• Digital Battlespace

  P-8A Poseidon gets EW capability boost

  25th February 2019

  Additional infrared countermeasures and electronic warfare management systems will be integrated on all Lot 9 and Lot 10 P-8A Poseidon, following a $27,291,319 fixed-price indefinite-quantity …

• Defence Notes

  Spain joins France and Germany on new combat fighter

  12th February 2019

  Spain will join a Franco-German project to build a new fighter plane to replace the Eurofighter and Rafale, the defence ministry said on 11 February …

• Military Logistics

  RAF Marham goes green

  6th February 2019

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has officially opened a new biogas processing site in Swaffham, Norfolk, which will provide green energy to the Royal …

• Training

  New fast jet training for RAF

  4th February 2019

  The UK Royal Air Force has officially opened its new £44 million centrifuge at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire. The project has been headed by Thales and this …

• Defence Helicopter

  UK Merlin Mk4/4a programme hit by delays

  7th February 2019

  The UK's ongoing AW101 Merlin Mk4/4a delivery programme has been delayed beyond its original end date of December 2020 after manufacturer Leonardo and the MoD …

• Training

  CAE to provide Protector RG1 training system

  28th January 2019

  As the Royal Air Force prepares for the integration of its latest RPAS, the GA-ASI Protector RG Mk1, an important milestone has been achieved with …

• Naval Warfare

  P-8A production scheduled for NATO’s northern MPA trio

  28th January 2019

  The future position of Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon as NATO’s de-facto maritime patrol aircraft moved a step closer on 25 January with the latest batch announcement …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  GA-ASI deals signify good business for Britain

  25th January 2019

  As industry continues to ponder how a no-deal Brexit would effect the British workforce, US company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) made it clear that it …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  The economics of a drone response

  24th January 2019

  The UK government is poised as cross-governmental departments collaborate on effective national security measures in countering drone attacks. The UK defence secretary admitted, during a …

• Digital Battlespace

  Raytheon secures UK Shadow deal

  7th January 2019

  UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a £250 million deal to support the RAF’s intelligence-gathering Shadow aircraft fleet, Defence Minister Stuart Andrew announced on …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  RAF considers RPAS to enhance force protection

  5th December 2018

  Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel from the Force Protection Centre at RAF Honington recently carried out an operational capability demonstration using the Aeryon SkyRanger UAS …

• Military Logistics

  RAF A400M Atlas in 23t airdrop

  27th November 2018

  A Royal Air Force (RAF) A400M Atlas has delivered a cargo load weighing 23t by parachute over Salisbury Plain in a record-breaking test of the …

• Training

  EDEX 2018: Grob hopeful of Egyptian Air Force deal

  5th December 2018

  With the introduction of the Dassault Rafale and RAC MiG-29M/M2s into its ranks, the Egyptian Air Force (EAF) is now said to be considering its …

• Military Logistics

  Kier to prepare RAF Lakenheath for US F-35s

  22nd November 2018

  The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded a £160 million contract to Kier VolkerFitzpatrick to deliver new infrastructure to prepare Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath …

• Defence Notes

  EDEX 2018: Weaponised jets proving a challenge for Egypt

  4th December 2018

  The Egyptian Air Force's fast jet fleet is being blighted by a hold-up on its desired weapon for the Dassault Rafale and the service has …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme [UK]

  Programme Background The next-generation platform concept is part of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, which sought to deliver a Future Combat Air System ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - small

  Tempest 50 [USAF]

  Programme Background Contract Award On 18 December 2024, the US DoD announced that the USAF had awarded Firestorm Labs a $100 million Small Business Innovation Research ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35B [UK]

  Programme Background The total cost of the currently funded programme as reported through the UK Major Projects Report is expected to be £10.5 billion ($13.5 ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme [Italy]

  Background Shephard notes that the Italian, British and Japanese components of GCAP are tracked in separate entries. Programme timeline 2019: In September 2019, the UK and Italian governments ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  StormFighter [UK]

  Background Project Mosquito and its cancellation Beginning in 2019, the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), in collaboration with the Royal Air Force (RAF), ...

• Military UAS - small

  StormShroud: Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) [UK]

  Background Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) Strategy Reflecting on lessons learned from the cancellation of the Mosquito programme, the Royal Air Force (RAF) redefined the role ...

• ISR/special mission

  Shadow R1 [UK]

  Background The RAF is moving forward with an ambitious plan to transform its intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) force to enable greater interoperability ...

