• Defence Helicopter

  Plans to consolidate JHC bases abandoned

  7th May 2009

  A Ministry of Defence study into the consolidatation of Joint Helicopter Command bases has been cancelled. The cancellation of the £2 million study, dubbed Project …

• Defence Helicopter

  Curtiss-Wright Controls Awarded Development Contract from Sikorsky for CH-53K Helicopter

  7th May 2009

  Curtiss-Wright Controls the motion controls segment of Curtiss-Wright Corporation, has been awarded a contract by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation to develop and supply the data concentrator …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Global Hawk Flying Mapping Missions South of Border

  7th May 2009

  The RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft is currently using its sensors for non-military environmental mapping missions over South, Central America and the Caribbean at the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Test Proves Raytheon KillerBee Unmanned Aircraft System Can Be Recovered At Sea

  7th May 2009

  Raytheon Company's KillerBee unmanned aircraft system demonstrated it can be recovered from a net on a moving platform, simulating an at-sea recovery. The KillerBee UAS …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Quad-A 2009 - Industry examines FCS robotic synergies

  6th May 2009

  New synergies between unmanned vehicle systems continue to emerge through informal industry examination and experimentation. One of the latest examples appeared this week at the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Fire Scout completes second test period onboard USS McInerney

  5th May 2009

  A Northrop Grumman Corporation-developed MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (VTUAV) successfully completed fully autonomous flight operations onboard the USS …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Rockwell Collins awarded new damage tolarance contract from DARPA

  5th May 2009

  Rockwell Collins has been awarded the third phase of a damage tolerance contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Under the contract, Rockwell …

• Defence Helicopter

  Quad-A 2009 - The Hidden Message: US Army Aviation Heading for Challenging, Leaner Times

  5th May 2009

  “US Army Aviation has now flown over 3 million combat hours,” declared MG James Barclay III, Aviation Branch chief and Ft. Rucker Commander during his …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Lockheed Martin successfully tests signals intelligence capability and improved wing design on Desert Hawk III

  5th May 2009

  Lockheed Martin has successfully completed flight testing of a new signals intelligence (SIGINT) payload and a next generation wing design that will provide enhanced capabilities …

• Defence Helicopter

  Quad-A 2009 - Industry Challenges DoD With Tempting ARH Alternatives Bringing Fleet Synergies

  4th May 2009

  Both EADS/Lockheed Martin and Boeing upped the stakes on the future of the US Army’s stated requirement for an Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter post Bell’s ARH-70A …

• Defence Helicopter

  EADS North America selects Lockheed Martin as Mission Equipment Package integrator for new Armed Scout Helicopter

  4th May 2009

  EADS North America announced today it has assembled a world-class industry team comprised of Lockheed Martin and American Eurocopter that will offer a new armed …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky unveils X2 Light Tactical Helicopter concept

  4th May 2009

  Sikorsky Aircraft has unveiled its X2 Light Tactical Helicopter (LTH) design at the Army Aviation Association of America annual convention. The new mockup reflects Sikorsky's …

• Defence Helicopter

  US Helicopters Train with Korean Flat Top

  4th May 2009

  Two MH-53E "Sea Dragon" helicopters from Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14, Detachment One (HM-14 Det 1) practiced operating with the Republic of Korea ship DOKDO …

• Defence Helicopter

  Australian Chinook buy to replace not augment existing army fleet

  2nd May 2009

  Australia's proposed $US560 million acquisition of seven new Boeing CH-47F helicopters will be as a replacement for existing CH-47D aircraft rather than augment that fleet …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  RAN embarked UAS plans shift to future frigate and OPV

  2nd May 2009

  The Royal Australian Navy will continue to explore potential acquisition of embarked maritime unmanned air systems but as part of a proposed new flotilla of …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - MALE

  Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The FVL-MS programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft utilised ...

• Tiltrotors

  V-22 Osprey [Japan]

  Programme Background Procurement Contracts The Japanese government is the first export customer of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, having ordered 17 helicopters from the US across ...

• Loitering munitions

  Launched Effects - Short Range (LE-SR) [US]

  Background Air-launched effect (ALE) In 2022, the US sought a family of systems comprising an air vehicle, payload, mission systems applications and support equipment to ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-8C Fire Scout (USA)

  Programme Background Timeline According to the Naval Air Systems Command, having first ordered the MQ-8B in 2009, the UAV has become a pillar of the ...

• Military UAS - small

  Heavy Lift Capability (UASHLC) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirement & Objective The RN identified a requirement to acquire an RPAS to transport cargo and supplies between ships and personnel. When mature, it ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Heavy Lift UAV [Germany]

  Background  Victor U250 agreement On 10 June 2026, at ILA Berlin, Rheinmetall, ERC Systems, and the North Rhine-Westphalia state formed a strategic partnership to lay ...

