• Naval Warfare

  Blue Shark torpedo is about to gain sharper teeth

  19th April 2022

  South Korea is developing an improved variant of its Blue Shark torpedo, plus it will still order CIWS from the US until a new domestic weapon is available later this decade.

• Defence Notes

  India scraps numerous approved overseas defence buys

  6th April 2022

  India wants to reduce reliance on overseas-sourced equipment. It is a noble quest, but there are questions over its viability.

• Defence Helicopter

  Nigeria receives green light for AH-1Z attack helicopter deal

  19th April 2022

  Nigeria has been approved by the US to buy AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters.

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing and Airbus join hands on Chinook for revived German heavy-lift requirement

  25th March 2022

  An MoU between Boeing and Airbus Helicopters would see the latter company support the former’s offer of the CH-47 Chinook to replace CH-53G heavy-lift helicopters …

• Land Warfare

  Russian light armour faces post-mortem after Ukraine debacle

  31st March 2022

  Russian light armoured vehicles have suffered heavy casualties in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, but what are the reasons?

• Air Warfare

  India looks elsewhere for spares for Russian-built helicopters

  25th March 2022

  Russia's invasion of Ukraine is having knock-on effects on the upkeep of India's Russian-manufactured helicopter fleet.

• Defence Notes

  New US sanctions hit 48 Russian defence companies

  28th March 2022

  A new package of sanctions imposed by the US affects Russian manufacturers of unmanned and communication systems, missiles, ammunition, helicopters, aircraft and imaging equipment.

• Defence Helicopter

  King Stallion moves nearer to IOC

  6th April 2022

  A decision on starting full-rate production of the CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter is scheduled for 2023 with a first deployment to follow in 2024.

• Defence Notes

  Ukraine invasion has potential ramifications for Latin American procurement

  23rd March 2022

  Central and South American militaries may have to reconsider their procurement habits in view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell offers Vigilant tiltrotor UAV for FVL maritime strike requirement

  7th April 2022

  At the Navy League meeting on 4-6 April, Bell displayed a model of a specially adapted V-247 crewless tiltrotor for the USN’s Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike requirement.

• Defence Notes

  US approves new $800 million arms transfer package to Ukraine

  14th April 2022

  Switchblade loitering munitions, Mi-17 helicopters and additional Javelin missiles are among a host of weapons and equipment to be provided by the US to Ukraine in a new military aid package.

• Digital Battlespace

  Saab unveils DeployNet 5G network

  21st February 2022

  UAE-developed DeployNet enables high-capacity bandwidth in geographically remote areas.

• Defence Helicopter

  Rheinmetall expands German CH-53G maintenance to two more bases

  23rd March 2022

  After a competitive tender, Rheinmetall Aviation Services won a contract to provide maintenance for 66 CH-53G helicopters operated by the German Air Force at bases in Laupheim and Holzdorf-Schönewalde.

• Defence Helicopter

  Poland holds off on buying new attack helicopters pending state security assessment

  30th March 2022

  Launch of a public procurement to acquire new attack helicopters could be on the way for Poland.

• Defence Helicopter

  Algeria content with Night Hunters but has JV option for helicopter production

  22nd March 2022

  Since 2012, there has been speculation regarding Algeria’s order of 42 Russian-made Mi-28NE attack helicopters and the timeline for the deliveries. How many has it received, and will recently imposed Western sanctions on Russian arms imports affect Algerian helicopter procurement planning?

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F -Kenya

  Crew transition training took place at the MD Helicopters headquarters in Mesa, Arizona, with field service support, armament, and gunnery training scheduled to occur at ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  MD 530G - Malaysia

  Procured for an urgent operational requirement for gunships to support Eastern Sabah Security Command operations, helicopter deliveries had to slip from a planned delivery of ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G Lebanon

  The Armed MD 530G Scout Attack Helicopter features next-generation all-glass cockpit that includes: two Genesys Aerosystems IDU-680 6” x 9” LCD primary displays, Tek Fusion ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Uncrewed MD 500 Replacement [South Korea]

  Background Uncrewed Replacement of the MD 500 Throughout the 2010s, South Korea appeared interested in replacing its fleet of crewed MD 500 helicopters that were manufactured under licence ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Project Land 2097 Phase 4 [Australia]

