• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman's Battlefield Airborne Communications Node completes 2,000 missions

  7th July 2011

  The Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) system, developed by Northrop Grumman Corporation for the US Air Force, completed its 2,000th mission in support of Operation …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Navy UCAS achieves milestone aboard Eisenhower

  7th July 2011

  The Navy is one step closer to demonstrating the first carrier-based recoveries and launches of an autonomous, low-observable relevant unmanned aircraft. Aboard USS Dwight D. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Israeli Air Force looks at MV-22 capabilities

  7th July 2011

  For the second time in two months, a team from the Israeli Air Force visited 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing units at Marine Corps Air Station …

• Defence Helicopter

  Helicopters resume operations from Illustrious

  7th July 2011

  The flight deck of HMS Illustrious has buzzed and throbbed once more with aircraft as helicopters returned to the first time since her £40m overhaul. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Cargo UAS tests to begin at Pax

  7th July 2011

  The Navy and Marine Corps' plans to field a cargo unmanned aircraft system are moving forward as the first of two potential UAS helicopters landed …

• Defence Helicopter

  Turbomeca increases its footprint in Malaysia signing a Memorandum of Understanding with HeliPartner Engines

  7th July 2011

  Olivier Andriès, Chairman and CEO of Turbomeca (Safran group) and Nonee Ashirin, Chairman of HeliPartner Engines, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the financial …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky Aerospace Services advances state-of-the-art Black Hawk training center in Colombia

  7th July 2011

  Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS) announced today that construction of a new UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter Flight Simulator Training Center at the Colombian Air Force Base …

• Defence Helicopter

  CHC preparing for possible DOD contracts in Afghanistan

  7th July 2011

  CHC Helicopter has cleared a substantial hurdle that could lead to new contracts with the US Department of Defense (DOD). Helicopters are one of the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Australian Aerospace commits to long-term future in Australia

  7th July 2011

  Australian Aerospace today underlined its long-term commitment to the nation’s helicopter industry, in the wake of the Federal Government’s decision not to purchase the company’s …

• Military Logistics

  Alenia Aeronautica receives Mexican C-27J order

  6th July 2011

  New success on the international markets for the tactical transport aircraft C-27J, designed and built by Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica company. Mexico has in fact …

• Defence Helicopter

  Lockheed Martin delivers first VNsight sensor to US Army

  6th July 2011

  Lockheed Martin recently delivered the first VNsight production unit for the US Army's Apache Attack Helicopter, which adds a low-light-level display capability to the AH-64D …

• Digital Battlespace

  Lockheed Martin completes design milestone for GPS III

  6th July 2011

  Lockheed Martin has successfully completed on-schedule a System Design Review (SDR) for the Global Positioning System (GPS) IIIB satellite increment under the US Air Force's …

• Military Logistics

  Airbus Military tanker for RAF performs first contacts with Tornado

  6th July 2011

  An Airbus Military A330 MRTT Future Strategic Transport Aircraft (FSTA) for the UK´s Royal Air Force has successfully completed its first contacts with a Tornado …

• Digital Battlespace

  VSI's NVCD makes first operational flight

  5th July 2011

  Vision Systems International, LLC (VSI), a leader in advanced Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) technology, recently supported successful operational flights of its Night Vision Cueing and …

• Military Logistics

  Raytheon UK awarded support contract for UK Paveway

  5th July 2011

  Raytheon UK has been awarded a 10 million pounds Sterling (approximately $16 million), four-year contract to provide continued in-service support for both current and legacy …

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 - fixed-wing, 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. ...

• Data links

  Data links | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Loyal Wingman [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 - fixed-wing, 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 - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (11-12) [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 - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Project Vixen [UK]

  Background Project Goal The Royal Navy uses Leonardo crewed Merlin (AW101) helicopters fitted with CROWSNEST pods to provide airborne early warning capabilities for carriers. An early 2021 Royal ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Project SEA 3000 [Australia]

  The February 2024 Enhanced Lethality Surface Combatant Fleet review recommends that the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) acquire at least seven, and optimally 11, Tier 2 ...

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. ...

• AMAS

  AMAS – Australian Minesweeping System – was developed with the assistance of the Defence Science & Technology Organisation and the Royal Australian Navy. It adopts ...

• 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 - fixed-wing, 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 - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-28A Ghost Bat

  The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is a loyal wingman type MALE fixed-wing drone being developed by Boeing Defence Australia. Its development began in 2013 and took its first ...

• 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 ...

• 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: 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 ...

• Submarine-launched torpedoes

  Mk 48 Mod 7AT CBASS

  The MK 48 MOD 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) is the latest variant of the Mk 48 torpedo family manufactured by Lockheed Martin and ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, 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 ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  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 ...

• Military - USVs

  Bluebottle

  Bluebottle is a persistent, autonomous, uncrewed surface vessel from Ocius Technology in service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).