• Defence Notes

  RAF tests enhanced Brimstone

  10th May 2016

  The latest technical enhancements of the MBDA Brimstone air-to-surface missile have been tested in operational trials by the Royal Air Force (RAF) at China Lake …

• Training

  Changes for SAR training unit

  9th May 2016

  Following the end of UK military Search and Rescue (SAR) operations in January the Royal Air Force (RAF) Search & Rescue Training Unit (SARTU) based …

• Training

  ASTi to enhance RAF Ch-47 trainers

  20th April 2016

  Advanced Simulation Technology (ASTi) equipment will be fitted on a suite of CH-47 Mk6 Chinook helicopter weapons system trainers for the British Royal Air Force …

• Training

  Exercise Griffin Strike kicks off

  12th April 2016

  Over 5,000 French and British armed forces personnel are set to participate in Exercise Griffin Strike, to test the nations' Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF) …

• Military Logistics

  BAE to build Lightning II facilities

  12th April 2016

  BAE Systems has received a £118 million contract from Lockheed Martin for the construction of engineering and training facilities at RAF Marham in Norfolk, BAE …

• Training

  CAS closes in on UK augmented success

  1st April 2016

  Close Air Solutions (CAS), in partnership with Cursive Simulation, has submitted a second bid as part of the UK’s defence growth partnership (DGP) innovation challenge and …

• Defence Notes

  FIDAE 2016: RAF eyes role in LATAM exercises

  31st March 2016

  Despite the Royal Air Force’s A400M Atlas missing this year’s FIDAE airshow due to operational commitments, the service’s deputy commander of operations still sees a …

• Military Logistics

  BAE gets Hawk support contracts

  30th March 2016

  BAE Systems and Babcock have been awarded three servicing contracts worth almos £300 million for supporting the UK's Hawk fast jet trainer fleet until 2020, …

• Military Logistics

  Rolls-Royce to support Hawk engines

  30th March 2016

  Rolls-Royce has been awarded a five-year, £79 million MissionCare contract by the UK Ministry of Defence to support the Adour engines that power the BAE …

• Defence Helicopter

  Apache to fire Brimstone this year

  17th March 2016

  The first firing of a Brimstone missile from a Boeing AH-64E Apache is planned for later this year as part of a feasibility study funded …

• Training

  High G-force training contract awarded

  15th March 2016

  Thales and AMST will work on a project to improve RAF pilot safety under a contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on …

• Training

  Singapore Airshow: RBAF streamlines pilot training

  12th February 2016

  With the first operational use of the Pilatus PC-7 Mk. II flight training device (FTD) in November 2014, the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAF) has …

• Defence Notes

  Interoperability challenge for ISR Brigade

  11th February 2016

  The new 1 ISR Brigade for the British Army is still finding its feet and is facing challenges as it nears 16 months since being …

• Training

  Upgrades continue at UK’s MSHATF

  8th February 2016

  Maintaining concurrency between a flight simulator and the actual aircraft is a key factor in preventing negative training. Every upgrade to the aircraft requires changes …

• Military Logistics

  UK awards C-130 support contract

  31st December 2015

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded a contract to three companies for the support of the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) fleet of C-130 …

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 ...