• Training

  IT2EC 2023: Aeralis and SDTS partner to explore French light-fast jet defence market

  26th April 2023

  The MoU between Aeralis and SDTS will explore light-fast jet aviation services in France, targeting contracts in defence operational training and combat air support.

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2023: France weighs air defence needs as global SAMP/T NG production kicks off

  22nd February 2023

  Having signed a global production contract, Eurosam is ready to deliver air defence systems to Paris and Rome in 2025.

• Air Warfare

  Germany announces phasing out of Tiger combat helicopters by 2038, introducing H145M fleet

  15th May 2023

  Germany plans to retire its Tiger combat helicopters by 2038, citing technical problems, and replace them with an Airbus H145M fleet to meet NATO commitments.

• Land Warfare

  Sweden orders tactical comms shelters from Conlog

  23rd March 2023

  Sweden has ordered tactical communications shelters with deployable masts for its armed forces from Conlog under a €20 million contract.

• Air Warfare

  Japan approved for more E-2D Hawkeye aircraft

  9th March 2023

  The US has approved a Foreign Military Sale of up to five additional E-2D AEW aircraft, as Japan bolsters its surveillance and monitoring capabilities.

• Air Warfare

  Philippines approves light transport aircraft buy

  21st February 2023

  Manila is inching closer to signing up for six light twin-turboprop transport aircraft from Indonesia's primary aerospace company.

• Land Warfare

  UK set to acquire Archer for interim artillery requirement

  13th March 2023

  The British Army is set to take between six and eight BAE Systems Bofors Archer 155mm self-propelled artillery systems to cover a capability gap caused by donating AS90 howitzers to Ukraine.

• Naval Warfare

  TMKS seeks to leverage Wismar shipyard for F127 bid

  14th March 2023

  German shipbuilder TKMS plans to leverage its new Wismar shipyard for its proposal for the F127 anti-air warfare frigates for the German Navy, using the proven MEKO family design.

• Special Operations

  SOF Week 2023: Deputy Director of Acquisition interview (video)

  10th May 2023

  The Deputy Director, Acquisition - U.S. Special Operations Command, talks to the SOF Week show daily team about his current priorities.

• Special Operations

  SOF Week 2023: CACI International Inc displays EW capabilities (video)

  11th May 2023

  Among the vendors on the show floor at SOF Week 2023 was CACI International Inc.

• Land Warfare

  Thailand’s first LG1 towed howitzers touch down

  7th February 2023

  The first of Thailand's new 105mm field guns have arrived home, while the country's Defense Technology Institute (DTI) pursues other indigenous programmes such as combat reconnaissance vehicles and an MRAP.

• Air Warfare

  Skydweller solar-powered aircraft achieves first autonomous flight

  6th March 2023

  Skydweller Aero's solar-powered solution completed its first fully autonomous flight and is being offered for military intelligence use.

• Land Warfare

  GM Defense selected for DoD energy storage project, showcases concept vehicles

  29th June 2023

  GM Defense announced on 27 June that it has been selected by the DoD's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to prototype an efficient energy storage unit (ESU). The company also displayed its new Electric Military Concept Vehicle at Modern Day Marine.

• Land Warfare

  Japan selects new sniper rifles and machine guns

  20th February 2023

  Japan's military has selected a new 7.62mm sniper rifle and 5.56mm light machine gun.

• Special Operations

  SOF Week 2023: SOFWERX lays out its stall (video)

  9th May 2023

  SOFWERX Director Leslie Babich speaks to Shephard Media on the sidelines of SOF Week 2023 in Tampa.

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 ...

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

  Harpii Szpon (Loyal Wingman) [Poland]

  Programme Background Market Evaluation On 6 November 2023, speaking at the IQPC International Fighter Conference (IFC) 2023 in Madrid, Major General Cezary Wiśniewski, the Deputy General Commander of ...

• 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 - 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 ...

• 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

  Project Vixen [UK]

  Programme 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 ...

• 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, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [USN]

  Programme Background Requirement The USN wants to acquire carrier-capable loyal wingman drones. These drones will have a high level of autonomy, allowing them to work alongside crewed ...

• 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

  Low-Cost Uncrewed Air Systems (LANCA) Follow-On Project [UK]

  Programme Background Project Mosquito Beginning in 2019, the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), in collaboration with the Royal Air Force (RAF), began the ...

• 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 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• 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 ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  NGJ

  Raytheon's Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) was selected by the USN in 2013 to replace the legacy ALQ-99 systems used on the EA-18G electronic attack aircraft. ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers

  AN/ALQ-210

  Lockheed Martin’s AN/ALQ-210 is an Electronic Support Measure (ESM) outfitting the Sikorsky MH-60R Romeo naval support helicopter. The manufacturer’s official literature says that the product ...

• 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 ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Air-5416 Project Echidna

  BAE Systems’ commenced its work on the Australian Department of Defence’s Air-5416 Project Echidna initiative in 2001. The rationale of the programme was to overhaul ...

• 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). ...

• Air: chaff, flare and decoy systems

  Vicon-XF

  Thales’ Vicon-XF is a countermeasure dispensing system which can equip an array of platforms, primarily large aircraft and rotorcraft, according to the manufacturer’s official literature. ...

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

  MQ-28A Ghost Bat

  Initially, as a multirole system to escort crewed aircraft, the MQ-28A Ghost Bat has been reimagined as a proving platform. Its development began in 2013 and ...

• 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 ...