• Defence Helicopter

  Northrop Grumman enhances USN Hueys

  9th March 2022

  The USN has contracted Northrop Grumman to improve the avionics of its AH-1Z and UH-1Y fleets in order to keep the platform flying.

• Defence Helicopter

  Disarray engulfs Russian light/medium transport aircraft plans

  22nd February 2022

  Russian plans to field new light military transport aircraft are already in disarray after the crash of the prototype Il-112V in August 2021, and now even a stopgap measure to use Mi-26 helicopters may be stymied by Moscow’s aggression towards Ukraine.

• Naval Warfare

  DSA 2022: Indonesian shipyards keep up tempo of naval construction

  27th March 2022

  Wherever possible, Indonesia is using local shipbuilders to build vessels for its disparate naval requirements.

• Land Warfare

  Indian close-in weapon system contenders gather momentum

  16th March 2022

  For a number of years, India has been seeking close-in air defence systems to protect its airbases.

• Defence Notes

  Airbus C295 Clean Sky 2 demonstrator takes flight

  27th January 2022

  A newly designed C295 testbed has made its maiden flight.

• Defence Helicopter

  Singapore brings home additional batches of helicopters

  14th January 2022

  Singapore has received new batches of helicopters from France and the US.

• Naval Warfare

  South American shipyards maintain their tempo

  9th March 2022

  Shipyards in Argentina, Brazil and Chile are constructing vessels for their respective fleets, including ships for polar operations.

• Training

  Ivorian air force buys simulator

  20th January 2022

  The Côte d'Ivoire Air Force has taken steps to train pilots and aircrew domestically.

• Defence Helicopter

  Leonardo boosted by 2021 aircraft order increase, notes ‘limited exposure’ to Russia

  11th March 2022

  Leonardo's industrial recovery looks to be in good health, following production complications linked to COVID-19 issues.

• Defence Notes

  Europe scraps plan to supply Ukraine with additional fighter jets

  2nd March 2022

  Contrary to earlier reports, Ukraine will not be receiving additional fighter jets as it looks to stop a Russian invasion that shows no signs of relenting.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Signatures clear the way for Eurodrone production

  8th February 2022

  A development and manufacturing deal is imminent between OCCAR and Airbus for Eurodrone ISTAR UASs.

• Air Warfare

  Sikorsky gains King Stallion FMS contract modification for Israel

  16th February 2022

  Sikorsky will build for LRIP Lot 6 CH-53Ks for Israel under an FMS contract modification.

• Land Warfare

  Russian armour failures imply enduring value of shoulder-fired missiles

  21st March 2022

  Shoulder-fired anti-tank and air defence weapons are proving their worth for Ukraine in its ongoing resistance against Russia – and these systems will remain in the spotlight whether through replenishing depleted stocks, finding new customers or increasing the capabilities of existing users.

• Digital Battlespace

  Large French aircraft to receive secure satellite connectivity

  8th February 2022

  New contract will see Thales install secure SATCOM aboard aircraft such as the A330 MRTT and A400M.

• Air Warfare

  Australia seeks to escape self-inflicted helicopter morass (Opinion)

  19th January 2022

  How is it that Australia repeatedly gets itself into hot water with the operation of helicopter fleets?

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• 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, ...

• 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

  H145M [Ireland]

  Programme Background On 30 December 2024 Ireland announced a contract with Airbus for four new H145M helicopters to replace the Air Corps existing fleet of ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

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

  Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single engine 407GXi. ...

