• Defence Helicopter

  CHF probes refuelling concept

  8th February 2018

  Lt Col Will Penkman, commanding officer of 846 Naval Air Squadron, said that the Royal Navy’s Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) would like to have an …

• Defence Helicopter

  Leonardo files another lawsuit to halt US Army Lakota buy

  31st January 2018

  Airbus Helicopters is warning the Pentagon that its acquisition process is under attack by Italian defence company Leonardo.  The warning came after Leonardo filed another lawsuit …

• Military Logistics

  Singapore Airshow 2018: Dornier outfits 228 with medevac stretchers

  6th February 2018

  RUAG Aviation is outfitting its Dornier 228 with GVH Aerospace AeroStretcher Mk IV medevac stretchers, according to a press release at the sixth Singapore Airshow, being …

• Defence Notes

  Leonardo outlook sends shares into tailspin

  30th January 2018

  Shares in Italy's Leonardo, one of world's top ten defence companies, went into free fall on 30 January after the company presented a recovery plan …

• Defence Helicopter

  Islamabad to modernise its army's fleet

  9th February 2018

  The Pakistan Army is soon to induct a small number of Russian Helicopters Mi-35Ms in the assault role and is in the process  of modernising …

• Naval Warfare

  Bahrain receives upgraded Al Manama ship

  25th January 2018

  Leonardo has delivered the first of six upgraded Al Manama naval vessels to the Royal Bahrain Naval Force, the company announced on 23 January. The …

• Defence Helicopter

  Panama commissions new AW139s

  22nd January 2018

  The president of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela, formally handed over to the country’s National Air Naval Service (SENAN) two new Leonardo Helicopters AW139Ms at the …

• Naval Warfare

  Leonardo to lead OCEAN2020 project

  17th January 2018

  Leonardo has been awarded the tender for the European Defence Fund’s OCEAN2020 initiative, the company announced on 12 January. The project aims to use unmanned …

• Naval Warfare

  Bulgarian patrol ship programme stalled

  26th January 2018

  The Bulgarian Navy tender for the procurement of two multi-functional patrol ships has stalled after the nominated winner MTG Delfin unilaterally decided to withdraw from …

• Defence Notes

  Norway's wealth fund excludes nine groups from portfolio

  16th January 2018

  Norway's $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, has excluded nine groups, including the UK's military equipment maker BAE Systems, from its portfolio based …

• Defence Helicopter

  US Army pushes forward with Lakota

  10th January 2018

  The US Army is progressing with plans to buy up to 35 new Airbus UH-72A Lakota aircraft for pilot training.  The move comes after legal …

• Defence Helicopter

  Indonesia receives five military helicopters

  17th January 2018

  Indonesia’s military received five helicopters – two Airbus Helicopters AS565 MBe Panthers and three armed H125M Fennecs – plus a CN-235-220 aircraft from PT Dirgantara …

• Defence Helicopter

  Latvia orders two Leonardo AW119Kx

  4th January 2018

  Leonardo has received a contract from the State Border Guard of Latvia for two AW119Kx helicopters, the company announced on 2 January. The contract also …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  European unmanned ambitions continue into 2018

  10th January 2018

  The European MALE RPAS project enters 2018 on schedule and on budget as industrial partners begin the development phase, Shephard understands. The three industry members, Airbus …

• Defence Helicopter

  Political turbulence affects the helicopter business

  11th January 2018

  A week is a long time in politics and this is especially true when you consider politics stopping play in the aerospace and defence industry …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) (TH-57 Replacement)

  Programme Background Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  AW119 Koala [Israel]

  Background Pre-contract timeline The initial request for information regarding a replacement system for the Israeli Bell 206 training platforms was released to industry in 2015, ...

• Light attack

  M-346 Procurement (1-24) [Nigeria]

  Programme Background On 9 December 2023, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Chief of Air Staff Marshal Amao said the country expects delivery of 54 new ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  New Medium Helicopter (NMH) [UK]

  Background NMH Market Interest Day On 11 November 2021, the MoD communicated the requirements of the £1 billion ($1.34 billion) New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programme ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AW139 [Greece]

  Programme Background Reportedly, during a December 2023 meeting of the Greek Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) proposed the purchase of 14 ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  SW4 Puszczyk Replacement [Poland]

  Background  Requirement In 2002, Poland order 47 SW4 training helicopters from Italian manufacturer Leonardo; as of Spring 2025, the Ministry of Defence is looking to ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  Maritime Operations Helicopters

  The three maritime operations helicopters will be used for logistics and personnel transport, alongside transportation of PASKAL naval special forces in operations in the area. ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  MH-139 (UH-1N Huey Replacement)

  Background  Competing bids In competition with the Boeing/Leonardo bid was Sikorsky with a HH-60U offer, and Sierra Nevada with an upgrading offer of UH-60As to ...

