• Defence Helicopter

  Bahrain announces AH-1Z buy

  15th November 2018

  A $912 million contract for 12 AH-1Z Cobra Viper attack helicopters was announced at the Bahrain International Air Show on 15 November. Speaking during a …

• Defence Helicopter

  AW169Ms for Italy's Guardia di Finanza

  16th November 2018

  Leonardo has signed a contract worth €280 million ($315.6 million) with Italy’s Guardia di Finanza for 22 new AW169M helicopters, the company announced on 12 …

• Defence Helicopter

  Black Hawk business unlikely to be undone by Saudi tension

  21st November 2018

  The existing FMS Black Hawk helicopter contracts agreed between Washington and Saudi Arabia will continue to run to schedule, despite the US State Department consulting …

• Training

  Hyundai launches South Korean training ship

  28th November 2018

  Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) launched an auxiliary training ship for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) at its Ulsan shipyard on 16 November. The $23 …

• Digital Battlespace

  First Skynet 6 contract timeline confirmed

  6th November 2018

  Skynet 6A, the first contract for the emerging British SATCOM programme Skynet 6, is expected to be issued before the end of 2019, more than …

• Defence Notes

  Upcoming PESCO projects highlight EW and unmanned technology

  21st November 2018

  Recent updates to the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) projects, programmes that multiple countries work on together, place a strong emphasis on both unmanned systems and …

• Digital Battlespace

  AOC 2018: Lockheed's eyes set on digi over analogue contract

  27th November 2018

  Lockheed Martin this month successfully completed a system requirement review of the digital AN/ALQ-217 ESM system. The company is targeting an EMD contract in 2022 which …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky to sustain US heavy-lift helicopters

  9th November 2018

  Sikorsky has received a $717 million performance-based logistics (PBL) contract to provide supply and logistics support to US Marine Corps and US Navy heavy-lift helicopters, …

• Defence Helicopter

  DARPA advances OPV flight trials

  14th November 2018

  The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Sikorsky recently trialled technology that can turn any helicopter into an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV), with …

• Digital Battlespace

  French Navy fleet gets RIFAN 2 system

  1st November 2018

  An Airbus-led industry team has equipped more than sixty vessels of the French Navy with the Réseau Intranet de la Force Aéronavale étape 2 (RIFAN …

• Digital Battlespace

  France announces plans for third Syracuse IV satellite launch

  6th November 2018

  The French Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed it intends on fielding a third independently owned satellite, as a new addition to its current Syracuse …

• Land Warfare

  Indonesia improves air defence with Skyshield and ForceShield

  22nd November 2018

  Beginning in late 2019, the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) will receive a second batch of Oerlikon Skyshield air defence systems from Rheinmetall.  Meanwhile, deliveries of …

• Digital Battlespace

  RADA receives $12 million in new orders

  16th November 2018

  RADA Electronic Industries has announced that it has received more than $12 million in new orders. The company has received orders worth $5 million for …

• Defence Helicopter

  Rockwell Collins to support CH-47F avionics

  13th November 2018

  Rockwell Collins has received a contract to support operational readiness of avionics on the US Army’s CH-47F Chinook helicopter fleet, the company announced on 8 …

• Military Logistics

  Lockheed Martin awarded $22.7 billion Pentagon contract

  15th November 2018

  The Pentagon on 14 November announced it had awarded Lockheed Martin a $22.7 billion contract for 255 F-35 fighter jets. Of the aircraft, 106 are …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow On

  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

  Programme 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 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M [Ireland]

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

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System - AHTS (TH-57 Replacement)

  Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single engine 407GXi. ...

• 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 - 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 - 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 (Helicopter Procurement) - Canada

  Programme 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 ...

• 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 - 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. ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M [Spain]

  Programme Background  In May 2025, Spain announced the National Helicopter Plan as part of the country's wider effort to rearm in response to American pressure. ...

• Military helicopters - light/training, Military helicopters - multirole

  H135M [Spain]

  Programme Background Spain announced the National Helicopter Plan in May 2025 culminating in five contracts awarded to Airbus on 18 December 2025, including procurement programmes ...

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 ...

• Model 301 Fire Attack

  The Model 301 is a belly tank/refill hose system for Airbus Helicopters AS365-series helicopters.

• 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

  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 - 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 ...

• Model 316 Fire Attack

  The Model 316 is a belly tank/refill hose system for Airbus Helicopters H225 and AS332 L-series helicopters.

• AC67 Airbus Helicopters H135 interior

  Bucher has developed the AC67 medical interior for the Airbus Helicopters H135 in cooperation with ADAC Luftrettung.The lightweight, modular design features a floor with integrated ...

• 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 ...

• H160

  Airbus Helicopters unveiled a full-scale model of the H160 medium twin rotorcraft on 3 March 2015 at Heli-Expo. The utility helicopter, the first to be ...