• Defence Notes

  Putin’s war in Ukraine has far-reaching implications for Asian militaries

  3rd March 2022

  There is potential for future Asian imports of Russian equipment to be hammered hard, and for increasing difficulties in maintaining current equipment, after Putin's ill-advised invasion of Ukraine.

• Defence Helicopter

  UK orders more Airbus helicopters

  2nd February 2022

  Five extra H135s are being supplied by Airbus to the UK MoD.

• Air Warfare

  Singapore Airshow 2022: H225M to boost Singapore SAR missions

  14th February 2022

  The H225M will progressively take over roles of the elderly Super Puma, one of these being crucial search and rescue missions.

• Defence Helicopter

  Military helicopter operators urge common HUMS standards

  23rd February 2022

  Delegates at a helicopter conference in London heard calls for common standards to be introduced for health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS) on rotary-wing platforms.

• Land Warfare

  Göker design emphasises versatility

  19th February 2022

  Göker performs multiple functions with a different CONOPS from previous Turkish 35mm guns.

• Defence Notes

  UK MoD Equipment Plan is affordable, but watchdog warns of risks

  22nd February 2022

  The National Audit Office has warned that the MoD’s 10-year Equipment Plan could be ‘over-optimistic’.

• Air Warfare

  Air Warfare magazine: Sixth-generation fighters; MALE UAVs and more

  8th February 2022

  Read the latest edition of Air Warfare for free in our app or on your desktop.

• Defence Helicopter

  Australian Army Aviation battles organisational and technological challenges

  25th February 2022

  Current workforce models are not aligned with the contemporary operating environment, according to the head of Australian Army Aviation.

• Defence Notes

  Global defense industry to tap into Middle East market at Saudi Arabia’s World Defense Show (Sponsored)

  23rd February 2022

  Taking place from 6-9 March 2022 in Riyadh, World Defense Show, the global stage for interoperability, will bring together the global industry for four action-packed days of exhibits, live demonstrations, conferences, and seminars.

• Air Warfare

  Singapore Airshow 2022: Military air programmes in Asia-Pacific - opportunities and threats

  16th February 2022

  In a special report, Shephard Defence Insight investigates the market landscape for fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and UAVs in the Asia-Pacific region.

• Military Logistics

  Singapore Airshow 2022: Boeing to apply data-driven logistics in South Korea

  15th February 2022

  A performance-based logistics approach should ensure operational readiness and reduce operator costs for the South Korean F-15K, CH-47D and B-737 AEW&C fleets, says Boeing.

• Defence Helicopter

  Liebherr to heat Indian helicopters

  28th January 2022

  The Light Utility Helicopter being built in India by HAL will include heating and ventilation from French company Liebherr.

• Defence Helicopter

  One down, 16 to go as Spain receives first remanufactured Chinook

  2nd February 2022

  Spain is part of a European trend to modernise CH-47 Chinooks.

• Defence Notes

  Singapore Airshow 2022: Airbus highlights A400M mercy relief track record

  18th February 2022

  A400M missions over recent months included COVID-19 and HADR responses, and the evacuation effort from Afghanistan.

• Defence Helicopter

  Collins Aerospace demonstrates Air Launched Effects capabilities

  1st February 2022

  Collins Aerospace has made new progress when demonstrating Air Launched Effects (ALE) capabilities under the US Army's Future Vertical Lift (FVL) effort.

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 ...

• 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-72 Follow-On [USA]

  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, ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Multirole Helicopters [Poland]

  Programme Background In 2020, Poland announced the launch of the Perkoz programme to acquire 32 support helicopters to replace its fleet of Mi-2 aircraft stationed ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  New Exploration and Escort Helicopter (NEES) (Phase II) [Italy]

  Programme Background Phase I In 2017, the Italian government signed a contract with Leonardo to replace its fleet of AW129 Mangusta attack helicopters with the ...

• 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 ...

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 500

  US-based MD Helicopters' 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 ...

• 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 helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G

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

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MD-1366 EBEM

  The US government selected the MD-1366 Enhanced Bandwidth Efficient Modem (EBEM) from ViaSat to set the DoD standard for high-speed, high-performance,flexibility and compatibility in a ...

• EO/IR systems

  Wescam MX-10

  The Wescam MX-10 EO/IR low-weight imaging system is designed for low-altitude tactical surveillance and reconnaissance missions from crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The MX-10 has had a close ...

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT)

  The Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT) is an in-development UAV from Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) based on an MD 500 twin-seat American commercial helicopter airframe. With the ...