• Defence Helicopter

  Optionally piloted Black Hawk begins flight tests

  7th June 2019

  Sikorsky has begun flight testing a UH-60 Black Hawk equipped with a new retrofit kit designed to turn the helicopter into an optionally piloted vehicle …

• Defence Helicopter

  Paris Air Show: Boeing foreshadows V-22 line closure

  10th June 2019

  It is ‘final call’ at the last chance saloon for any new or existing customers considering buying or purchasing more V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, according …

• Military Logistics

  Modern avionics for USAF C-130Hs

  11th June 2019

  L3 Technologies announced on 6 June that it has been awarded a contract valued at $499 million for the USAF C-10H Avionics Modernisation Program Increment …

• Military Logistics

  DND completes dry dock work on USNS Choctaw County

  4th June 2019

  Duqm Naval Dockyard (DND) has completed repair, overhaul and dry docking work on the US Military Sealift Command’s USNS Choctaw County. DND is a joint …

• Digital Battlespace

  Viasat delivering Link 16-capable LEO to USAF

  4th June 2019

  Viasat announced that it will develop a new Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite to for the US armed forces as part of a new military …

• Defence Helicopter

  Insight: ITEP thaw heats US Army engines

  4th June 2019

  Complications and delays to the US Army’s Improved Turbine Engine Programme (ITEP) are over for the time being; rare relief for a service that was, …

• Land Warfare

  Japan fires howitzers in Australia

  5th June 2019

  The Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) has fired two FH-70 howitzers at the Australian Defence Force’s Shoalwater Bay Training Area during Exercise Southern Jackaroo.Southern …

• Defence Helicopter

  Paris Air Show: Collins tool up for open architecture effort

  10th June 2019

  Collins Aerospace is developing software-based toolkits that allow third party applications to be rapidly integrated into open architecture environments, Shephard has learnt. The toolkits are capable …

• Military Logistics

  NZ replaces Hercules with....

  11th June 2019

  The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) has selected Lockheed Martin’s C-130J-30 Super Hercules as the preferred option to replace its incumbent fleet of C-130H tactical …

• Defence Notes

  Shangri-La Dialogue: Vagueness from US disappoints many

  1st June 2019

  The highlight of any Shangri-La Dialogue is Sino-US rivalry. However, China is probably rubbing its hands in glee after 1.5 days of the dialogue have …

• Defence Helicopter

  Karem set to embark on new JMR-TD test phase

  6th June 2019

  Manufacturer Karem Aircraft is preparing to carry out ‘record tests’ later this year to verify a host of development-based items associated with the US Army’s …

• Defence Notes

  Raytheon and United Technologies announce merger

  10th June 2019

  Raytheon and United Technologies announced on 9 June that they will merge, creating a behemoth American aeronautics and defence company.  The new company, Raytheon Technologies …

• Military Logistics

  KBR to continue USMC logistics support

  7th June 2019

  KBR will support the US Marine Corps (USMC) worldwide under a $530 million contract announced on 5 June. The IDIQ contract covers worldwide maintenance and …

• Defence Notes

  US-UAE defence agreement comes into force

  30th May 2019

  The US and the United Arab Emirates announced on 29 May that a mutual defence cooperation agreement had come into force, amid increasing tensions between …

• Naval Warfare

  Ukraine to create new maritime security structure

  5th June 2019

  The Ukrainian State Border Guard Service will create a new structure by 2022 to assist in Ukraine’s maritime security operations, according to recent statements from …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F Chinook [Saudi Arabia]

  Programme Background In addition to the aircraft, the request includes M134D mini-Guns, aircraft survivability equipment, infrared signature suppression system, fast rope insertion extraction system, extended ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow On

  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, ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV (US Army) (Batch 1) [USA]

  Background As of January 2021, the US DoD had signed 15 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Multirole Fighter [Morocco]

  Programme Background 2019 In March 2019, the US State Department announced that it had approved a possible FMS of 25 F-16V Block 72 aircraft to ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60M Black Hawk (Second Contract) [Croatia]

  Programme Background Western Technology With the help of the US, Croatia has attempted to improve its military technology, replacing Soviet equipment, such as the Mi-8/Mi-17. ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-64E Apache (Follow-On) [Morocco]

  Programme Background Morocco has placed a request with the US government for AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. On 20 November 2019, it was announced that the ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Switchblade 300 (USA)

  Programme Background AeroVironment has been providing the Switchblade 300 loitering munition to the US Army under the long-standing Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile Systems (LMAMS) programme ...

