• Defence Helicopter

  CH-47F deliveries start for Singapore

  27th May 2021

  Ten of 16 new Chinooks on order for Singapore will be based in Oakey, Australia, with support provided by Boeing Defence Australia.

• Naval Warfare

  USN needs more Airborne Mine Neutralization Systems

  27th May 2021

  AMNS neutralises moored mines or mines that have been laid on the seabed.

• Land Warfare

  India’s FRCV looks far into the future

  6th June 2021

  The Indian Army relaunches the tortuous pursuit of replacement of its existing fleet of T-72 tanks.

• Defence Helicopter

  Australian Army receives first leased AW139

  18th May 2021

  The Australian Army is leasing Leonardo helicopters in order to cover a capability shortfall from the MRH90 fleet.

• Air Warfare

  First flight for Japan’s upgraded SH-60

  19th May 2021

  The JMSDF needs to upgrade the performance of its Seahawk-based helicopters, with a new type now in development.

• Defence Notes

  Norway and the Netherlands partner for Thales’ radar

  28th May 2021

  Norway and the Netherlands have signed an agreement for five of Thales’ multi-mission radar.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Northrop Grumman completes fit check for MQ-8C Scout

  24th May 2021

  Northrop Grumman has announced that its new MQ-8C Scout has passed a successful fit check at Naval Base San Diego.

• Military Logistics

  Helicopter advanced boresights receive attention

  14th May 2021

  Textron is modernising 100 advanced boresight equipment units on three types of helicopter.

• Defence Helicopter

  UK signs on the dotted line for extended-range Chinooks

  14th May 2021

  The RAF will receive the first of 14 new heavy-lift helicopters in 2026.

• Special Operations

  French SOF operators team with SMEs on innovations

  26th May 2021

  New equipment for French SOF is based on ideas from the coalface.

• Military Logistics

  Rheinmetall begins CH-53G maintenance in Germany

  11th May 2021

  Ageing CH-53G helicopters are nearing 50 years in service with the German Air Force.

• Defence Notes

  FY2022 budget request delivers air power spending hit

  2nd June 2021

  Unsurprisingly, fifth-generation fighter funding dominates air power spending in the latest US defence budget request, but the retirement of over 200 US Air Force aircraft and a one-year delay to MH-139A helicopter plans are among the more eye catching subplots this time around.

• Naval Warfare

  Competition kindled for Korea’s controversial carrier

  10th June 2021

  An as-yet-unapproved light carrier, and an indigenous close-in weapon system (CIWS), grabbed the headlines at South Korea's MADEX naval exhibition.

• Digital Battlespace

  NATO adds Marshall to deployable air C2 upgrade

  22nd April 2021

  Modernisation of the NATO Deployable Air Command and Control Component (DACCC) will be completed by 2023.

• Land Warfare

  US Army stabilises in FY2022 budget

  3rd June 2021

  Modernisation of the US Army is taking place on a static budget, so it is slowing down procurement in some traditional areas to benefit its priority programmes for future systems and capabilities.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F -Kenya

  Crew transition training took place at the MD Helicopters headquarters in Mesa, Arizona, with field service support, armament, and gunnery training scheduled to occur at ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  MD 530G - Malaysia

  Procured for an urgent operational requirement for gunships to support Eastern Sabah Security Command operations, helicopter deliveries had to slip from a planned delivery of ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Uncrewed MD 500 Replacement [South Korea]

  Background Uncrewed Replacement of the MD 500 Throughout the 2010s, South Korea appeared interested in replacing its fleet of crewed MD 500 helicopters that were manufactured under licence ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Project Land 2097 Phase 4 [Australia]

  Programme Background According to the RfI, under Project Land 2097 Phase 4, the selected helicopter must comprise a commercial or military off-the-shelf solution that is ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD-530G [Lebanon]

  Background Order context The Lebanese MD-530 order was placed during a visit of US Central Command Commander General Joseph Votel in December 2017.  MD 530F ...

