• Defence Helicopter

  Mexican Navy roaring to go with more Panther deliveries

  22nd November 2017

  The Mexican Navy received its seventh and eighth Airbus Helicopters AS565MBe Panther aircraft on 13 November at Naval Air Base Minatitlán, Veracruz. The aircraft was …

• Defence Helicopter

  RAN bids farewell to Bravo helicopters

  6th December 2017

  The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has officially retired its S-70B-2 Seahawk Bravo helicopters with the last of the fleet handed over to the Australian War …

• Digital Battlespace

  Active digital map contract for Airbus D&S team

  27th November 2017

  A team led by Airbus Defence and Space has received a ten-year contract from the French Armament Procurement Agency for the production of the SI …

• Defence Helicopter

  Seahawks needed yesterday, says frustrated Indian Navy

  7th December 2017

  The Indian Navy (IN) is exasperated. Years of procrastination and delays in awarding a contract for 16 S-70B multirole helicopters (MRH), an RfP for which …

• Training

  EDA conducts helicopter tactics discussion

  5th December 2017

  The European Defence Agency (EDA) recently held its eighth Helicopter Tactics Symposium in Rijen, the Netherlands. Organised under EDA’s Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP), the symposium …

• Special Operations

  Singapore hones SF capabilities in joint exercise

  12th December 2017

  Commandos of the Singapore Armed Force (SAF) maximised their training opportunities at Arizona’s Barry M. Goldwater Range alongside air force counterparts in Exercise Forging Sabre …

• Defence Helicopter

  HForce-equipped H145M tested

  14th November 2017

  Airbus Helicopters has completed a ballistic development test of an HForce weapon system on the H145M helicopter at Pápa Airbase in Hungary, the company announced …

• Military Logistics

  Five C295 aircraft ordered by UAE

  20th November 2017

  The United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defence has ordered five Airbus C295 medium transport aircraft, Airbus Defence and Space announced on 15 November.The …

• Special Operations

  Dubai Airshow 2017: Not SOFt on C-130J

  21st November 2017

  Lockheed Martin is positioning its C-130J-SOF export variant as the go-to aircraft for special operation forces helicopter and fixed-wing refuelling needs. Pushing hard on the …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2017: DiSTI launches GL Studio v.6.1

  23rd November 2017

  Visualisation and 3D virtual maintenance trainer (VMT) specialists, Orlando-based DiSTI Corporation has released v.6.1 of its GL Studio product, the first major iteration of v.6 that …

• Defence Helicopter

  AH-64E Apache set for record production rates

  7th December 2017

  The AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopter is being tipped to reach 'historically high' production figures of up to 100 aircraft a year by 2021. More …

• Defence Helicopter

  Japan V-22 deliveries rescheduled

  13th December 2017

  The Japanese government - the first export customer of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey - will receive five of the aircraft when deliveries take place from …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Zephyr soars into the commercial market

  16th November 2017

  The Zephyr UAS is set to enter the commercial market at the end of 2018 as Airbus Aerial touts the platform as part of its commercial …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2017. Thales upgrades Swiss helicopter sims

  30th November 2017

  Thales has delivered upgrades to simulators used by the Swiss Air Force to train crew on the AS532 Super Puma  and EC635 helicopters, the company announced …

• Naval Warfare

  Vietnam eyes SAR vessels from Poland

  8th December 2017

  The Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) is eyeing six new search and rescue (SAR) vessels following a framework loan agreement struck between Hanoi and Warsaw. The …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow-On [USA]

  Programme Background In March 2019, Airbus stated that it expected orders from the US Army for between 12 and 15 UH-72A helicopters. In March 2020, ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M [France]

  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 Puma ...

• Military helicopters - attack, Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M / H145M Add-On [Romania]

  Methodology As part of a potential initial order for 12 H225M helicopters, Romania has included the option to acquire 30 additional helicopters from Airbus. Shephard estimates this ...

