• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky provides early challenge for Lockheed

  28th January 2016

  Lockheed Martin executives predict a sharp fall in commercial helicopter sales due to the poor state of the oil and gas market. Following the company’s …

• Military Logistics

  Philippine sealift vessel launched

  28th January 2016

  The first Strategic Sealift Vessel (SSV) for the Philippine Navy (PN) was launched by PT PAL in Surabaya, Indonesia on 17 January. LD 601, the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Airbus and Mahindra strengthen partnership

  27th January 2016

  Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Defence announced further solidification of their ‘Make in India’ partnership on 24 January. This followed an initial MoU signed in July …

• Naval Warfare

  India steps up maritime surveillance

  27th January 2016

  India is tightening its monitoring of strategic entry points into the Indian Ocean after it emerged the Indian Navy (IN) deployed for the first time …

• Defence Helicopter

  Oil and gas saga hits Airbus orders

  26th January 2016

  The flatlining oil price continues to depress the helicopter market, Airbus Helicopters reporting a mere two orders for its H225 heavy-lift aircraft in 2015, a …

• Defence Helicopter

  Mi-8/17 after sales support to expand

  25th January 2016

  Russian Helicopters is considering strengthening its in-country after sales support capabilities in Serbia, the company announced on 20 January. The company is assessing whether the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Textron Aviation expands MRO offering

  25th January 2016

  Textron Aviation has aquired Able Engineering & Component Services and Able Aerospace, strengthening its offerings in the after sales support sector, the company announced on …

• Defence Helicopter

  Belgium to invest €9.2 billion in defence

  22nd January 2016

  The new strategic defence plan for 2030 agreed by the Belgian government on 22 December foresees 9.2 billion euros being invested in its armed forces. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Canada extends life of Griffon, Cormorant

  20th January 2016

  As it contemplates not having a fully-operational CH-148 Cyclone maritime patrol helicopter until ‘sometime in the next decade’, Canada is moving ahead with life extensions …

• Defence Helicopter

  TH-67s heading to new home in South America

  20th January 2016

  Thirty of the US Army’s divested TH-67 Creek helicopters are heading to South America to provide initial helicopter training for allied militaries across the region.  …

• Digital Battlespace

  Free satellite comms for German troops

  19th January 2016

  Airbus Defence and Space will provide free satellite communications and calls to German troops under a contract renewal with the German Ministry of Defence, the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Lithuania assigns AS365 N3+ for SAR

  18th January 2016

  Three new AS365 N3+ helicopters have now entered service with the Lithuanian armed forces, Airbus Helicopters announced on 15 January. The aircraft have been assigned to 24/7 …

• Defence Helicopter

  Russian Helicopters slated for partial privatisation

  15th January 2016

  The Russian government has revealed it is still considering selling a proportion of the shares in Russian Helicopters to a strategic investor or the holding’s …

• Defence Helicopter

  Afghanistan orders more MD 530Fs

  13th January 2016

  The Afghan Air Force (AAF) will add a dozen new armed light helicopters with enhanced mission equipment to its fleet under an award by the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Germany to lease IAI’s Heron TP

  12th January 2016

  Germany will lease up to five Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron TP UAVs ahead of the eventual development of a European MALE UAS in the …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• 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, ...

• 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 - light/training

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

  Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single engine 407GXi. ...

• 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 - 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 - multirole

  H145M [Spain]

  Programme Background  In May 2025, Spain announced the National Helicopter Plan as part of the country's wider effort to rearm in response to American pressure. ...

• 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 ...

• Model 301 Fire Attack

  The Model 301 is a belly tank/refill hose system for Airbus Helicopters AS365-series helicopters.

• 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

  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 - 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 ...

• Model 316 Fire Attack

  The Model 316 is a belly tank/refill hose system for Airbus Helicopters H225 and AS332 L-series helicopters.

• AC67 Airbus Helicopters H135 interior

  Bucher has developed the AC67 medical interior for the Airbus Helicopters H135 in cooperation with ADAC Luftrettung.The lightweight, modular design features a floor with integrated ...

• 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 ...

• H160

  Airbus Helicopters unveiled a full-scale model of the H160 medium twin rotorcraft on 3 March 2015 at Heli-Expo. The utility helicopter, the first to be ...