• Loitering munitions

  Launched Effects - Medium Range (LE-MR) [US]

  Background Air-launched effect (ALE) In 2022, the US sought a family of systems comprising an air vehicle, payload, mission systems applications and support equipment to ...

• Military UAS - small

  Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) (Increment 1) [USA]

  Programme Background Programme Objective The Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) was to provide a tactical ISTAR capability for US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs). It was ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Project Proteus [UK]

  Background Requirements The RN requires an uncrewed helicopter to test the viability of larger uncrewed aircraft, possibly providing an alternative to crewed aircraft such as the ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Heavy Lift VTOL (HVTOL) [US Army]

  Background USMC First, Army Second In September 2021, Kaman unveiled its Kargo UAV, specifically designed to meet the requirements of the Medium Aerial Resupply Vehicle – Expeditionary ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Heavy-lift Helicopter STH [Germany]

  Background Requirement The German government issued a tender in March 2019 for the procurement of heavy-lift helicopters under the Schwerer Transporthubschrauber (STH) program, 60 units are ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) (MV-75 Cheyenne II) [USA]

  Programme Background US Army's Future Vertical Lift Programme The FLRAA is one of three strands of a broader army programme. The others are the Future ...

• Military UAS - small

  Intra-Theatre Lift [UK]

  Background  Relationship to the Heavy Lift Challenge The Royal Navy (RN) embarked on the Heavy Lift Challenge, now called the Heavy Lift Capability (UASHLC), to explore cargo-carrying ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  CH-47F CHINOOK [USA]

  Programme Background As the Army's only heavy-lift helicopter, the CH-47F Improved Cargo helicopter is an essential component of the Army's Multi-Domain Battle framework. The CH-47F ...

• Transport

  Large Transport Aircraft-II (LTA-II) [South Korea]

  Programme Background Requirements The aircraft are needed for peacetime, international peacekeeping, emergency and combat operations. They are especially required to ensure a strategic lift capacity ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - MALE

  Korean Future Vertical Lift (KFVL)

  Unveiled at KADEX 2024, the Korean Future Vertical Lift (KFVL) is a family of uncrewed helicopters from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). Despite being in the ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Aerosonde Mk 4.8 HQ FTUAS

  From the Texton family of Aerosonde UAS, the Aerosonde Mk 4.8 Hybrid Quad (HQ) FTUAS is a tactical drone purpose-built to meet the US Army's Future Vertical Lift ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  HQ-60

  Similarly to other platforms in the L3 Technologies Hybrid Quadrotor (HQ) and Fixed-Wing Rotator family (see separate entries) of VTOL fixed-wing UAVs, the HQ-60 has ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  SB-1 Defiant

  The SB-1 Defiant is a Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) aircraft. Sikorsky and Boeing announced in February 2013 that they would submit a joint proposal ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  V-247 Vigilant

  The V-247 Vigilant is a tiltrotor UAV from Bell. Officially introduced in 2016, it features an open modular architecture and can host several payloads. These include ...

• Air: Displays

  F-15 Replacement Vertical Situation Display

  BAE Systems Replacement Vertical Situation Display (RVSD) replaces the legacy VSD units on F-15E aircraft. The AMLCD display offers a larger display size and is compatible ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  X-Sight

  Elbit X-Sight is a developmental helmet-mounted display system designed for helicopters. According to the manufacturer, it will offer a high field of view and colour binocular ...

• Military helicopters - multirole, Military UAS - tactical

  Hexa

  The Hexa, or LIFT Hexa, is a rotary-wing aircraft developed by LIFT Aircraft for military and commercial markets. Due to its configuration and triple redundant autopilot computer, ...

• Military UAS - small

  H6 Poseidon

  Manufactured by Swarmly, the H6 Poseidon is a fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV. The second largest member of the Poseidon family, the vertical lift is provided through ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  DrN-600

  The DrN-600 is a medium-lift cargo UAV developed by Singapore-based manufacturer ST Engineering. The platform combines vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) with wing-borne forward flight and ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Victor U250

  The Victor U250 is a heavy lift drone in development by ERC Systems. The UAV has been developed by ERC for critical mission applications including ...

• Light UGVs

  Avenger

  In January 2017, Med-Eng announced the launch of a new bomb disposal and tactical robot, called the Avenger, at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas. ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Veloce-15

  The ST Engineering Veloce-15 (V-15) is a hybrid fixed-wing UAV with four rotors for vertical lift and a tail-mounted two-bladed pusher propeller for horizontal propulsion.  ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Loong 2

  The Loong 2 is a rotary-wing mini-UAV manufactured by LoongUAV. Designed for ISR missions, the UAV features a universal plug-and-play standardised interface, meaning a lot of different ...

• 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 ...