• Air Warfare

  Indonesia delays Mirage procurement, upgrades Sukhoi and F-16 fleet instead

  5th January 2024

  Indonesia's procurement of 12 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets from Qatar has been delayed due to financial constraints, redirecting funds towards upgrading its existing fleet of Sukhoi Su-30 and Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft.

• Defence Notes

  CUAS platforms, security systems and MBTs steal the spotlight as the curtain falls on Eurosatory 2024

  21st June 2024

  Eurosatory 2024 is done, the boxes are mostly put away, vehicles sent home to bed, stalls torn down, ripped carpet rolled up and weary business directors and their engineers have, for the last time for this edition, hung their MKU lanyards around their necks. But what, if anything, have we learned from this show in suburban Paris?

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Navy foresees an uncrewed future for its surface and underwater fleet

  25th April 2024

  The service has been conducting various procurement and development efforts to integrate unmanned surface and underwater vehicles into its inventory.

• Naval Warfare

  Planning begins for Harry S Truman overhaul and refuelling

  29th January 2024

  A total of 10 Nimitz-class were built by Newport New Shipbuilding with the last one entering service in January 2009. The USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) entered service in 1998 with an out-of-service date of the early 2060s.

• Air Warfare

  Pratt & Whitney’s six-generation engine passes tests

  13th February 2024

  The Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) engine will be developed in support of the Next-Generation Air Dominance Programme (NGAD).

• Air Warfare

  Norway joins air defence coalition in support of Ukraine

  7th March 2024

  Norway’s proactive involvement in supporting Ukraine’s air defence and other initiative stood in contrast to the broader trend of diminishing military aid pledges.

• Air Warfare

  Final batch of Indonesian Rafale fighters enter service

  9th January 2024

  Indonesia has concluded the acquisition of its third instalment of 18 Dassault Rafale multirole fighter jets, completing a three-phase acquisition.

• Training

  Singapore Army introduces technologies for realistic urban warfare training

  4th March 2024

  Smart technology will bring realistic battle reactions to simulated targets at major new Singapore military training facility.

• Land Warfare

  Teledyne FLIR introduces next-gen thermal weapon sight

  25th January 2024

  ThermoSight HISS-HD was engineered to enable snipers and machine gun crews to detect, identify and engage targets more than 2,200 meters away with accuracy.

• Air Warfare

  Taiwan completes F-16 upgrade programme as delivery timeline of new jets remains in doubt

  7th December 2023

  The Taiwanese air force has completed its six-year-long F-16 upgrade programme as the country awaits delivery of 66 new F-16V Block 70 fighter jets.

• Air Warfare

  F-35 Lightning II: key facts about the world's most popular fifth-generation fighter jet

  18th September 2023

  This growing family of F-35 operators exemplifies the power of collective effort, fostering stronger diplomatic ties and contributing to the evolution of modern aerial warfare on a global scale.

• Air Warfare

  Skydio launches AI-powered X10D small reconnaissance UAV

  17th January 2024

  Skydio has introduced the X10D, an AI-enhanced UAV boasting 10 times the computing power of its predecessors.

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2023: US Navy considers purchase of Vrgineers carbon fibre MR headset for V-22 pilots

  28th November 2023

  The new Vrgineers carbon fibre XTAL 3 CAVU mixed-reality headset will attempt to address calculation bottlenecks via high-performance graphical chip and AI ahead of launch in 2024.

• Air Warfare

  UK disposable frontline drones set for 2025 deployment while collaborative platforms await decision

  28th March 2024

  Reflecting on lessons learned from the cancellation of the Mosquito programme, the Royal Air Force has redefined the role of uncrewed systems within its ranks through a tiered system.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force strategic programmes to be affected by budgetary uncertainty

  15th November 2023

  The operation under continuing resolutions can impact the schedule of several US Air Force efforts including the B-21, AMRAAM and C3BM.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Denmark

  Denmark joined the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program in 2002 during the System Development and Demonstration phase and has influenced technical elements of the ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Japan

  In 2019, Japan requested to be an official partner in the F-35 programme, but this request was rejected by the Pentagon. The F-35 Joint Strike ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Multirole Fighter [Turkiye]

  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Turkey had already paid $1.4 billion into the programme, while its defence industry has ploughed significant sums into ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (61-75) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirement In 2009, the Italian MoD planned to purchase 131 F-35 aircraft, which was later reduced to 90. According to the MoD documentation, ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35B (31-40) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirement In 2009, the Italian MoD planned to purchase 131 F-35 aircraft, which was later reduced to 90. According to the MoD documentation, ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | F-X III Phase II (F-35)

  South Korea is purchasing an additional 20 F-35 aircraft for about $3.3 billion under the second phase of F-X III programme, according to the Defense ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | F-X III Phase II (F-35)

  South Korea is purchasing an additional 20 F-35 aircraft for about $3.3 billion under the second phase of F-X III programme, according to the Defense ...