• AEW&C

  E-7 Wedgetail (737) [UK]

  Programme Background Seeking to replace its six ageing Boeing E-3 Sentry AEW&C;, the British Royal Air Force awarded Boeing a £1.89 billion contract in 2019 covering the ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A400M [UK]

  Background RAF base at Brize Norton built a new training facility for A400M pilots and crew. The aircraft will look to reach full operation capability by 2022 ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Protector RG1 [UK]

  Background Programme goal The programme aims to replace the MQ-9A Reapers in the RAF's inventory until they are formally retired in October 2025. The MQ-9B will deliver a UK ...

• Maritime patrol

  P-8A Poseidon [UK]

  Background In July 2016, the UK government announced that it had ordered nine aircraft for service with the RAF. Under this frame, in January 2019, ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47ER Chinook [UK]

  Background Formally known as the Chinook Capability Sustainment Program the UK is planning to replace its 14 oldest CH-47s with 14 new-build CH-47F (ER). The ...

• AEW&C

  E-7 Wedgetail (Second Order) [UK]

  Programme Background Seeking to replace its six ageing Boeing E-3 Sentry AEW&C;, the British Royal Air Force awarded Boeing a £1.89 billion contract in 2019 ...

• Transport

  Command Support Air Transport Recapitalisation [UK]

  Programme Background The tender, originally released on 28 October 2021, required industry bidders to put forward aircraft that can achieve a minimum unrefuelled range of ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Bayraktar TB2 (Second Batch) [Morocco]

  Programme Background Morocco's military modernisation In 2017, Morocco established a five-year plan to modernise the military equipment of its navy, army and airforce to bring ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Praetorian DASS

  The Praetorian Defensive Aids Sub-System (DASS) for the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft provides protection against air-to-air and surface-to-air threats. It integrates an Electronic Support Measure ...

• Data links

  Pioneer Express (GRRIP, AN/PSC-15)

  The Pioneer Express (GRRIP, AN/PSC-15) is a small, lightweight flyaway communications system that allows access to secure and non-secure networks and can be used in ...

• CUAS - interceptors

  Gobi Tempest C-UAS

  Gobi Tempest is a high-speed UAS designed to intercept hostile group 2-3 UAS. The system is manufactured by the French company Harmattan AI; through a ...

• Loitering munitions, Military UAS - small

  Tempest 50

  The Tempest 50 is an American loitering munition and UAV from Firestorm Labs. Uniquely, 50 units of the UAV a month can be produced from ...

• EO/IR systems

  RAPTOR

  The Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado (RAPTOR), based on Raytheon's DB-110, was developed for the UK RAF Tornado GR4s. RAF specifications required target recognition with ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/VRC-99A

  The AN/VRC-99A is a programmable, wideband, secure, open-architecture tactical communications system providing virtual circuit and datagram service. These services are designed for reliable, simultaneous, multichannel ...

• EO/IR systems

  DJRP

  The Digital Joint Reconnaissance Pod (DJRP) is a tactical EO/IR reconnaissance system. It provides simultaneous high resolution and wide field-of-view EO imagery and horizon-to-horizon day/night ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  Tornado GR4 Synthetic Training Service

  Thales provides its Tornado GR4 Synthetic Training Service (TSTS) through its 100%-owned subsidiary, Ace. The service is a complete suite of synthetic training for Tornado ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  Air Combat Training

  Boeing has experience in delivering training for fixed-wing air combat platforms including F-15C/E, F-16, F/A-18E/F, EA-18G, F-22 and MV/CV-22.

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  FIASTS

  Thales, through 100%-owned subsidiary Merlin, is delivering a ‘packaged’ training and maintenance system for RAF aircrew through the FsAST Integrated Aircrew Synthetic Training Service (FIASTS). ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming, Air: Electronic Attack - Pod

  Sky Shadow-2

  Leonardo’s Sky Shadow-2 electronic attack pod was designed for the Panavia Tornado-GR4A ground attack aircraft in service with the RAF. 

• Fighter - multirole

  Tornado (IDS/ADV)

  The Tornado is a family of two-seat, twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole fighters manufactured by Panavia, a trans-European consortium of BAE Systems, Airbus Space and Defence ...

• Air: Displays

  Tornado Advanced Radar Dsiplay & Information System (TARDIS)

  The Tornado Advanced Radar Display & Information System (TARDIS) is developed by BAE Systems, UK, specifically for the UK's Royal Air Force's (RAF) fleet of ...

• Air: transport/tanker simulators

  A400M Training

  Thales is the principal training provider for the Airbus A400M with a contract to provide FFSs and flat-panel trainers. Four A400M FFS and two flat-panel ...

• Loitering munitions

  Arash (series)

  The Arash is a series of Iranian loitering munitions with varying technical specifications.  The long-range aircraft comes in two near-identical variants, the smaller Arash-1 and the ...