• Digital Battlespace

  Asian nations boost spy satellite capacities

  13th August 2019

  Asian countries continue to enhance their satellite constellations, with China, India and South Korea all making recent announcements in the space realm.  China, for instance, …

• Digital Battlespace

  BAE Systems wins DARPA work

  9th July 2019

  BAE Systems will integrate machine-learning (ML) technology into platforms that decipher radio frequency signals under a $4.7 million contract awarded by DARPA. The Controllable Hardware …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman awarded AN/SPQ-9B work

  29th July 2019

  Northrop Grumman will act as design agent for the US Navy’s AN/SPQ-9B surface search and fire control radar, the company announced on 25 July. The …

• Digital Battlespace

  Ampex receives E-2D FRP contract

  29th July 2019

  Ampex Data Systems has received a contract from Northrop Grumman for full rate production of file servers and supporting storage media for the US Navy’s …

• Digital Battlespace

  Lockheed Martin led team gets MBMM protoype award

  23rd July 2019

  Lockheed Martin, Ball Aerospace, and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions have been awarded a $7.2 million prototype agreement by the US Defense Innovation Unit to …

• Digital Battlespace

  USAF downselects Falcon radio for airborne comms competition

  8th July 2019

  L3Harris Technologies has been awarded a development prototype contract from the US Air Force for its Falcon Wideband Airborne HF Radio, which will now be …

• Defence Helicopter

  USAF flies HH-60W for the first time

  18th July 2019

  A HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter has been flown by the US Air Force for the first time at Sikorsky’s Flight Center in West Palm Beach.The …

• Digital Battlespace

  US Army places PRC-162 radio order

  25th July 2019

  Collins Aerospace Systems has received an order from the US Army for PRC-162 software-defined ground radios for the Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Factor (HMS) …

• Digital Battlespace

  Hughes awarded SATCOM R&D contract

  25th July 2019

  Hughes Network Systems has been awarded an $11.8 million military satellite communications (SATCOM) research and development contract by the US Army, the company announced on …

• Training

  USAF trains Nigerien Armed Forces

  15th July 2019

  As the threat from extremist groups in Africa continues to be felt, many nations from around the world are offering military support to the affected …

• Digital Battlespace

  Airbus to run UK MoD C4ISR test centre

  19th July 2019

  Airbus will run the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) land C4ISR test centre under a £22 million, five-year contract announced on 19 July. The contract …

• Military Logistics

  DynCorp wins USAF C2 and maintenance services award

  5th July 2019

  DynCorp has been awarded a $308.6 million contract for aviation command and control operations and maintenance services for the US Air Force. Under the terms …

• Digital Battlespace

  Raytheon joins Team ARTEMIS Industry

  23rd July 2019

  Raytheon will develop new space capabilities for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoU) under a Memorandum of Understanding signed on 19 July. The company has …

• Digital Battlespace

  R&S radios for VJTF 2023 Pumas

  24th July 2019

  Rohde & Schwarz will provide software defined radios (SDRs) for the Very High Readiness Joint Taskforce (VJTF) 2023 Puma vehicles of the German armed forces, …

• Digital Battlespace

  Marshall prepares for E-7 Wedgetail work

  22nd July 2019

  Marshall Aerospace and Defence will commence preparatory work for the E-7 Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C;) programme under a contract with Boeing.The risk …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• 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 ...

• CUAS - jammers

  NEROD RF [France]

  Background France has procured an unconfirmed number of MC2's NEROD RF C-UAS rifles ("fusils brouilleurs") for short-range counter-drone use. In a 2024 Senate report, it ...

• CUAS - hybrid effector systems

  Counter-Uncrewed Systems (C-UxS) Framework Agreement [UK]

  Background The UK intends to place a Closed Framework Agreement for the procurement of Counter Uncrewed Systems (C-UxS). It requires solutions to detect, track, identify, record/communicate, and ...

• Static/towed guns

  Ground-Based, Medium-Calibre Gun Weapon System [US]

  Background In September 2026, the USAF issued a request for information (RFI) for a ground-based air defence system (GBAD) centred on a medium-calibre gun. This RFI ...

• 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 UAS - MALE

  MQ-9A Reaper [USAF]

  Background First order Following a development that began in 1998, in October 2002, the USAF ordered the first four MQ-9s of the production series. In ...

