• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA 2014: Round Up

  15th October 2014

  Shephard's Land & Support Editor, Tim Fish, rounds up the AUSA exhibition in Washington, DC.

• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA 2014: Apache E exceed op readiness levels

  14th October 2014

  The performance of the Apache AH-64E model has exceeded expectations on operations in Afghanistan. Speaking at the AUSA Annual exhibition in Washington DC Colonel Jeff …

• Defence Helicopter

  FN Herstal expands airborne pintle mounted systems portfolio

  14th October 2014

  The Dillon Aero M134D Gatling Gun will be offered by FN Herstal as an additional option to its airborne pintle mounted systems under a teaming …

• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA 2014: Sikorsky details US Army Raider bid (Video)

  14th October 2014

  Speaking to Shephard at the AUSA exhibition, executives at Sikorsky decribed moves to secure US Army rotary wing programmes for its Raider platform.

• Defence Helicopter

  Lockheed Martin to produce M-TADS/PNVS for Qatar

  14th October 2014

  Lockheed Martin will supply Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) for the Qatar Emiri Air Force’s Apache helicopter fleet. The company was …

• Military Logistics

  German A400M airlifter begins taxi trials

  14th October 2014

  The first A400M airlifter for the German Air Force is progressing toward delivery, with taxiing trials commencing at the Airbus Defence and Space facility in …

• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA 2014: LM’s JAGM ready for EMD

  13th October 2014

  Lockheed Martin has completed component qualification testing on the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) and is ready for the next stage of development. Speaking at the …

• Naval Warfare

  Royal Navy OPV construction underway

  13th October 2014

  Construction on the Royal Navy’s (RN’s) new Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) has begun at BAE Systems in Glasgow, with first steel cut on 10 October. …

• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA 2014: First APKWS test on non-Hydra rocket

  13th October 2014

  BAE Systems has tested its Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) on a Forges de Zeebrugge (FZ) rocket for the first time with the Australian …

• Defence Helicopter

  MD Helicopter awarded Afghan MD 530F contracts

  10th October 2014

  MD Helicopters will build and deliver 12 MD 530F helicopters for the Afghan Air Force (AAF) under a contract from the US Non-Standard Rotary Wing …

• Defence Helicopter

  Black Hawk fuel tank inerting system undergoes testing

  10th October 2014

  The development of a new fuel tank inerting system for the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is underway, with Phyre Technologies successfully completing the prototype testing …

• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA 2014: NG supports new Saudi aviation brigade

  8th October 2014

  Over the past two years Northrop Grumman has expanded its rotary services to the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) in anticipation of the standing up …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Airbus D&S applies for civil UAV certification

  8th October 2014

  Airbus Defense and Space (D&S) has become the first company to apply for civil type certification for a UAV, with a formal submission lodged with …

• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA 2014: Sikorsky unveils S-97 prototypes

  8th October 2014

  The first two S-97 Raider helicopter prototypes have been unveiled by Sikorsky, ahead of commencement of the programme’s test flight activities. The aircraft has been …

• Defence Helicopter

  Northrop Grumman outlines UH-60V cockpit upgrade plans

  8th October 2014

  Northrop Grumman will develop a next-generation Black Hawk helicopter cockpit display that leverages ANSYS system and software simulation solutions, the company announced on 8 October. …

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 ...