• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Fire Scout operates across the US

  2nd December 2010

  Across the United States, the Navy's Fire Scout Vertical Take-Off and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle took the skies, operating in four different locations ashore …

• Defence Helicopter

  Green light for Zulu production

  1st December 2010

  The US Navy’s Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has given the go-ahead for full rate production of the Bell AH-1Z Cobra. On 28 November the H-1 …

• Defence Helicopter

  Denmark requests Seahawks

  1st December 2010

  Denmark is considering purchasing the MH-60R 'Romeo' Seahawk to replace its Lynx fleet and meet the needs of the government's Maritime Helicopter Programme (MHP), it …

• Defence Helicopter

  Black Hawk delivery to aid Mexican narcotic crack-down

  30th November 2010

  The US is kitting out Mexico’s Federal Police Force (SSP) for the fight against drug cartels, the Department of State announcing on 24 November the …

• Defence Helicopter

  One year on: RAF Merlins in action in Afghanistan

  30th November 2010

  From Benson to Bastion - today the Royal Air Force Merlin Force marked their first anniversary on Operation HERRICK. Following transportation to Afghanistan, re-assembly and …

• Defence Helicopter

  French to upgrade four more Cougars

  30th November 2010

  The French DGA defence procurement agency ordered the upgrade of four Cougar helicopters on 26 October. The four aircraft will include three from the army …

• Defence Helicopter

  RAF Chinook pilot awarded for bravery in Afghanistan

  26th November 2010

  The Distinguished Flying Cross was awarded to an RAF pilot on 25 November for his performance and services during a difficult flight in Afghanistan a year …

• Defence Helicopter

  ITT delivers first composite assembly for new US Marine Corps helicopter

  22nd November 2010

  ITT Corporation has delivered its first major structural subassemblies for the CH-53K heavy lift helicopter to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Power 2010: UK eyes export market for Wildcat

  19th November 2010

  The AW159 Lynx Wildcat is being actively promoted on the export market by the UK government, despite the aircraft still being several years away from …

• Defence Helicopter

  Navy tests new fuel in MH-60S Seahawk helicopter

  19th November 2010

  Moving closer to achieving the objective of decreasing its need for petroleum-based fuels, the Navy flew an MH-60S Seahawk on a 50/50 biofuel blend today. …

• Defence Helicopter

  New UH-72A Lakota S&S MEP Aircraft showcased

  19th November 2010

  The Product Office for the Army's Light Utility Helicopter, the UH-72A Lakota showcased its latest version of the prototype aircraft Nov. 16 at the Sparkman …

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Power 2010: UK procurement chiefs come to terms with SDSR

  18th November 2010

  The future make-up of the UK's military helicopter fleet remains unclear following the release of the government's Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) as acquisition …

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Power 2010: Delays in Dutch NH90 deliveries create SAR headache

  18th November 2010

  The Netherlands government is considering contracting in some level of night-time search and rescue (SAR) capability due to delays in the delivery of NH90 multirole …

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Power 2010: USN strives to avoid 'rotorcraft gap'

  17th November 2010

  The US military faces a significant drop in rotorcraft capability in the next 15 years unless a major effort is launched to develop new aircraft …

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-Power 2010: CHF commander reveals challenges ahead

  17th November 2010

  The commander of the UK's Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) says his organisation is facing a challenging time over the next decade. With heavy commitments in …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F -Kenya

  Crew transition training took place at the MD Helicopters headquarters in Mesa, Arizona, with field service support, armament, and gunnery training scheduled to occur at ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  MD 530G - Malaysia

  Procured for an urgent operational requirement for gunships to support Eastern Sabah Security Command operations, helicopter deliveries had to slip from a planned delivery of ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G Lebanon

  The Armed MD 530G Scout Attack Helicopter features next-generation all-glass cockpit that includes: two Genesys Aerosystems IDU-680 6” x 9” LCD primary displays, Tek Fusion ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Uncrewed MD 500 Replacement [South Korea]

