• Defence Helicopter

  New Lynx helicopters boost air support in Afghanistan

  25th May 2010

  Upgraded Army Lynx Mk9A helicopters have arrived for use in Afghanistan after being shipped from the UK, and are already being put to good use. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  RAF's Reaper logs 10,000 hours over Afghanistan

  21st May 2010

  The RAF's Reaper programme has achieved the milestone of providing more than 10,000 hours of armed overwatch in support of UK and coalition forces in …

• Digital Battlespace

  Bye bye Nimrod MR2

  31st March 2010

  The Royal Air Force's (RAF's) fleet of Nimrod MR2 maritime patrol aircraft have carried out their last operational flights today. The sorties marked the end …

• Defence Notes

  Nimrod MRA4 declared 'ready to train'

  15th March 2010

  The Nimrod MRA4 has made significant steps forward with the UK Ministry of Defence formally accepting the aircraft and declaring it ‘ready to train'. This …

• Digital Battlespace

  RAF will lead future ISTAR efforts

  16th February 2010

  The head of the Royal Air Force (RAF) says the air arm should play a leading role in future ISTAR gathering efforts and cyber warfare. Speaking …

• Defence Helicopter

  Joint Helicopter Command supports Afghan deployment exercise

  9th February 2010

  Nearly 20 helicopters from the UK's Joint Helicopter Command have been involved in their first major exercise of 2010. The helicopters from the RAF, Fleet …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UK officer joins Predator squadron through exchange programme

  9th February 2010

  The first remotely piloted aircraft exchange officer stationed at the 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada is not bothered by …

• Defence Helicopter

  Chinooks prepare to head for Norway

  20th January 2010

  In February and March some of RAF Odiham personnel are deploying to Norway on Exercise Clockwork for a month. The recent heavy snowfall at RAF …

• Defence Helicopter

  Mk3 Chinook joins the ranks, finally

  13th January 2010

  The RAF could deploy its new Mk3 Chinooks to the Afghan theatre as early as this summer, it was revealed today. Secretary of State for …

• Defence Helicopter

  What's next for the UK's military helicopter fleets?

  13th January 2010

  While the introduction of the Chinook was making headlines at RAF Odiham there was further discussion about the government's new Future Helicopter Strategy first announced …

• Military Logistics

  Fighting Talk

  12th January 2010

  EADS’ CEO, defence industry veteran Louis Gallois, was in fighting mood concerning the A400M programme contract at the New Year’s press conference. ‘I cannot accept …

• Defence Helicopter

  RAF saves lives from the winter skies

  11th January 2010

  The Royal Air Force has been helping to save lives from the skies over Suffolk, as local Police called upon the Search and Rescue team …

• Defence Helicopter

  Busy week for RAF and Navy Search and Rescue teams

  8th January 2010

  Royal Navy and RAF Search and Rescue crews have had a busy start to 2010 with their Sea King helicopter crews responding to various call-outs …

• Defence Helicopter

  2,000th Makila engine of Turbomeca flying round the world

  8th January 2010

  Turbomeca has delivered its 2,000th Makila engine to Eurocopter. The 2A1 variant was installed in an EC225 and has just entered into service. In nearly …

• Defence Helicopter

  QinetiQ brings Combined Aerial Target Service for Mirach online

  22nd December 2009

  QinetiQ has officially brought into service the Mirach advanced sub-sonic aerial target, as part of the Combined Aerial Target Service (CATS) contract for the UK's …

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 ...