• Hybrid effector systems

  US Air Force Air Base Defence Missile Defence [US]

  Background The US Air Force's (USAF) Air Base Air Defence Missile Defence (ABAD MD) programme is part of the Air Force Physical Security System and sits ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Army)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  Bell 505 (South Korea - Navy)

  Programme Background Requirement South Korea operates an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1s and MD 500s for training purposes. The country has already replaced a part of ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) First Batch (South Korea)

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (Second Batch) [South Korea]

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton [Germany]

  Background Global Hawk Early in the development of the Global Hawk, the German MoD also expressed interest in procuring the aircraft as a replacement for ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  UH-72 Follow-On [USA]

  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 - 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 - attack

  New Exploration and Escort Helicopter (NEES) (Phase II) [Italy]

  Background Phase I In 2017, the Italian government signed a contract with Leonardo to replace its fleet of AW129 Mangusta attack helicopters with the in-development ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  AH-6i (Thailand)

  Programme Background The US State Department has made a determination approving the possible $400 million sale on 24 September 2019. The eight AH-6i light attack ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530F Cayuse Warrior

  An evolution of the OH-6 Cayuse light observation helicopter, the MD 530F was initially Federal Aviation Administration-certified in July 1985 as the Model 369FF. It ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  MDHI Glass Cockpit

  The American aerospace manufacturer MD Helicopters Inc. (MDHI) has designed and developed a glass cockpit specifically for MD 500E AND MD 520N aircraft. It is ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 500

  US-based MD Helicopters' MD 500 is a single-engine light helicopter derived from the Hughes OH-6A Cayuse developed for the US Army in the early 1960s and ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  IDU-680

  The IDU-680 is Genesys Aerosystems’ 3D synthetic vision integrated Electronic Flight Instrument System. The system includes a Highway in the Sky navigation system, geo-referenced hover ...

• Helicopter guns

  FN HMP

  The FN HMP (Heavy Machine Gun Pod) is a self-contained airborne weapon system armed with a 50cal FN M3P heavy machine gun. It is available ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G

  The MD 530G is the newest addition to the MD Helicopters (MDHI) line of light scout attack platforms. It has increased-capacity landing gear and a ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  KUS-VH

  The Korean Air Korean Air Unmanned System-Vertical Helicopter (KUS-VH) is a large, rotary-wing UAV based on the MD 500. The first flight of the platform ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  6XX

  Publicly unveiled at Heli-Expo in March 2017, the MD Helicopters 6XX is the next evolution in the MD 500 series and is a redesigned, single-engine ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C30

  The M250-C30 and -C30P are the exclusive powerplants for the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger and the MD Helicopters MD 530F and MD 530G. In addition, the AH-6i is ...

• EO/IR systems

  LEO-III

  The LEO-III, or LEO-III HD, was an airborne observation system with HD sensors and video outputs. It was a COTS, gyro-stabilised platform containing a multi-sensor HD ...

• Airborne rockets - unguided

  Aculeus MD-36 and MD-432

  The Aculeus MD-36 unguided multi-dart rocket provides 36 darts for the neutralisation of columns of light armoured vehicles. The Aculeus MD-432 provides 432 darts to ...

• Helicopter engines

  M250-C47E

  The C47E is the latest growth variant of the C47B/8 engine. In addition to a hot-and-high Value Improvement Package Kit, the C47E also includes dual-channel ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  MD-1366 EBEM

  The US government selected the MD-1366 Enhanced Bandwidth Efficient Modem (EBEM) from ViaSat to set the DoD standard for high-speed, high-performance,flexibility and compatibility in a ...

• EO/IR systems

  Wescam MX-10

  The Wescam MX-10 EO/IR low-weight imaging system is designed for low-altitude tactical surveillance and reconnaissance missions from crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The MX-10 has had a close ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT)

  The Night Intruder 600 Vertical Take-Off (NI-600VT) is an in-development UAV from Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) based on an MD 500 twin-seat American commercial helicopter airframe. With the ...