• Military UAS - mini

  RQ-20B Puma [USAF]

  Background Requirement According to Trace Stevenson, the AeroVironment (AV) Vice President and product line general manager, the USAF Security Forces required a small UAV to ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Bell 407GX [Iraq]

  Programme Background Between 2009 and 2015 Iraq was supplied with at 26 Bell 407s as part of the reconstruction of the Iraqi Air Force. The ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV (USAF) (Batch 1) [USA]

  Baclground As of November 2020, the US DoD had signed 14 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) (Increment 1) [USAF]

  Background Requirements The programme’s requirements are based on the USAF’s belief that mass is necessary to compete effectively against an adversary in symmetrical warfare. However, ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  HH-60W - Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH)

  Background In 2010, the USAF announced the replacement of the HH-60G with a new Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH), and in 2012, the request for proposals ...

• AEW&C

  E-7A Wedgetail (1-2) [USA]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that this entry covers the two rapid-prototype E-7 aircraft, whose contract was signed in August 2024. A second programme entry covers the ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-Y tanker aircraft [USA]

  Programme Background The USAF is replacing its fleet of 396 KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft, built in the 1950s and 60s, and 59 KC-10 Extenders, which entered service ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-15EX (2025-2026) [USA]

  Methodology Units required Based off the FY2027 USAF budget request, between FY2025 and FY2026, the U.S. Air Force received funding for 40 F-15EX platforms. Congress ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-46A (USA)

  Programme Background The first five Low Rate Initial Production lots were contracted for a total of 67 aircraft for $10.94 billion. The initial contract signed ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• ISR/special mission

  RF-4C

  The RF-4C is a tactical reconnaissance aircraft developed based on the F-4 Phantom II by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) to meet the requirements of the USAF ...

• 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 ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  SurSAR

  The Surveillance Synthetic Aperture Radar (SurSAR) is a coherent surveillance and imaging radar developed by Array Systems Computing in Canada. It is derived from UPD-8/9 systems ...

• EW test systems

  CEESIM

  The Combat Electromagnetic Environment Simulator (CEESIM) family of simulators is designed for use in development, T&E;, maintenance and training support of airborne, land, shipboard and ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  F-15 Tactical Electronic Warfare Suite (TEWS)

  The F-15 Tactical Electronic Warfare Suite (TEWS) is an integrated defence system manufactured by Northrop Grumman. It is designed for the F-15, F-15K and F-15E ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  SECT

  The Simulator for Electronic Combat Training (SECT) is a device that blends high-fidelity equipment, environmental and EW simulation with a computer-based training engine, auto-evaluation and scoring ...

• Data links

  MIDS LVT-3 FDL

  For the MIDS LVT-3 Fighter Data Link (FDL) the USAF sought lower volume and cost than Class 1 and 2 JTIDS. The contract was awarded ...

• Land: battle management systems

  C4I Connect

  C4I Connect is a voice communications system for battlefield C2. It is a large-scale, divisional/regional system that manages voice sessions in the tactical battle area, ...

• Air: mission management systems

  9Air C4I

  9Air C4I provides an air C2 capability ranging from air operations level to real-time execution in a mobile environment. It is a net-centric system that ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  AN/ALR-94

  BAE Systems’ AN/ALR-94 electronic countermeasures (ECM) system forms a key part of the self-protection suite of the US Air Force’s Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor combat ...

• Bomber

  B-2 Spirit

  The B-2 Spirit is a multirole stealth bomber manufactured by Northrop Grumman for the USAF. The Spirit is a flying wing aircraft, meaning that it ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers

  AN/ALR-56C

  The AN/ALR-56C is a radar warning receiver manufactured by BAE Systems. It is designed to share data regarding radar threats with the aircraft's BAE Systems' ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  AN/ALQ-165 ASPJ

  Northrop Grumman’s AN/ALQ-165(V) Airborne Self Protection Jammer (ASPJ) is a widely used radar jammer and is deployed on an array of combat aircraft. The system ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  RF-7800W

  The RF-7800W-OU440 high-capacity LoS radio has an IP design that operates from 4.4-5GHz. This provides connectivity at distances over 50km and extending WANs and LANs ...

• Air: mission management systems

  DACCS

  Divisional Artillery Command and Control System (DACCS) integrates division artillery C4I with battalion C4I, making fire control an integral part of the C4I distribution network. ...