• Defence Helicopter

  Columbia Helicopters prepares CH-47Ds for Morocco

  12th September 2014

  Oregon-based Columbia Helicopters is reworking three ex-US Army CH-47D Chinook helicopters for Morocco under a $6 million US Department of Defense Foreign Military Sales (FMS) …

• Defence Helicopter

  Australian Army’s Tiger FFMS gets reality boost

  5th September 2014

  The Australian Army’s Tiger Full Flight Mission Simulator (FFMS) has been upgraded to enhance its ‘out of the window’ realism, with improvements to the Visual …

• Land Warfare

  India awaits procurement decisions

  5th September 2014

  After deciding to spend $135 million on 40 Catapult artillery systems and $1.1 billion on 118 Arjun MkII MBTs, the Indian Army still has further …

• Land Warfare

  Boeing laser demonstrator proved in maritime environment

  5th September 2014

  Boeing’s High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD) has proved its capabilities in maritime conditions during demonstrations with the US Army that saw the system …

• Defence Helicopter

  Airbus Helicopters eyes Polish military opportunities

  4th September 2014

  Airbus Helicopters has used the International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO) in Poland to tout its Tiger HAD attack helicopter and multi-mission EC725 Caracal helicopter as …

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Navy needs to expand OPV fleet

  4th September 2014

  The growing complexity of coastal security issues around the UK and the country’s expanding constabulary roles elsewhere in the world means it is essential the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Airbus Helicopters plans Romanian expansion

  3rd September 2014

  Airbus Helicopters has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the government of Romania that will see the company extend its presence in Romania and further …

• Defence Helicopter

  Final upgraded Swiss Super Puma delivered

  3rd September 2014

  The final Swiss Air Force TH06 ISR Super Puma was handed over to defence procurement agency Armasuisse at RUAG’s Emmen facility on 29 August.  In …

• Defence Helicopter

  Patria acquires Malmskogen Aerocenter business operations

  2nd September 2014

  Patria Helicopters has acquired the business operations of Malmskogen Aerocenter based in Linköping in Sweden, strengthening Patria Helicopter’s helicopter support capabilities. The company announced the …

• Defence Helicopter

  NAVAIR seeks new V-22 engine

  2nd September 2014

  The Pentagon has launched an effort to find a drop-in replacement engine for all variants of the US military’s V-22 Ospreys. On 26 August, the …

• Defence Helicopter

  First upgraded Mi-8AMTSh helicopters delivered to Russian MoD

  2nd September 2014

  The first four upgraded Mi-8AMTSh transport helicopters for the Russian military have been delivered to the Russian Ministry of Defence by Russian Helicopters. The aircraft …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing secures Saudi AH-6i contract

  1st September 2014

  Boeing been awarded a contract to manufacture 24 AH-6i light attack helicopters for the Saudi Arabian Ministry of the National Guard (SAMNG), marking the first …

• Defence Helicopter

  India clears purchase of Apaches, Chinooks

  29th August 2014

  India has cleared the offsets proposal for 22 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy helicopters for the Indian Air Force.  The Defence …

• Defence Helicopter

  Northrop Grumman CIRCM completes US Army testing

  29th August 2014

  Northrop Grumman has announced that its Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) system has successfully completed the entire government-designed test plan, following a final round of US …

• Defence Helicopter

  DARPA advances Boeing’s Phantom Swift

  28th August 2014

  Boeing’s ‘Phantom Swift’ prototype for DARPA’s VTOL Experimental Aircraft (X-Plane) programme has advanced to the next stage of development.  Valued at $130 million, the VTOL X-Plane …

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 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 - scout/light attack

  MD-530G [Lebanon]

  Background Order context The Lebanese MD-530 order was placed during a visit of US Central Command Commander General Joseph Votel in December 2017.  MD 530F ...

• Hybrid effector systems

  US Air Force Air Base Defence Missile Defence [US]

  Background The US Air Force's (USAF) Air Base Air Defence Missile Defence (ABAD MD) programme is part of the Air Force Physical Security System and sits ...

• 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]

  Background Global Hawk Early in the development of the Global Hawk, the German MoD also expressed interest in procuring the aircraft as a replacement for ...

• 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 - multirole

  Multirole Helicopters [Poland]

  Programme Background In 2020, Poland announced the launch of the Perkoz programme to acquire 32 support helicopters to replace its fleet of Mi-2 aircraft stationed ...

• 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 - transport/heavy lift

  H225M [France]

  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 Puma ...

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 ...

• 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 ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 500

  US-based MD Helicopters' 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 ...

• 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 helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G

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

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MD-1366 EBEM

  The US government selected the MD-1366 Enhanced Bandwidth Efficient Modem (EBEM) from ViaSat to set the DoD standard for high-speed, high-performance,flexibility and compatibility in a ...

• EO/IR systems

  Wescam MX-10

  The Wescam MX-10 EO/IR low-weight imaging system is designed for low-altitude tactical surveillance and reconnaissance missions from crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The MX-10 has had a close ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT)

  The Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT) is an in-development UAV from Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) based on an MD 500 twin-seat American commercial helicopter airframe. With the ...