• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Farnborough: X-47B will return to carrier for F-18 integration tests

  9th July 2014

  The US Navy’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstrator (UCAS-D) will deploy to sea on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt in August, it has been revealed. …

• Defence Helicopter

  New DCoMPASS payload from Elbit Systems

  7th July 2014

  Elbit Systems has developed a new version of its CoMPASS family of payloads, with the DCoMPASS full HD Integrated Mission Equipment Package (iMEP). The all-in-one …

• Defence Helicopter

  China beefs up HK helicopter fleet

  4th July 2014

  An armed version of the Z-9 helicopter previously unseen in Hong Kong was exhibited by the local garrison of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at …

• Defence Helicopter

  US Apaches deployed to Iraq

  3rd July 2014

  The Pentagon has deployed Apache attack helicopters to Iraq to protect US diplomatic facilities and personnel, as sectarian violence in the region continues to escalate.  …

• Defence Helicopter

  Dutch Apaches get new external fuel tanks

  3rd July 2014

  The Dutch Defence Helicopter Command has recently received new external fuel tanks for use on its Boeing AH-64D Apaches, it has emerged.  Robertson Fuel Systems …

• Defence Helicopter

  Brazilian Navy Lynx helicopters set for upgrade

  2nd July 2014

  The Brazilian Navy’s Lynx Mk21A helicopters will be upgraded by AgustaWestland under a $160 million contract announced on 2 July. The contract covers the mid-life …

• Defence Helicopter

  Germany introduces the Quick Draw

  2nd July 2014

  Germany’s CH-53GS medium transport helicopters operating in Afghanistan have recently been equipped with General Dynamics Quick Draw 2 GPS interrogators, it has emerged.  According to …

• Defence Helicopter

  Teams await JMR TD decision

  2nd July 2014

  The bids are in and the US Army is now mulling a decision that could have far-reaching consequences for the US rotorcraft industrial base. At …

• Defence Helicopter

  Final CH-147 Chinook delivered to Canada

  1st July 2014

  Boeing has delivered the 15th and final CH-147F Chinook medium-to-heavy-lift helicopter to the Royal Canadian Air Force, bringing to a close the delivery period of …

• Defence Helicopter

  Helicopter losses mount in Ukraine conflict

  1st July 2014

  The bloody internal conflict in Ukraine has seen the downfall of a military force that has failed to modernise its hardware in the previous decade …

• Defence Helicopter

  The Netherlands suspends acceptance of NH90s

  30th June 2014

  The Netherlands has suspended further deliveries of NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) aircraft destined for the Dutch armed forces due to corrosion issues.   The …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky wins USAF Combat Rescue Helicopter contract

  27th June 2014

  Sikorsky has been awarded the US Air Force’s $1.28 billion Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) contract. The award will see the company undertake the initial engineering …

• Defence Helicopter

  Rotorsim marks heli-operator training milestone

  26th June 2014

  The CAE and AgustaWestland joint venture, Rotorsim, is set to add an AW169 full-flight simulator to its training centre in Italy as it marks 100,000 …

• Defence Helicopter

  Korea to test Unmanned Little Bird

  25th June 2014

  The Republic of Korea Armed Forces will initiate a six-month flight test programme with Boeing’s Unmanned Little Bird (ULB) by the end of 2014, it …

• Defence Helicopter

  Echo Apaches performing beyond expectations

  25th June 2014

  US Army AH-64E Apache attack helicopters deployed to Afghanistan have been described as more lethal than their ‘D’ model predecessor, according to senior figures in …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F -Kenya

  Crew transition training took place at the MD Helicopters headquarters in Mesa, Arizona, with field service support, armament, and gunnery training scheduled to occur at ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  MD 530G - Malaysia

  Procured for an urgent operational requirement for gunships to support Eastern Sabah Security Command operations, helicopter deliveries had to slip from a planned delivery of ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G Lebanon

  The Armed MD 530G Scout Attack Helicopter features next-generation all-glass cockpit that includes: two Genesys Aerosystems IDU-680 6” x 9” LCD primary displays, Tek Fusion ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Uncrewed MD 500 Replacement [South Korea]

