• Defence Helicopter

  DARPA confirms VTOL X-Plane contract recipients

  19th March 2014

  DARPA has finalised the list of contenders for its VTOL Experimental Plane (VTOL X-Plane) programme, with the awarding of two additional Phase 1 contracts to …

• Defence Helicopter

  Russia stages helicopter exercises near Ukraine border

  18th March 2014

  The Russian army started a new round of military exercises close to the border with Ukraine on 17 March. Held at a training center in …

• Defence Helicopter

  Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter lands on HMS Dragon

  18th March 2014

  The Royal Navy’s Wildcat helicopter has landed on the flight deck of a Type 45 destroyer, HMS Dragon, at sea as part of sea trials …

• Defence Helicopter

  Brazil to receive first upgraded Panther K2 aircraft

  13th March 2014

  Airbus Helicopters’ Helibras subsidiary is set to deliver the first two upgraded AS365 Panther K2 helicopters to the Brazilian Army this month following work to …

• Defence Helicopter

  Longbow International to support UK Apache radars

  13th March 2014

  Longbow International will support the fire control radars on the British Army’s fleet of Apache AH Mk 1 helicopters under a $96 million contract from …

• Naval Warfare

  UK MoD invests £20 million for Royal Navy OPVs

  12th March 2014

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has committed £20 million to its plans to purchase three new Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) for the Royal Navy, …

• Military Logistics

  Airbus reports first A400M airdrop trials as a success

  12th March 2014

  Airbus Defence & Space (D&S) has announced that an A400M development aircraft has undergone the first phase of airdrop trials over the Fonsorbes drop zone …

• Land Warfare

  AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR system approved for LRIP

  11th March 2014

  Northrop Grumman has announced that its AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) system has been approved for Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) by the US …

• Defence Helicopter

  Turkey completes anti-tank missile tests

  11th March 2014

  Turkey has successfully completed the first guided test shots of its long range anti-tank missile, which will arm the Turkish Army's T129 attack and tactical …

• Defence Helicopter

  Lockheed Martin to build turret for M-TADS/PNVS

  11th March 2014

  Lockheed Martin will design, integrate and qualify a High Reliability Turret for the Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) onboard the US …

• Military Logistics

  Singapore to get MRTTs from 2018

  11th March 2014

  The Singapore Air Force (SAF) is due to receive the first of six A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports (MRTTs) from 2018, Shephard has been informed. A …

• Defence Helicopter

  Final ASGARD upgraded Tiger helicopters delivered to Germany

  7th March 2014

  The final Tiger UHT support helicopters upgraded by Airbus Helicopters were delivered to the German Army on 6 March. The aircraft were presented during a …

• Defence Helicopter

  Pentagon confirms Kiowa retirement

  6th March 2014

  The US Army is moving forward with plans to scrap its entire fleet of OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopters as part of a major aviation restructuring. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky, Turkey sign T-70 helicopter agreement

  6th March 2014

  Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Aselsan will build 109 T-70 helicopters for operation by the Turkish government under newly signed agreements with Sikorsky. The T-70 …

• Defence Helicopter

  First Australian LHD embarks on sea trials

  4th March 2014

  The first of two Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) ships being built for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has commenced on the first period of sea …

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 ...

• 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 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 ...

• 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 ...