• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2017: BAE connects to the tactical edge

  13th September 2017

  The BAE Systems Tactical Hotspot Concept Demonstrator tactical ground vehicle, designed to support strike brigades during expeditionary operations, will begin an 18-month evaluation programme with …

• Special Operations

  Joint exercise reveals Côte d'Ivoire SF capabilities

  29th September 2017

  A joint training exercise undertaken with the French Special Forces (SF) at Abidjan on 22 September has provided insight into the capabilities of Republic of …

• Defence Helicopter

  MLASS wings supporting MH-60M

  20th September 2017

  Unitech Composites has delivered the first production shipset of multi-station lightweight armament support structure (MLASS) wings for utilisation on the US Army’s MH-60M, following the …

• Defence Helicopter

  MSPO 2017: Poland’s slow helicopter purchases continue

  29th August 2017

  The second iteration of the Polish tender to meet urgent requirements for new helicopters for ASW/SAR and special operations forces (SOF) support missions is proving …

• Defence Helicopter

  29th CAB receives CH-47F helicopters

  14th September 2017

  The US Army’s 29th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) unit in Iraq has received new CH-47F Chinook helicopters. The incoming CH-47Fs are the first in a …

• Defence Helicopter

  Russia ready to receive first Alligator helicopters

  13th September 2017

  The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) is set to receive its first consignment of Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters by the end of the year, the …

• Military Logistics

  US Navy receives USS Portland

  20th September 2017

  Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has delivered the amphibious transport dock USS Portland to the US Navy, the company announced on 18 September. To date, HII …

• Defence Helicopter

  Z-19 sprouts radar and set to achieve exports

  15th September 2017

  For the first time the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) publicly exhibited an example of its Z-19 attack helicopter fitted with a mast-mounted millimeter wave radar, …

• Defence Helicopter

  DSEI 2017: MAST System guides helicopters

  15th September 2017

  Curtiss-Wright is developing a manual aircraft securing and traversing (MAST) handling system, which is expected to be utilised by the more littoral-based navies around the …

• Defence Helicopter

  DSEI 2017: Vector modernises for government fleets

  15th September 2017

  First-time DSEI exhibitor Vector Aerospace is seeing multiple military opportunities as governments from around the world seek to extend the service life of their aircraft …

• Digital Battlespace

  DSEI 2017: Hensoldt eyes integrated solutions growth

  14th September 2017

  Hensoldt’s acquisition of Kelvin Hughes, expected to be completed by the end of September, is part of the company's ambitious growth strategy. Hensoldt is pursuing …

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2017: That's a wrap (video)

  15th September 2017

  DSEI 2017 brought news from the land, sea and air domains. Shephard's Land Warfare Editor, Grant Turnbull, reviews some of the highlights of the week. 

• Defence Helicopter

  Sino-Russian AHL grows in stature

  15th September 2017

  China and Russia are edging closer to a contract for the cooperative Advanced Heavy Lift (AHL) helicopter, with the proposed design more prominently presented at …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Kongsberg Geospatial wins EOAMS contract

  21st September 2017

  Kongsberg Geospatial has received a contract to produce an Emergency Operations Airspace Management System (EOAMS) for evaluation by Canadian government agencies for safely managing UAS …

• Digital Battlespace

  Kelvin Hughes INBS for RNZN

  20th September 2017

  Kelvin Hughes has received a contract from Hyundai Heavy Industries to supply an Integrated Navigation Bridge System (INBS) for the Maritime Sustainment Capability (MSC) vessel …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow On

  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

  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

  H145M [Ireland]

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

• Military helicopters - light/training

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

  Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single engine 407GXi. ...

• 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 - 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 - 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 (Helicopter Procurement) - Canada

  Programme 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 ...

• 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 - 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. ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M [Spain]

  Programme Background  In May 2025, Spain announced the National Helicopter Plan as part of the country's wider effort to rearm in response to American pressure. ...

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

  H135M [Spain]

  Programme Background Spain announced the National Helicopter Plan in May 2025 culminating in five contracts awarded to Airbus on 18 December 2025, including procurement programmes ...

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 ...

• Model 301 Fire Attack

  The Model 301 is a belly tank/refill hose system for Airbus Helicopters AS365-series helicopters.

• 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

  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 - 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 ...

• Model 316 Fire Attack

  The Model 316 is a belly tank/refill hose system for Airbus Helicopters H225 and AS332 L-series helicopters.

• AC67 Airbus Helicopters H135 interior

  Bucher has developed the AC67 medical interior for the Airbus Helicopters H135 in cooperation with ADAC Luftrettung.The lightweight, modular design features a floor with integrated ...

• 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 ...

• H160

  Airbus Helicopters unveiled a full-scale model of the H160 medium twin rotorcraft on 3 March 2015 at Heli-Expo. The utility helicopter, the first to be ...