• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Expo 2017: Cobham launches UK training academy

  6th March 2017

  As exhibitors undergo final preparations for Heli-Expo 2017, Cobham announced the launch of its helicopter training academy in Basingstoke, UK. The company has been delivering …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ​Heli-Expo 2017: VSR700 ready to fly

  7th March 2017

  The shipborne VSR700, a unmanned helicopter VTOL system, is fast approaching its first flight without a safety pilot.The aircraft is derived from a light civil …

• Training

  Frasca simulator for RCAF training

  8th March 2017

  A Frasca International Flight Training Device (FTD) for the Bell CH-139 helicopter will be supplied to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) under an order …

• Defence Helicopter

  Avalon 2017: Tiger and Taipan to improve availability

  3rd March 2017

  Even as other manufacturers were slowly circling for the kill at the Avalon Air Show by offering the Australian Army replacement attack helicopters, Airbus Helicopters …

• Defence Helicopter

  Hungary to host Fire Blade 2017

  6th March 2017

  The European Defence Agency's (EDA's) Exercise FIRE BLADE 2017 will take place at the Pápa Airbase in Hungary from 1st-12th May, the EDA announced on …

• Defence Notes

  Hobart completes Sea Acceptance Trials

  8th March 2017

  The Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) first air warfare destroyer, the future HMAS Hobart, has successfully completed Sea Acceptance Trials following 21 days at sea off …

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Expo 2017: Four H125s to training school

  2nd March 2017

  Qinetiq has ordered four H125 single engine helicopters from Airbus Helicopters in a deal worth £15 million (US$18 million).The aircraft will be used for the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Airbus to retrofit German CH-53 helicopters

  28th February 2017

  Airbus Helicopters has received a contract to retrofit the German armed forces' CH-53 heavy transport helicopters, the company announced on 27 February.This contract covers work …

• Defence Notes

  Latvia says no to conscription

  20th March 2017

  Latvia has reaffirmed its commitment to meet NATO defence spending targets by next year but will not follow other allies in bringing back conscription, the …

• Defence Helicopter

  ​Airbus secures first HForce sales

  2nd March 2017

  Airbus Helicopters has confirmed that HForce is alive with the sound of sales, the company revealing it has sold two versions of the weapon system …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky transfers S-70i to Aselsan

  3rd March 2017

  Sikorsky has transferred an S-70i Black Hawk helicopter to Aselsan for use as the prototype aircraft for the Turkish Utility Helicopter Program (TUHP), the company …

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Expo 2017: Thales sees avionics decline

  3rd March 2017

  The well-publicised depression in the helicopter market is having a knock-on effect for companies across the supply chain, not least those that provide high-end electronics …

• Defence Helicopter

  Senegal moves ahead with military procurements

  3rd March 2017

  The Senegalese military has been conducting significant purchases of equipment in the last few years, with the army receiving new armoured vehicles, small arms and …

• Defence Helicopter

  ​German Tigers join the fight in Mali

  28th February 2017

  The four Tiger attack helicopters from Germany's Combat Helicopter Regiment 36 that will deploy to Mali at the end of March will each carry an …

• Defence Helicopter

  Avalon 2017: Bell positions Viper-Venom combo

  1st March 2017

  The marketing focus for Bell Helicopter at Avalon Air Show 2017 was a major push of its AH-1Z Viper. With the Australian Army's Tiger Armed …

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 ...