  Background Uncrewed Replacement of the MD 500 Throughout the 2010s, South Korea appeared interested in replacing its fleet of crewed MD 500 helicopters that were manufactured under licence ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Project Land 2097 Phase 4 [Australia]

  Programme Background According to the RfI, under Project Land 2097 Phase 4, the selected helicopter must comprise a commercial or military off-the-shelf solution that is ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) First Batch (South Korea)

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Army)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Navy)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (Second Batch) [South Korea]

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton - Germany (Cancelled)

  Programme Background Germany requested to buy four MQ-4C Triton HALE UAVs from Northrop Grumman. On 5 April 2018, the US State Department announced that it ...

• 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

  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 - multirole

  Multirole Helicopters [Poland]

  Programme Background In 2020, Poland announced the launch of the Perkoz programme to acquire 32 support helicopters to replace its fleet of Mi-2 aircraft stationed ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  New Exploration and Escort Helicopter (NEES) (Phase II) [Italy]

  Programme Background Phase I In 2017, the Italian government signed a contract with Leonardo to replace its fleet of AW129 Mangusta attack helicopters with the ...

• 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 ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F Cayuse Warrior

  An evolution of the OH-6 Cayuse light observation helicopter, the MD 530F was initially Federal Aviation Administration-certified in July 1985 as the Model 369FF. It ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  MDHI Glass Cockpit

  The American aerospace manufacturer MD Helicopters Inc. (MDHI) has designed and developed a glass cockpit specifically for MD 500E AND MD 520N aircraft. It is ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 500

  US-based MD Helicopters' MD 500 is a single-engine light helicopter derived from the Hughes OH-6A Cayuse developed for the US Army in the early 1960s and ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  IDU-680

  The IDU-680 is Genesys Aerosystems’ 3D synthetic vision integrated Electronic Flight Instrument System. The system includes a Highway in the Sky navigation system, geo-referenced hover ...

• Helicopter guns

  FN HMP

  The FN HMP (Heavy Machine Gun Pod) is a self-contained airborne weapon system armed with a 50cal FN M3P heavy machine gun. It is available ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G

  The MD 530G is the newest addition to the MD Helicopters (MDHI) line of light scout attack platforms. It has increased-capacity landing gear and a ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  KUS-VH

  The Korean Air Korean Air Unmanned System-Vertical Helicopter (KUS-VH) is a large, rotary-wing UAV based on the MD 500. The first flight of the platform ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  6XX

  Publicly unveiled at Heli-Expo in March 2017, the MD Helicopters 6XX is the next evolution in the MD 500 series and is a redesigned, single-engine ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C30

  The M250-C30 and -C30P are the exclusive powerplants for the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger and the MD Helicopters MD 530F and MD 530G. In addition, the AH-6i is ...

• EO/IR systems

  LEO-III

  The LEO-III, or LEO-III HD, was an airborne observation system with HD sensors and video outputs. It was a COTS, gyro-stabilised platform containing a multi-sensor HD ...

• Airborne rockets - unguided

  Aculeus MD-36 and MD-432

  The Aculeus MD-36 unguided multi-dart rocket provides 36 darts for the neutralisation of columns of light armoured vehicles. The Aculeus MD-432 provides 432 darts to ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C47E

  The C47E is the latest growth variant of the C47B/8 engine. In addition to a hot-and-high Value Improvement Package Kit, the C47E also includes dual-channel ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MD-1366 EBEM

  The US government selected the MD-1366 Enhanced Bandwidth Efficient Modem (EBEM) from ViaSat to set the DoD standard for high-speed, high-performance,flexibility and compatibility in a ...

• EO/IR systems

  Wescam MX-10

  The Wescam MX-10 EO/IR low-weight imaging system is designed for low-altitude tactical surveillance and reconnaissance missions from crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The MX-10 has had a close ...

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT)

  The Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT) is an in-development UAV from Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) based on an MD 500 twin-seat American commercial helicopter airframe. With the ...