• Defence Helicopter

  UK Wildcats in Exercise Clockwork

  14th March 2016

  Four Royal Marines Wildcat multi-role helicopters of the commando helicopter force from 847 naval air squadron have completed a six-week stint in Norway for Exercise Clockwork, …

• Digital Battlespace

  Kelvin Hughes details UK supply contract

  22nd March 2016

  Kelvin Hughes will supply its SharpEye radar for more than 60 Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ships, submarines and shore facilities, the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Apache to fire Brimstone this year

  17th March 2016

  The first firing of a Brimstone missile from a Boeing AH-64E Apache is planned for later this year as part of a feasibility study funded …

• Digital Battlespace

  Cubic to supply personnel locator components

  16th March 2016

  Cubic Global Defense (CGD) will supply key components for the AN/ARS-6 (V-12) Personnel Locator Systems (PLS) used by the US Department of Defense under a …

• Defence Helicopter

  Second CH-53K joins test programme

  16th March 2016

  Sikorsky’s second CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopter has joined the flight test programme and completed its first flight, it was announced on 14 March. …

• Naval Warfare

  Brazil certifies cargo hook kits

  16th March 2016

  Brazil's aviation regulatory agency, ANAC, has certified Onboard Systems' cargo hook kits for the Robinson R66 turboshaft-powered helicopter, the company announced on 13 March. The …

• Military Logistics

  Saudi Arabia gets two KC-130Js

  16th March 2016

  Lockheed Martin has delivered two KC-130J Super Hercules aerial refuelling aircraft to Saudi Arabia, it announced on 14 March. The aircraft will be operated by …

• Land Warfare

  White Paper outlines Australian Army growth

  16th March 2016

  Australia’s Defence White Paper released on 25 February offered insights into the planned development of ‘land forces that have the mobility, firepower, protection and situational …

• Defence Helicopter

  HAL’s LCH prototype fires rockets

  15th March 2016

  A HAL Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) in TD-3 weaponised configuration has successfully fired 70mm rockets in testing, HAL announced on 14 March.  This marks the latest milestone in …

• Defence Helicopter

  Inzpire mission system achieves IOC

  14th March 2016

  Inzpire's GECO Mission Support System (MSS) for the UK's Puma helicopter force has achieved Initial Operating Capability (IOC), it announced on 11 March. The GECO …

• Training

  Reiser selects Quantum3D visuals for FFS

  10th March 2016

  Quantum3D has been selected by Reiser Simulation and Training to provide image generators and synthetic visual databases for its civil Full-Flight Simulator (FFS) for 4t …

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Expo 2016: Bell, PTDI extend cooperation

  10th March 2016

  A new agreement signed between Bell Helicopter and PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) will see support and services to Bell Helicopter operators in Indonesia expanded. The …

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Expo 2016: Rolls-Royce, Enstrom sign agreement

  9th March 2016

  A new five-year agreement announced at Heli-Expo between Rolls-Royce and Enstrom Helicopter will see Rolls-Royce M250 engines continue to be provided to power the 480B …

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Expo 2016: Black Hawks swoop on market (video)

  7th March 2016

  The presence of three ex-US Army UH-60A Black Hawks, all now owned by private companies, was one of the big talking points at this year's …

• Land Warfare

  Size matters in Nordic consolidation

  18th March 2016

  In a further move in the ongoing consolidation of the Nordic defence industry, Kongsberg has agreed to purchase 49.9% of vehicle manufacturer Patria from the …

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 ...