• Military Logistics

  SNC to open new aircraft modification facility

  30th August 2018

  Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has broken ground on a new aircraft modification and logistics support facility at Huntsville (HSV) International Airport, Alabama, the company announced …

• Defence Helicopter

  UK helicopter manufacturing sits at a political crossroads

  14th August 2018

  As the UK’s parliament is in the midst of its annual summer recess, now is the time to take stock and see through the political …

• Naval Warfare

  L&T launches Indian Coast Guard’s third OPV

  30th August 2018

  Larsen & Toubro (L&T;) has launched the Indian Coast Guard’s third Vikram class offshore patrol vessel at its Kattupalli shipyard, the company announced on 28 …

• Naval Warfare

  New carrier’s operations room ready for use

  31st August 2018

  The operations room of the Royal Navy’s second aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, is ready for use two months earlier than planned, the navy …

• Defence Helicopter

  MSPO 2018: Rafael unveil Spike ER2

  4th September 2018

  Precision weapons system manufacturer Rafael is debuting its latest extended range missile - the Spike ER2 - at MSPO 2018.  Marketed as a 'fifth generation' …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell receives Lot 15 Viper order

  28th August 2018

  Bell has received a $509 million contract modification to a previously awarded contract for the manufacture and delivery of 29 Lot 15 production AH-1Z aircraft. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Modernised Mi-26T2V helicopter flies

  23rd August 2018

  Russian Helicopters has successfully completed the first flight of the modernised Mi-26T2V helicopter, the company announced on 19 August. Preliminary flight tests of Mi-26T2 are …

• Defence Helicopter

  MSPO 2018: Boeing geared up for Kruk decision

  5th September 2018

  Boeing remains optimistic that the Polish MoD will move forward with its attack helicopter programme by formally awarding a contract to an industry partner in 2019.  An …

• Defence Helicopter

  Qatar NH90 contract comes into effect

  22nd August 2018

  Leonardo has made effective the contract for the supply of 28 NH90 medium twin-engine multirole military helicopters to the Qatar Ministry of Defence, the company …

• Defence Notes

  Pompeo, Mattis hold talks with Indian counterparts

  6th September 2018

  US President Donald Trump's top two envoys met with their Indian counterparts in Delhi on 6 September to deepen a fast-growing partnership but also to …

• Defence Helicopter

  Mi-26TV2 kicks-off flight testing

  28th August 2018

  The Mi-26T2V, a heavy helicopter for the Russian Army Aviation branch, was unveiled to the public for the first time at the Army 2018 defence …

• Defence Helicopter

  Two Bell 429 helicopters delivered to JDF

  20th August 2018

  Bell Helicopter has delivered two Bell 429 helicopters to the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF). A third Bell 429 is scheduled to be delivered to the …

• Defence Notes

  Venezuela denies Colombian claims of armed forces incursion

  23rd August 2018

  Venezuela has hit back at Colombia, branding as fake news, claims from its neighbour that helicopters and troops had violated its sovereignty in an illegal …

• Defence Helicopter

  Legal woes hinder helicopter procurement

  8th August 2018

  Legal disputes concerning helicopter procurement processes dominated the first half of 2018 which then muddied a much broader picture of rotary successes between military operators …

• Defence Notes

  Thorny trade, defence issues await US diplomats in India

  4th September 2018

  Two of US President Donald Trump's top officials are finally heading for talks in India in the week of 3 September, after Washington twice pulled …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F -Kenya

  Crew transition training took place at the MD Helicopters headquarters in Mesa, Arizona, with field service support, armament, and gunnery training scheduled to occur at ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  MD 530G - Malaysia

  Procured for an urgent operational requirement for gunships to support Eastern Sabah Security Command operations, helicopter deliveries had to slip from a planned delivery of ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Uncrewed MD 500 Replacement [South Korea]

  Background Uncrewed Replacement of the MD 500 Throughout the 2010s, South Korea appeared interested in replacing its fleet of crewed MD 500 helicopters that were manufactured under licence ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Project Land 2097 Phase 4 [Australia]

  Programme Background According to the RfI, under Project Land 2097 Phase 4, the selected helicopter must comprise a commercial or military off-the-shelf solution that is ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD-530G [Lebanon]

  Background Order context The Lebanese MD-530 order was placed during a visit of US Central Command Commander General Joseph Votel in December 2017.  MD 530F ...

