• Defence Helicopter

  United Technologies explores strategic options for Sikorsky

  16th March 2015

  United Technologies' board of directors has authorised the review of strategic alternatives for its Sikorsky Aircraft business, including a possible spin-off, the company announced on …

• Defence Helicopter

  LIMA 2015: Bell aims military and civil helicopters at Malaysia

  16th March 2015

  Bell Helicopter has two static exhibits at LIMA this year – a UH-1Y and a 429 WLG. The former belongs to the United States Marine …

• Military Logistics

  SAIC awarded US defence logistics contract

  13th March 2015

  Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) has been awarded a logistics support contract from the US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the company said on 12 March. …

• Military Logistics

  Field Aviation acquires ARINC Aerospace

  12th March 2015

  Field Aviation has acquired ARINC Aerospace Systems Engineering and Support (ASES LLC) from Rockwell Collins, the company announced on 10 March. ASES, which operates as …

• Defence Notes

  China boosts defence spending

  10th March 2015

  China revealed a defence budget of RMB886.9 billion ($141.5 billion), a rise of 10.1%, during its annual National People’s Congress session on 5 March 2015. …

• Defence Helicopter

  DARPA awards Sikorsky ALIAS Phase 1 contract

  5th March 2015

  Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has been awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for Phase 1 of the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation …

• Defence Notes

  IDEX 2015: Rockwell Collins seeks partnerships in region

  26th February 2015

  Rockwell Collins expects to see continued growth in the Middle East as the region continues to invest and grow its own industrial base through investment …

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2015: BAE proposes first 155mm on 8x8

  26th February 2015

  The first-ever 155mm artillery gun fitted to an 8x8 armoured vehicle could become a reality following proposals from BAE Systems at the IDEX exhibition. At …

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2015: MBDA to offer air defence to Nimr

  26th February 2015

  A partnership has been established between European missile manufacturer MBDA and UAE vehicle producer Nimr. The link is part of the UAE’s strategy to partner …

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2015: Domestic 8x8 APC option for UAE

  24th February 2015

  The Emirates Defence Technology (EDT) company in the UAE launched its 8x8 armoured vehicle called Enigma at the IDEX exhibition. This could mean other international …

• Defence Notes

  IDEX 2015: UAE defence dependence to end

  22nd February 2015

  The UAE is set to become a regional power with the development of a larger defence industrial base. Speaking at the IDEX Conference in Abu …

• Defence Notes

  IDEX 2015: UAE shows ‘readiness to use force’ in Syria

  21st February 2015

  Fresh airstrikes carried out by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Syria in late February have signalled its continued willingness to use military force to …

• Digital Battlespace

  IDEX 2015: UAE buys new imaging system

  20th February 2015

  L-3 Wescam is set to provide the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with MX-15D EO/IR imaging and designation systems following an order from IOMAX USA, it …

• Military Logistics

  Aero India: MTA project fails to meet requirements

  20th February 2015

  Failure to meet engine requirements and increased costs in the development of the Il-214 Medium Transport Aircraft – a $600 million Indo-Russian joint venture – …

• Land Warfare

  IDEX 2015: Patria to show new NEMO simulator features

  18th February 2015

  Patria will unveil new features on its New Mortar (NEMO) training simulator at this year’s IDEX exhibition in Abu Dhabi. It will be the first …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  SPYDER-MR [UAE]

  Background Under the auspices of the 2020 Abraham Accords, in 2022 the United Arab Emirates (UAE) selected the Israeli-developed SPYDER-MR air defence systems for its immediate ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  Barak 8 [UAE]

  Background In 2022, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) took delivery of its first Barak 8 long-range air defence system from Israel-based IAI. The programme was ...

• AEW&C

  GlobalEye (4-5) [UAE]

  Background Units one through three The United Arab Emirates Air Force took delivery of three GlobalEye (known also as Global 6000) aircraft from Saab. This procurement is detailed ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  ULTRA [US]

  Background Origins The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Center for Rapid Innovation (CRI) conceived and developed the aircraft with DZYNE Technologies. According to The War ...

• Corvettes

  Gowind 2500 (1-2) [UAE]

  Background Timeline The Gowind 2500 design has proved a popular export, and variants have been ordered by four countries. Naval Group confirmed the sale of ten ...

• Transport

  A-400M [United Arab Emirates]

  Background IDEX 2025 At IDEX 2025, two Airbus representatives shared insights into a possible offer from the United Arab Emirates for the A-400M aircraft. The ...

• Corvettes

  Gowind 2500 Procurement (3-4) [UAE]

  Background Timeline The Gowind 2500 design has proved a popular export and variants have been ordered by four countries. Naval Group confirmed the sale of ...

• OPVs

  OPV procurement [UAE]

  Background Requirements The vessels ordered are intended for patrol, surveillance and interdiction missions in the UAE’s exclusive economic zone to the enforcement of maritime law, coast ...