• 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 - 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 - light/training

  SW4 Puszczyk Replacement [Poland]

  Programme Background  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 - transport/heavy lift

  NH-90 [Spain]

  Programme Background Along with a range of other air programmes, the Spanish Government announced the nation has set aside 1 billion euros (USD$1.162 billion) to ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Future Aircrew Training Program (Helicopter Procurement) - Canada

  Programme Background The FAcT requires to graduate 120 pilots, 40 combat systems officers and 36 airborne electronic sensor operators per year with 15% fluctuation. Training services ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Bell 412EPI-Indonesia

  Programme Background PTDI is assembling Bell helicopters in its factory in Bandung.  The first Bell 412EPI was delivered to Indonesian Army on 29 December 2020 ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Spain HT-29 Caiman (NH90 TTH) - Army First Batch

  HT-29 Caiman GSPAs (NH90 TTH) will be assembled at Airbus Helicopters’ facility in Albacete and will replace AS332 Super Puma fleet in service. Even though ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  AW101 [Poland]

  According to the media reports, Airbus couldn't provide a competitive offer for the programme due to the offset requirements.  The deliveries were to be completed ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-X [Japan]

  There is no mention of the AH-X in the 2019-2023 Medium Term Defence Plan, so it is possible that the requirement has quietly been postponed. ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M [Spain]

  Programme Background  In May 2025, Spain announced the National Helicopter Plan as part of the country's wider effort to rearm in response to American pressure. ...

• Military helicopters - light/training, Military helicopters - multirole

  H135M [Spain]

  Programme Background Spain announced the National Helicopter Plan in May 2025 culminating in five contracts awarded to Airbus on 18 December 2025, including procurement programmes ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - light/training

  H145

  The light, twin-engine EC145 began as an initiative to increase the cabin size of the BK 117 C1 aircraft, involving Kawasaki of Japan and Airbus ...

• Model 301 Fire Attack

  The Model 301 is a belly tank/refill hose system for Airbus Helicopters AS365-series helicopters.

• Military helicopters - light/training, Military helicopters - multirole

  H135M

  The H135M (formerly known as the EC635 and also designated as H135) is a light utility variant of the EC135 twin-engine, multipurpose 3t helicopter. In ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M

  The H145M (formerly known as the EC645 T2) is the military version of the H145 medium-sized (3.7t) helicopter (covered in a separate entry). It is ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M

  The medium-weight, 11t-class H225M (formerly known as the EC725) is the latest military Super Puma/Cougar family member.  Technical features include a modular design of mechanical ...

• Model 316 Fire Attack

  The Model 316 is a belly tank/refill hose system for Airbus Helicopters H225 and AS332 L-series helicopters.

• AC67 Airbus Helicopters H135 interior

  Bucher has developed the AC67 medical interior for the Airbus Helicopters H135 in cooperation with ADAC Luftrettung.The lightweight, modular design features a floor with integrated ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H215M

  The H215M (formerly the AS532 ALe) is the most recent addition to the Cougar family.  It is a medium-weight (9t-class), twin-engine helicopter, combining the AS532's ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Helionix

  The Helionix digital avionics suite was developed from the need for a more powerful avionics system with greater functions and computing capacity, alongside a user-friendly interface. ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2+/2D

  Unveiled in 2011, the Arriel 2+ is an upgrade of the Arriel 2 and is intended for single- and twin-engine helicopters. It incorporates a new ...

• Helicopter engines

  LTS101

  The LTS101 was first certified in 1975. Since then, over 2,100 engines have been delivered to customers worldwide, logging over 11 million service hours. The ...

• EO/IR systems

  Viviane

  Viviane is an out-of-production gyro-stabilised night and adverse weather observation system with missile sight.  Manufactured by Safran, it was fitted to French Army Gazelles. It contained a ...

• Air: mission management systems

  APM 2000

  The current generation of autopilots is the APM 2000 family, fitted on major worldwide platforms. The APM 2000 is based on an integrated digital computer. ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H175M

  The Airbus H175M is the military variant of the H175 and works to fill a gap in the H175 helicopter family, as well as offer ...

• H160

  Airbus Helicopters unveiled a full-scale model of the H160 medium twin rotorcraft on 3 March 2015 at Heli-Expo. The utility helicopter, the first to be ...