• Naval Warfare

  Philippine Navy narrows its renewed search for OPVs

  3rd May 2022

  The ADAS 2022 exhibition in Manila threw up some updates on the Philippine Navy's quest for half a dozen OPVs.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Thales obtains type certification for Spy’Ranger 330

  22nd April 2022

  Type certification enables the French Army to deploy the SMDR1 mini-UAS2 reconnaissance system to overseas theatres of operations without requiring specific flight approvals.

• Defence Notes

  Western reinforcement helping Ukraine protect itself, UK defence exports director says

  8th August 2022

  Western equipment sent to Ukraine is helping reinforce Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s invasion, the head of the UK's Defence and Security Exports agency told Shephard.

• Air Warfare

  Eurosatory 2022: Loitering munitions are causing a 'revolution', claims AeroVironment

  16th June 2022

  With Eurosatory 2022 taking place with the backdrop of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, AeroVironment's loitering munitions remain attention-grabbing systems.

• Land Warfare

  Russian ground platform losses approach 10,000, Ukrainian MoD claims

  29th July 2022

  The Ukrainian MoD released a list of Russian military systems destroyed to date. It includes 1,742 MBTs, 3,979 combat vehicles, 894 artillery systems, 258 multiple launch rocket systems and 2,854 land vehicles and fuel tankers.

• Land Warfare

  Challenger 3 upgrade includes three phases but ammo requirements remain unclear

  21st April 2022

  There are three distinct phases to the Challenger 3 MBT upgrade plan for the British Army, but the MoD is still considering its 120mm ammunition options.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  RCO defends Project Mosquito cancellation, claiming investment stopped making sense

  4th July 2022

  Despite the UK MoD awarding Spirit Aerosystems a Project Mosquito Phase 2 design and development contract for a low-cost, uncrewed fighter aircraft valued at £30 million, the project has been cancelled without a demonstrator being built.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Baykar to gift three TB2 UAVs to Ukraine

  29th June 2022

  Baykar is refusing payment for the manufacture of TB2 UAVs and will instead donate three to Ukraine.

• Digital Battlespace

  DSA 2022: Network-centric project on track in Malaysia

  31st March 2022

  Despite some COVID-related disruption, the Phase 1B (1) of the Network Centric Operations programme for the Malaysian Armed Forces is on track.

• Digital Battlespace

  Eurosatory 2022: Aselsan debuts MEROPS 'crystal clear' extended range optical sight

  13th June 2022

  Aselsan releases MEROPS for UAV and other aircraft operators.

• Training

  Australia extends Hawk 127 contract for BAE Systems

  21st February 2022

  The Hawk 127 will continue as the lead-in fighter training platform for the RAAF until 2031.

• Land Warfare

  Russian deliveries of S-400 to India proceed

  21st April 2022

  Putin's invasion of Ukraine seems not yet to have affected the delivery of S-400 systems to India.

• Digital Battlespace

  Eurosatory 2022: MKS introduces UAV lenses

  16th June 2022

  MKS Instruments' new reduced-sized 18-255mm Ophir LightIR image can be fitted on tactical UAV IR cameras.

• Land Warfare

  Australia to send Bushmasters to Ukraine

  5th April 2022

  The largest defence items that Australia will send to Ukraine so far are Bushmaster vehicles.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Eurosatory 2022: Aeronautics unveils VTOL Orbiter 4 and new Trojan system

  17th June 2022

  Israeli UASs have been a visible fixture of the Eurosatory 2022 defence exhibition in Paris.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light attack, Trainer

  PC-21 (Project Air 5428) [Australia]

  The new PTS, including aircraft, flight training simulators and learning environments is being acquired from a single capability contractor, Team 21, which consists of Lockheed ...

• Transport, Transport/tanker aircraft

  Project Air 7404 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement Australia is thinking ahead to an enlarged transport fleet to replace the current C-130Js. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was the second ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Harpii Szpon (Loyal Wingman) [Poland]

  Programme Background Market Evaluation On 6 November 2023, speaking at the IQPC International Fighter Conference (IFC) 2023 in Madrid, Major General Cezary Wiśniewski, the Deputy General Commander of ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (Project Air 6000 Phase 2A/B) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) took delivery of 18 F-35A aircraft as of March 2020 and the remaining aircraft are expected to ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Loyal Wingman [Australia]

  Background Older Efforts On 23 April 2021, the US State Department's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) approval announcement revealed that Australia had requested to buy up ...

