …

• Digital Battlespace

  US prepares to wrap up JTRS

  11th August 2012

  The US military is preparing to wrap up the activities of its Joint Program Executive Office (JPEO) for the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) and …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ScanEagle conducts first operational mission in Dutch service

  10th August 2012

  A Dutch ScanEagle tactical UAV conducted its first operational mission over the Gulf of Aden on 8 August as part of the counter-piracy operation Ocean …

• Naval Warfare

  Cassidian wins Finnish OPV radar contract

  10th August 2012

  Cassidian has announced that it will equip the new Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Finnish Border Guard with its TRS-3D naval radar under a contract …

• Defence Helicopter

  Offshore helicopter boom forecast

  10th August 2012

  Eurocopter-subsidiary Helibras is eyeing a requirement from Brazil’s state-controlled oil company for 80 to 90 medium to heavy helicopters over the next decade. Petroleo Brasilero …

• Military Logistics

  Avcorp announces Boeing production development contract

  10th August 2012

  Avcorp Industries has announced that it has received a purchase contract from Boeing for the production development and supply of a prototype ‘Ruddevator,’ a flight …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2012: Oshkosh highlights Marine Corps LOE

  9th August 2012

  Oshkosh used AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America to highlight the success of last week’s US Marine Corps’ Cargo UGV Limited Objective Experiment (LOE) of its …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2012: Civil UAS tactics can draw on military experience

  9th August 2012

  One of the panel presentations at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America explored the possibilities of transforming military UAS operational lessons to commercial and civil applications. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2012: Army highlights LEMV milestone

  9th August 2012

  In her keynote address to AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America, Lt Gen Mary Legere, Deputy Chief of Staff, G2, US Army, highlighted this week’s first …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2012: LM demonstrates new small UAS

  9th August 2012

  Lockheed Martin is to demonstrate its Desert Hawk III, Desert Hawk Extended Endurance Range (EER) and new quadrotor UAV at the upcoming US Army Expeditionary …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2012: AAI Textron begins Shadow M2 flight tests

  9th August 2012

  AAI Textron Systems used AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America to highlight several upgrades to its Shadow UAS. ‘Our biggest upgrade, and this is not government …

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 ...