• Uncrewed Vehicles

  China tests ‘military’ paragliding UAV

  12th November 2015

  In another innovation in the unmanned field from China, news emerged this week of a paragliding UAV that has recently concluded tests in Tibet. Chinese …

• Defence Helicopter

  Second Mi-171A2 enters flight testing

  12th November 2015

  Russian Helicopters has begun flight testing the second Mi-171A2 helicopter prototype at the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, the company announced on 9 November.  In addition to the …

• Military Logistics

  US says ‘oui’ to French C-130Js

  11th November 2015

  The French Air Force’s plans to bolster its medium lift capabilities with the addition of C-130J Hercules transport aircraft has moved one step closer with …

• Defence Helicopter

  India’s LCH to receive production go-ahead

  11th November 2015

  India’s indigenous Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) is set to receive production approval before the end of November, after the project originally commenced in 2006. Having …

• Defence Helicopter

  RAF Rescue heads to Italy

  10th November 2015

  The US Air Force's 56th and 57th Rescue squadrons will relocate from RAF Lakenheath to the Aviano air base in Italy as part of efforts to …

• Defence Helicopter

  Dubai 2015: UAE signs for three AW609s

  10th November 2015

  The UAE Joint Aviation Command (JAC) will become the launch customer for the AW609 tiltrotor aircraft in SAR configuration after the signing of an MoU …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky officially a Lockheed company

  10th November 2015

  Lockheed Martin has closed its acquisition of Sikorsky Aircraft, aligning it under its Mission Systems and Training (MST) business segment. Sikorsky Aircraft will now be …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing to 'Make in India'

  10th November 2015

  Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems have announced a joint venture (JV) to manufacture aircraft aerostructures and collaborate on integrated systems development in India, Boeing announced …

• Defence Helicopter

  Dubai 2015: Bell sells more 525s in Middle East

  9th November 2015

  Bell Helicopter will sign a letter of intent (LOI) for two 525 Relentless super-medium helicopters with Egyptian firm Petroleum Air Services (PAS) on 9 November, …

• Military Logistics

  Newest C-17A arrives down under

  6th November 2015

  The Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF’S) C-17A Globemaster III fleet is now complete, with the eighth aircraft entering service at RAAF Base Amberley on 4 November. …

• Defence Helicopter

  First operational aerial refuel for French EC725s

  6th November 2015

  The French Air Force (Armée de l'air) has completed its first operational air-to-air refuelling of an EC725 (H225M) helicopter, marking a significant capability enhancement for …

• Digital Battlespace

  Africa SATCOMs restricted

  6th November 2015

  African nations have a fundamental issue with ground infrastructure that is holding the region back from full SATCOM capabilities. While SATCOMs, commercial or military, can offer …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky completes PDR for VH-92A

  5th November 2015

  Sikorsky Aircraft has completed the preliminary design review (PDR) for the VH-92A Presidential Helicopter Replacement programme, it was announced on 4 November.  According to the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  New team for firefighting demo

  5th November 2015

  Lockheed Martin has switched its unmanned firefighting team around as the K-MAX optionally-piloted vehicle and Stalker UAS line up to conduct a combined capability demonstration …

• Defence Helicopter

  Lockheed's Sikorsky acquisition imminent

  5th November 2015

  Lockheed Martin has received the final regulatory approval required to close its acquisition of Sikorsky Aircraft from United Technologies, Lockheed Martin announced on 3 November.  …

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 ...