• Data links

  Data links | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Project Vixen [UK]

  Programme Background Project Goal The Royal Navy uses Leonardo crewed Merlin (AW101) helicopters fitted with CROWSNEST pods to provide airborne early warning capabilities for carriers. An early ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Project Air 7003 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [USN]

  Programme Background Requirement The USN wants to acquire carrier-capable loyal wingman drones. These drones will have a high level of autonomy, allowing them to work alongside crewed ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (11-12) [Australia]

  Programme Background Austal was awarded a contract to build six 'Evolved'Cape-class patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on 1 May 2020 (see separate ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Low-Cost Uncrewed Air Systems (LANCA) Follow-On Project [UK]

  Programme Background Project Mosquito Beginning in 2019, the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), in collaboration with the Royal Air Force (RAF), began the ...

• OPVs

  Arafura Class (Project SEA 1180) (1-6) [Australia]

  Programme Background Australia's new class of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), the Arafura-class, will replace the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) fleet of Armidale and Cape-class patrol ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Australian Defence Force MRH90 Training

  As prime contractor for the ADF's MRH90 training programme, CAE has provided two MRH90 full-flight mission simulators (FFMS), training facilities and engineering and support services. ...

• Trainer

  King Air trainer

  Textron / Beechcraft King Air trainers are a family twin-engine aircraft based on King Air 90, 100, 200 and 350 utility aircraft. The King Air ...

• AMAS

  AMAS – Australian Minesweeping System – was developed with the assistance of the Defence Science & Technology Organisation and the Royal Australian Navy. It adopts ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  RAAF Hawk Mk 127 FMS

  Under subcontract to BAE Systems, CAE is designing and manufacturing three Hawk Mk 127 full-mission simulators (FMS) for the Royal Australian Air Force that will ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  NGJ

  Raytheon's Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) was selected by the USN in 2013 to replace the legacy ALQ-99 systems used on the EA-18G electronic attack aircraft. ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers

  AN/ALQ-210

  Lockheed Martin’s AN/ALQ-210 is an Electronic Support Measure (ESM) outfitting the Sikorsky MH-60R Romeo naval support helicopter. The manufacturer’s official literature says that the product ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Wanderer

  The Wanderer is a low-altitude, low-cost, long-endurance UAV produced in-house by the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) Jericho Disruptive Innovation Group and the Australian Government's Defense Science ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Air-5416 Project Echidna

  BAE Systems’ commenced its work on the Australian Department of Defence’s Air-5416 Project Echidna initiative in 2001. The rationale of the programme was to overhaul ...

• Light attack

  Hawk 200

  The Hawk 200 is a single-seat light attack iteration of the Hawk 100 (see separate entry) and Advanced Jet Trainer or AJT (see separate entry). ...

• Air: chaff, flare and decoy systems

  Vicon-XF

  Thales’ Vicon-XF is a countermeasure dispensing system which can equip an array of platforms, primarily large aircraft and rotorcraft, according to the manufacturer’s official literature. ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-28A Ghost Bat

  Initially, as a multirole system to escort crewed aircraft, the MQ-28A Ghost Bat has been reimagined as a proving platform. Its development began in 2013 and ...

• Maritime patrol

  Challenger 604

  Bombardier Challenger CL-604 MPAs are in service with the Royal Danish Air Force and the Korea Coast Guard. The first of three Danish aircraft entered ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  Predator Mission Trainer (PMT)

  The CAE Predator Mission Trainer (PMT) is an integrated platform that combines the features of CAE's UAS mission trainer with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Predator-specific ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  AN/ALR-2001

  BAE Systems’ AN/ALR-2001 Electronic Support Measure (ESM) is thought to be based on Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Elta Systems division’s EL/M-8382 ESM. The AN/ALR-2001 is ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Phantom 4 (Series)

  Designed for aerial photograph applications by DJI, the Phantom 4 series of UAVs includes the Phantom 4 Pro, Phantom 4 Pro V2.0, Phantom 4 Advanced ...