• Defence Helicopter

  NAVAIR seeks new V-22 engine

  2nd September 2014

  The Pentagon has launched an effort to find a drop-in replacement engine for all variants of the US military’s V-22 Ospreys. On 26 August, the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  USAF RQ-4 Global Hawk expands operational area

  15th August 2014

  The US Air Force has expanded the operational area of its RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle into the Pacific to support US Pacific Command …

• Military Logistics

  New C-17 Training Center delivered to USAF

  1st August 2014

  Boeing has delivered a new comprehensive training centre for the C-17 Globemaster III airlifter to the Memphis Air National Guard base in Tennessee. The centre …

• Military Logistics

  UTC Aerospace Systems to maintain USAF C-17 landing gear

  25th July 2014

  Landing gear on the US Air Force fleet of C-17 Globemaster III aircraft will be maintained by UTC Aerospace Systems under a new contract from …

• Digital Battlespace

  Lockheed Martin selected for USAF HoPs initiative

  25th July 2014

  Lockheed Martin has been selected for an initiative that aims to integrate government payloads on commercial satellites as part of the first phase of the …

• Defence Helicopter

  Farnborough: Pave Hawk crash caused by bird strikes

  9th July 2014

  A US HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter that crashed off the coast of Norfolk, UK on 7 January killing four crew members was brought down by …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky wins USAF Combat Rescue Helicopter contract

  27th June 2014

  Sikorsky has been awarded the US Air Force’s $1.28 billion Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) contract. The award will see the company undertake the initial engineering …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UK behind in large UAV airspace integration

  11th June 2014

  The recent flights of a USAF Global Hawk in UK airspace have highlighted the capability the nation has to fly aircraft of this size, as …

• Defence Notes

  Special operations commanders outline key challenges

  22nd May 2014

  US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) theatre commanders have shed light on the developing requirements in training, concepts of operations and equipment in their area of …

• Digital Battlespace

  Pentagon ringfences space advancements

  19th May 2014

  The Pentagon’s commitment to satellite and space research – in the midst of an overall decrease in science and technology funding – shows the strategic …

• Digital Battlespace

  Rockwell Collins position for changing op environment

  17th May 2014

  Changing operational environments will force the adoption of new technology and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) as units seek to reduce reliance on satellite communications …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2014: Service leaders outline unmanned aspirations

  14th May 2014

  Tri-service leaders from the US Department of Defense (DoD) have described the future of unmanned systems in light of budget restrictions and an evolving operational …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AUVSI 2014: Manned flight critical to RPA pilots, USAF finds

  13th May 2014

  A comparative study from the USAF’s 11th Reconnaissance Squadron suggests that manned flight experience is invaluable for remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) pilots. ‘PPL [Private Pilot …

• Defence Helicopter

  SAS14: V-22 office readies for navy order

  8th April 2014

  The V-22 Joint Program Office is preparing itself for the potential order of 48 of the tiltrotors for the US Navy, which it is hoping …

• Defence Helicopter

  VXX presidential helicopter advances

  2nd April 2014

  The US VXX Presidential helicopter acquisition programme was slated to commence system development in March, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  RQ-20B Puma (USAF)

  Programme Background Requirement According to the AeroVironment Vice President and product line general manager, Trace Stevenson, the USAF Security Forces requires a small UAV to ...

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

  MQ-9A Reaper (USAF)

  Programme Background Procurement & Inventory According to the USAF FY2019 Budget Estimate document, the USAF set aside funds to acquire 433 MQ-9 Reapers by the end of ...

• MPVs - 4x4, Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract [US Air Force]

  As of November 2020, the US DoD had signed 14 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches of ...

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

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [USAF]

  Programme Background Requirements The programme's requirements are based on the USAF's belief that it requires mass to compete effectively with an adversary in symmetrical warfare. However, ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF Future Procurement

  The USAF is planning to order 1137 F-35As between FY2026 and FY2048 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase will be at a ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF Future Procurement

  The USAF is planning to order 1137 F-35As between FY2026 and FY2048 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase will be at a ...

• Data links

  Data links | F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF Future Procurement

  The USAF is planning to order 1137 F-35As between FY2026 and FY2048 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase will be at a ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF Future Procurement

  The USAF is planning to order 1137 F-35As between FY2026 and FY2048 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase will be at a ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF Future Procurement

  The USAF is planning to order 1137 F-35As between FY2026 and FY2048 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase will be at a ...

