• Digital Battlespace

  Airbus-led team wins RIFAN 2.1 contract

  6th March 2019

  An Airbus-led industrial consortium has received the RIFAN 2.1 contract from the French defence procurement agency, the company announced on 4 March. The €150 million …

• Special Operations

  KC-10 tanker refuels CV-22 Osprey aircraft

  21st March 2019

  A US Air Force 20th Special Operations Squadron CV-22 Osprey aircraft has carried out tactical air-refuelling missions with a KC-10 Extender aircraft from 6th Air …

• Military Logistics

  Avalon 2019: Malaysian A400M makes Avalon debut

  1st March 2019

  An Airbus A400M transport aircraft of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) debuted at the Avalon Air Show near Melbourne, even though the type has …

• Special Operations

  Avalon 2019: RfT for Aussie SOF helicopters approaches

  28th February 2019

  Contenders, including Airbus Helicopters, Bell and Leonardo, have already responded to last September’s RfI for the Australian Army’s requirement for 20 light special operations helicopters. …

• Defence Notes

  Opinion: Fate of the Littoral Strike Ship inextricably linked to fortunes of minister

  9th April 2019

  April Fools’ Day is not traditionally regarded as an auspicious day to make serious announcements to the media. But in keeping with his reputation as …

• Defence Helicopter

  Airbus confirms FARA proposal but keeps platform under wrap

  20th February 2019

  Airbus Helicopters has confirmed its involvement in the US Army’s FARA (Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft) programme, having formally filed a proposal in December 2018 to meet …

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Expo 2019: Bell takes diplomatic approach to FVL funding

  3rd March 2019

  Ahead of the highly anticipated US Presidential Budget 2019 scheduled for March, Bell is remaining non-committal to any suggestion that low level FVL funding could jeopardise …

• Digital Battlespace

  Omnisys to support Brazilian airspace surveillance

  19th March 2019

  Thales’ Brazilian subsidiary Omnisys has been selected to install LP23SST-NG long-range primary radar and RMS970S secondary route surveillance radar in the cities of Ponta Porã, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Spectrolab launches LED searchlights

  15th March 2019

  Boeing’s Spectrolab has introduced new high-intensity LED searchlights for use on military rotorcraft, Spectrolab announced on 5 March. Both the Nightsun XPM and SLL 46-200 …

• Defence Notes

  Canada extends Iraq, Ukraine military training missions

  19th March 2019

  Canada's defence and foreign ministers jointly announced on 18 March 2019 the extensions of military training missions in Iraq and Ukraine. Both had been slated …

• Military Logistics

  Airbus certifies A400M CHT refuelling unit

  26th February 2019

  Airbus, together with the Spanish Air Force Test Centre, has successfully completed the certification flight tests for the A400M Cargo Hold Tanks (CHT) refuelling unit, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bucharest sends Pumas to Mali

  11th March 2019

  In Q2/Q3 of 2019, a small contingent of Romanian Air Force aircraft, comprising IAR 330L Puma SAR helicopters, will be sent to Mali in order …

• Digital Battlespace

  Russian military to take new rocket

  13th March 2019

  The new S-8OFP Broneboishtik air-launched rocket with an armour-penetrating/fragmentation warhead has been reported to have completed its exhaustive state testing effort in Russia. According to …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Russia to field a new target drone system

  15th March 2019

  The Russian MoD is set to launch in April the state flight testing of the new 9F6021 Adyutant aerial target system. Developed by Izhevsk-based Kupol, …

• Defence Notes

  Israel says hits 100 Hamas targets in Gaza in reprisal attack

  15th March 2019

  Israel said on 15 March 2019 that its aircraft hit around 100 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip overnight in response to rocket fire from …

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 ...