• Defence Helicopter

  Lord delivers Chinook IVCS to Boeing

  27th October 2016

  Lord Corporation announced the delivery of the first production orders of its Improved Vibration Control Systems (IVCS) to Boeing for the CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter on 25 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Euronaval 2016: New VTOL UAV for French Navy

  20th October 2016

  The focus on unmanned systems at Euronaval continued on Thursday as DCNS and Airbus Helicopters revealed a design for a new VTOL system for the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Helicopter industry waits on clarity from Warsaw

  19th October 2016

  Two weeks after cancelling the deal to procure H225M helicopters from Airbus Helicopters, the Polish government now appears to be hedging its bets and sharing …

• Military Logistics

  Airbus signs JMSDF PBL contract

  18th October 2016

  The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) and Airbus Helicopters Japan have signed a performance-based logistics (PBL) contract for Airbus Helicopters' HCare customer fleet availability service, …

• Defence Helicopter

  Euronaval 2016: Poland and France escalate helicopter spat

  17th October 2016

  Poland’s decision to cancel a multi-billion dollar deal to procure helicopters from Airbus Helicopters is having wider political ramifications, with the French government reportedly withdrawing …

• Defence Helicopter

  Helitech 2016: Helitune and Leonardo in tune for onboard systems

  18th October 2016

  Helitune’s onboard rotor blade tracker, RT-TipTrak, has been selected as the standard blade tracker for installation on AW189 and AW169 aircraft.  Designed for internal or …

• Defence Helicopter

  CH-53K initial testing a success

  25th October 2016

  The CH-53K King Stallion has successfully completed initial operational testing by the US Marine Corps (USMC), with the programme now focused on achieving a Low …

• Training

  Sydney centre gets AW139 simulator

  20th October 2016

  Leonardo-Finmeccanica has selected Toll Helicopters to deliver AW139 Full Flight Simulator (FFS) training in Australia, the company announced on 18 October. The AW139 Level D …

• Defence Notes

  Philippines seals deal for frigates

  22nd October 2016

  Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) announced on 24 October that it had won a contract to build two frigates for the Philippine Navy (PN). The lot …

• Defence Helicopter

  Indian deal done for Ka-226T

  16th October 2016

  India’s and Russia’s heads of state signed a much awaited contract for the production of 200 Kamov Ka-226T helicopters at the BRICS summit in Goa …

• Defence Helicopter

  Upgraded Mi-28N starts first flight trials

  18th October 2016

  A prototype of a modernised Mi-28 combat helicopter has begun flight testing at the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, Russian Helicopters announced on 13 October. The …

• Defence Helicopter

  Zhuhai 2016: China comes out fighting?

  28th October 2016

  The 11th Zhuhai Air Show, 1-6 November, will showcase the newest aerial weaponry available not just to the Chinese military, but for export to an …

• Military Logistics

  ADF to get new fuel tankers

  20th October 2016

  Refuel International, based in Melbourne, Australia, has won a contract worth AUD$47 million to build new aviation fuel tankers for the Australian Defence Force (ADF), …

• Defence Helicopter

  Indo Defence 2016: Protecting Natuna

  24th October 2016

  With the increased focus on South China Sea disputes and alleged illegal fishing by Chinese fishing vessels, the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) have begun expanding …

• Defence Helicopter

  US Army to accelerate helicopter engine project (video)

  26th October 2016

  The US Army is considering ways to accelerate its Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) as the project continues to move forward. While the army was …

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 ...