  Background Uncrewed Replacement of the MD 500 Throughout the 2010s, South Korea appeared interested in replacing its fleet of crewed MD 500 helicopters that were manufactured under licence ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Project Land 2097 Phase 4 [Australia]

  Programme Background According to the RfI, under Project Land 2097 Phase 4, the selected helicopter must comprise a commercial or military off-the-shelf solution that is ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) First Batch (South Korea)

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Army)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Navy)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (Second Batch) [South Korea]

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton - Germany (Cancelled)

  Programme Background Germany requested to buy four MQ-4C Triton HALE UAVs from Northrop Grumman. On 5 April 2018, the US State Department announced that it ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8, Tanks

  Tracked & Wheeled Light Tank (Philippines)

  Programme Background The decision to split the programme into a wheeled and a tracked element follows the belief of the Philippine Army that this will ...

• 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

  UH-60A [Portugal]

  Programme Background At the end of February 2025, the Portuguese Minister of National Defence said that as part of the Portuguese Army's Support, Protection & ...

• 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 - multirole

  H145M (Contracted) [Germany]

  Programme Background Previous Usage The German Armed Forces ordered 15 H145M helicopters, with the initial two delivered in December 2015, for the Kommando Spezialkräfte. These ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F Cayuse Warrior

  An evolution of the OH-6 Cayuse light observation helicopter, the MD 530F was initially Federal Aviation Administration-certified in July 1985 as the Model 369FF. It ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G

  The MD 530G is the newest addition to the MD Helicopters line of light scout attack platforms. It has increased-capacity landing gear and a mission-configurable ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  MDHI Glass Cockpit

  The American aerospace manufacturer MD Helicopters Inc. (MDHI) has designed and developed a glass cockpit specifically for MD 500E AND MD 520N aircraft. It is ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  IDU-680

  The IDU-680 is Genesys Aerosystems’ 3D synthetic vision integrated Electronic Flight Instrument System. The system includes a Highway in the Sky navigation system, geo-referenced hover ...

• Helicopter guns

  FN HMP

  The FN HMP (Heavy Machine Gun Pod) is a self-contained airborne weapon system armed with a 50cal FN M3P heavy machine gun. It is available ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  KUS-VH

  The Korean Air Korean Air Unmanned System-Vertical Helicopter (KUS-VH) is a large, rotary-wing UAV based on the MD 500. The first flight of the platform ...

• Helicopter Armour

  Armor of America (AoA) produces custom armour kits for any rotary-wing aircraft. AoA helicopter armour protects areas such as the cockpit floor and doors, cabin ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  6XX

  Publicly unveiled at Heli-Expo in March 2017, the MD Helicopters 6XX is the next evolution in the MD 500 series and is a redesigned, single-engine ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C30

  The M250-C30 and -C30P are the exclusive powerplants for the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger and the MD Helicopters MD 530F and MD 530G. In addition, the AH-6i is ...

• HEMS Completions

  RSG has been providing modification, retrofit, completion services and component overhaul to the air medical industry for over 38 years on aircraft produced by Airbus ...

• HS-16600

  Breeze-Eastern's HS-16600 external electric hoist system is operational on the Leonardo Helicopters AW109 and AW119, Bell Helicopter 206 and 222, and MD 500. It is ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 500

  The MD 500 is a single-engine light helicopter derived from the Hughes OH-6A Cayuse developed for the US Army in the early 1960s and the ...

• EO/IR systems

  LEO-III

  The LEO-III, or LEO-III HD, was an airborne observation system with HD sensors and video outputs. It was a COTS, gyro-stabilised platform containing a multi-sensor HD ...

• Airborne rockets - unguided

  Aculeus MD-36 and MD-432

  The Aculeus MD-36 unguided multi-dart rocket provides 36 darts for the neutralisation of columns of light armoured vehicles. The Aculeus MD-432 provides 432 darts to ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C47E

  The C47E is the latest growth variant of the C47B/8 engine. In addition to a hot-and-high Value Improvement Package Kit, the C47E also includes dual-channel ...