• Hybrid effector systems

  US Air Force Air Base Defence Missile Defence [US]

  Background The US Air Force's (USAF) Air Base Air Defence Missile Defence (ABAD MD) programme is part of the Air Force Physical Security System and sits ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) First Batch (South Korea)

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Army)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Navy)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (Second Batch) [South Korea]

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton [Germany]

  Background Global Hawk Early in the development of the Global Hawk, the German MoD also expressed interest in procuring the aircraft as a replacement for ...

• 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 - multirole

  Multirole Helicopters [Poland]

  Programme Background In 2020, Poland announced the launch of the Perkoz programme to acquire 32 support helicopters to replace its fleet of Mi-2 aircraft stationed ...

• 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 - 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 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F Cayuse Warrior

  An evolution of the OH-6 Cayuse light observation helicopter, the MD 530F was initially Federal Aviation Administration-certified in July 1985 as the Model 369FF. It ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  MDHI Glass Cockpit

  The American aerospace manufacturer MD Helicopters Inc. (MDHI) has designed and developed a glass cockpit specifically for MD 500E AND MD 520N aircraft. It is ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 500

  US-based MD Helicopters' MD 500 is a single-engine light helicopter derived from the Hughes OH-6A Cayuse developed for the US Army in the early 1960s and ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  IDU-680

  The IDU-680 is Genesys Aerosystems’ 3D synthetic vision integrated Electronic Flight Instrument System. The system includes a Highway in the Sky navigation system, geo-referenced hover ...

• Helicopter guns

  FN HMP

  The FN HMP (Heavy Machine Gun Pod) is a self-contained airborne weapon system armed with a 50cal FN M3P heavy machine gun. It is available ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G

  The MD 530G is the newest addition to the MD Helicopters (MDHI) line of light scout attack platforms. It has increased-capacity landing gear and a ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  KUS-VH

  The Korean Air Korean Air Unmanned System-Vertical Helicopter (KUS-VH) is a large, rotary-wing UAV based on the MD 500. The first flight of the platform ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  6XX

  Publicly unveiled at Heli-Expo in March 2017, the MD Helicopters 6XX is the next evolution in the MD 500 series and is a redesigned, single-engine ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C30

  The M250-C30 and -C30P are the exclusive powerplants for the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger and the MD Helicopters MD 530F and MD 530G. In addition, the AH-6i is ...

• EO/IR systems

  LEO-III

  The LEO-III, or LEO-III HD, was an airborne observation system with HD sensors and video outputs. It was a COTS, gyro-stabilised platform containing a multi-sensor HD ...

• Airborne rockets - unguided

  Aculeus MD-36 and MD-432

  The Aculeus MD-36 unguided multi-dart rocket provides 36 darts for the neutralisation of columns of light armoured vehicles. The Aculeus MD-432 provides 432 darts to ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C47E

  The C47E is the latest growth variant of the C47B/8 engine. In addition to a hot-and-high Value Improvement Package Kit, the C47E also includes dual-channel ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MD-1366 EBEM

  The US government selected the MD-1366 Enhanced Bandwidth Efficient Modem (EBEM) from ViaSat to set the DoD standard for high-speed, high-performance,flexibility and compatibility in a ...

• EO/IR systems

  Wescam MX-10

  The Wescam MX-10 EO/IR low-weight imaging system is designed for low-altitude tactical surveillance and reconnaissance missions from crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The MX-10 has had a close ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT)

  The Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT) is an in-development UAV from Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) based on an MD 500 twin-seat American commercial helicopter airframe. With the ...