• Defence Helicopter

  UK Merlin HC3 fleet completes Afghan deployment

  4th June 2013

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that Britain’s fleet of Merlin HC3 helicopters have carried out their final operations in Afghanistan as UK …

• Digital Battlespace

  I-Master radar completes Guardian aircraft test flight

  3rd June 2013

  Thales has announced that its I-Master radar has recently completed flight trials onboard a Diamond DA42 Multi-Purpose Platform (MPP) Guardian aircraft. The week-long trials were …

• Defence Notes

  China, US relationship central at Asian security dialogue

  1st June 2013

  Opening the 12th annual Shangri-La Dialogue, the prime minister of Vietnam, Nguyen Tan Dung, announced that the country would for the first time begin participating …

• Defence Helicopter

  ADF down-selects three helicopter training systems

  30th May 2013

  The Australian government has shortlisted three helicopter training system proposals as part of its Project Air 9000 Phase 7. The project will provide a new …

• Defence Helicopter

  French Caracal squadron approaches air-to-air refuelling certification

  29th May 2013

  The French Air Force is set to significantly enhance its SAR and CSAR capabilities with the completion of in-flight refuelling certification for its EC725 Caracals.  …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Aeryon Labs unveils new SkyRanger SUAS

  24th May 2013

  Aeryon Labs has introduced a new small unmanned aerial system (SUAS) called the Aeryon SkyRanger. The vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV has been designed …

• Digital Battlespace

  US Army orders new Tactical Ground Station system

  23rd May 2013

  General Dynamics C4 Systems will supply 10 vehicle-mounted Tactical Ground Station (TGS) systems to the US Army under an order announced on 22 May. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US Navy's MQ-4C Triton UAV takes flight

  23rd May 2013

  The MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV) under development by Northrop Grumman for the US Navy has completed its first flight on 22 May. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Insitu furthers payload offerings

  23rd May 2013

  Insitu has developed two new payloads for its ScanEagle UAS, with the latest expected to be ready for flight tests in coming weeks. The company …

• Land Warfare

  German Army orders additional Fox 1A8 vehicles

  22nd May 2013

  Rheinmetall will modernise an additional 25 Fuchs/Fox armoured transport vehicles for the German Army to enhance protection levels under a new €36 million contract. This …

• Defence Helicopter

  Upgraded Royal Navy Lynx simulator enters service

  22nd May 2013

  The Royal Navy's Lynx Mk8 full-mission simulator located at Royal Navy Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton is now in-service and ready-for-training following a major visual system …

• Land Warfare

  Boeing unveils Phantom Badger

  22nd May 2013

  Boeing has unveiled a new ground tactical vehicle designed to be internally transported in a V-22 Osprey tiltrotor to meet a US special forces’ requirement …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  X-47B conducts carrier touch-and-go landing operations

  21st May 2013

  The US Navy has reported that the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstrator (UCAS-D) has commenced touch-and-go landing operations on board the aircraft carrier USS …

• Military Logistics

  Raytheon wins US Air Force quick-deploy ATC contract

  20th May 2013

  Raytheon will supply a rapidly deployable air traffic control (ATC) system to the US Air Force under a contract announced on 20 May. The contract, …

• Defence Helicopter

  UK MoD orders additional Hellfire missiles

  20th May 2013

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that it has ordered additional supersonic Hellfire missiles for the British Army’s Apache helicopter fleet. The £15 …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (28-68) [USN]

  Background Requirement The MQ-4C Triton programme, developed under the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) programme, required an uncrewed system to provide persistent, broad-area intelligence, surveillance ...

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

  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 ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Medium Landing Ship (1-10) [USMC]

  Programme Background Development As part of the US Marine Corps' future force structure, it is developing a new platform under the Medium Lading Ship programme ...

• Landing platform docks/dock landing ships

  Medium Landing Ship (11-33) [USMC]

  Programme Background Requirements As part of the US Marine Corps' future force structure, it is developing a new platform under the Medium Lading Ship programme ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (1-27) [USN]

  Background Requirement The MQ-4C Triton programme, developed under the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) programme, required an uncrewed system to provide persistent, broad-area intelligence, surveillance ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - MALE

  Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Unmanned Expeditionary (MUX) (Increment 1) [USMC]

  Programme Background All-in-One UAV Since 2016, the USMC has wished to acquire a UAV that could be deployed from a vessel, be used for various missions, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Medium Range/Medium Endurance (MR/ME) [USMC]

  Programme Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  HH-60W - Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH)

  According to the FY2021 Base funding, the HH-60W helicopter unit cost is $43.2 million. The HH-60W will be capable of employment day or night, in ...

