• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Elbit Systems US Subsidiary and General Dynamics Form Joint Venture to Provide Tactical UAVs to US Market

  17th May 2009

  Elbit Systems has announced that its subsidiary, Elbit Systems of America and General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products have formed a new joint venture named …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ScanEagle adds 10,000 hours per month as Integrator comes in to play

  17th May 2009

  'ScanEagle has accrued 175,000 flight hours since being deployed with the US Marine Corps in 2004 and is currently adding to that figure to the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sri Lanka orders Russian helicopters

  16th May 2009

  Sri Lanka has ordered a number of military transport helicopters and other weaponry from Russia, the country's defence secretary has said. "I have managed to …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Northrop Grumman's Hunter Reaches 75,000 Flight Hours Operational Milestone

  15th May 2009

  Northrop Grumman Corporation's Hunter Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), in use with the US Army since 1996, recently surpassed 75,000 flight hours in service, 50,000 of …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AAI Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Complete a Successful Simultaneous Flight Demonstration

  15th May 2009

  AAI Corporation has announced that it has flown three of its small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) simultaneously at the Smoky Hill Air National Guard Range. …

• Defence Helicopter

  European Commission requests Italy to comply with Court judgment on helicopter supply contracts

  15th May 2009

  The European Commission has decided, under Article 228 of the EC Treaty, to formally request Italy to comply with a 2008 judgment of the European …

• Defence Helicopter

  Australia confirms Seahawk sustainment and replacement project timings

  15th May 2009

  Australia’s government will proceed with initial approvals for the Royal Australian Navy’s project Air 9000 phase 8 future naval aviation combat system requirement before the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Australia plans new A$403 million helicopter fleet sustainment spend

  15th May 2009

  The Australian Defence Material Organisation is forecasting combined sustainment costs of $A403 million (US$304 million) during FY2009-2010 for the Australian defence forces Eurocopter Tiger and …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Budget increase for Australian JP129 programme

  15th May 2009

  Australia has bolstered funding for its revised Joint Project 129 tactical unmanned air system (UAS) requirement with this week’s Federal budget increasing allocations to the …

• Defence Helicopter

  DCMA Approves Bell Helicopter EVMS Certification

  15th May 2009

  Bell Helicopter announced that its Earned Value Management System has been approved by the Defence Contract Management Agency. “Approval of our certification is the culmination …

• Defence Helicopter

  AgustaWestland Launches Helicopter Tactics Training Programme

  13th May 2009

  AgustaWestland has launched a Helicopter Tactics Training Programme for military helicopter crews to help them prepare for deployed multi-national operations, especially in conflict zones where …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  New UAS SIGINT Training & Simulation System Unveiled in the UK by Abacus EW and Simlat

  13th May 2009

  Simlat Ltd. and Abacus EW Consultancy Ltd. announce collaboration on providing a comprehensive training solution for the rapidly growing UAV SIGINT operator market. Abacus's training …

• Defence Helicopter

  ARMAEREO Awards ICH-47F Chinook Helicopter Contract

  13th May 2009

  AgustaWestland has announced that it has been awarded a contract for sixteen ICH-47F Chinook helicopters plus four options for the Italian Army by the General …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ST Engg unveils USV aspirations at IMDEX

  13th May 2009

  Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engg) revealed at IMDEX Asia that it has been working on  developing a USV, dubbed Venus, to meet naval requirements in …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Northrop looks to post FCS Fire Scout future

  13th May 2009

  Northrop Grumman has revealed to Unmanned Vehicles plans to manufacture a second 'white tail' company-owned Fire Scout UAV to support company marketing activities both in …

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).