• Land Warfare

  MDM 2016: Marine Corps hands shopping list to industry

  27th September 2016

  The US Marine Corps (USMC) has outlined a ‘laundry list’ of critical requirements, as the service transitions from a primary focus on counter-insurgency (COIN) warfare …

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2016: Mobile firepower plans emerge

  27th September 2016

  The Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) programme is one of the few new ground combat vehicle acquisitions being currently pursued by the US Army.   MPF …

• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA 2016: V-247 to provide pivotal vigilance

  27th September 2016

  Bell Helicopter has unveiled its unmanned VTOL concept, the V-247 Vigilant tiltrotor, which it hopes will meet the US Marine Corps’ (USCM) requirement for a …

• Defence Notes

  BAE taps Aussie innovation for GCS

  27th September 2016

  BAE Systems is to tap the Australian industrial SME market for products and services to meet the needs of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship …

• Naval Warfare

  Elements of T26 design move to output phase

  26th September 2016

  Elements of the design of the UK’s Type 26 Global Combat Ship could move into a manufacturing output phase. The latest step in an already …

• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA 2016: Helicopter engine replacement for the future

  26th September 2016

  The replacement of the T700 engine onboard the UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache, through the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP), remains a longer-term option …

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2016: Saab M4 gets smarter

  26th September 2016

  Saab is moving forward with new munition technology for its latest-generation Carl Gustaf M4 84mm recoilless gun, including a ‘smart’ high-explosive (HE) round and a …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUSA 2016: Army to lease robot mules

  26th September 2016

  The US Army may expedite its plans to field so-called ‘robotic mules’ – or unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) – that can carry soldier’s equipment on …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Safran, Urban Aeronautics sign MoU

  23rd September 2016

  Safran Helicopter Engines and Urban Aeronautics have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to study market opportunities and address power system solutions to support the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing aids Korean unmanned MD 500s

  23rd September 2016

  Via a memorandum of agreement signed on 22 September, Boeing will renew cooperation with Korean Air Lines (KAL) to convert South Korean military MD 500D …

• Naval Warfare

  New patrol gunboat for Thai navy

  23rd September 2016

  The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) commissioned HTMS Laemsing (PGB 561), a domestically built patrol gunboat, on 21 September after sea trials. The RTN bought its …

• Military Logistics

  Future USNS Yuma launched

  22nd September 2016

  The future USNS Yuma, the eighth Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) vessel, has been launched at Austal USA’s shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, it was announced …

• Naval Warfare

  ADAS 2016: Taiwan’s coast guard commissions cutters

  22nd September 2016

  Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) commissioned a pair of what it called ‘1,000t’ cutters in Kaohsiung on 21 September.  In fact, there displacement is actually …

• Military Logistics

  USMC orders next-gen battery chargers

  21st September 2016

  Bren-Tronics has been selected by the US Marine Corps to deliver its next-generation Advanced Battery Charger (ABC), it was announced on 19 September. Deliveries are …

• Military Logistics

  C-130J empennage milestone

  21st September 2016

  Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures (TLMAL) has delivered the 50th C-130J Super Hercules empennage assembly to the production line, Lockheed Martin announced on 19 September. TLMAL …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - MALE

  Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The FVL-MS programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft utilised ...

• Tiltrotors

  V-22 Osprey [Japan]

  Programme Background Procurement Contracts The Japanese government is the first export customer of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, having ordered 17 helicopters from the US across ...

• Loitering munitions

  Launched Effects - Short Range (LE-SR) [US]

  Background Air-launched effect (ALE) In 2022, the US sought a family of systems comprising an air vehicle, payload, mission systems applications and support equipment to ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-8C Fire Scout (USA)

  Programme Background Timeline According to the Naval Air Systems Command, having first ordered the MQ-8B in 2009, the UAV has become a pillar of the ...

• Military UAS - small

  Heavy Lift Capability (UASHLC) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirement & Objective The RN identified a requirement to acquire an RPAS to transport cargo and supplies between ships and personnel. When mature, it ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Heavy Lift UAV [Germany]

  Background  Victor U250 agreement On 10 June 2026, at ILA Berlin, Rheinmetall, ERC Systems, and the North Rhine-Westphalia state formed a strategic partnership to lay ...

• Loitering munitions

  Launched Effects - Medium Range (LE-MR) [US]

  Background Air-launched effect (ALE) In 2022, the US sought a family of systems comprising an air vehicle, payload, mission systems applications and support equipment to ...

