• Land Warfare

  NZ Army modernisation continues

  9th December 2015

  The New Zealand government has confirmed the acquisition of new Lewis Machine & Tool (LMT) assault rifles in an announcement on 8 December. Some 8,800 of …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing completes Chinook Mk6 deliveries to UK

  8th December 2015

  Boeing has delivered the fourteenth Mk6 Chinook aircraft to the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF), the company announced on 7 December.   The delivery marks …

• Military Logistics

  HII preps for LPD 28

  7th December 2015

  The US Navy has awarded an advance procurement contract to Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) for LPD 28, the 12th amphibious transport dock of the San …

• Defence Helicopter

  H225M integration with AM39 begins tests

  7th December 2015

  In-lab testing of the Exocet AM39 missile integrated with the H225M helicopter for the Brazilian Navy has begun, with several simulated missile launches undertaken during …

• Defence Helicopter

  NH90 upgrades continue as H145M launches

  2nd December 2015

  The first NH90 multirole helicopter delivered to the German armed forces in 2006 is undergoing an 18-month retrofit at the Airbus Helicopters Donauwörth facility after completing …

• Military Logistics

  C295W flies in Antarctica

  1st December 2015

  An Airbus Defence and Space (D&S) C295W aircraft has undertaken flight demonstrations to Antarctica for the first time as part of its tour of South …

• Defence Helicopter

  FZ275LGR rocket in test firing

  27th November 2015

  The 70mm laser-guidance rocket being developed by Thales subsidiary Forges de Zeebrugge (FZ) has completed a successful test firing campaign, the company announced on 27 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  German Heron UAS hits operational milestone

  27th November 2015

  The Heron UAS operated Airbus Defence and Space and the German Air Force in Afghanistan has reached an operational milestone having chalked up 25,000 flight …

• Defence Helicopter

  Russian Helicopters delivers Mi-8AMTSh-VA

  27th November 2015

  Russian Helicopters' Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant has delivered the first Mi-8AMTSh-VA helicopter to the Russian Defence Ministry’s Arctic groupings, the company announced on 25 November.  The …

• Defence Helicopter

  Indonesian president flies AgustaWestland

  27th November 2015

  Indonesia’s military has chosen AgustaWestland to supply three VVIP helicopters to help transport the country’s president, vice-president and state officials. The platform being procured by …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky views India for manufacture

  26th November 2015

  Aiming at more strategic tie-ups between OEMs and Indian manufacturers under its Make in India mantra, India’s Ministry of Defence is in the process of …

• Land Warfare

  Czech aims for capability refresh

  26th November 2015

  New helicopters, radars and armoured vehicles are on the shopping list for the Czech Republic as it hopes to modernise its military. Defence minister, Martin …

• Defence Helicopter

  Iroquois lined up for autonomous capability

  25th November 2015

  The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has selected the UH-1H Iroquois as the platform for Phase 3 of the Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility system (AACUS) programme. …

• Digital Battlespace

  German TanDEM-X agreement

  25th November 2015

  The German armed forces will use Airbus Defence and Space’s TanDEM-X mission data to update its Digital Elevation Model (DEM) under an agreement announced on …

• Training

  I/ITSEC 2015: Innovative hoist trainer for heli crews (video)

  25th November 2015

  Austrian company AMST will highlight several of its innovative training products at this year’s I/ITSEC exhibition, including a helicopter hoist trainer for civil and military …

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 ...