• Defence Helicopter

  Netherlands signs NH90 workshare deal

  17th March 2016

  NHIndustries (NHI) has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs for the participation of Dutch industry in the sustainment phase …

• 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

  British Forces Brunei to get new heli services

  14th March 2016

  The ageing Bell 212 helicopters of British Army Air Corp’s 7 Flight will be replaced by new aircraft under plans to renew its outsourcing arrangement. …

• 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, …

• 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 …

• Defence Helicopter

  USAF orders BAE's friend-or-foe systems

  11th March 2016

  BAE Systems has been chosen by the US Air Force (USAF) to provide its friend or foe identification technology for the USAF’s HH-60W combat rescue …

• Digital Battlespace

  Airbus DS awarded COMSATBw contract

  10th March 2016

  Airbus Defence and Space has received a $160 million contract from the German armed forces procurement agency for the continued operation of the SATCOMBw satellite …

• 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 …

• Military Logistics

  New aircraft add to Philippine modernisation

  10th March 2016

  The first of two second-hand Lockheed Martin KC-130T Hercules aircraft is due to arrive in the Philippines on 15 March. Two aircraft were ordered in …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• 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 - 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

  H145M [Ireland]

  Programme Background On 30 December 2024 Ireland announced a contract with Airbus for four new H145M helicopters to replace the Air Corps existing fleet of ...

• Military helicopters - attack, Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M / H145M Add-On [Romania]

  Methodology As part of a potential initial order for 12 H225M helicopters, Romania has included the option to acquire 30 additional helicopters from Airbus. Shephard estimates this ...

• 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 - maritime

  Maritime Operations Helicopters

  The three maritime operations helicopters will be used for logistics and personnel transport, alongside transportation of PASKAL naval special forces in operations in the area. ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  SW4 Puszczyk Replacement [Poland]

  Programme Background  In 2002, Poland order 47 SW4 training helicopters from Italian manufacturer Leonardo; as of Spring 2025, the Ministry of Defence is looking to ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH-90 [Spain]

  Programme Background Along with a range of other air programmes, the Spanish Government announced the nation has set aside 1 billion euros (USD$1.162 billion) to ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Future Aircrew Training Program (Helicopter Procurement) - Canada

  Programme Background The FAcT requires to graduate 120 pilots, 40 combat systems officers and 36 airborne electronic sensor operators per year with 15% fluctuation. Training services ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Bell 412EPI-Indonesia

  Programme Background PTDI is assembling Bell helicopters in its factory in Bandung.  The first Bell 412EPI was delivered to Indonesian Army on 29 December 2020 ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Spain HT-29 Caiman (NH90 TTH) - Army First Batch

  HT-29 Caiman GSPAs (NH90 TTH) will be assembled at Airbus Helicopters’ facility in Albacete and will replace AS332 Super Puma fleet in service. Even though ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) (TH-57 Replacement)

  Programme Background Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  AW101 [Poland]

  According to the media reports, Airbus couldn't provide a competitive offer for the programme due to the offset requirements.  The deliveries were to be completed ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-X [Japan]

  There is no mention of the AH-X in the 2019-2023 Medium Term Defence Plan, so it is possible that the requirement has quietly been postponed. ...

• Military helicopters - light/training, Military helicopters - multirole

  H135M [Spain]

  Programme Background Spain announced the National Helicopter Plan in May 2025 culminating in five contracts awarded to Airbus on 18 December 2025, including procurement programmes ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - light/training

  H145

  The light, twin-engine EC145 began as an initiative to increase the cabin size of the BK 117 C1 aircraft, involving Kawasaki of Japan and Airbus ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M

  The medium-weight, 11t-class H225M (formerly known as the EC725) is the latest military Super Puma/Cougar family member.  Technical features include a modular design of mechanical ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M

  The H145M (formerly known as the EC645 T2) is the military version of the H145 medium-sized (3.7t) helicopter (covered in a separate entry). It is ...

• Military helicopters - light/training, Military helicopters - multirole

  H135M

  The H135M (formerly known as the EC635 and also designated as H135) is a light utility variant of the EC135 twin-engine, multipurpose 3t helicopter. In ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H215M

  The H215M (formerly the AS532 ALe) is the most recent addition to the Cougar family.  It is a medium-weight (9t-class), twin-engine helicopter, combining the AS532's ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Helionix

  The Helionix digital avionics suite was developed from the need for a more powerful avionics system with greater functions and computing capacity, alongside a user-friendly interface. ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2+/2D

  Unveiled in 2011, the Arriel 2+ is an upgrade of the Arriel 2 and is intended for single- and twin-engine helicopters. It incorporates a new ...

• Helicopter engines

  LTS101

  The LTS101 was first certified in 1975. Since then, over 2,100 engines have been delivered to customers worldwide, logging over 11 million service hours. The ...

• EO/IR systems

  Viviane

  Viviane is an out-of-production gyro-stabilised night and adverse weather observation system with missile sight.  Manufactured by Safran, it was fitted to French Army Gazelles. It contained a ...

• Air: mission management systems

  APM 2000

  The current generation of autopilots is the APM 2000 family, fitted on major worldwide platforms. The APM 2000 is based on an integrated digital computer. ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H175M

  The Airbus H175M is the military variant of the H175 and works to fill a gap in the H175 helicopter family, as well as offer ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Light Armed Helicopter

  The South Korean government selected Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in July 2014 to develop the Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) and the related Light Civil Helicopter ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AS365 N3+ Dauphin

  The AS365 N3+, manufactured by Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter), was developed from the Dauphin series of medium, twin-turboshaft rotorcraft. The AS365 N3+ was launched at the 2009 ...

• Military UAS - small

  Flexrotor

  Flexrotor, or U030 Flexrotor, is a VTOL small UAS manufactured by Aerovel. It can integrate different types of payloads, including electro-optical systems and advanced sensors, to suit ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH90 TTH

  Developed as a multinational programme between France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, the European NH90 was designed to meet NATO requirements for multirole capability from ...