• Air Warfare

  Paris Air Show 2025: Poland orders Apache targeting systems and will establish local support facility

  17th June 2025

  In 2024, Poland agreed to purchase 96 Boeing AH-64E Apache combat helicopters in a deal worth as much as US$12 billion. The deal included 97 AN/ASQ-170 modernised target acquisition and designation sight/AN/AAR-11 modernised pilot night vision sensors (M-TADS/PNVS).

• Air Warfare

  UK vows to accelerate Lyra programme for Ukraine as defence industry eyes opportunities

  23rd March 2026

  Project Nightfall and Project Octopus both fall under the Lyra programme, with UK industry working to develop and deliver additional missiles and drones to help bolster Ukraine’s warfighting capabilities against Russia.

• Naval Warfare

  US Navy to invest nearly $12 billion in maritime uncrewed systems and naval munitions in FY2026

  15th July 2025

  Forming part of the Reconciliation Bill, the funding will support multiple efforts involving autonomous capabilities, interceptors, missiles, rockets and torpedoes.

• Land Warfare

  Malaysia advances armoured modernisation with $435 million Tarantula vehicle deal

  23rd May 2025

  Mildef International Technologies will supply high-mobility armoured vehicles featuring systems from Aselsan under a new strategic agreement.

• Digital Battlespace

  SOF Week 2026: How SOF Operators Are Driving the Future of Battlefield Communications (video)

  21st May 2026

  At SOF Week 2026, Austin Farnham, President of Octane Wireless, discusses how direct feedback from special operations forces is helping shape the next generation of battlefield communications technology.

• Air Warfare

  Australian Army aviation veers heavily towards the US

  11th March 2025

  Sikorsky’s UH-60M Black Hawk and Boeing’s AH-46 Apache will soon form the bedrock of the Australian Army’s rotorcraft capabilities, as the army awaits further delivery of both types.

• Land Warfare

  DSEI 2025: Teledyne takes wraps off autonomous launch recovery box for drones

  9th September 2025

  Teledyne FLIR Defense revealed the SkyPad fully autonomous quadcopter launch and recovery box at AUSA in Washington DC last year. The SkyCarrier is the production version of the system and is designed for the launch and recovery of the company’s SkyRaider and SkyRanger uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs).

• Air Warfare

  F-35 buy decisions rear their head after US tariffs increase

  11th August 2025

  Following Spain’s decision not to procure F-35 aircraft in favour of Eurofighter and FCAS 6th-gen, Switzerland and Canada continue to weigh up their investment in Lockheed Martin’s F-35 aircraft.

• Air Warfare

  World Defense Show 2026: Airbus details A400M upgrade as second Indonesia aircraft delivery looms

  16th February 2026

  With the A400M set for a capability upgrade, Airbus officials are bullish about the aircraft and its market potential for both new and existing customers with the improvements geared towards meeting future requirements.

• Air Warfare

  Canada’s P-8A aircraft to receive L3Harris surveillance systems

  28th May 2025

  The Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) are set to be delivered in 2026 with L3Harris’ WECAM MX-20 enhancing its capabilities to conduct maritime and land intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions in regions like the Arctic.

• Defence Notes

  Elbit Systems awarded $2.3 billion contract as results soar

  18th November 2025

  The company’s order backlog as of 30 September totalled $25.2 billion and more than a third of this is scheduled to be fulfilled before the end of 2026.

• Air Warfare

  US approves potential $4.7 billion missile and air defence system sales to Denmark and Italy

  8th December 2025

  Italy could field the JASSM-ER for its combat aircraft including the F-35, while Denmark has been approved for AMRAAM and an Integrated Battle Command system procurement.

• Air Warfare

  Leonardo plans to fly uncrewed fighters alongside M-346 aircraft by mid-2026

  13th March 2026

  The two uncrewed fighter aircraft will be made in conjunction with Baykar, which joined forces with Leonardo under LBA Systems in June 2025 to develop and produce uncrewed aerial systems for the international market.

• Air Warfare

  Robinson launches new uncrewed aircraft business unit, unveils new UAS cargo platform

  12th March 2026

  The new entity incorporates crewed and uncrewed capabilities to tackle a variety of mission demands in both defence and commercial markets.

• Air Warfare

  The future is here: Sixth-gen air dominance

  16th December 2025

  How RTX is equipping the military airspace – for today’s fleet and tomorrow’s fight.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light attack, Trainer

  PC-21 (Project Air 5428) [Australia]

  The new PTS, including aircraft, flight training simulators and learning environments is being acquired from a single capability contractor, Team 21, which consists of Lockheed ...

