• Digital Battlespace

  RAF receives first Rivet Joint aircraft

  12th November 2013

  The first of three Rivet Joint SIGINT aircraft has been delivered to RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, ahead of its entry into service next year. The UK’s …

• Defence Helicopter

  Chemring announces RAF decoy order

  23rd October 2013

  Chemring subsidiary, Alloy Surfaces Company (ASC), will manufacture BOL IR L5A2 infrared decoy devices for Royal Air Force aircraft under a $10.8 million order announced …

• Digital Battlespace

  RAF considers Tornado simulator extension

  7th October 2013

  As the RAF’s GR-4 Tornado simulator celebrates ten years in service, military and industry are considering ways to extend the life of the system to …

• Defence Helicopter

  Merlin celebrates ten years in service

  30th September 2013

  The Royal Air Force (RAF) has celebrated ten years of continuous Merlin operations at a ceremony at RAF Benson on 27 September.  Speaking to journalists …

• Defence Helicopter

  Turbomeca signs UK RTM 322 engine service contract

  24th September 2013

  The RTM 322 engines powering Merlin and Apache helicopters in the UK military’s fleet are to be supported by Turbomeca under a new arrangement announced …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  High five for Phantom Eye

  20th September 2013

  Boeing Phantom Works has conducted the fifth flight test of its Phantom Eye HALE demonstrator, which saw the UAV reach an altitude of 28,000ft. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Government body calls for Reaper transparency

  16th September 2013

  A UK government official representing the ‘All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Drones’ has challenged the Ministry of Defence’s use of armed UAVs, calling for …

• Defence Helicopter

  DSEI 2013: UK Chinook upgrade brings export potential

  13th September 2013

  Thales is pitching its avionics upgrade developed for the UK under Project Julius to existing CH-47 Chinook users around the world. At the DSEI exhibition …

• Defence Notes

  DSEI 2013: F-35 programme supports UK supply chain

  13th September 2013

  The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme has had a significant impact on the UK defence industry benefitting companies across the supply chain, sustaining high …

• Defence Helicopter

  DSEI 2013: Minister reveals new contracts

  12th September 2013

  Three new contracts for military vehicles, helicopter support and the creation of a new armour facility were announced by the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support …

• Defence Helicopter

  DSEI 2013: Air chief looks to increased synthetic training

  11th September 2013

  For the RAF to retain the current level of capability in the face of lower budgeted flying hours, it will need to increase its reliance …

• Military Logistics

  DSEI 2013: BAE offers air-to-air refuelling variant of BAe 146/Avro RJ

  11th September 2013

  BAE Systems has unveiled its proposition for an air-to-air refuelling variant of the BAe 146/Avro RJ aircraft, which it argues offers an affordable solution in …

• Military Logistics

  DSEI 2013: New Zip replacement cooking fuel unveiled

  10th September 2013

  Zip unveiled its new powerful, lightweight, non-toxic Military Cooking Fuel in the UK for the first time at the DSEI exhibition as a replacement fuel …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DSEI 2013: Assistant air chief hits out against Reaper opponents

  10th September 2013

  In a somewhat defiant act against domestic critics of the RAF’s MQ-9 Reaper operations, the assistant chief of the air staff (ACAS) has played down …

• Defence Notes

  Typhoon deployment postponed

  27th August 2013

  The RAF has postponed the deployment of ten Typhoon fighter aircraft and supporting elements to its airbase at Akrotiri on Cyprus because of the tensions in the …

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 ...