• Defence Helicopter

  ALIAS-equipped uncrewed helicopter takes off

  9th February 2022

  Flexible and extensible automation architecture offers the prospect of uncrewed US Army rotorcraft missions in the Future Vertical Lift programme.

• Land Warfare

  Ukraine gains more materiel from NATO states as invasion concerns heighten

  15th February 2022

  NATO member states are ramping up materiel support for Ukraine in the shadow of a Russian invasion that looks more likely by the day.

• Air Warfare

  Northrop Grumman announces AARGM-ER second flight

  9th February 2022

  Development of the AARGM-ER continues with its second successful test flight.

• Defence Notes

  BAE Systems develops future microelectronics for US

  24th January 2022

  BAE Systems has been awarded a contract to design microelectronics, radiation-hardened for use in space.

• Defence Helicopter

  GE Aviation chases place in New Medium Helicopter programme

  24th February 2022

  Engine manufacturer GE Aviation emphasises maintenance and sustainable fuel benefits as it chases a place in the UK’s New Medium Helicopter programme.

• Land Warfare

  DARPA UGV programme aims to match crewed vehicle speeds

  28th January 2022

  With the goal to develop and demonstrate the ability of autonomous platforms to travel at speeds that maintain pace with crewed vehicles in complex terrain, DARPA will conduct two field experiments this year under the RACER programme.

• Defence Notes

  West bolsters Ukrainian arsenal as Russian threat looms

  26th January 2022

  Kiev has received a range of weapons, from next-generation light anti-tank weapons (NLAW) to Javelin and Stinger missiles.

• Digital Battlespace

  DARPA picks another MINC partner

  3rd February 2022

  MINC will help the US military move away from static and siloed information architectures towards autonomous, dynamic and mission-driven approaches.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Kosovo awaits Puma LE

  25th January 2022

  Shephard calculates that Kosovo is obtaining 40 Puma LE reconnaissance UASs under the FMS programme.

• Naval Warfare

  Sophisticated wave modelling aids USN seabasing

  7th February 2022

  General Dynamics subsidiary Applied Physical Sciences continues its work on environmental and ship motion forecasting for the USN.

• Training

  Spartan continues to back Iraqi pilot training

  3rd February 2022

  Spartan Air Academy carries on with contractor logistics support for Iraqi Air Force T-6 pilot training.

• Defence Notes

  Russian S-400s reach Belarus for ‘training exercise’

  7th February 2022

  Russia may use an exercise in Belarus on 10-20 February to augment its forces before an invasion of Ukraine.

• Air Warfare

  USN orders additional 20mm cannons for Super Hornets

  31st January 2022

  A total of 76 additional M61A2 Vulcan cannons will be provided by November 2024 to arm USN F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.

• Defence Helicopter

  Defiant completes mission profile flight tests

  21st January 2022

  In recent flight tests, SB>1 Defiant exceeded the 230kt FLRAA speed requirement set by the US Army.

• Defence Notes

  Ukraine invasion should prompt geostrategic rethink by outgunned and outnumbered UK (Opinion)

  25th February 2022

  The need for the UK to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine risks making the ‘Global Britain’ defence strategy appear a case study in hubris.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - mini

  RQ-20A Puma [Latvia]

  Programme Background The US DoD is financing military modernisation in the Baltic to improve the capabilities of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian militaries. This includes ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F Chinook [Saudi Arabia]

  Programme Background In addition to the aircraft, the request includes M134D mini-Guns, aircraft survivability equipment, infrared signature suppression system, fast rope insertion extraction system, extended ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow On

  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, ...

• AGMV 1.1

  Programme Background The US Army has been seeking a lightweight, air-droppable, high mobility vehicle since as early as 2014, when it initiated its Ultra Light ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Surplus M1126 Stryker APCs (Thailand)

  Programme BackgroundAccording to reports from Thai and US media, the RTA planned to take delivery of 120 Strykers by the end of 2020. These would ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Multirole Fighter [Morocco]

  Programme Background 2019 In March 2019, the US State Department announced that it had approved a possible FMS of 25 F-16V Block 72 aircraft to ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60M Black Hawk (Second Contract) [Croatia]

  Programme Background Western Technology With the help of the US, Croatia has attempted to improve its military technology, replacing Soviet equipment, such as the Mi-8/Mi-17. ...

