• Defence Notes

  QinetiQ signs UK aircrew research contract

  25th May 2015

  QinetiQ has signed a £5 million contract with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) that will see it conduct research to improve military aircrew …

• Military Logistics

  BAE Systems to upgrade UK Watchman radars

  22nd May 2015

  BAE Systems has been awarded a £7 million contract from the UK Ministry of Defence to upgrade four Watchman radars as part of the Marshall …

• Defence Helicopter

  US mulls MH-60R sale to Saudi Arabia

  22nd May 2015

  The US State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale of MH-60R multi-mission helicopters, associated equipment and support to Saudi Arabia, as announced by …

• Military Logistics

  Austal launches USNS Brunswick

  22nd May 2015

  Austal launched the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) USNS Brunswick (JHSV 6) at its Mobile, Alabama ship manufacturing facility on 20 May. The vessel was …

• Naval Warfare

  IMDEX Asia: Hercules all at sea

  22nd May 2015

  Lockheed Martin is expecting that it will have its first customer for its Sea Herc concept in the near future. Speaking at IMDEX Asia, business …

• Digital Battlespace

  UK stalls on AWACS upgrades

  22nd May 2015

  The UK is falling behind with Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) upgrades due to budgetary constraints, according to officials at the Boeing San Antonio …

• Military Logistics

  BAE Systems bids for USMC ACV 1.1 programme

  21st May 2015

  BAE System has submitted its bid for the US Marine Corps (USMC) Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) 1.1 programme, the company announced on 19 May. According …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Future unmanned test bed potential for QF-16

  21st May 2015

  Boeing is looking towards the future of the QF-16 which could potentially be utilised as a test bed for unmanned technology developments, according to officials …

• Digital Battlespace

  Boeing poised to provide digital payload for GPS III

  20th May 2015

  Boeing is looking to compete for the Global Positioning System (GPS) III programme payload solution when the US Air Force opens it up for alternate …

• Digital Battlespace

  Cost saving focus for future satellites

  20th May 2015

  Improved technology and innovation were key to cost efficiency in future satellite programmes, according to senior Boeing officials. Speaking to journalists at the Boeing Satellite …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Improved UAS batteries needed to boost endurance, says C-Astral chief

  19th May 2015

  Better battery technology is crucial for the continued development of small unmanned air systems, according to Marko Peljhan, co-founder and CEO of Slovenian aerospace firm …

• Land Warfare

  US Army ultra-light vehicle RFI completed

  19th May 2015

  As the Request for Information (RFI) for the US Army’s Ultra Light Combat Vehicle (ULCV) study closes, industry are lining up for a competition. Polaris …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Robonic, Lockheed team for UAS launcher

  19th May 2015

  Robonic and Lockheed Martin have entered an agreement for the development of a fourth-generation pneumatic launcher for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) called OHTO. Under the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DeSIRE II demonstration project launches

  19th May 2015

  The European Space Agency (ESA) and European Defence Agency (EDA) have launched the DeSIRE II demonstration project to develop services provided by Remotely Piloted Aircraft …

• Military Logistics

  Australia conducts first AAR boom contact

  18th May 2015

  A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft made the first air-to-air refuelling (AAR) boom contact with another KC-30A, the Ministry …

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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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

  Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) [USMC]

  Background US Marine ULS-A programmes The US Marines are seeking a family of Unmanned Logistics Systems-Air (ULS-A) that will provide logistics and ground units with their ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawk [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Requirement The FMS is aimed at improving Saudi Arabia’s capability to meet current and future threats from enemy weapon systems, provide the capability to identify, ...

• Military UAS - small

  VTOL UAV [New Zealand]

  Background Defence Capability Plan (DCP) In April 2025, the New Zealand government published the DCP, a document that is essentially a blueprint for what procurements ...

• 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

  Shipborne Small UAV [Portugal]

  Background Shipborne UAV trials In August 2026, during the Iniciativa Mar Aberto 2026 mission, the Portuguese Navy conducted shipborne flight trials of uncrewed aircraft from ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  Japanese Future Amphibious Vehicle

  Programme Background The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's (JGSDF) Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade currently operates a fleet of 58 BAE Systems Armored Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7A1s (AAV7A1s) ...

• Military UAS - small

  Light Tactical Support Intelligence Drone Systems (SDLRAT) (1-30) [France]

  Background Aftermath of SDT To fill the capability void left by the cancellation of the second section of the Tactical Drone System (SDT) programme, the French ...

• Military UAS - small

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 2) [US Army]

  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 intended to ...

• Military UAS - small

  ALTIUS (US)

  Programme Background Testing The US Army has tested the platform since March 2020. It was launched from a US Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that ...

• Military UAS - small

  Light Tactical Support Intelligence Drone Systems (SDLRAT) (31-140) [France]

  Background Aftermath of SDT To fill the capability void left by the cancellation of the second section of the Tactical Drone System (SDT) programme, the French ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Shipborne MALE UAV [Portugal]

  Background Shipborne UAV trials In August 2026, during the Iniciativa Mar Aberto 2026 mission, the Portuguese Navy conducted shipborne flight trials of uncrewed aircraft from the Gama-class frigate NRP Álvares ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• 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 ...

• 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

  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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 helicopters - multirole

  S-97 Raider

  The S-97 Raider helicopter is based on the five-year, company-funded X2 Technology Demonstrator project. Like the X2, the S-97 Raider will feature twin coaxial, counter-rotating ...

• Surface-to-air missiles, Surface-to-surface missiles

  RIM-174 Standard ERAM SM-6 Block I/IA

  The SM-6 (RIM-174 Standard ERAM) is a surface-to-air supersonic missile launched from cruisers and destroyers, capable of successfully engaging crewed and uncrewed, fixed- or rotary-wing ...

• Helicopter engines

  T901

  The Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) is the US Army's effort to build a 50% more powerful and 25% more fuel-efficient engine for its Black ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AVX JMR

  AVX Aircraft proposed a compound helicopter with coaxial rotors, small wings and dual ducted-fan propulsors for the US Army’s JMR-TD FVL programme. In April 2015, ...

• Helicopter engines

  T900

  The Improved Turbine Engine Program is the US Army's effort to build a 50% more powerful and 25% more fuel-efficient engine for its Black Hawk ...

• EO/IR systems

  Pan-Tilt-Zoom Camera with Laser Rangefinder

  Pan-Tilt-Zoom Camera with Laser Rangefinder is a surveillance system with a laser rangefinder. Performance includes 1/3in charge-coupled device colour sensor, NTSC or PAL format. Resolution ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  Super Komar

  The Super Komar is an upgraded version of the Komar, featuring digital signal processing. Air-to-air modes include boresight, head-up display search, look-up/down, range-while-search, track-while-scan (TWS) and vertical manoeuvre. ...

• Military - UUVs

  Roving Bat

  The Roving Bat is a multipurpose, hybrid ROV and crawler built by Exail. It is designed for close inspection and cleaning operations of immersed vertical structures ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  Sylver A-50

  The SYstème de Lancement VERtical (Sylver) A-50 is a vertical launching system (VLS) developed by DCNS (now Naval Group) to deploy medium- to long-range surface-to-air ...

• Long Range Missile Defence Systems: > 90km range

  Sylver A-70

  The SYstème de Lancement VERtical (Sylver) A-70 is a vertical launching system (VLS) developed by DCNS (now Naval Group) to deploy medium- to long-range surface-to-air ...