• Uncrewed Vehicles

  BVLOS, the next frontier for commercial UAVs

  17th November 2017

  Demand for range and endurance capabilities commonly associated with military UAVs is increasingly coming from the commercial sector. Beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) was …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  MQ-9 shows off ASW capabilities

  15th November 2017

  General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has announced that its MQ-9 Predator B UAS has demonstrated the remote detection and tracking of submerged contacts, such as …

• Defence Helicopter

  Dubai Airshow 2017: AVIC tight-lipped on presence

  14th November 2017

  Aviation Corporation of China (AVIC) has a strong presence of rotary and UAV models at the Dubai Airshow.     One of the small-scale models on …

• Defence Helicopter

  Dubai Airshow 2017: FLIR continues to surveil Middle East

  15th November 2017

  FLIR Systems closed on order for its Ranger HDC multisensor surveillance system in the Middle East via a US company worth in the region of …

• Defence Helicopter

  USMC fields Northrop’s mission computer

  7th November 2017

  Northrop Grumman’s next-generation mission computer has been fielded by the US Marine Corps on the UH‑1Y and AH-1Z helicopters, the company announced on 2 November. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Dubai Airshow 2017: Armed Bell platforms receive ME interest

  10th November 2017

  Interest in the arming of Bell Helicopter’s single- and twin-engine aircraft range is growing across the Middle East. NorthStar Aviation began the deliveries of 30 weaponised …

• Defence Helicopter

  Russia’s WMD receives Mi-35 helicopters

  3rd November 2017

  A helicopter regiment of the Russian armed forces’ Western Military District in the Pskov region has taken delivery of new Mi-35 multi-role assault helicopters, the …

• Naval Warfare

  Ghana Navy commissions new patrol craft

  15th November 2017

  The Ghana Navy commissioned into service four Chinese made fast patrol boats at Sekondi Naval Base on 31 October, according to an 8 November announcement, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Dubai Airshow 2017: GE to refurbish US Army helicopter engines

  6th November 2017

  General Electric has been awarded a multi-million fixed price contract for the overhaul and recapitalisation of its T700 portfolio of engines fitted to the US Army’s …

• Defence Helicopter

  ADEX 2017: Bell and Leonardo duke it out for Korea TH-X

  19th October 2017

  South Korea’s requirement to replace its MD 500 training helicopters for the army and navy is expected to be decided within 30-60 days, sources said …

• Land Warfare

  Rwanda fields Chinese SH3 self-propelled howitzer

  15th November 2017

  New photos have revealed that the Rwandan Army operates the Chinese-made Norinco SH3 122mm self-propelled howitzer (SPH), in the first confirmed export of the platform. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Analysis: KumAPE - the bright future of Russia’s co-axial helicopter manufacturer

  31st October 2017

  The Kumertau Aviation Production Enterprise (KumAPE) company specialises in the manufacture, upgrade and overhauls of co-axial rotor helicopters designed by Moscow’s Kamov company. 

• Defence Notes

  D&S 2017: Thales signs MoU with Thai DTI

  7th November 2017

  Thales and the Defence Technology Institute (DTI), the Thai Ministry of Defence’s research and development agency, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 6 November …

• Defence Helicopter

  Dubai Airshow 2017: Turkish T129 makes its Dubai debut

  6th November 2017

  Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) will showcase the T129 Atak helicopter at the Dubai Air Show for the first time as the company eyes the export market …

• Defence Helicopter

  ​Czech government to assess heli options

  3rd November 2017

  The Czech government will now begin the assessment of  proposals for the supply of multipurpose helicopters needed to bolster its ageing inventory. In a statement …

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 helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G Lebanon

  The Armed MD 530G Scout Attack Helicopter features next-generation all-glass cockpit that includes: two Genesys Aerosystems IDU-680 6” x 9” LCD primary displays, Tek Fusion ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, 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 - 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 (Cancelled)

  Programme Background Germany requested to buy four MQ-4C Triton HALE UAVs from Northrop Grumman. On 5 April 2018, the US State Department announced that it ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8, Main battle tanks

  Tracked & Wheeled Light Tank (Philippines)

  Programme Background The decision to split the programme into a wheeled and a tracked element follows the belief of the Philippine Army that this will ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M - France

  Programme 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 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60A [Portugal]

  Programme Background At the end of February 2025, the Portuguese Minister of National Defence said that as part of the Portuguese Army's Support, Protection & ...

• 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 - multirole

  H145M (Contracted) [Germany]

  Programme Background Previous Usage The German Armed Forces ordered 15 H145M helicopters, with the initial two delivered in December 2015, for the Kommando Spezialkräfte. These ...

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 ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G

  The MD 530G is the newest addition to the MD Helicopters line of light scout attack platforms. It has increased-capacity landing gear and a mission-configurable ...

• 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 ...

• 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 UAS - rotary-wing, 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 ...

• Helicopter Armour

  Armor of America (AoA) produces custom armour kits for any rotary-wing aircraft. AoA helicopter armour protects areas such as the cockpit floor and doors, cabin ...

• 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 ...

• HEMS Completions

  RSG has been providing modification, retrofit, completion services and component overhaul to the air medical industry for over 38 years on aircraft produced by Airbus ...

• HS-16600

  Breeze-Eastern's HS-16600 external electric hoist system is operational on the Leonardo Helicopters AW109 and AW119, Bell Helicopter 206 and 222, and MD 500. It is ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 500

  The 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 the ...

• 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 ...