• Defence Helicopter

  Ukraine advances Mi-24PU2 upgrade

  31st May 2016

  Ukraine's Mi-24PU2 helicopter upgrade has entered into flight testing phase, according to Ukoboronprom, the holding company that controls a vast majority of the country's arms …

• Defence Helicopter

  HMAS Canberra trials Chinooks

  31st May 2016

  The HMAS Canberra (L02), a Canberra class landing helicopter dock ship of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), conducted deck and handling trials with two Boeing …

• Defence Helicopter

  Aurora tests AACUS capabilities

  30th May 2016

  Aurora Flight Sciences has been testing the new capabilities of the Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) for the US Marine Corps (USMC), which announced it …

• Defence Helicopter

  HeliRussia 2016: Russia to get Arctic helicopters

  30th May 2016

  According to Russian Helicopters holding, the Russian MoD is set to take on strength in 2016 and 2017 with an initial batch of five Mi-8AMTSh-VA …

• Defence Helicopter

  South Korea receives first Apaches

  30th May 2016

  South Korea has sped up deployment of its new attack helicopters due to concerns over North Korea’s bellicose military stance, including a fourth nuclear test …

• Defence Helicopter

  Russia looks towards eastern outposts

  27th May 2016

  The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 27 May that personnel and equipment would be deployed to the Eastern Military District (MD), in a …

• Defence Helicopter

  HeliRussia 2016: Russia set to overhaul Indian and Croatian military helicopters

  27th May 2016

  Russian Helicopters is in an advanced stage of discussion regarding a deal for overhauling three Mi-26 heavylift transport helicopters operated by the Indian Air Force …

• Defence Helicopter

  HeliRussia 2016: Mi-26 set for re-engining

  27th May 2016

  Russia’s United Engine Co, the holding company controlling all aero engine developers and manufacturers in the country, has announced at the HeliRussia exhibition that it …

• Defence Helicopter

  HeliRussia 2016: Ka-62 undergoes initial testing

  26th May 2016

  The Kamov Ka-62 is undergoing its so-called entry-into the testing operation programme, which has to be completed before kick-starting the developmental testing effort.  The long-delayed …

• Digital Battlespace

  DRS to enhance FPAs for DARPA

  25th May 2016

  DARPA has awarded a contract to DRS Technologies to improve its infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs) as part of the Lambda Scale programme, the company …

• Defence Helicopter

  Pakistan orders AW139s

  25th May 2016

  The government of Pakistan has ordered an undisclosed number of AgustaWestland AW139 medium-sized twin-engine helicopters from Leonardo-Finmeccanica, the company announced on 24 May. The order …

• Defence Helicopter

  HeliRussia 2016: Russia's Mi-38 buy

  25th May 2016

  The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has decided to place its initial order for the new Mi-38 heavy-class twin-engine helicopter in 2017. According to Yury …

• Defence Helicopter

  US extends AAR's Afghan flight ops

  25th May 2016

  The US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) has issued an extension on an existing contract with the AAR's Airlift Group subsidiary for rotary-wing flight services in Afghanistan, …

• Defence Helicopter

  SOFIC 2016: USSOCOM's ‘circle of love’

  24th May 2016

  USSOCOM officials have outlined the command’s materiel acquisition philosophy, with one procurement chief dubbing the approach ‘the SOCOM acquisition circle of love’. The comments came at …

• Defence Helicopter

  Laos to refurbish Hips

  24th May 2016

  Much mystery surrounds the state of Laos’ small military helicopter fleet, but a little clarity emerged from a recent deal inked by Russian Helicopters. This …

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 ...