• Military UAS - small

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 1) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Project Proteus [UK]

  Background Requirements The RN requires an uncrewed helicopter to test the viability of larger uncrewed aircraft, possibly providing an alternative to crewed aircraft such as the ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) [US Army]

  Background USMC First, Army Second In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Heavy-lift Helicopter STH [Germany]

  Background Requirement The German government issued a tender in March 2019 for the procurement of heavy-lift helicopters under the Schwerer Transporthubschrauber (STH) program, 60 units are ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) (MV-75 Cheyenne II) [USA]

  Programme Background US Army's Future Vertical Lift Programme The FLRAA is one of three strands of a broader army programme. The others are the Future ...

• Military UAS - small

  Intra-Theatre Lift [UK]

  Background  Relationship to the Heavy Lift Challenge The Royal Navy (RN) embarked on the Heavy Lift Challenge, now called the Heavy Lift Capability (UASHLC), to explore cargo-carrying ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F CHINOOK [USA]

  Programme Background As the Army's only heavy-lift helicopter, the CH-47F Improved Cargo helicopter is an essential component of the Army's Multi-Domain Battle framework. The CH-47F ...

• Transport

  Large Transport Aircraft-II (LTA-II) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Requirements The aircraft are needed for peacetime, international peacekeeping, emergency and combat operations. They are especially required to ensure a strategic lift capacity ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - MALE

  Korean Future Vertical Lift (KFVL)

  Unveiled at KADEX 2024, the Korean Future Vertical Lift (KFVL) is a family of uncrewed helicopters from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). Despite being in the ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Aerosonde Mk 4.8 HQ FTUAS

  From the Texton family of Aerosonde UAS, the Aerosonde Mk 4.8 Hybrid Quad (HQ) FTUAS is a tactical drone purpose-built to meet the US Army's Future Vertical Lift ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  HQ-60

  Similarly to other platforms in the L3 Technologies Hybrid Quadrotor (HQ) and Fixed-Wing Rotator family (see separate entries) of VTOL fixed-wing UAVs, the HQ-60 has ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  SB-1 Defiant

  The SB-1 Defiant is a Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) aircraft. Sikorsky and Boeing announced in February 2013 that they would submit a joint proposal ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  V-247 Vigilant

  The V-247 Vigilant is a tiltrotor UAV from Bell. Officially introduced in 2016, it features an open modular architecture and can host several payloads. These include ...

• Air: Displays

  F-15 Replacement Vertical Situation Display

  BAE Systems Replacement Vertical Situation Display (RVSD) replaces the legacy VSD units on F-15E aircraft. The AMLCD display offers a larger display size and is compatible ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  X-Sight

  Elbit X-Sight is a developmental helmet-mounted display system designed for helicopters. According to the manufacturer, it will offer a high field of view and colour binocular ...

• Military helicopters - multirole, Military UAS - tactical

  Hexa

  The Hexa, or LIFT Hexa, is a rotary-wing aircraft developed by LIFT Aircraft for military and commercial markets. Due to its configuration and triple redundant autopilot computer, ...

• Military UAS - small

  H6 Poseidon

  Manufactured by Swarmly, the H6 Poseidon is a fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV. The second largest member of the Poseidon family, the vertical lift is provided through ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  DrN-600

  The DrN-600 is a medium-lift cargo UAV developed by Singapore-based manufacturer ST Engineering. The platform combines vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) with wing-borne forward flight and ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Victor U250

  The Victor U250 is a heavy lift drone in development by ERC Systems. The UAV has been developed by ERC for critical mission applications including ...

• Light UGVs

  Avenger

  In January 2017, Med-Eng announced the launch of a new bomb disposal and tactical robot, called the Avenger, at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas. ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Veloce-15

  The ST Engineering Veloce-15 (V-15) is a hybrid fixed-wing UAV with four rotors for vertical lift and a tail-mounted two-bladed pusher propeller for horizontal propulsion.  ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Loong 2

  The Loong 2 is a rotary-wing mini-UAV manufactured by LoongUAV. Designed for ISR missions, the UAV features a universal plug-and-play standardised interface, meaning a lot of different ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Proteus

  Proteus is a technology demonstrator that Leonardo is developing in collaboration with the UK MoD's Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S;) Future Capabilities Group and the ...