• Main battle tanks

  C1 Ariete Replacement [Italy]

  Background Following nearly 20 years of service within the Italian Army, the C1 Ariete MBT is due for an upgrade or replacement. Suffering from poor ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  Next Generation Trainer/Light Combat Aircraft [Austria]

  Background Requirements Austria is replacing the Saab 105 training fleet, which was retired from service in 2020. Austria's 2019 White paper calls for replacing it with a ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AW139M (1-7) [Algeria]

  Programme Background In 2016, Leonardo partnered with the Algerian National Defence Ministry to establish a second international production line for AW139 helicopters. By March 2025, ...

• Trainer

  Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS)/T-45 Replacement [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy’s (USN) Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) programme is intended to replace the troubled T-45 Goshhawk trainer. The June 2024 RFI includes ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  AW101 [Poland]

  Bids and suppliers Airbus Helicopters Though not involved in the final bid stage, Airbus Helicopters had originally put the H225M forward to meet the Polish ...

• Transport

  C-130J (Replacement) [Italy]

  Background C-130J history Italy originally procured 20 C-130J aircraft between 2002 and 2005. In March 2022, a US$402.8 million (€380 million) contract for technical support ...

• Light attack

  M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirement Brazil operates several A-1 (AMX) light attack aircraft, which were produced by Embraer in partnership with Leonardo in the 1980s. Similarly, the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Rotorsim

  Rotorsim, the joint venture equally owned by Leonardo and CAE, provides training solutions on Leonardo Helicopters platforms through high-fidelity simulator systems. Rotorsim currently operates in ...

• Naval guns

  Leonardo 76/62 Sovraponte

  The 76/62 Sovraponte (Overdeck) is a medium-calibre gun developed by Leonardo that weighs 30% less than the legacy OTO 76/62 Super Rapid and does not penetrate below decks. ...

• Directed energy weapons

  Italian LDEW (Leonardo/MBDA)

  As announced in December 2024, Leonardo and MBDA are collaborating to produce a Fire Unit Laser Directed Energy Weapon (LDEW) for the Italian Navy. The ...

• Major networking projects

  MARS Communications Suite

  Leonardo has been contracted by South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) to supply a suite of communications systems for the UK RN's ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Proteus

  Proteus is a technology demonstrator that Leonardo is developing in collaboration with the UK MoD's Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S;) Future Capabilities Group and the ...

• 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 ...

• Naval: shipboard communication systems

  IVCS

  The Integrated Voice Communications System (IVCS) is a shipboard communications system that combines naval telephones and intercom equipment into one system. It consists of terminals, ...

• Trainer

  M-346

  The M-346 is a Lead In Fighter Trainer (LIFT), developed by Alenia in partnership with Yakovlev as the Yak/AEM-130 before the partnership was disbanded. The first ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  Seaspray 7300E V2

  The Seaspray 7300E V2 radar is an airborne, maritime, multi-mode surveillance radar manufactured by Leonardo. It is designed for the detection of small maritime targets in ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AW169M

  The AW169M is the customised military version of the multirole AW169. The 4.5t-class helicopter is designed to perform a range of light utility and armed ...

• Land: battle management systems

  MFoCS

  Mounted Family of Computing Systems (MFoCS) is a modular family which is designed to integrate existing FBCB2, future JBC-P and WIN-T capability into a modular ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  AW139M

  As the military variant, the AW139M includes FLIR, self-protection equipment (including IR detection and countermeasures) and heavy-duty landing gear. The helicopter features a digital avionics ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Astore

  The Astore is a weaponised variant of Leonardo's Falco EVO drone. The drone's autonomous modes operate within the man-in-the-loop principle and can be fitted with ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  WAH-64 Apache

  The WAH-64/AH1 Apache is a variant of the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow, developed and built by Leonardo from 1996 to meet British Army requirements. One ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  AW119Kx

  The AW119Kx is a light, single-engine multirole helicopter. Launched in October 2012, it is available in civil and military variants, with the military version designated AW119M. ...