• Defence Helicopter

  Russia to develop upgraded Ka-52 Alligator

  31st May 2019

  Russia plans to develop an upgraded version of the Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter by 2022, the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 28 May. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Optionally piloted Black Hawk begins flight tests

  7th June 2019

  Sikorsky has begun flight testing a UH-60 Black Hawk equipped with a new retrofit kit designed to turn the helicopter into an optionally piloted vehicle …

• Defence Helicopter

  Raytheon to produce more AMNS

  5th June 2019

  The US Department of Defense has elected to exercise an option under a previously awarded contract with Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems for the Airborne Mine …

• Defence Notes

  Defence Capability Plan expands NZ’s military

  10th June 2019

  The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) will increase the size of its military and acquire new amphibious ships under the latest Defence Capability Plan (DCP) …

• Defence Helicopter

  SNC to provide HH-60G DVES

  6th June 2019

  Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has been awarded a contract by the US Air Force for system design, development, integration and test of the Degraded Visual …

• Defence Helicopter

  Austrian AB212s get new caution panels

  4th June 2019

  The Austrian Air Force’s AB212 helicopter fleet will be fitted with AEM's MCP01 next-generation master caution panel.The plug-and-play replacement of the panel will help extend …

• Training

  A rocky road ahead for Canada's future aircrew trainer

  30th May 2019

  Since starting discussions with industry in 2013 concerning its Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) requirement, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) has now selected five companies …

• Defence Notes

  UTair Helicopters Services grows its fleet

  28th May 2019

  One of Russia's helicopter operators, UTair Helicopters Services has embarked on a new drive to expand its fleet and is planning to take delivery of more than …

• Military Logistics

  Kongsberg acquires AIM Norway

  3rd June 2019

  Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace has completed the acquisition of Aerospace Industrial Maintenance (AIM) Norway, Kongsberg announced on 29 May. The company announced in December 2018 …

• Defence Helicopter

  Paris Air Show: Re-engined Chinook to fly in 2019

  10th June 2019

  Boeing, in co-operation with the US Army and GE, will fly a Chinook with two GE T408 engines in 2019 in an effort to examine …

• Defence Notes

  Paris Air Show: Warsaw's F-35 buy might hinder other modernisation efforts

  11th June 2019

  The Polish MoD has confirmed its intention of procuring 32 F-35A Lightning II multirole fighter jets, by sending an official Letter of Request to the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Paris Air Show: Boeing foreshadows V-22 line closure

  10th June 2019

  It is ‘final call’ at the last chance saloon for any new or existing customers considering buying or purchasing more V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, according …

• Training

  Paris Air Show: Smarter sim usage for Swedish Air Force

  10th June 2019

  The time spent by service personnel in the synthetic environment versus in real-life training scenarios should not be an either-or situation, the Swedish Air Force …

• Defence Notes

  Sweden seeks defence growth if budget demands met

  22nd May 2019

  With increased military activity in the Baltic Sea and Russia’s aggression in the air and on the ground, it is hardly surprising Sweden is looking …

• Defence Helicopter

  Paris Air Show: Collins tool up for open architecture effort

  10th June 2019

  Collins Aerospace is developing software-based toolkits that allow third party applications to be rapidly integrated into open architecture environments, Shephard has learnt. The toolkits are capable …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow-On [USA]

  Programme Background In March 2019, Airbus stated that it expected orders from the US Army for between 12 and 15 UH-72A helicopters. In March 2020, ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M - France

  Programme Background In April 2021, the French government signed a deal for the purchase of eight H225M Airbus helicopters to replace its ageing fleet of SA330 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M [Ireland]

  Programme Background On 30 December 2024 Ireland announced a contract with Airbus for four new H145M helicopters to replace the Air Corps existing fleet of ...

