• Defence Helicopter

  Finishing touches for Spanish Navy’s AB-212 upgrades

  18th April 2019

  Whilst delivery of the seven modernised AB-212 helicopters for the Spanish Navy is complete, Sener, one of the parties on the upgrade programme, continues in …

• Defence Helicopter

  Airbus looks to France and Germany to fill MUM-T partner gap

  27th March 2019

  Following a successful series of flight trials between the H145 and Schiebel Camcopter S-100 UAS last year, Airbus is still struggling to find funding and partners …

• Military Logistics

  Australia leases Falcon 7X trio for VIP transportation

  12th April 2019

  The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is leasing three VIP aircraft – Dassault Falcon 7X airframes – to replace the incumbent fleet of Bombardier CL-604 …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia 2019: Japan Coast Guard launches new large vessels

  23rd April 2019

  Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) in Japan launched a 6,500t patrol ship on 8 March. Destined for the Japan Coast Guard (JCG), it is a modified …

• Military Logistics

  IMDEX Asia 2019: Indonesia orders additional LSTs

  23rd April 2019

  Indonesia’s MoD ordered the 8th and 9th Teluk Bintuni-class LSTs for the Indonesian Navy on 12 April, awarding shipbuilder PT Bandar Abadi an IDR360 billion …

• Defence Helicopter

  PDAS flies on V-280 Valor

  19th April 2019

  Lockheed Martin's Pilotage Distributed Aperture Sensor (PDAS) system has flown aboard Bell Helicopter's V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft in Fort Worth, Texas, the company announced on …

• Digital Battlespace

  IAI launches Opal system

  19th April 2019

  Israel Aerospace Industries has launched its new Opal system for establishing real time connectivity and data sharing between different platforms - including manned and unmanned …

• Defence Helicopter

  Hensoldt, Airbus Helicopters sign agreement for AMPS

  21st March 2019

  Hensoldt has signed a framework agreement with Airbus Helicopters for of its Airborne Missile Protection System (AMPS), the company announced on 15 March.  The agreement …

• Naval Warfare

  Damen points to continued shipbuilding opportunity despite registering loss

  24th April 2019

  As Damen Shipyards Group announced on 18 April a net loss of €17 million ($19 million) for 2018, due in part to ‘lower than usual …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  PHASA-35 solar UAV to begin test flights

  9th April 2019

  Technology manufacturer Prismatic is to commence prototype flight testing on its PHASA-35 (Persistent High Altitude Solar Aircraft) HALE UAV programme before the end of the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Quad A 2019: CH-47F Block II cancellation fears return

  16th April 2019

  The future of the CH-47F Block II programme is again in doubt, with Boeing admitting cancellation of the project remains a possibility. It was made …

• Land Warfare

  Thai army unveils VL MICA air defence system

  28th March 2019

  At the end of last year, the Royal Thai Army’s (RTA) Air Defence Command replaced its Spada surface-to-air missiles (SAM), which had been in service …

• Digital Battlespace

  French RIFAN 2.1 contract issued

  5th April 2019

  Rohde & Schwarz has received a contract with Airbus and Naval Group for phase 2.1 of the French RIFAN programme, the company announced on 2 …

• Defence Helicopter

  Leonardo, Poland sign offset agreement

  11th April 2019

  Leonardo's UK subsidiary, Leonardo MW, has signed an offset agreement valued at about €90 million with the Polish Ministry of National Defence, Leonardo announced on …

• Defence Helicopter

  Russian MoD set to order the Mi-26T2V

  8th April 2019

  The Russian military has revealed plans to order a production batch of the new Mi-26T2V heavy lift helicopter.  The first Mi-26T2V contract - covering as …

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]

  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 Puma ...

• 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 - multirole

  H135 [UK]

  Programme Background Airbus Helicopters UK announced on 2 February 2022 that it has won an order to provide five additional H135 twin-engine helicopters for the ...

• 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 - multirole

  H145M [Ireland]

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

• 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 [Canada]

  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 are ...

• 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. ...

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 ...