• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2014: Robonic awarded ISO and AQAP quality certificates

  9th May 2014

  Robonic has been awarded International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) and Allied Quality Assurance Publication (AQAP) quality certificates for its UAS launchers, the company announced on …

• Defence Helicopter

  Quad A: Lockheed Martin looks to leverage F-35 work

  8th May 2014

  Lockheed Martin brought its F-35 simulator to the Quad A exhibition in Nashville to help promote the mission system work it is doing as part …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky wins VXX presidential helicopter contract

  8th May 2014

  US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has awarded Sikorsky an initial contract to build six new Marine One presidential helicopters, valued at $1.2 billion.  The …

• Defence Notes

  Jordan buys APKWS

  8th May 2014

  The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) has been sold to Jordan under a Foreign Military Sales agreement worth more than $5.5 million. Dave Harold, …

• Defence Helicopter

  CH-53K King Stallion helicopter rolled out

  8th May 2014

  A roll-out ceremony for the CH-53K heavy lift helicopter was held by Sikorsky in Florida on 5 May. During the unveiling ceremony, Gen Amos, Commandant …

• Defence Helicopter

  Quad A: Sensors next step to address brownout threat

  7th May 2014

  The US Army is edging closer to a sensor-based solution to the lasting problem of landing helicopters in degraded visual environments (DVE) such as brownout …

• Defence Helicopter

  Quad A: US Army considers endgame for Kiowas

  7th May 2014

  The US Army is now considering possible options for its OH-58 Kiowa Warrior Scout and TH-67 training helicopters being divested as part of its aviation …

• Defence Helicopter

  Quad A: Bell looks towards the future of vertical lift

  6th May 2014

  Bell Helicopter is bracing itself for some potentially difficult years as the company looks to offset declining US military revenue with increased international sales. The …

• Defence Helicopter

  Quad A: Echo model Apache deploys to Afghanistan

  5th May 2014

  The AH-64E Apache attack helicopter has made its operational debut in Afghanistan with the 1-229th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, the army has confirmed. The battalion was …

• Defence Helicopter

  Lockheed Martin awarded Lot 9 M-TADS/PNVS contract

  5th May 2014

  Lockheed Martin will produce and deliver 17 Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) systems to the US Army under a $80.6 million …

• Defence Helicopter

  TALON LGR receives air worthiness certification

  5th May 2014

  Raytheon’s TALON Laser-Guided Rocket (LGR) has been cleared for installation on the Apache AH-64D/E Attack helicopter, following the completion of the air worthiness release (AWR) …

• Defence Helicopter

  Quad A: AVX confident about JMR/FVL

  5th May 2014

  AVX Aircraft has revealed more details about the Coaxial Compound Helicopter (CCH) it is developing for the US Department of Defense’s Joint Multirole (JMR) next-generation …

• Defence Helicopter

  Quad A: First armed 407s delivered to UAE

  5th May 2014

  The UAE’s fledgling Joint Aviation Command (JAC) has taken delivery of its first two 407MRH light attack helicopters modified by NorthStar Aviation, it has been …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky continues to next stage of CH-53K testing

  2nd May 2014

  The CH-53K heavy lift helicopter programme continues to progress, with the aircraft’s seven main rotor blades and four tail rotor blades attached for the first …

• Defence Helicopter

  AH-6i helicopter flies in production configuration

  2nd May 2014

  The AH-6i light attack/reconnaissance helicopter in development with Boeing has taken its first flight in production configuration, the company announced on 1 May. The flight …

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 ...