• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Boeing Unmanned AH-6 in French Navy Study for Rotary UAV

  29th May 2009

  Boeing’s unmanned AH-6 is part of the trial programme being conducted by the French Navy to achieve an onboard UAV capability by 2011. Boeing is …

• Defence Helicopter

  Reducing Wiring Complexity: GE Aviation supports the adoption of WiTNESSS with its wireless sensor technology

  29th May 2009

  GE Aviation is to develop wireless data gathering and transmission technology for aircraft applications in support of the WiTNESSS (WIreless Technologies for Novel Enhancement of …

• Defence Helicopter

  AgustaWestland Opens New Dedicated T129 Facility

  28th May 2009

  AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce the opening of its new T129 facility in Cascina Costa, Italy. The official opening ceremony was attended …

• Defence Helicopter

  Apache Longbows for Egypt

  28th May 2009

  On May 22, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Egypt of 12 AH-64D Block …

• Defence Helicopter

  Afghan Army Air Corps set to reintroduce Mi-35

  28th May 2009

  Afghanistan’s National Army Air Corps is preparing to transition its Mi-35 Hind helicopters into an operational attack role for the first time with planning underway …

• Defence Helicopter

  India re-opens attack helicopter competition

  28th May 2009

  India has re-issued tenders for its air force attack helicopter requirement alongside the release of a new tender for up to 15 heavy lift helicopters. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  QinetiQ readies Aberporth UAV Centre for Watchkeeper

  27th May 2009

  A key milestone in the £899m MOD project to develop the Watchkeeper Unmanned Air System has been reached on schedule. QinetiQ, working closely with other …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  French Army completes 100th flight of its tactical UAV in Afghanistan

  27th May 2009

  The French tactical drone system, SDTI carried out its 100th reconnaissance mission at the oprational base at Tora in Afghanistan on May 15, 2009. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Air Drone's Parent Company, Mundus Group Releases Breakthrough UAV-VTOL Aerial Surveillance and Stealth Operation Technology

  27th May 2009

  Mundus Group and AirStar announced to the focusing of their efforts on commercializing AirStar's UAV Aerial Surveillance packages with training courses and technology that allow …

• Defence Helicopter

  Fleet Air Arm forms Lynx Wildcat training squadron

  26th May 2009

  700W NAS has been commissioned to form the Lynx Wildcat Fielding Squadron. The new Squadron replaces the Lynx Operational Evaluation Unit (LOEU) and major changes …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aerodrones to reveal new generation of UAV Ground Control Stations

  26th May 2009

  After its commercial successes these last two years, the innovative French company Aerodrones, specialized in in small-UAV Portable Ground Control Stations, will be launching the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Pave Low added to Cold War Exhibition

  24th May 2009

  Despite a week of high winds and rain, staff at the RAF Museum Cosford have successfully moved the Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low helicopter into the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Saab partners with Swiss UAV

  22nd May 2009

  Saab and Swiss UAV (SUAV) have signed a strategic business agreement to increase technology superiority within the Unmanned Airborne System (UAS) area. The agreement seeks …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sea Skua / AS15 replacement work progressing

  22nd May 2009

  Work to develop a new lightweight anti-ship missile for the French and British Navies is progressing. The Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon (FASGW) or Anti-Navire Leger …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  X-51A First Flight in Fourth Quarter 2009

  22nd May 2009

  Boeing’s X-51A WaveRider Scramjet engine will have its first airborne test around November / December 2009, revealed Joseph Vogel, X-51A Program Manager, Advanced Network and …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light attack, Trainer

  PC-21 (Project Air 5428) [Australia]

  The new PTS, including aircraft, flight training simulators and learning environments is being acquired from a single capability contractor, Team 21, which consists of Lockheed ...

• Transport, Transport/tanker aircraft

  Project Air 7404 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement Australia is thinking ahead to an enlarged transport fleet to replace the current C-130Js. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was the second ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (Project Air 6000 Phase 2A/B) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) took delivery of 18 F-35A aircraft as of March 2020 and the remaining aircraft are expected to ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (5-6) [Australia]

  Background Four Contracted Units In the summer of 2020, Northrop Grumman announced that the Australian Government provided $333 million for three MQ-4C Tritons and associated GCS. ...

