• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky may win presidential helicopter by default

  1st August 2013

  All but one of the three major industry teams expected to compete for the US VXX Helicopter Replacement Program have dropped out, blaming anti-competitive requirements. AgustaWestland …

• Military Logistics

  A400M receives IOC clearance from OCCAR

  31st July 2013

  Airbus Military has announced that the A400M airlifter has received its type acceptance at the contractual Initial Operating Clearance (IOC) Standard from the Organisation for …

• Defence Helicopter

  Scepticism greets EADS rebranding

  31st July 2013

  In its biggest shake-up since the failed merger with BAE Systems last year, EADS has revealed plans to bring all its divisions under the Airbus …

• Defence Helicopter

  HAD/E Tiger helicopter programme marks milestone

  31st July 2013

  The first HAD/E variant of the Tiger combat helicopter assembled at Eurocopter's Spanish facilities in Albacete, Spain, completed its maiden flight on 29 June. This …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Orbital announces UAV engine contract

  31st July 2013

  Orbital will develop a next-generation unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) engine for an unnamed customer in the US under a new contract announced on 31 July. …

• Land Warfare

  USMC wants MRAP survivability upgrade

  30th July 2013

  The USMC has released a pre-solicitation calling for MRAP Cougar vehicle egress upgrade kits for the family of vehicles. Information provided on the Federal Business …

• Digital Battlespace

  Boeing Defence Australia to support RAAF Wedgetail

  30th July 2013

  Boeing Defence Australia (BDA) has assumed responsibility for the sustainment of the Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) fleet …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Inquiry investigates Euro Hawk failures

  30th July 2013

  An official inquiry has revealed how a series of management failures was to blame for the demise of Germany’s Euro Hawk programme, it has emerged. …

• Land Warfare

  First test phase of CTA gun ammo completed

  29th July 2013

  Testing of the armoured piercing (AP) and target practise (TP) rounds for the CTA International (CTAI) 40mm cannon system has been completed, according to BAE …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  FAA grants Puma UAV commercial use certificate

  29th July 2013

  The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted the AeroVironment Puma AE small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS) a Restricted Category rating, clearing the way for …

• Military Logistics

  Dyess AFB receives final C-130J Super Hercules

  26th July 2013

  Lockheed Martin has delivered the newest C-130J Super Hercules to Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) in Texas, marking Dyess as the largest C-130J operator in …

• Defence Notes

  Raytheon grows international sales

  26th July 2013

  Raytheon has announced a 10% growth in international sales during Q2 FY2013 compared to the same period last year, offsetting a decline in domestic sales. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Poland in talks for 70 military helicopters

  25th July 2013

  Poland’s Ministry of Defence has started technical negotiations with three manufacturers for an initial procurement of 70 helicopters, it has emerged. The deal is part …

• Defence Notes

  Impact of sequestration yet to come

  25th July 2013

  Leading companies in the defence sector have yet to see any great effect of US sequestration as demonstrated by figures for the first half of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Navy receives first upgraded Fire Scout

  25th July 2013

  Northrop Grumman has delivered the first MQ-8C upgraded Fire Scout UAV to the US Navy, the company announced on 19 July. The upgraded VTOL UAV …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60M Black Hawk [Latvia]

  Programme Background In August 2018, the Latvian government approved the acquisition of four UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters. The UH-60Ms are intended for both military and ...

• Transport

  C-130J [USA]

  Programme Background The C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop transport aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin to replace aging C-130 variants. The US and foreign ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF

  Background The programme’s early competitive phase included three different airframe designs. Boeing submitted one design, Lockheed Martin submitted another, and McDonnell Douglas submitted a third ...

• Transport

  King Air 360 [Nigeria]

  Programme Background On 7 October 2021, Nigeria’s Budget Office published its proposed budget details. The Nigerian Air Force requested 10.86 billion Nigerian Naira (US$26.4 million) ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  Light Attack/Trainer Aircraft - Ghana

  In 2013, the Chief of Ghana Air Force stated that A-29 is their preferred platform and this position was also submitted to the Government. In ...

• Bomber

  B-21 Raider [USA]

  Programme Background Development The US DoD is developing a new long-range bomber called the B-21 Raider, previously known as LRS-B. At least 100 units are ...

• Trainer

  Trainer Aircraft (1-12) [Vietnam]

  Programme Background After years of operating Russian-built military equipment, Vietnam is more willing to procure US-supplied equipment following the lifting of the arms embargo in ...

