• Military Logistics

  UK shares industrial base vision

  21st May 2018

  UK defence logisticians have ‘thematically similar’ but ‘slightly nuanced’ industrial base views and challenges when compared to those in the United States. And, in much …

• Special Operations

  SOFEX 2018: Oshkosh touts S-ATV to international market

  9th May 2018

  Having tested its Special Purpose All Terrain Vehicle (S-ATV) in an unnamed Middle Eastern country, Oshkosh is now showcasing the vehicle to the international market …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing CH-47 to be offered with R&D SDAR

  27th April 2018

  Boeing has signed an agreement with Rohde & Schwarz (R&S;) to offer the R&S; next-generation software-defined airborne radio for H-47 Chinook helicopters, Boeing announced on …

• Land Warfare

  DSA 2018: Rapid Ranger rides into Malaysia

  20th April 2018

  Thales, in conjunction with local partner Global Komited (a Weststar subsidiary), exhibited a Starstreak very short-range air defence system mounted on a URO Vamtac 4x4 vehicle at …

• Defence Helicopter

  SOFEX 2018: Upgraded Cobra on the prowl

  8th May 2018

  An upgraded variant of the Royal Jordanian Air Force’s (RJAF) AH-1F Cobra attack helicopter is on display for the first time at SOFEX 2018. The …

• Defence Notes

  India intends to place fighters farther east

  11th May 2018

  India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands are in a key strategic location astride the western approaches to the Malacca, Sunda, Lombok and Ombai Wetar Straits. To …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Airbus Helicopters, Schiebel demo MUM-T

  27th April 2018

  Airbus Helicopters and Schiebel have demonstrated Manned Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) capabilities between an H145 helicopter and Camcopter S-100 UAS, Airbus announced on 24 April.The flights …

• Defence Helicopter

  New heli gearbox repair facility for Australia

  1st May 2018

  A new transmission repair and overhaul facility is to be established in Melbourne, Australia, that is capable of servicing MRH Taipan helicopter main gear boxes.The …

• Defence Helicopter

  Insight: Indian helicopter dreams produce nightmares

  25th April 2018

  The Indian military’s seemingly endless pursuit of new helicopters is a sorry tale of woe for both the armed forces and for foreign OEMs wanting …

• Defence Helicopter

  Leonardo DRS to provide sensors for 2C-AWS

  1st May 2018

  Leonardo DRS will provide advanced sensors for BAE Systems' 2-Color Advanced Warning System (2C-AWS), the company announced on 27 April. The 2C-AWS is being developed …

• Defence Helicopter

  Spirit delivers CH-53K SDTA fuselage to USMC

  30th April 2018

  Spirit AeroSystems has delivered the fifth System Demonstration Test Article (SDTA) CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter fuselage to the US Marine Corps (USMC), the company …

• Defence Helicopter

  PDR of T901-GE-900 engine complete

  27th April 2018

  GE Aviation and the US Army have conducted the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the T901-GE-900 engine, the company announced on 25 April. The engine …

• Defence Helicopter

  Mexico requests MH-60R helicopters

  23rd April 2018

  The US State Department has made a determination approving a potential foreign military sale of MH-60R helicopters to Mexico, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  SOFEX 2018: Opportunities in the air for UAV exports to Middle East

  7th May 2018

  As the Trump administration looks to looks to open up the export restrictions concerning unmanned technologies, one company that could see gains, especially in the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing partners with German industry for H-47

  30th April 2018

  Boeing has announced partnerships with ten German aerospace suppliers as it looks to strengthen its German industrial ties. Boeing, which is offering the H-47 Chinook …

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 ...