• Digital Battlespace

  DSEi 2011: Lockheed Martin breathes new fire into Dragon

  15th September 2011

  Lockheed Martin has modified its 'Dragon' airborne surveillance system in order to satisfy customer demand, a company official has told Shephard. According to Charles Gulledge, …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSEi 2011: Blue Bear's shake and iStart

  15th September 2011

  Blue Bear has launched the iStart one-man portable UAV as part of a UK MoD design requirement. The platform can go 'from box to launch …

• Military Logistics

  DSEi 2011: Taking water out of thin air

  15th September 2011

  An Israeli company that has developed a system which sucks water out of humid air has made its DSEi debut. WaterGen's system works just like …

• Defence Helicopter

  DSEi 2011: Wildcat progresses towards service entry

  15th September 2011

  AgustaWestland has flown more than half the hours associated with the flight test campaign of the AW159 Lynx Wildcat, it has been revealed. The three …

• Land Warfare

  DSEi 2011: CVR(T) upgraded for Afghanistan

  15th September 2011

  All of the British Army CVR(T) vehicles upgraded to Mk 2 standard are now in Afghanistan, as contractor BAE Systems outlined details of the project …

• Land Warfare

  DSEi 2011: Meprolight unveils wish-list for future optics family

  15th September 2011

  Israeli optics specialist Meprolight outlined its desires for the next-generation of weapon sights at DSEi on 14 September. Speaking to Shephard at the show on …

• Military Logistics

  Cobham wins US$60m KC-390 contract from Embraer

  15th September 2011

  Cobham has been selected to develop and supply the Wing Aerial Refuelling Pod for the KC-390 tanker aircraft under development by Brazil's Embraer and has …

• Military Logistics

  Boeing delivers RAAF's 5th C-17 Globemaster III

  15th September 2011

  Boeing today delivered Australia's fifth C-17 Globemaster III airlifter to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during a ceremony at the C-17 program's final assembly …

• Defence Helicopter

  Pave Hawk helicopters achieve 10,000 flight hours

  15th September 2011

  Nearly 30 years after entering service with the US Air Force, two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters have both achieved 10,000 flight hours during their simultaneous …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris receives $29m in orders from USAF

  15th September 2011

  Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, has received $29 million in orders from the US Air Force for Falcon III AN/PRC-117G multiband …

• Defence Helicopter

  DSEi 2011: Weatherhaven unveils Chinook-liftable container system

  14th September 2011

  Weatherhaven has debuted an expandable container system designed to fit inside a Chinook transport helicopter. The Tactical Re-deployable Expanding Container Capability (TRECC) is system of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSEi 2011: UAV training offered for civilian applications

  14th September 2011

  Sky-Futures is taking a new approach to UAV training by using military operators and equipment to provide training to pilots for civil applications. Speaking to …

• Defence Helicopter

  DSEi 2011: Raytheon nears Talon production contract

  14th September 2011

  Raytheon is in discussion with the UAE government for a production contract of its Talon laser-guided rocket following qualification tests on a US Army AH-64D …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSEi 2011: Elbit underlines UAV strategy

  14th September 2011

  Elbit Systems has told Shephard that 'various options' are being considered for the fleet of Hermes 450 UAVs operating in Afghanistan ahead of their replacement …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSEi 2011: Selex develops new UAS mission system

  14th September 2011

  Selex Galileo is developing a new open-architecture sensor mission system for UAS, company officials revealed at the DSEi exhibition in London on 14 September. The …

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 ...