• Defence Notes

  Insight: Trump signs Taiwan Travel Act

  19th March 2018

  China’s Foreign Ministry expressed displeasure over US President Donald Trump’s signing of the Taiwan Travel Act (HR 535) on 16 March. The legislation, though non-binding, …

• Defence Notes

  China takes the lead in military innovation, says think tank

  14th February 2018

  The US and its allies can no longer assume military dominance, or rely on the airpower capabilities that have provided them with vital strategic advantage …

• Training

  UK MoD moves ASDOT forward

  16th March 2018

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has initiated a new phase in the Air Support to Defence Operational Training (ASDOT) programme with the down-select of …

• Defence Helicopter

  TAIGlobal keeping Black Hawks cool

  22nd March 2018

  TAIGlobal Group has been awarded a five year IDIQ contract to overhaul 750 vaneaxial fans used on the US Army’s Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, …

• Defence Notes

  Opinion: Treading carefully with conviction

  13th March 2018

  The news of the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, along with his daughter and a policeman in Salisbury has seen an incident in …

• Defence Helicopter

  AUSA Global: Army could shift FVL focus to lighter option

  27th March 2018

  Army leaders may shift their Future Vertical Lift (FVL) focus to a lighter, attack reconnaissance helicopter in the wake of the Pentagon's new National Defense …

• Military Logistics

  USMC looks to MTVR life extension

  26th March 2018

  The US Marine Corps is seeking companies interested in participating in a Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) technology demonstrator (TD) programme, which would be used to …

• Defence Helicopter

  Six dead, 14 hurt in Senegal military helicopter crash

  15th March 2018

  Six people were killed and 14 others injured when a Senegalese military helicopter crashed late on 14 March, according to a government statement giving an …

• Naval Warfare

  DIMDEX 2018: Regulations fail to match pace of HEL gun development

  12th March 2018

  Regulations determining the implementation and use of laser weapons are failing to keep pace with the development of such technologies, according to Rheinmetall Defence. Showcasing …

• Defence Helicopter

  Elbit Systems to supply SAR solution

  20th March 2018

  Elbit Systems has received a contract to supply a comprehensive search and rescue (SAR) solution to an unnamed Asia-Pacific country, the company announced on 14 …

• Defence Helicopter

  Vector receives Gazelle maintenance work

  14th March 2018

  Vector Aerospace has been contracted to provide maintenance support for the UK Army Air Corps' Gazelle AH Mk1 helicopter fleet, the company announced on 8 …

• Naval Warfare

  Philippines receives final TC-90s from Japan

  26th March 2018

  Japan has completed delivery of all five second-hand Beechcraft King Air aircraft to the Philippines, with the final three planes participating in a turnover ceremony …

• Defence Helicopter

  HMLA-367 flies final AH-1W flight

  19th March 2018

  The US Marine Corps' Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367 (HMLA-367) has carried out its final flight of the AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter located at …

• Land Warfare

  Australia’s Land 400 project – the right choice?

  15th March 2018

  On 14 March the Australian government announced that Rheinmetall Defence Australia (RDA) had won a fierce competition to build the Australian Army’s next generation of AFVs. …

• Land Warfare

  AUSA Global: Army pushes for quicker next-gen vehicle development

  27th March 2018

  With one possible award decision within the next week, US Army representatives used this week’s AUSA Global exhibition and symposium in Huntsville to update industry …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT (1-9) [NATO]

  Programme Background Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A330 MRTT Follow-On (NATO)

  Following operations in Libya and extensive analyses by the European Defence Agency (EDA), it was agreed at the NATO Summit in 2012 that the EDA ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawks [Norway]

  Programme Background NH90 NFH cancellation  The Norwegian government announced the termination of the NH90 NFH helicopter contract for 14 NH90s with NHIndustries in June 2022. Seahawk Acquisition ...

• Tanks

  New MBT [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Tanks

  M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 [Romania]

  Programme Background Requirement The Romanian Army's MBT fleet is composed of T-55 variants that are due to be retired in the mid-2020s. Although Romania's TR-85 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Greece)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

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

  UAV Tactical Level [Norway]

  Programme Background Request for Information (RfI) In September 2022, the Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) launched a request for information in preparation for a possible ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) - (Italy)

  Programme Background EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project (ENGRT) was announced in early 2022 and the project contract was awarded ...