• AEW&C

  E-7A Wedgetail (1-2) [USA]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that this entry covers the two rapid-prototype E-7 aircraft, whose contract was signed in August 2024. A second programme entry covers the ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-Y Tanker Aircraft (USA)

  Programme Background The USAF is replacing its fleet of 396 KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft, built in the 1950s and 60s, and 59 KC-10 Extenders, which entered service ...

• AEW&C

  E-7A Wedgetail (USA - Forecast)

  Programme Background Speaking on 21 September 2021 during the annual Air Force Association (AFA) Meeting in Washington DC, USAF Chief of Staff Gen Charles Brown ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-46A (USA)

  Programme Background The first four Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) KC-46A aircraft were delivered to McConnell AFB in Kansas in January 2019. As of December 2020, a ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-15EX - USAF (Contracted)

  Programme Background USAF is looking to procure 144 F-15EX fighter aircraft, including two RDTE configurations and six low-rate initial production aircraft. F-15EX will replace ageing ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-15EX - USAF (Announced)

  Programme Background The F-15EX will be based on the 2-seat F-15QA (Qatar) configuration upgraded with USAF-only capabilities, including the Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survivability ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  EX-3 Revenant

  The EX-3 Revenant is a developmental fixed-wing aircraft being developed by Exosonic. It is a Mach 1.2 supersonic UAV designed to be a 5th-generation representative, modular, autonomous ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Next Generation Survivor Radio

  The Next Generation Survivor Radio (NGSR) is a software-defined radio being developed by General Dynamics Mission Systems. It is expected to enter into service after June 2026.

• Air: transport/tanker simulators

  USAF KC-135 ATS

  The KC-135 Aircrew Training System (ATS) programme delivers initial qualification, requalification, continuation and upgrades training for USAF KC-135 aircrews, including pilots, co-pilots and boom operators. ...

• Major networking projects

  C2 ConstellationNet

  According to David Tillotson, director of C4ISR architecture AF/XI, in a report to Congress: 'The ConstellationNet is the communications network – air, space and terrestrial ...

• Air: aerial targets

  QF-16 FSAT

  The QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) is an optionally piloted supersonic aerial target developed to replace the QF-4 in USAF service. Retired F-16 fighters are ...

• Major networking projects

  DCGS 10.2 Upgrade

  Raytheon’s Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) Block 10.2 upgrade allows intelligence data to be posted to the network for immediate use by analysts and warfighters, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  SPX

  The SPX drone is a fixed-wing UAV manufactured by RapidFlight. It features a modular payload bay and is fitted with RapidFlight's Common Avionics 2.0 modular interface. ...

• Combat Search and Rescue

  HC-130P/N

  HC-130P/N is a SAR aircraft developed as extended-range version of C-130 Hercules transport airframe to execute all weather personnel recovery operations from austere airfields and ...

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

  Hexa

  The Hexa, or LIFT Hexa, is a rotary-wing aircraft developed by LIFT Aircraft for military and commercial markets. Due to its configuration and triple redundant autopilot ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-10 Extender

  The KC-10 Extender is a tanker/transport aircraft developed for the USAF by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). It was derived from the company’s three-engine ...

• EW test systems

  JTE

  The Joint Threat Emitter (JTE) is a multi-threat, high-fidelity simulator with realistic ERP levels, which simulates single- and double-digit surface-to-air and anti-aircraft artillery radar systems. ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  RQ-4 Global Hawk

  The Global Hawk is a HALE UAV manufactured by General Atomics (GA-ASI).  Primarily designed to carry ISTAR payloads, the platform has accumulated more than 200,000 ...

• Bomber

  B-2 Spirit

  The B-2 Spirit is a multirole stealth bomber manufactured by Northrop Grumman for the USAF. The Spirit is a flying wing aircraft, meaning that it ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  R-HUD

  The Replacement Heads-Up Display (R-HUD) is a Primary Flight Reference system designed to replace legacy HUD units on C-17 aircraft. Manufactured by Elbit Systems of ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Flat Panel Control Indicator

  BAE Systems Flat Panel Control Indicator (FPCI) is designed to replace legacy Navigation Control Indicators in F-15C/D aircraft. It features a new AMLCD display and ...