• Military UAS - mini

  RQ-11 Raven (US Army)

  Programme Background The AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven began to be deployed by the US Army in 2004 and was selected as its sole small UAS in ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV (USAF) (Batch 1) [USA]

  Baclground As of November 2020, the US DoD had signed 14 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches ...

• Maritime patrol

  P-8A Poseidon [UK]

  Programme Background In July 2016, the UK government announced that it had ordered nine aircraft for service with the RAF. Under this frame, in January ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60M Black Hawk Add-on [Lithuania]

  Programme Background On 6 June 2020, the US State Department announced that it had approved a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of six UH-60M Black Hawk ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV (USMC) (Batch 1) [USA]

  Background As of January 2021, the US DoD had signed 15 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches ...

• Main battle tanks

  Decisive Lethality Platform [USA]

  Background The DLP is one of five vehicle families being developed for the US Army's NGCV programme. Expanded to include five programmes in October 2018, ...

• Main battle tanks

  M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams [Morocco]

  Programme Background The Moroccan Armed Forces have received substantial investment in recent years as the country seeks to maintain parity with its regional rival, Algeria. ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8

  Eitan 8x8 [Israel]

  Programme Background Due to the provisions of the US Foreign Military Financing (FMF) system, there is a chance that the Eitan could be mass produced ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Maritime patrol

  US-2

  The ShinMaywa US-2 is an amphibious short take-off and landing aircraft used primarily by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) for SAR. 

• Data links

  GNOMAD US Domestic

  The US domestic version of GNOMAD (see separate entry) is a ruggedised system comprising a satellite antenna and baseband modular chassis that can be installed ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army AVCATT PDSS

  L3Harris Technologies is the prime contractor for the US Army’s Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT) Post Deployment Software Support (PDSS) programme. L3Harris Technologies is ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  US Army Flight School XXI OFT/RCTD

  L3Harris Technologies is a major subcontractor to CSC on the US Army’s Flight School XXI (FSXXI) programme. L3Harris Technologies has built or is under contract ...

• Towed mortars

  M120/M120A1

  The M120/M120A1 120 mm Towed Mortar System is a US-built version of the Soltam K6 mortar that was accepted into US Army service in 1990.

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  ScanEagle 3

  Insitu unveiled the ScanEagle 3 at the Xponential exhibition in Denver in May 2018. The platform has twice the payload capacity of its ScanEagle predecessor ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  RG33

  BAE Systems RG33 is a family of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles available in both 4x4 and 6x6. The medium-weight class of BAE Systems MRAP ...

• Military - USVs

  Voyager

  Voyager is an Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) built by US-based Saildrone. Voyager has been used by the US Navy (USN) and is one of three ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-119 (TH-73A Thrasher )

  The US Navy announced on 13 January 2020 that Leonardo had been awarded a US$176.5 million contract for the production of 32 TH-119 helicopters in ...

• Frigates

  Oliver Hazard Perry Class

  The Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigates (FFG) were initially designed for the US Navy in the mid-1970s as cost-efficient surface combatants. The robust design has ...

• Self-propelled guns

  SIGMA

  The SIGMA is the latest self-propelled howitzer (SPH) developed by Elbit America and Oshkosh Defense. Produced entirely in the US, the SIGMA is intended to ...

• Land: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  AN/PLT-5 Thor-II

  Sierra Nevada Corporations’s (SNC's) AN/PLT-5 Thor-II Counter Improvised Explosive Device (CIED) system is designed to equip CIED teams and is used throughout the US armed ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - MLDS, Air: Defensive Systems - Laser Warning Receivers

  LIMWS

  BAE Systems is leading the US Army’s Limited Interim Missile Warning System (LIMWS) initiative. This is intended to enhance the missile protection provided to US ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  OH-58 Kiowa

  The single-engine OH-58 Kiowa, derived from the Bell 206, entered US Army service in 1969 as a light observation helicopter. More than 2,200 were built for ...

• Trailers

  M900 Series

  Heil’s M900-series tactical refuellers are designed and built to meet US military performance standards. The M967A2 ground equipment refueller and the M969A3 aircraft refueller are ...