• 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

  H135 [UK]

  Programme Background Airbus Helicopters UK announced on 2 February 2022 that it has won an order to provide five additional H135 twin-engine helicopters for the ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  Maritime Operations Helicopters

  The three maritime operations helicopters will be used for logistics and personnel transport, alongside transportation of PASKAL naval special forces in operations in the area. ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M [Ireland]

  Background On 30 December 2024 Ireland announced a contract with Airbus for four new H145M helicopters to replace the Air Corps existing fleet of light ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  SW4 Puszczyk Replacement [Poland]

  Programme Background  In 2002, Poland order 47 SW4 training helicopters from Italian manufacturer Leonardo; as of Spring 2025, the Ministry of Defence is looking to ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH-90 [Spain]

  Programme Background Along with a range of other air programmes, the Spanish Government announced the nation has set aside 1 billion euros (USD$1.162 billion) to ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Future Aircrew Training Program [Canada]

  Background The FAcT requires to graduate 120 pilots, 40 combat systems officers and 36 airborne electronic sensor operators per year with 15% fluctuation. Training services are ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Bell 412EPI-Indonesia

  Programme Background PTDI is assembling Bell helicopters in its factory in Bandung.  The first Bell 412EPI was delivered to Indonesian Army on 29 December 2020 ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Spain HT-29 Caiman (NH90 TTH) - Army First Batch

  HT-29 Caiman GSPAs (NH90 TTH) will be assembled at Airbus Helicopters’ facility in Albacete and will replace AS332 Super Puma fleet in service. Even though ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) (TH-57 Replacement)

  Programme Background Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  AW101 [Poland]

  According to the media reports, Airbus couldn't provide a competitive offer for the programme due to the offset requirements.  The deliveries were to be completed ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-X [Japan]

  There is no mention of the AH-X in the 2019-2023 Medium Term Defence Plan, so it is possible that the requirement has quietly been postponed. ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - light/training

  H145

  The light, twin-engine EC145 began as an initiative to increase the cabin size of the BK 117 C1 aircraft, involving Kawasaki of Japan and Airbus ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M

  The medium-weight, 11t-class H225M (formerly known as the EC725) is the latest military Super Puma/Cougar family member.  Technical features include a modular design of mechanical ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M

  The H145M (formerly known as the EC645 T2) is the military version of the H145 medium-sized (3.7t) helicopter (covered in a separate entry). It is ...

• Military helicopters - light/training, Military helicopters - multirole

  H135M

  The H135M (formerly known as the EC635 and also designated as H135) is a light utility variant of the EC135 twin-engine, multipurpose 3t helicopter. In ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H215M

  The H215M (formerly the AS532 ALe) is the most recent addition to the Cougar family.  It is a medium-weight (9t-class), twin-engine helicopter, combining the AS532's ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Helionix

  The Helionix digital avionics suite was developed from the need for a more powerful avionics system with greater functions and computing capacity, alongside a user-friendly interface. ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2+/2D

  Unveiled in 2011, the Arriel 2+ is an upgrade of the Arriel 2 and is intended for single- and twin-engine helicopters. It incorporates a new ...

• Helicopter engines

  LTS101

  The LTS101 was first certified in 1975. Since then, over 2,100 engines have been delivered to customers worldwide, logging over 11 million service hours. The ...

• EO/IR systems

  Viviane

  Viviane is an out-of-production gyro-stabilised night and adverse weather observation system with missile sight.  Manufactured by Safran, it was fitted to French Army Gazelles. It contained a ...

• Air: mission management systems

  APM 2000

  The current generation of autopilots is the APM 2000 family, fitted on major worldwide platforms. The APM 2000 is based on an integrated digital computer. ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H175M

  The Airbus H175M is the military variant of the H175 and works to fill a gap in the H175 helicopter family, as well as offer ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Light Armed Helicopter

  The South Korean government selected Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in July 2014 to develop the Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) and the related Light Civil Helicopter ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AS365 N3+ Dauphin

  The AS365 N3+, manufactured by Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter), was developed from the Dauphin series of medium, twin-turboshaft rotorcraft. The AS365 N3+ was launched at the 2009 ...

• Military UAS - small

  Flexrotor

  Flexrotor, or U030 Flexrotor, is a VTOL small UAS manufactured by Aerovel. It can integrate different types of payloads, including electro-optical systems and advanced sensors, to suit ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH90 TTH

  Developed as a multinational programme between France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, the European NH90 was designed to meet NATO requirements for multirole capability from ...