• Defence Helicopter

  Diminished returns for UK equipment

  7th July 2017

  A reduction in platform numbers is a recurring theme in the UK Armed Forces Equipment and Formations publication, with the headline loss being a 37% …

• Training

  UK announces six-year Apache training contract

  3rd July 2017

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced a six-year £48 million Apache helicopter training contract on 28 June. The contract with Aviation Training International will train …

• Digital Battlespace

  Hensoldt to acquire Kelvin Hughes

  5th July 2017

  German sensor house Hensoldt is set to acquire UK radar company Kelvin Hughes from UK private equity firm ECI and management, Hensoldt announced on 30 June. …

• Defence Notes

  Air Power 2017: Flexibility vital for RAF success

  14th July 2017

  Novel partnerships must be improved to ensure the Royal Air Force is equipped to operate in increasingly contested operational environments, a former director of the United …

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Navy locates US sonar lost at sea

  10th July 2017

  The UK Royal Navy’s Sandown class minehunter HMS Bangor has used its Thales 2093 Variable Depth Sonar to locate a US Navy AQS-24 towed sonar …

• Training

  First Phenom 100 delivered for UKMFTS

  7th July 2017

  Embraer has delivered the first of five Phenom 100 jets to Affinity Flight Training Services for the UK’s Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) programme, the …

• Defence Notes

  Air Power 2017: CAS highlights partnerships

  12th July 2017

  As the Royal Air Force (RAF) looks forward to its centenary in 2018, the Chief of the Air Staff has highlighted partnerships as key for …

• Defence Notes

  Rejoice, but bad news awaits for Type 26?

  3rd July 2017

  Seemingly timing the release to coincide with the Sunday papers, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 2 July that it had awarded BAE …

• Naval Warfare

  Analysis: Rolls-Royce powering ahead

  29th June 2017

  Rolls-Royce says it is now on course to rectify issues with the UK Royal Navy’s Type 45 WR-21 engines while continuing to deliver to other …

• Digital Battlespace

  UK awards IFF upgrade contract

  26th June 2017

  Leonardo has received a contract worth over $323 million from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) for the upgrade of Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) …

• Training

  Beechcraft T-6C achieves EASA certification

  29th June 2017

  Beechcraft’s T-6C military trainer aircraft has achieved European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification, Textron Aviation Defense announced on 26 June. The certification will support configuration …

• Training

  Paris Air Show: UK leads the way in synthetic wrap

  22nd June 2017

  Following the award of a $35 million Area Weapons Effects Simulation (AWES) upgrade contract to Cubic Global Defense earlier this year by the UK MOD, …

• Military Logistics

  Rolls-Royce opens defence SDC in UK

  22nd June 2017

  Rolls-Royce has opened a new service delivery centre (SDC) at Royal Air Force Lossiemouth in Scotland, the company announced on 19 June. Established in partnership …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Spain picks AUDS to detect, defeat UAVs

  27th June 2017

  The Spanish Defence Ministry has selected the AUDS counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system to protect critical assets and personnel from malicious UAVs, it was announced …

• Training

  Inzpire delivers UK training exercise

  19th June 2017

  Inzpire has delivered the UK's distributed training event Exercise RED KITE at the Air Battlespace Training Centre (ABTC) at Royal Air Force Waddington, the company announced …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H135 (UK)

  Programme BackgroundAirbus Helicopters UK announced on 2 February 2022 that it has won an order to provide five additional H135 twin-engine helicopters for the MoD. The ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme [UK]

  Programme Background The next-generation platform concept is part of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, which sought to deliver a Future Combat Air System ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  FPV & Attack Drones (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Background £450 million On 11 April 2025, the UK MoD announced a £450 million package for Ukraine, which included £350 million from the UK from this ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Fleet Solid Support (FSS) (1-3) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirement The 2015 Strategic Defence & Security Review (SDSR) highlighted the requirement for three Military Afloat Reach & Sustainability (MARS) Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Mobile Fires Platform [UK]

  Programme Background Post-Cold War Requirements Following the end of the Cold War, the UK operated a single 155mm artillery system, the AS90. The UK procured ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Magni-X (UK)

  Programme Background On 12 January 2022, Elbit Systems UK announced it had been awarded a contract from the UK MoD's Defence Equipment & Support's Future Capability ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Typhoon Tranche 3A - Qatar

