• Defence Helicopter

  RNZAF trains for flight in mountainous regions

  15th June 2017

  The Royal New Zealand Air Force’s (RNZAF’s) No. 3 Squadron is currently undergoing its annual mountain flying and level readiness training.The ten day training programme, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Vectoring Pakistan’s Sea King support

  14th June 2017

  Vector Aerospace has commenced maintenance work on a set of former UK MoD Sea King helicopters before they make their journey to Pakistan at the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Mexican Navy receives new Panthers

  13th June 2017

  The Mexican Navy has received a further two AS565MBe helicopters bringing the total of aircraft it now has in service to six. The two helicopters …

• Defence Helicopter

  Paris Air Show: European helicopter procurement (video)

  16th June 2017

  Western European militaries are looking at new platforms to replace their existing fleets.  Shephard takes a look at the incumbent aircraft for Germany, Italy and …

• Defence Helicopter

  Paris Air Show: Malaysia outlines its shopping list

  19th June 2017

  As the global aerospace industry descends on Paris for the biennial aviation spectacle, the chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) has revealed the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Analysis: Joined-up helicopter training

  15th June 2017

  It is not a new thing that helicopter simulators have been assisting militaries with their operational budgets over the years.

• Land Warfare

  Paris Air Show: Le Bourget under air defence ‘bubble’ (video)

  26th June 2017

  While most visitors at this year’s Paris Air Show were concerned with applying enough sun protection, the French Air Force had another more pressing concern; …

• Training

  Leonardo opens Norway training centre

  16th June 2017

  Leonardo has opened its AW101 Norway Training Centre at Stavanger Sola Airport, the company announced on 13 June. The centre includes a new AW101 Full …

• Military Logistics

  Nepal orders single CN235

  21st June 2017

  PT Dirgantara (PTDI), the Indonesian aerospace company, has sold its first transport aircraft to Nepal in a deal for a solitary CN235-220M that was signed …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Paris Air Show: Additional payload requirement for MEUAS III

  22nd June 2017

  The NAVAIR and MEUSS III awards announced recently, which will enable Textron Systems to put itself forward for future UAS-based tasking orders, has been met positively …

• Defence Helicopter

  VEB to support Russian Helicopters project

  7th June 2017

  Rostec has announced that Vnesheconombank (VEB) will support a Russian Helicopters’ programme to design a light multipurpose helicopter. According to the company, an agreement for …

• Defence Notes

  Paris Air Show: Boeing reshuffle to streamline business

  19th June 2017

  As Boeing Defense continues to streamline its business, after recently stripping out a layer of top executives, the company looks forward to a promising European …

• Digital Battlespace

  EW Europe: Northrop's RWR nears production

  9th June 2017

  The updated AN/APR-39D(V)2 radar warning receiver/electronic warfare management system from Northrop Grumman is starting production. The system would begin full rate production in July and …

• Defence Helicopter

  Paris Air Show: Bell pitches to international market

  19th June 2017

  Pitching itself further as an international military supplier, Bell Helicopter has highlighted imminent deliveries of its tiltrotor and attack helicopter offerings across Asia. The company will see …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Paris Air Show: Wing Loong II makes its mark

  20th June 2017

  As the presence of China’s Wing Loong II UAV at Paris Air Show continues to draw crowds, officials associated with the system were coy in …

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, 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 ...