• Data links

  Data links | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Loyal Wingman [Australia]

  Background Older Efforts On 23 April 2021, the US State Department's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) approval announcement revealed that Australia had requested to buy up ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Project Air 7003 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

• OPVs

  Arafura Class (Project SEA 1180) (1-6) [Australia]

  Programme Background Australia's new class of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), the Arafura-class, will replace the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) fleet of Armidale and Cape-class patrol ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-28 Ghost Bat [Australia]

  Background Goal As stated by the Head of Air Force Capability, Air Vice-Marshal Robert Denney, in March 2022, the Ghost Bat will be an "operational system ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (11-12) [Australia]

  Programme Background Austal was awarded a contract to build six 'Evolved'Cape-class patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on 1 May 2020 (see separate ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Project Vixen [UK]

  Background Project Goal The Royal Navy uses Leonardo crewed Merlin (AW101) helicopters fitted with CROWSNEST pods to provide airborne early warning capabilities for carriers. An early 2021 Royal ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Project SEA 3000 [Australia]

  The February 2024 Enhanced Lethality Surface Combatant Fleet review recommends that the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) acquire at least seven, and optimally 11, Tier 2 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Air-5416 Project Echidna

  Air-5416 Project Echidna was an initiative launched in 2001 by BAE Systems for the Australian DoD. Its goal was to overhaul the self protection systems ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Australian Defence Force MRH90 Training

  As prime contractor for the ADF's MRH90 training programme, CAE has provided two MRH90 full-flight mission simulators (FFMS), training facilities and engineering and support services. ...

• 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 ...

• AMAS

  AMAS – Australian Minesweeping System – was developed with the assistance of the Defence Science & Technology Organisation and the Royal Australian Navy. It adopts ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  RAAF Hawk Mk 127 FMS

  Under subcontract to BAE Systems, CAE is designing and manufacturing three Hawk Mk 127 full-mission simulators (FMS) for the Royal Australian Air Force that will ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Wanderer

  The Wanderer is a low-altitude, low-cost, long-endurance UAV produced in-house by the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) Jericho Disruptive Innovation Group and the Australian Government's Defense Science ...

• Light attack

  Hawk 200

  The Hawk 200 is a single-seat light attack iteration of the Hawk 100 (see separate entry) and Advanced Jet Trainer or AJT (see separate entry). ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-28A Ghost Bat

  The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is a loyal wingman type MALE fixed-wing drone being developed by Boeing Defence Australia. Its development began in 2013 and took its first ...

• Maritime patrol

  Challenger 604

  Bombardier Challenger CL-604 MPAs are in service with the Royal Danish Air Force and the Korea Coast Guard. The first of three Danish aircraft entered ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  Predator Mission Trainer (PMT)

  The CAE Predator Mission Trainer (PMT) is an integrated platform that combines the features of CAE's UAS mission trainer with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Predator-specific ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  AN/ALR-2001

  BAE Systems’ AN/ALR-2001 Electronic Support Measure (ESM) is thought to be based on Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Elta Systems division’s EL/M-8382 ESM. The AN/ALR-2001 is ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Phantom 4 (Series)

  Designed for aerial photograph applications by DJI, the Phantom 4 series of UAVs includes the Phantom 4 Pro, Phantom 4 Pro V2.0, Phantom 4 Advanced ...

• Submarine-launched torpedoes

  Mk 48 Mod 7AT CBASS

  The MK 48 MOD 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) is the latest variant of the Mk 48 torpedo family manufactured by Lockheed Martin and ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  M Solar-X

  First revealed in August 2020, in February 2024, at its symposium, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) showcased the M Solar-X. This solar-powered fixed-wing drone was ...

• Military - USVs

  Bluebottle

  Bluebottle is a persistent, autonomous, uncrewed surface vessel from Ocius Technology in service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).