  Programme Background According to the RfI, under Project Land 2097 Phase 4, the selected helicopter must comprise a commercial or military off-the-shelf solution that is ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) First Batch (South Korea)

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Army)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Navy)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (Second Batch) [South Korea]

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton - Germany (Cancelled)

  Programme Background Germany requested to buy four MQ-4C Triton HALE UAVs from Northrop Grumman. On 5 April 2018, the US State Department announced that it ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8, Tanks

  Tracked & Wheeled Light Tank (Philippines)

  Programme Background The decision to split the programme into a wheeled and a tracked element follows the belief of the Philippine Army that this will ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M - France

  Programme Background In April 2021, the French government signed a deal for the purchase of eight H225M Airbus helicopters to replace its ageing fleet of SA330 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-60A [Portugal]

  Programme Background At the end of February 2025, the Portuguese Minister of National Defence said that as part of the Portuguese Army's Support, Protection & ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145 Helicopter [Honduras]

  Programme Background  The Honduran Government has purchased a total of four H145 Helicopters manufactured by Airbus to develop the armed forces preparedness against natural disasters ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M (Contracted) [Germany]

  Programme Background Previous Usage The German Armed Forces ordered 15 H145M helicopters, with the initial two delivered in December 2015, for the Kommando Spezialkräfte. These ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F Cayuse Warrior

  An evolution of the OH-6 Cayuse light observation helicopter, the MD 530F was initially Federal Aviation Administration-certified in July 1985 as the Model 369FF. It ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  MDHI Glass Cockpit

  The American aerospace manufacturer MD Helicopters Inc. (MDHI) has designed and developed a glass cockpit specifically for MD 500E AND MD 520N aircraft. It is ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G

  The MD 530G is the newest addition to the MD Helicopters line of light scout attack platforms. It has increased-capacity landing gear and a mission-configurable ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  IDU-680

  The IDU-680 is Genesys Aerosystems’ 3D synthetic vision integrated Electronic Flight Instrument System. The system includes a Highway in the Sky navigation system, geo-referenced hover ...

• Helicopter guns

  FN HMP

  The FN HMP (Heavy Machine Gun Pod) is a self-contained airborne weapon system armed with a 50cal FN M3P heavy machine gun. It is available ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  KUS-VH

  The Korean Air Korean Air Unmanned System-Vertical Helicopter (KUS-VH) is a large, rotary-wing UAV based on the MD 500. The first flight of the platform ...

• Helicopter Armour

  Armor of America (AoA) produces custom armour kits for any rotary-wing aircraft. AoA helicopter armour protects areas such as the cockpit floor and doors, cabin ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  6XX

  Publicly unveiled at Heli-Expo in March 2017, the MD Helicopters 6XX is the next evolution in the MD 500 series and is a redesigned, single-engine ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C30

  The M250-C30 and -C30P are the exclusive powerplants for the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger and the MD Helicopters MD 530F and MD 530G. In addition, the AH-6i is ...

• HEMS Completions

  RSG has been providing modification, retrofit, completion services and component overhaul to the air medical industry for over 38 years on aircraft produced by Airbus ...

• HS-16600

  Breeze-Eastern's HS-16600 external electric hoist system is operational on the Leonardo Helicopters AW109 and AW119, Bell Helicopter 206 and 222, and MD 500. It is ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 500

  The MD 500 is a single-engine light helicopter derived from the Hughes OH-6A Cayuse developed for the US Army in the early 1960s and the ...

• EO/IR systems

  LEO-III

  The LEO-III, or LEO-III HD, was an airborne observation system with HD sensors and video outputs. It was a COTS, gyro-stabilised platform containing a multi-sensor HD ...

• Airborne rockets - unguided

  Aculeus MD-36 and MD-432

  The Aculeus MD-36 unguided multi-dart rocket provides 36 darts for the neutralisation of columns of light armoured vehicles. The Aculeus MD-432 provides 432 darts to ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C47E

  The C47E is the latest growth variant of the C47B/8 engine. In addition to a hot-and-high Value Improvement Package Kit, the C47E also includes dual-channel ...