• Defence Helicopter

  CH-53K reaches production milestone

  5th April 2017

  Despite some bumps in the road, the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion has been approved for production by the Pentagon.First launched in 2003, the Heavy Lift …

• Defence Helicopter

  LAAD 2017: Airbus overcoming market woes (video)

  5th April 2017

  Mesrob Karalekian, VP for Latin America at Airbus Helicopters, speaks with Shephard about the company's optimism in relation to recent economic woes within the region.Furthermore, …

• Defence Helicopter

  US military helicopters face design hurdles

  4th April 2017

  Various design challenges with several of the Pentagon's key helicopter programmes has resulted in unexpected modifications, a new report has found.The CH-53K, Combat Rescue Helicopter …

• Defence Helicopter

  LAAD 2017: What to expect (video)

  4th April 2017

  Land and C4SIR editor Tim Fish highlights the Guarani 6x6 vehicle and submarine building programmes as ones to watch at LAAD 2017. Meanwhile, deputy rotary …

• Defence Helicopter

  Elbit receives HDTS order

  3rd April 2017

  Elbit Systems of America will provide the Helmet Display and Tracker System (HDTS) for the US Navy's MH-60S Seahawk helicopter under a $50 million contract …

• Defence Helicopter

  HAL receives Dhruv order, increases sales

  3rd April 2017

  Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is in receipt of an order for 32 Dhruv Mk III helicopters, according to a contract signed on 30 March, buoying …

• Defence Helicopter

  Helisota, Cobham enter partnership

  31st March 2017

  Helisota has signed a partnership deal with UK-based Cobham Helicopter Academy to develop and provide joint training programmes for helicopter maintenance personnel and other specialists, …

• Naval Warfare

  Australia releases frigate RfT

  31st March 2017

  Australia released its awaited RfT for nine Future Frigates on the last day of March, a competition that will be worth $26.8 billion for one …

• Defence Helicopter

  Pakistan orders more AW139 helicopters

  30th March 2017

  Leonardo will supply an undisclosed number of AW139 intermediate twin engine helicopters to the government of Pakistan, the company announced on 28 March.The aircraft will …

• Defence Helicopter

  Colombian helicopters provide relief support in Peru

  29th March 2017

  The Colombian Army's Air Assault Aviation Division (DAVAA) and the Colombian Air Force (FAC) are currently deployed in Peru as part of a regional relief …

• Defence Helicopter

  First AS565 MBe Panthers arrive in Indonesia

  29th March 2017

  Two base AS565 MBe Panther platforms have arrived in Indonesia for completion by PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), Airbus Helicopters announced on 29 March. The Indonesian …

• Defence Helicopter

  Companies submit bids for Polish helo tender

  29th March 2017

  Initial bids for Poland's anti-submarine and special forces helicopter tender have been submitted, Poland's Armament Inspectorate has announced.The requirement for a total of 16 helicopters …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Sky-Futures, Bristow look to un/manned future

  29th March 2017

  Sky-Futures and Bristow Group have carried out interoperability testing with a helicopter and UAS, Sky-Futures announced on 27 March.The work is being carried out as …

• Special Operations

  ​SOFINS: Airbus DS to deliver armed C295

  29th March 2017

  Airbus DS has revealed its latest plan for the fitting of weaponry to its C295 transport aircraft, which will turn the aircraft into a fire …

• Military Logistics

  Cambodia receives donated Kia vehicles

  28th March 2017

  Cambodia held a ceremony on 23 March to celebrate reception of a sizeable batch of second-hand military vehicles from South Korea, all of which were …

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 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 - scout/light attack

  MD-530G [Lebanon]

  Background Order context The Lebanese MD-530 order was placed during a visit of US Central Command Commander General Joseph Votel in December 2017.  MD 530F ...

• Hybrid effector systems

  US Air Force Air Base Defence Missile Defence [US]

  Background The US Air Force's (USAF) Air Base Air Defence Missile Defence (ABAD MD) programme is part of the Air Force Physical Security System and sits ...

• 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]

  Background Global Hawk Early in the development of the Global Hawk, the German MoD also expressed interest in procuring the aircraft as a replacement for ...

• 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 - multirole

  Multirole Helicopters [Poland]

  Programme Background In 2020, Poland announced the launch of the Perkoz programme to acquire 32 support helicopters to replace its fleet of Mi-2 aircraft stationed ...

• 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 - 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 ...

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 ...

• 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 ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 500

  US-based MD Helicopters' 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 ...

• 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 helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G

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

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MD-1366 EBEM

  The US government selected the MD-1366 Enhanced Bandwidth Efficient Modem (EBEM) from ViaSat to set the DoD standard for high-speed, high-performance,flexibility and compatibility in a ...

• EO/IR systems

  Wescam MX-10

  The Wescam MX-10 EO/IR low-weight imaging system is designed for low-altitude tactical surveillance and reconnaissance missions from crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The MX-10 has had a close ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT)

  The Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT) is an in-development UAV from Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) based on an MD 500 twin-seat American commercial helicopter airframe. With the ...