• Defence Notes

  ADAS 2018 Daily News - Day Two

  27th September 2018

  The official ADAS 2018 Daily News – Day Two is now available to read online. View the digital edition here and PDF version here.

• Military Logistics

  Boeing KC-46 receives FAA STC

  10th September 2018

  Boeing’s KC-46 tanker programme has received a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the US FAA, the company announced on 4 September. The STC verifies that …

• Naval Warfare

  HII to build more Arleigh Burke-class destroyers

  4th October 2018

  Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division has received a $5.1 billion fixed-price incentive, multi-year procurement contract for the construction of six Arleigh Burke-class Flight III …

• Land Warfare

  Stark delivers Arrow-3 canisters to IAI

  10th September 2018

  Stark has delivered its first Arrow-3 anti-ballistic missile canisters to its parent company Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), it was announced on 5 September. Mississippi-based Stark …

• Digital Battlespace

  NASA blasts off space laser satellite to track ice loss

  17th September 2018

  NASA's most advanced space laser satellite blasted off on 15 September on a mission to track ice loss around the world and improve forecasts of …

• Land Warfare

  British Army to receive first Ajax vehicles by year end

  25th September 2018

  The British Army’s new fleet of Ajax tracked vehicles is inching closer to service as the first production vehicles prepare to be handed over later …

• Military Logistics

  US unveils steps to shore up defence industrial base

  7th October 2018

  The Trump administration is pumping millions of dollars into the US defence industrial base to address some of the nearly 300 ‘gaps and vulnerabilities’ identified …

• Defence Notes

  China and Thailand military ties grow

  3rd September 2018

  When the Thai military took power in Bangkok in May 2014, China took full advantage of downgraded Western ties by cosying up with Thailand’s former …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Indonesia seeks UAV and tanker cooperation with Singapore

  4th September 2018

  The Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) announced on 31 August that it is exploring cooperation with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) regarding UAV pilot …

• Training

  Aerial targets: A mark of improvement

  27th September 2018

  The USAF has for decades used full-scale aerial targets as platforms for training or to test and validate various air- and ground-based weapon systems. The …

• Special Operations

  Medical training needs outlined for US Army SOC

  13th September 2018

  US Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) has outlined its specific medical training and support needs for tactical medical training. The classes were outlined in a …

• Land Warfare

  Australian opens Land 400 Phase 3 tender

  24th August 2018

  On 24 August the Australian government announced the formal opening of a multi-billion dollar request for tender (RfT) for the Land 400 Phase 3 project …

• Naval Warfare

  New carrier’s operations room ready for use

  31st August 2018

  The operations room of the Royal Navy’s second aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, is ready for use two months earlier than planned, the navy …

• Defence Helicopter

  US Army CIRCM system ready for production

  28th September 2018

  The Northrop Grumman-built Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) system for the US Army has achieved Milestone C after completing testing, the company announced on 24 September. …

• Naval Warfare

  New naval vessel concepts appear in Taiwan

  2nd October 2018

  New designs appeared at the Kaohsiung International Maritime and Defense Expo from 27-30 September, including a multipurpose frigate cooperatively designed by the National Chung-Shan Institute …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light attack, Trainer

  PC-21 (Project Air 5428) [Australia]

  The new PTS, including aircraft, flight training simulators and learning environments is being acquired from a single capability contractor, Team 21, which consists of Lockheed ...

• Transport, Transport/tanker aircraft

  Project Air 7404 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement Australia is thinking ahead to an enlarged transport fleet to replace the current C-130Js. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was the second ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (Project Air 6000 Phase 2A/B) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) took delivery of 18 F-35A aircraft as of March 2020 and the remaining aircraft are expected to ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (5-6) [Australia]

  Background Four Contracted Units In the summer of 2020, Northrop Grumman announced that the Australian Government provided $333 million for three MQ-4C Tritons and associated GCS. ...

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

  Medium Range Air Defence [Australia]

  Background Faced with a growing threat from China and a vast land and sea territory to protect, Australia is seeking to establish a medium-range ground-based ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (13-14) [Australia]

  Programme Background Austal was awarded a contract to build six 'Evolved'Cape-class patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on 1 May 2020 (see separate ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [Australia]

  Background Older Efforts On 23 April 2021, the US State Department's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) approval announcement revealed that Australia had requested to buy up ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Project Air 7003 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

• OPVs

  Arafura Class (Project SEA 1180) (1-6) [Australia]

  Programme Background Australia's new class of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), the Arafura-class, will replace the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) fleet of Armidale and Cape-class patrol ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-28 Ghost Bat [Australia]

  Background Goal As stated by the Head of Air Force Capability, Air Vice-Marshal Robert Denney, in March 2022, the Ghost Bat will be an "operational system ...

