• Military Logistics

  Second A400M for France completes engine runs

  28th May 2013

  Airbus Military has announced that the second A400M airlifter in production for the French armed forces has successfully completed its first engine runs. The aircraft …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing will compete with MD in light attack market

  23rd May 2013

  Boeing has conceded it will have to compete with MD Helicopters on the light scout/attack helicopter market after the latter’s recent development of a militarised …

• Defence Helicopter

  Upgraded Royal Navy Lynx simulator enters service

  22nd May 2013

  The Royal Navy's Lynx Mk8 full-mission simulator located at Royal Navy Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton is now in-service and ready-for-training following a major visual system …

• Defence Helicopter

  UK MoD orders additional Hellfire missiles

  20th May 2013

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that it has ordered additional supersonic Hellfire missiles for the British Army’s Apache helicopter fleet. The £15 …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX 2013: US Navy looks to prove the worth of LCS

  14th May 2013

  As the first of the US Navy’s new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), USS Freedom, docks off the shore of Singapore, the long-running debate surrounding the …

• Defence Helicopter

  IDEF 2013: TAI outlines new Turkish helicopter

  10th May 2013

  Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) will fly a new, indigenously-developed 5t helicopter within the next five years, the company has claimed. Speaking at the IDEF exhibition …

• Defence Helicopter

  IDEF 2013: Turkish army set to receive first T-129s

  9th May 2013

  The Turkish Land Forces is on the verge of taking delivery of their first T-129 ATAK attack helicopters as the production of the aircraft gathers …

• Defence Helicopter

  IDEF 2013: Roketsan unveils new smart munition

  9th May 2013

  Turkish weapons manufacturer Roketsan plans to test-fire its new Smart Micro Munition from the Anka medium altitude long endurance UAV, the company has revealed. A …

• Defence Helicopter

  IDEF 2013: Eurocopter to offer Turkish guided missile

  9th May 2013

  Eurocopter plans to test fire Roketsan’s Cirit laser guided missile from an EC635 by the end of the year, it has emerged. The two companies …

• Defence Helicopter

  ATK, Elbit Systems to provide GATR for USSOCOM evaluation

  8th May 2013

  Elbit Systems and ATK will provide the Guided Advanced Tactical Rocket (GATR) and Precision Guided Rocket Launcher (PGRL) to the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bids invited for reopened VXX programme

  8th May 2013

  The US Navy has called for proposals from industry to provide 21 aircraft to replace the existing presidential helicopter fleet – known as Marine One. …

• Defence Helicopter

  IDEF 2013: Black Hawk contract signature still not in sight

  7th May 2013

  Sikorsky is still yet to sign a contract with Turkey for the license-manufacture of 109 T-70i Black Hawk helicopters, more than two years after the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Australian MRH90 finally approved for service

  7th May 2013

  Australia’s new NH Industries MRH90 multirole helicopter (MRH) has received its official type certification and service release from the Australian Defence Force’s Airworthiness Authority, the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Italy receives first NH90 TTH in FOC configuration

  3rd May 2013

  The Italian Army has taken delivery of the first NH90 tactical transport helicopter (TTH) in Final Operational Capability configuration at an official ceremony at AgustaWestland’s …

• Defence Helicopter

  US furthers next-generation helicopter studies

  30th April 2013

  Plans for a next generation US helicopter to replace the AH-64 Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk have moved forward with three different configurations under evaluation. …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• 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 - 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 - attack, Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M / H145M Add-On [Romania]

  Methodology As part of a potential initial order for 12 H225M helicopters, Romania has included the option to acquire 30 additional helicopters from Airbus. Shephard estimates this ...

• 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 - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) (TH-57 Replacement)

  Programme Background Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single ...

• 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 - 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 ...

• 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 - 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

  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 ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Light Armed Helicopter

  The South Korean government selected Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in July 2014 to develop the Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) and the related Light Civil Helicopter ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AS365 N3+ Dauphin

  The AS365 N3+, manufactured by Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter), was developed from the Dauphin series of medium, twin-turboshaft rotorcraft. The AS365 N3+ was launched at the 2009 ...

• Military UAS - small

  Flexrotor

  Flexrotor, or U030 Flexrotor, is a VTOL small UAS manufactured by Aerovel. It can integrate different types of payloads, including electro-optical systems and advanced sensors, to suit ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  NH90 TTH

  Developed as a multinational programme between France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, the European NH90 was designed to meet NATO requirements for multirole capability from ...