• Data links

  Data links | F-X III Phase II (F-35)

  South Korea is purchasing an additional 20 F-35 aircraft for about $3.3 billion under the second phase of F-X III programme, according to the Defense ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | F-X III Phase II (F-35)

  South Korea is purchasing an additional 20 F-35 aircraft for about $3.3 billion under the second phase of F-X III programme, according to the Defense ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | F-X III Phase II (F-35)

  South Korea is purchasing an additional 20 F-35 aircraft for about $3.3 billion under the second phase of F-X III programme, according to the Defense ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  Next-Generation Trainer Aircraft - UAE

  The UAE has a requirement for a next-generation fighter aircraft and possible platforms include F-35, F-16V, F/A-18, Rafale and Su-35. The UAE has historically sought ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (1-32) [Poland]

  Programme Background During MSPO 2021, Lockheed Martin announced details related to F-35A manufacturing for the Polish Air Force. According to J.R McDonald, Lockheed Martin’s VP, business ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Japan Follow On

  The F-35 full-rate production is expected to be further delayed following an October 2020 US DoD announcement that postponed the simulation tests, originally planned for 2017 ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | F-35B Follow-On [UK]

  The Royal Air Force is planning to acquire 90 F-35B Joint Strike Fighters from 2026, in addition to the 48 aircraft which London had ordered for delivery ...

• Data links

  Data links | F-35B Follow-On [UK]

  The Royal Air Force is planning to acquire 90 F-35B Joint Strike Fighters from 2026, in addition to the 48 aircraft which London had ordered for delivery ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air-to-surface missiles, Anti-ship missiles

  JSM

  The Joint Strike Missile (JSM) is a multi-role version of the Naval Strike Missile. Norway funded the programme to develop and produce the JSM for the ...

• EO/IR systems

  F-35 Lightning II Advanced EOTS

  The F-35 Lightning II Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) is a sensor that combines targeting forward-looking IR (FLIR) and IR search and track (IRST) capabilities for ...

• Fixed wing aircraft engines

  F135

  The F135, designed and developed by Pratt & Whitney, is one of the most advanced fighter engines in the world that delivers more than 40,000lb ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  F-35 Gen III HMDS

  The F-35 Gen III helmet-mounted display system (HMDS) is provided by a joint venture between Elbit Systems of America and Rockwell Collins, developed for the F-35 ...

• Fighter - multirole, Fighter - naval

  F-35B

  The F-35B Lightning II is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft with short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capability. The USMC is the main customer for the F-35B, ...

• Fighter - multirole, Fighter - naval

  F-35C

  The F-35C Lightning II, also known as the F-35 carrier variant (CV), is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft in carrier configuration. It has larger wings and ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A

  The F-35A Lightning II is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft with CTOL capabilities. It is a multinational programme led by the US DoD, bringing together ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-81

  AN/APG-81 is operating in the X-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire control radar designed by Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems for the F-35 “Lightning” all-weather ...

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  F-35 Training System

  BAE Systems is involved in F-35 Lightning II Training System design and sustainment, working with prime contractor Lockheed Martin. BAE Systems leads the instructional systems ...

• Air: Displays

  Panoramic Cockpit Display

  Developed by L3Harris and Elbit Systems America, the Panoramic Cockpit Display (PCD) is a touchscreen MFD integrated into F-35 aircraft. It provides two electronically divided ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-130J Super Hercules

  The KC-130J Super Hercules is a tanker variant of the C-130J Super Hercules. It is designed to deliver fuel to several platforms, including helicopters and ...

• Fixed wing aircraft engines

  F414-GE-400

  The F414-GE-400 is a turbofan engine manufactured by GE Aviation and has various advanced technology features such as a Full Authority Digital Electronic Control (FADEC), ...

• Guided munitions

  GBU-53/B StormBreaker

  GBU-53/B StormBreaker is a precision-guided glide bomb developed by Raytheon to equip F-15, F/A-18 and F-35. It is also known as the Small Diameter Bomb II. The StormBreaker includes a ...

• Data links

  Multifunction Advanced Data Link

  Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) is a Ku-band data link designed for fifth-generation aircraft. The directional, interflight system is integrated into all F-35 variants, allowing ...

• Subsystems: hardware

  Flight Simulation Products

  Bugeye Technologies (BT) manufactures simulated-grade flight grips, controls and avionic displays for fixed-wing, rotary-wing and unmanned crafts. BT's full line of products includes replicated control ...