• Maritime patrol

  MAWS/PATMAR [France]

  Programme Background In 2017, Germany and France announced that they would be working towards developing an MPA to replace their current fleets in service. The ...

• Tanks

  Leopard 2A8 [Netherlands]

  Programme Background Bidders and Suppliers The Leopard 2A8, the latest in the Leopard family, was selected by the Royal Dutch Army as per announcements in ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 [Kuwait]

  Background Contract Award On 18 January 2023, Baykar announced signing a $370 million export contract with Kuwait for the Bayraktar TB2. According to the announcement, ...

• Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton - Germany (Cancelled)

  Programme Background Germany requested to buy four MQ-4C Triton HALE UAVs from Northrop Grumman. On 5 April 2018, the US State Department announced that it ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [France]

  Programme Background Requirements The European Patrol Corvette (EPC) is one of the new PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation on Defence and Security) projects. PESCO was established ...

• AEW&C

  Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (1-6) [NATO]

  Programme Background NATO’s E-3A AWACS fleet is set to retire in 2035, after 50 years of service. To plan for the required follow-on capability, NATO's ...

• Corvettes

  European Patrol Corvette (EPC) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirements The 2021-2023 Documento Programmatico Pluriennale (DPP) - a multi-year defence planning document from the Italian MoD - includes a plan to acquire eight "Patrol Ships", ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Land: air defence radar

  APIS

  APIS is a passive high-resolution primary radar system developed by Indra. It is the first passive system in the world capable of offering images using ...

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  AE50R

  The AE50R is an aviation gasoline single rotary engine with an output of 40.4kW. The engine is certified according to European Aviation Safety Agency Part ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  LOTUS

  The LOTUS, Low Observable Tactical Unnamed System, is a tactical UAV especially designed for border patrol ISR operations.  The development of the project is funded by ...

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Mistral 3

  The Mistral 3 is the latest member of the Mistral family of very short-range surface-to-air missiles. It entered service in 2018 and has been chosen ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2H

  Safran Helicopter Engines received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) engine type certification for its Arriel 2H engine, installed in the Avicopter AC312E, in April 2018. ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  AR5

  First announced in October 2012, the AR5 is a MALE UAS designed for SAR, surveillance and maritime patrol missions. The AR5 can be flown manually or commanded ...

• Trainer

  Gabriel-TP

  Gabriel-TP is a low-wing, two-seat tandem trainer aircraft aimed at both military and civilian customers. It is certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in ...

• Air: NVGs

  PNL-3M Orlik

  PNL-3M are high-performance, lightweight, passive stereoscopic NVGs for helicopter crew members. Certification by European Aviation Safety Agency also enables civilian use. The device can be ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCH 170

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCH 170 is a fixed-wing loitering munition from MBDA. Similar in design to the Switchblade 300, the catapult launched system ...

• Air: Integrated cockpit systems

  Standard 3

  Jointly developed by ATR and Thales, The Standard 3 avionics suite has been specifically designed for ATR-600 aircraft. It offers the pilot user-friendly interface, along ...

• Loitering munitions

  Akeron RCX 50

  Unveiled in April 2025, the Akeron RCX 50 is a rotary-wing loitering munition from MBDA.  According to reports, the RCX 50 is designed to support ...

• Counter-UAS systems

  DroneGun

  DroneGun enables controlled management of an adversarial UAS, causing no damage to the UAV or surrounding area. It either forces the drone to perform a ...

• Military - USVs

  NOMARS

  The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) is a US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) effort to develop a first-of-its-kind large uncrewed surface vessel.

• Uncrewed aerial systems engines

  Trident 100TD2

  The Trident 100TD2 is a compression-ignition engine that is capable of operating on various types of heavy fuel. It is claimed to offer up to ...

• Space: radar systems

  ESA Sentinel-1

  Sentinel-1 is a planned constellation of four satellites with two already in orbit and two on order. They carry a payload of a C-band SAR ...