• Loitering munitions

  Mission Talon Strike [Australia]

  Background Request for Tender (RFT) On 19 May 2025, the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), an agency aimed at streamlining defence invocation for the Australian Defence ...

• Military UAS - small

  VTOL UAV [New Zealand]

  Background Defence Capability Plan (DCP) In April 2025, the New Zealand government published the DCP, a document that is essentially a blueprint for what procurements ...

• Trainer

  Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirements The RAAF is seeking a future solution that provides a ‘relevant, adaptable, affordable and safe LIFTS out to 2050’ for training pilots ...

• Military UAS - small

  DEF129 (Tactical UAS) [Australia]

  Programme Background Programme Announcement The Australian Army announced the Project Land 129 Phase 3 programme in 2017. This announcement led to the release of an industry ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Harpii Szpon (Loyal Wingman) [Poland]

  Background Market Evaluation On 6 November 2023, speaking at the IQPC International Fighter Conference (IFC) 2023 in Madrid, Major General Cezary Wiśniewski, the Deputy General Commander of the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Air-5416 Project Echidna

  Air-5416 Project Echidna was an initiative launched in 2001 by BAE Systems for the Australian DoD. Its goal was to overhaul the self protection systems ...

• Trainer

  King Air trainer

  Textron / Beechcraft King Air trainers are a family twin-engine aircraft based on King Air 90, 100, 200 and 350 utility aircraft. The King Air ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Australian Defence Force MRH90 Training

  As prime contractor for the ADF's MRH90 training programme, CAE has provided two MRH90 full-flight mission simulators (FFMS), training facilities and engineering and support services. ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  RAAF Hawk Mk 127 FMS

  Under subcontract to BAE Systems, CAE is designing and manufacturing three Hawk Mk 127 full-mission simulators (FMS) for the Royal Australian Air Force that will ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Wanderer

  The Wanderer is a low-altitude, low-cost, long-endurance UAV produced in-house by the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) Jericho Disruptive Innovation Group and the Australian Government's Defense Science ...

• Light attack

  Hawk 200

  The Hawk 200 is a single-seat light attack iteration of the Hawk 100 (see separate entry) and Advanced Jet Trainer or AJT (see separate entry). ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  MQ-28A Ghost Bat

  The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is a loyal wingman-type, Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), MALE fixed-wing drone being developed by Boeing Defence Australia. Its development began in ...

• Military - USVs

  Bluebottle

  Bluebottle is a persistent, autonomous, uncrewed surface vessel from Ocius Technology in service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). In ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  Predator Mission Trainer (PMT)

  The CAE Predator Mission Trainer (PMT) is an integrated platform that combines the features of CAE's UAS mission trainer with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Predator-specific ...

• Maritime patrol

  Challenger 604

  Bombardier Challenger CL-604 MPAs are in service with the Royal Danish Air Force and the Korea Coast Guard. The first of three Danish aircraft entered ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Phantom 4 (Series)

  Designed for aerial photograph applications by DJI, the Phantom 4 series of UAVs includes the Phantom 4 Pro, Phantom 4 Pro V2.0, Phantom 4 Advanced ...

• LTVs - 4x4

  Hawkei

  Thales Australia developed the 4x4 Hawkei for the Australian Army's Land 121 Phase 4 Protected Mobility Vehicle – Light (PMV-L) project.  The prototype was unveiled in ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  AN/ALR-2001

  BAE Systems’ AN/ALR-2001 Electronic Support Measure (ESM) is thought to be based on Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Elta Systems division’s EL/M-8382 ESM. The AN/ALR-2001 is ...

• Air-to-surface missiles

  AGM-88E AARGM

  The AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) is a supersonic, medium-range, air-launched tactical missile compatible with US and allied strike aircraft. Designed to upgrade the AGM-88 ...

• Military UAS - mini

  M Solar-X

  First revealed in August 2020, in February 2024, at its symposium, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) showcased the M Solar-X. This solar-powered fixed-wing drone was ...