• Transport

  C-130 Replacement [Saudi Arabia]

  Background Requirement The Royal Saudi Air Force operates 33 C-130H, 7 KC-130H aircraft and two KC-130Js. The country has been seeking to replace its older ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  Sherpa Light [Egypt]

  Background Egypt is believed to have taken delivery of at least 173 Sherpa Lights and 18 Sherpa Light Scout 4x4 armoured vehicles from Arquus between ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  Cheongung-II (M-SAM Block II) [UAE]

  Background The UAE was the first export customer for South Korea’s Cheongung-II medium-range air-defence system and was the first to use it operationally. In January 2022, ...

• Loitering munitions

  Hunter Family [UAE]

  Programme Background IDEX Contract Announcement On 21 February 2023, EDGE announced that its subsidiary, HALCON, had been awarded an AED 1.1 billion ($272.29 million) contract to supply ...

• Medium Range Missile Defence Systems: 20-90km range

  PAC-3 [USA]

  Background Japan transferred an unspecified variant of PAC-3 interceptors to the United States at Washington’s request to replenish US military stocks after transfers to Ukraine. The ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  Trainer/light attack aircraft [Egypt]

  Bids and suppliers Korea Aerospace Industries In March 2025, the Egyptian Ambassador to South Korea confirmed ongoing talks regarding the possible export of the FA-50 Fighting Eagle; ...

• MPVs - 4x4

  JLTV [Romania]

  Programme Background  The Oshkosh Defence Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is a 4x4 armoured vehicle manufactured in the United States. Originally intended to supplement to Humvee ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• MPVs - 4x4

  Kasser II

  Produced by M4 Industries based in Abu Dhabi, Kasser is a 4x4 MRAP that is currently being developed for the United Arab Emirates. The vehicle ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - MLDS, Land: Defensive Systems - Gunshot Detection / Hostile Fire Indicator

  ShotFinder Acoustic Hostile Fire Detection

  Northrop Grumman’s ShotFinder is a hostile fire detection system designed to protect aircraft against small arms and light weapons fire. The apparatus employs acoustic technology ...

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Falcon Edge/IEWS

  Northrop Grumman’s Falcon Edge Integrated Self-Protection System (ISPS) equips the United Arab Emirates Air Force’s (UAEAF) Lockheed Martin F-16E/F Block-60 fighters.  The first incarnation of ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  MCRL

  The Multiple Cradle Rocket Launcher (MCRL) was developed by Al Jaber Land Systems (AJLS) in cooperation with Roketsan to meet the requirements of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and ...

• Air: Displays

  Digital Light Engine Head-Up Display

  BAE Systems Digital Light Engine (DLE) HUD is designed to upgrade existing display equipment with a modular, electro-optic digital system. According to the manufacturer, DLE HUDs ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM, Land: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/ARS-6(V12) PLS

  The new AN/ARS-6 (V12) Personnel Locator System (PLS) Receiver/Transmitter (R/T) is a functional replacement for the old AN/ARS-6. These systems are used to locate missing ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Al Saadiyat (Logistics Support Vessel)

  Al Saadiyat is the most recent logistics support vessel to be built for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Navy. The vessel is effectively a large ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming

  ELT/558

  The ELT/558 is a low-band jammer designed for the self-protection of fighter aircraft and combat helicopters. Systems support platform protection using jamming and deception of search/scanning, ...

• Naval: Combat Management Systems

  IPN

  Produced by Selex ES (now part of Leonardo), the IPN is a family of combat management systems. Also known as SADOC 2, it is in ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers

  AN/APR-48B

  Lockheed Martin’s AN/APR-48B is a modernised radar frequency interferometer. The digital receiver-based system features enhanced receiver sensitivity to allow the system to detect a threat, ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-80

  The AN/APG-80 is an X-band active electronically scanned array radar system with approximately 1,000 transmit/receive modules, designed for continuous search and multi-target tracking capabilities in ...

• Air: Electronic Attack - Jamming, Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  AN/AAQ-24(V)

  Northrop Grumman’s AN/AAQ-24(V) is a Directional Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) designed to protect large fixed-wing and small rotary wing aircrafts. The system has been installed in ...

• EO/IR systems

  Damocles

  The Damocles is a third-generation targeting pod developed by Thales Group, designed for advanced reconnaissance and laser designation. It is modular, features an eye-safe laser, ...

• Corvettes

  Comandanti/Sirio Class (FCX15)

  The Comandanti-class corvettes designed and built by Italian company Financatieri are in service with the Italian Navy, which operates four, with the first commissioned in 2001, ...

• Naval: Defensive Systems - Laser Warning Receivers

  NLWS Naval Laser-Warning System

  Saab's Naval Laser-Warning System (NLWS) is capable of detecting and analysing lasers in blue-water and littoral combat environments. The NLWS consists of a number of sensors ...