  As a part of the agreement to sell Typhoon, the UK is establishing a ‘Joint Operations Squadron’ (to be known as 12 Squadron) with the ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  UK supplied Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FIAC) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background It was first reported in late September 2020 that the UK could provide eight Barzan-class fast attack craft to Ukraine. The platform has been ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  AR3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Background £270 Million investment On 15 September 2025, the UK MoD noted that, since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Multi-Role Vehicle (Protected) (MRV-P) Package 1 (UK)

  Programme Background Requirement The MRV-P programme was intended to procure replacements for a diverse fleet of 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles purchased during the wars in Iraq ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  30,000 FPV Drones (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background IDCC On 9 January 2025, the UK MoD announced that 30,000 FPV drones would be sent to Ukraine after the awarding of £45 million ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35B [United Kingdom]

  Programme Background The total cost of the currently funded programme as reported through the UK Major Projects Report is expected to be £10.5 billion ($13.5 ...

• Maritime patrol

  P-8A Poseidon [UK]

  Programme Background In July 2016, the UK government announced that it had ordered nine aircraft for service with the RAF. Under this frame, in January ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CATV [UK]

  Programme Background CATV The CATV programme was initiated in 2019, when the UK, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden signed an MoU to share acquisition costs for ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  New Medium Helicopter (NMH) [UK]

  Programme Background NMH Market Interest Day On 11 November 2021, the MoD communicated the requirements of the £1 billion ($1.34 billion) New Medium Helicopter (NMH) ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  UK MFTS

  The Military Flying Training System (MFTS) programme, is a private finance initiative involving the MoD and Ascent, a JV of Lockheed Martin and Babcock, which was ...

• Trainer

  Phenom 100

  Phenom 100 is a very light jet originally developed for single owner-pilot operation but later gained popularity as a jet trainer aircraft. The platform first ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  CAE 700MR

  The CAE 700MR FTD is a full mission simulator platform for military helicopter-specific flight and mission training. It is a fixed-base system based on CAE's ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  UK MSHATF

  The Medium Support Helicopter Aircrew Training Facility (MSHATF) opened for training at RAF Benson, England in July 1999. It provides training services to personnel from ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  UK/ARC341 (ADRA)

  The Advanced Digital Radio Airborne (ADRA) provides a Bowman VHF radio capability to helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. It is fully compatible with the Bowman VHF ...

• Submarines: nuclear, attack

  SSN AUKUS

  The SSN-AUKUS will be the submarine design resulting from the AUKUS trilateral pact between Australia, the US and the UK. Expected to incorporate technology from ...

• Major networking projects

  Project Marshall

  The Joint Military Air Traffic Services project was initiated by the UK MoD in November 2005 to identify and evaluate options for the future delivery ...

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  ASTOR FBFCT

  The Fixed Base Flight Crew Trainer (FBFCT) is a Level 5+ FTD for the UK RAF’s Airborne Standoff Radar (ASTOR) platform. The ASTOR FBFCT is ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  BvS10 Beowulf

  BAE Systems Hägglunds launched the BvS10 Beowulf articulated tracked ATV at the September 2015 DSEI exhibition in the UK. The Beowulf is an unarmoured variant ...

• Light UGVs

  T7

  The T7 is a multi-mission robotic system designed for military, police and hazardous missions. At DSEI 2017, the UK MoD awarded the Harris Corporation a ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  CAPSTONE

  CAPSTONE is a rotary-wing UAV manufactured by Certe Aerospace, which collaborates with various UK-based defence companies.  Described as a sovereign, scalable, air power capability, CAPSTONE performed ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Sparta

  Unveiled in mid-2025, the Sparta is a fixed-wing small UAV from Quantum Systems. It is a mothership that can host and launch smaller drones, such ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  ADR+ Bowman VHF/Centaur

  The ADR+ is the VHF vehicle and manpack radio member of the ADR family of VHF radios developed initially for the UK Bowman programme. The ...

• Air: chaff, flare and decoy systems

  Vicon 78

  Thales’ Vicon-78 is a lightweight countermeasures dispensing system. The system is featured in several integrated defence systems, and is capable of firing both chaff and ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  Storm Shadow/SCALP EG

  The Storm Shadow is an air-launched cruise missile developed by France, Italy and the UK. It is known as the Storm Shadow in the UK ...