• 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 ...

• Military UAS - small

  Long Range/Long Endurance (LR/LE) [USMC]

  Background Force Design 2030 The USMC Force Design 2030 is a modernisation effort to create a lighter, more agile maritime force. The update to the ...

• Destroyers

  Next-Generation Large Surface Combatants (LSC) - DDG(X) [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements The US Navy (USN) is acknowledging a need to move away from the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer design, which is slowly outgrowing. Flight III ...

• Military - USVs

  MUSV (1-83) [USN]

  Programme Background Requirements In March 2026, the US announced it would be replacing its Modular Attack Surface Craft (MASC) programme with a Medium Uncrewed Surface ...

• Military UAS - small

  RQ-21A Blackjack / STUASLO - Replacement Units (USN)

  Programme Background Joint USN and USMC Procurment The RQ-21 Blackjack, or STUALSO, was a combined United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) programme ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Landing craft and hovercraft

  SECAT

  In 2022, Textron Systems unveiled its new Surface Effect Cargo Amphibious Transport (SECAT) craft, designed to support logistics behind the US Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations and ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-53E Sea Dragon

  Sikorsky developed the MH-53E (S-80) Sea Dragon variant of its CH-53E to provide the USN with a dedicated airborne mine countermeasures helicopter. Equipped with enlarged ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Tactical Mission System for Helicopter Applications

  The Saab tactical mission system is a system for transport, utility, C2 and combat helicopters intended to operate in a net-centric environment. It is designed ...

• Major networking projects

  CANES

  The Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) programme is a USN-wide effort to rationalise shipboard computing assets. It is designed to create a common ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  MQ-9 MTD

  SDS’s ROVATTS-based MQ-9 Mission Training Device (MTD) was developed to provide high-fidelity simulation to support US Air National Guard operational Reaper crew training. The PC-based ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  MQ-8C Fire Scout

  The MQ-8C is a newer version of the Fire Scout and is based on a Bell 407 commercial helicopter. It offers a greater range, endurance and ...

• Land: soldier modernisation systems - national programmes

  MERS

  The Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad (MERS) takes a systems engineering approach to equipping the USMC’s fundamental fighting unit. The integration and configuration management of all ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  MQ-8B Fire Scout

  The MQ-8B Fire Scout is a rotary-wing UAV that provides situational awareness and precision targeting support for the US Armed Forces. The MQ-8B Fire Scout, ...

• Air: surveillance and maritime patrol radar

  AN/ZPY-1 STARLite

  The AN/ZPY-1 Small Tactical Radar-Lightweight (STARLite) is a synthetic aperture radar and GMTI sensor for UAVs, manufactured by Northrop Grumman. It offers strip and spot synthetic ...

• Fighter - multirole, Fighter - naval

  F-35C

  The F-35C Lightning II, also known as the F-35 carrier variant (CV), is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft in carrier configuration. It has larger wings and ...

• Guided munitions

  AGM-154 JSOW

  The AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) is a joint United States Navy (USN)/United States Air Force (USAF) programme with the USN as the lead service. ...

• Military - UUVs

  Mission Specialist Defender

  The Mission Specialist Defender is a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) developed by VideoRay, now part of BlueHalo's unmanned maritime systems. The ROV is known ...

• Trainer

  Saab 340 trainer

  The Saab 340 trainer aircraft is based on the Saab 340 regional airliner. It is used by the USN for pilot training. The aircraft replaced ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Air Operations Systems of Systems

  Air Operations System of Systems is designed to enable management of airspaces across large states and/or regions focusing on strategic planning. The system integration approach ...

• Subsystems: software

  LiteFlite II Simulators

  The LiteFlite II was designed to provide a high-fidelity, laptop-based system with white-force/man-in-the-loop capabilities for use with a variety of simulation systems. LiteFlite II represents ...