• Transport, Transport/tanker aircraft

  Project Air 7404 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement Australia is thinking ahead to an enlarged transport fleet to replace the current C-130Js. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was the second ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (Project Air 6000 Phase 2A/B) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) took delivery of 18 F-35A aircraft as of March 2020 and the remaining aircraft are expected to ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (5-6) [Australia]

  Background Four Contracted Units In the summer of 2020, Northrop Grumman announced that the Australian Government provided $333 million for three MQ-4C Tritons and associated GCS. ...

• Data links

  Data links | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (13-14) [Australia]

  Programme Background Austal was awarded a contract to build six 'Evolved'Cape-class patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on 1 May 2020 (see separate ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [Australia]

  Background Older Efforts On 23 April 2021, the US State Department's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) approval announcement revealed that Australia had requested to buy up ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Project Air 7003 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

• OPVs

  Arafura Class (Project SEA 1180) (1-6) [Australia]

  Programme Background Australia's new class of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), the Arafura-class, will replace the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) fleet of Armidale and Cape-class patrol ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  Naval: Combat Management Systems | Project SEA 3000 [Australia]

  The February 2024 Enhanced Lethality Surface Combatant Fleet review recommends that the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) acquire at least seven, and optimally 11, Tier 2 ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  Naval: shipboard communication systems | Project SEA 3000 [Australia]

  The February 2024 Enhanced Lethality Surface Combatant Fleet review recommends that the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) acquire at least seven, and optimally 11, Tier 2 ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Project Vixen [UK]

  Background Project Goal The Royal Navy uses Leonardo crewed Merlin (AW101) helicopters fitted with CROWSNEST pods to provide airborne early warning capabilities for carriers. An early 2021 Royal ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Air-5416 Project Echidna

  Air-5416 Project Echidna was an initiative launched in 2001 by BAE Systems for the Australian DoD. Its goal was to overhaul the self protection systems ...

• Trainer

  King Air trainer

  Textron / Beechcraft King Air trainers are a family twin-engine aircraft based on King Air 90, 100, 200 and 350 utility aircraft. The King Air ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Australian Defence Force MRH90 Training

  As prime contractor for the ADF's MRH90 training programme, CAE has provided two MRH90 full-flight mission simulators (FFMS), training facilities and engineering and support services. ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  RAAF Hawk Mk 127 FMS

  Under subcontract to BAE Systems, CAE is designing and manufacturing three Hawk Mk 127 full-mission simulators (FMS) for the Royal Australian Air Force that will ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Wanderer

  The Wanderer is a low-altitude, low-cost, long-endurance UAV produced in-house by the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) Jericho Disruptive Innovation Group and the Australian Government's Defense Science ...

• Light attack

  Hawk 200

  The Hawk 200 is a single-seat light attack iteration of the Hawk 100 (see separate entry) and Advanced Jet Trainer or AJT (see separate entry). ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-28A Ghost Bat

  The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is a loyal wingman-type, Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), MALE fixed-wing drone being developed by Boeing Defence Australia. Its development began in ...

• Military - USVs

  Bluebottle

  Bluebottle is a persistent, autonomous, uncrewed surface vessel from Ocius Technology in service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). In ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  Predator Mission Trainer (PMT)

  The CAE Predator Mission Trainer (PMT) is an integrated platform that combines the features of CAE's UAS mission trainer with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Predator-specific ...

• Maritime patrol

  Challenger 604

  Bombardier Challenger CL-604 MPAs are in service with the Royal Danish Air Force and the Korea Coast Guard. The first of three Danish aircraft entered ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Phantom 4 (Series)

  Designed for aerial photograph applications by DJI, the Phantom 4 series of UAVs includes the Phantom 4 Pro, Phantom 4 Pro V2.0, Phantom 4 Advanced ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  AN/ALR-2001

  BAE Systems’ AN/ALR-2001 Electronic Support Measure (ESM) is thought to be based on Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Elta Systems division’s EL/M-8382 ESM. The AN/ALR-2001 is ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Hawkei

  Thales Australia developed the 4x4 Hawkei for the Australian Army's Land 121 Phase 4 Protected Mobility Vehicle – Light (PMV-L) project.  The prototype was unveiled in ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  M Solar-X

  First revealed in August 2020, in February 2024, at its symposium, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) showcased the M Solar-X. This solar-powered fixed-wing drone was ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  AGM-88E AARGM

  The AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) is a supersonic, medium-range, air-launched tactical missile compatible with US and allied strike aircraft. Designed to upgrade the AGM-88 ...