• Military helicopters - attack, Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M / H145M Add-On [Romania]

  Methodology As part of a potential initial order for 12 H225M helicopters, Romania has included the option to acquire 30 additional helicopters from Airbus. Shephard estimates this ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145 Helicopter [Honduras]

  Programme Background  The Honduran Government has purchased a total of four H145 Helicopters manufactured by Airbus to develop the armed forces preparedness against natural disasters ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  Maritime Operations Helicopters

  The three maritime operations helicopters will be used for logistics and personnel transport, alongside transportation of PASKAL naval special forces in operations in the area. ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  SW4 Puszczyk Replacement [Poland]

  Programme Background  In 2002, Poland order 47 SW4 training helicopters from Italian manufacturer Leonardo; as of Spring 2025, the Ministry of Defence is looking to ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH-90 [Spain]

  Programme Background Along with a range of other air programmes, the Spanish Government announced the nation has set aside 1 billion euros (USD$1.162 billion) to ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Future Aircrew Training Program (Helicopter Procurement) - Canada

  Programme Background The FAcT requires to graduate 120 pilots, 40 combat systems officers and 36 airborne electronic sensor operators per year with 15% fluctuation. Training services ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Bell 412EPI-Indonesia

  Programme Background PTDI is assembling Bell helicopters in its factory in Bandung.  The first Bell 412EPI was delivered to Indonesian Army on 29 December 2020 ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Spain HT-29 Caiman (NH90 TTH) - Army First Batch

  HT-29 Caiman GSPAs (NH90 TTH) will be assembled at Airbus Helicopters’ facility in Albacete and will replace AS332 Super Puma fleet in service. Even though ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) (TH-57 Replacement)

  Programme Background Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  AW101 [Poland]

  According to the media reports, Airbus couldn't provide a competitive offer for the programme due to the offset requirements.  The deliveries were to be completed ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-X [Japan]

  There is no mention of the AH-X in the 2019-2023 Medium Term Defence Plan, so it is possible that the requirement has quietly been postponed. ...

• Military helicopters - light/training, Military helicopters - multirole

  H135M [Spain]

  Programme Background Spain announced the National Helicopter Plan in May 2025 culminating in five contracts awarded to Airbus on 18 December 2025, including procurement programmes ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - light/training

  H145

  The light, twin-engine EC145 began as an initiative to increase the cabin size of the BK 117 C1 aircraft, involving Kawasaki of Japan and Airbus ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M

  The medium-weight, 11t-class H225M (formerly known as the EC725) is the latest military Super Puma/Cougar family member.  Technical features include a modular design of mechanical ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M

  The H145M (formerly known as the EC645 T2) is the military version of the H145 medium-sized (3.7t) helicopter (covered in a separate entry). It is ...

• Military helicopters - light/training, Military helicopters - multirole

  H135M

  The H135M (formerly known as the EC635 and also designated as H135) is a light utility variant of the EC135 twin-engine, multipurpose 3t helicopter. In ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H215M

  The H215M (formerly the AS532 ALe) is the most recent addition to the Cougar family.  It is a medium-weight (9t-class), twin-engine helicopter, combining the AS532's ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Helionix

  The Helionix digital avionics suite was developed from the need for a more powerful avionics system with greater functions and computing capacity, alongside a user-friendly interface. ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2+/2D

  Unveiled in 2011, the Arriel 2+ is an upgrade of the Arriel 2 and is intended for single- and twin-engine helicopters. It incorporates a new ...

• Helicopter engines

  LTS101

  The LTS101 was first certified in 1975. Since then, over 2,100 engines have been delivered to customers worldwide, logging over 11 million service hours. The ...

• EO/IR systems

  Viviane

  Viviane is an out-of-production gyro-stabilised night and adverse weather observation system with missile sight.  Manufactured by Safran, it was fitted to French Army Gazelles. It contained a ...

• Air: mission management systems

  APM 2000

  The current generation of autopilots is the APM 2000 family, fitted on major worldwide platforms. The APM 2000 is based on an integrated digital computer. ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H175M

  The Airbus H175M is the military variant of the H175 and works to fill a gap in the H175 helicopter family, as well as offer ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Light Armed Helicopter

  The South Korean government selected Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in July 2014 to develop the Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) and the related Light Civil Helicopter ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AS365 N3+ Dauphin

  The AS365 N3+, manufactured by Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter), was developed from the Dauphin series of medium, twin-turboshaft rotorcraft. The AS365 N3+ was launched at the 2009 ...

• Military UAS - small

  Flexrotor

  Flexrotor, or U030 Flexrotor, is a VTOL small UAS manufactured by Aerovel. It can integrate different types of payloads, including electro-optical systems and advanced sensors, to suit ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH90 TTH

  Developed as a multinational programme between France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, the European NH90 was designed to meet NATO requirements for multirole capability from ...