• Main battle tanks

  NGCV: DLP

  Programme Background Requirement The DLP is one of five vehicle families being developed for the US Army's NGCV programme. Expanded to include five programmes in ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | KC-130J [Saudi Arabia]

  Royal Saudi Air Force is seeking to purchase three KC-130J tanker aircraft in addition to two units acquired under foreign military sale (FMS) programme. On 9 ...

• Data links

  Data links | KC-130J [Saudi Arabia]

  Royal Saudi Air Force is seeking to purchase three KC-130J tanker aircraft in addition to two units acquired under foreign military sale (FMS) programme. On 9 ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | KC-130J [Saudi Arabia]

  Royal Saudi Air Force is seeking to purchase three KC-130J tanker aircraft in addition to two units acquired under foreign military sale (FMS) programme. On 9 ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-64E Apache (Follow-On) [Morocco]

  Programme Background Morocco has placed a request with the US government for AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. On 20 November 2019, it was announced that the ...

• UAE Surplus MaxxPro MRAP

  Programme Background Following the withdrawal of many of its forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, the US has sought to divest of many of its MRAPs ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Switchblade 300 (USA)

  Programme Background AeroVironment has been providing the Switchblade 300 loitering munition to the US Army under the long-standing Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile Systems (LMAMS) programme ...

• Military UAS - mini

  RQ-11 Raven (US Army)

  Programme Background The AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven began to be deployed by the US Army in 2004 and was selected as its sole small UAS in ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Maritime patrol

  US-2

  The ShinMaywa US-2 is an amphibious short take-off and landing aircraft used primarily by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) for SAR. 

• Data links

  GNOMAD US Domestic

  The US domestic version of GNOMAD (see separate entry) is a ruggedised system comprising a satellite antenna and baseband modular chassis that can be installed ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army AVCATT PDSS

  L3Harris Technologies is the prime contractor for the US Army’s Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT) Post Deployment Software Support (PDSS) programme. L3Harris Technologies is ...

• US Navy T-44C training services

  In late 2013, CAE received a contract to provide the USN with comprehensive T-44C aircrew training services at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. CAE USA is ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army Flight School XXI OFT/RCTD

  L3Harris Technologies is a major subcontractor to CSC on the US Army’s Flight School XXI (FSXXI) programme. L3Harris Technologies has built or is under contract ...

• Towed mortars

  M120/M120A1

  The M120/M120A1 120 mm Towed Mortar System is a US-built version of the Soltam K6 mortar that was accepted into US Army service in 1990.

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

  ScanEagle 3

  Insitu unveiled the ScanEagle 3 at the Xponential exhibition in Denver in May 2018. The platform has twice the payload capacity of its ScanEagle predecessor ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  RG33

  BAE Systems RG33 is a family of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles available in both 4x4 and 6x6. The medium-weight class of BAE Systems MRAP ...

• Military - USVs

  Voyager

  Voyager is an Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) built by US-based Saildrone. Voyager has been used by the US Navy (USN) and is one of three ...

• Frigates

  Oliver Hazard Perry Class

  The Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigates (FFG) were initially designed for the US Navy in the mid-1970s as cost-efficient surface combatants. The robust design has ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-119 (TH-73A Thrasher )

  The US Navy announced on 13 January 2020 that Leonardo had been awarded a US$176.5 million contract for the production of 32 TH-119 helicopters in ...

• Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  AN/PLT-5 Thor-II

  Sierra Nevada Corporations’s (SNC's) AN/PLT-5 Thor-II Counter Improvised Explosive Device (CIED) system is designed to equip CIED teams and is used throughout the US armed ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - MLDS, Air: Defensive Systems - Laser Warning Receivers

  LIMWS

  BAE Systems is leading the US Army’s Limited Interim Missile Warning System (LIMWS) initiative. This is intended to enhance the missile protection provided to US ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  OH-58 Kiowa

  The single-engine OH-58 Kiowa, derived from the Bell 206, entered US Army service in 1969 as a light observation helicopter. More than 2,200 were built for ...

• Trailers

  M900 Series

  Heil’s M900-series tactical refuellers are designed and built to meet US military performance standards. The M967A2 ground equipment refueller and the M969A3 aircraft refueller are ...