• Military UAS - mini

  RemoEye-006A [Bolivia]

  Background Ceremony In June 2013, the Bolivian air force inducted its first two UAVs into service, with the models, FAB 0001 and FAB 0002, being ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  Barak MX [Thailand]

  Background Thailand is procuring the Barak MX air defence system, which will be operated by the Anti-Aircraft Regiment of the Security Force Command. The system ...

• CUAS - jammers

  Airbase Air Defence Systems CUAS [US]

  Background The US Air Force's Budget Documentation for FY 2027 included $1.529 billion for Air Base Air Defence, part of which was to be used for ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 [Jordan]

  Background Requirement The Jordanian Air Force has a requirement for training helicopters that are to be used in the King Hussein Air College. The country currently ...

• 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 ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Tornado Replacement (F-35A) [Germany]

  Background Requirement In March 2020, it emerged that the German government was considering  30 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to replace 45 nuclear-capable Tornados. The remaining 40 Tornados ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V (1-8) [Bulgaria]

  Programme Background Requirement Bulgarian MoD plans to procure 16 new-built fighter aircraft to replace its fleet of 15 Russian-manufactured MiG-29 fighters. Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-47 Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) [USA]

  Background Requirement Originally conceived as a replacement for the F-22, the PCA was designed to counter various air threats, including integrated air defence systems and ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: EO/IR – Jamming Systems

  AN/AAQ-45

  Leonardo’s AN/AAQ-45 Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasures is designed to equip rotorcraft. The system is being installed on Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk medium-lift utility helicopters used ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  J/ALQ-8

  Like Israel, Japan elected to outfit its McDonnell Douglas/Boeing F-15J/DJ combat aircraft with an indigenous self-protection system. This takes the form of Mitsubishi Electric’s J/ALQ-8 ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  FAB-T Force Element Terminal

  The Family of Advanced Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminals - Force Element Terminal (FAB-T FET) is a nuclear-hardened SATCOM solution designed for airborne applications. Produced by Raytheon, ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  25mm PGU-48/B

  The 25mm PGU-48/B is a medium-calibre armour-penetrating round manufactured by American Rheinmetall. The US Air Force uses the PGU-48/B with its F-35 aircraft.

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  25mm PGU-23/U

  The 25mm PGU-23/U is a medium-calibre training round manufactured by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. The US Air Force utilises it with its AC-130 and ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - industry programmes

  Warrior Systems

  General Dynamics Mission Systems is prime contractor and system integrator for the US Army’s Warrior soldier systems, which include Air Warrior, Future Force Warrior, Land Warrior ...

• Air: mission management systems

  TBMCS

  Theater Battle Management Core Systems (TBMCS) is a US joint C2 integrated BMS used to plan and execute air campaigns in theatres of operations worldwide. ...

• Fighter - air superiority

  F-5E/F Tiger II

  The F-5E (single-seat)/F (twin-seat) Tiger II is an air superiority fighter developed by Northrop Grumman based on the original F-5 Freedom Fighter. Production of the ...

• Unguided Medium Calibre Ammunition

  30mm PGU-13B High Explosive Incendiary

  The 30mm 30mm PGU-13B High Explosive Incendiary (HEI) is a medium-calibre munition manufactured by Northrop Grumman. The US Air Force uses the PGU-13B HEI with ...

• 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 ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  CLS-200

  The CLS-200 is part of the Yates Electrospace Corporation Silent Arrow family. It is a powered cargo-carrying one-use UAV, based on the company's GD-2000 glider.  In ...

• Trainer

  T-6A/B Texan II

  The T-6 Texan II is a single-engine trainer aircraft, which was developed from the Pilatus PC-9 to meet the training requirements of USAF and USN ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-4 Phantom II family

  The F-4 Phantom II is a two-seat multirole fighter developed originally by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) to meet USN interceptor requirements. It soon became a unified ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  EMB-312 Tucano

  The EMB-312 Tucano (Brazilian designation T-27) is a trainer and light attack aircraft developed by Embraer to meet the training requirements of the Brazilian Air ...

• Loitering munitions

  Sureshastra

  The Sureshastra, or Smart Unmanned Munitions System (S-UMS), is a jet-powered, catapult-launched loitering munition manufactured by Veda Aeronautics.  In 2023, the Indian Air Force (IAF) acquired ...