• Defence Notes

  RAF strikes positive tone with F-35B Lightning arrival

  7th June 2018

  Known as The Dambusters, no 617 Sqn delivered the first four F-35B Lightning II to RAF Marham, Norfolk on the evening of 6 June.Their arrival from Marine …

• Naval Warfare

  UDT 2018: Concerns over depth of UK ASW capability

  22nd June 2018

  A report published by the House of Commons Defence Committee on 18 June warned of several areas where the UK’s armed forces lack the capability …

• Digital Battlespace

  Is PLAAF harassment of Taiwan a dress rehearsal for Guam?

  28th May 2018

  The 11 May flight by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), yet another in a series of harassment exercises against Taiwan, may well have …

• Defence Notes

  Taiwan faces defence export challenges

  25th May 2018

  Taiwan’s defence industry is struggling to enter the US defence global supply chain, despite its procurement of billions of dollars of US equipment over the …

• Land Warfare

  Slovakia receives upgraded BMP-2 vehicles

  5th June 2018

  The Slovakian armed forces have taken delivery of 21 upgraded BMP-2 armoured fighting vehicles, the Slovak Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 29 May. Upgraded …

• Digital Battlespace

  Thailand rolls out first upgraded F-5ST

  30th May 2018

  The first prototype of the upgraded F-5 Super Tigris (F-5ST), completed by Elbit Systems, has been delivered to the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF). ACM …

• Naval Warfare

  Bulgarian shipyard unveils new vessel designs

  6th June 2018

  Two new projects were showcased by MTG Delfin for the first time at HEMUS 2018 defence exhibition held Plovdiv, Bulgaria.  The first of these is …

• Defence Notes

  Taiwan F-16 fighter jet crashes, killing pilot

  4th June 2018

  Taiwan’s air force said the pilot of an F-16 fighter jet was killed after his plane crashed on 4 June in the mountains at the …

• Digital Battlespace

  EW Europe 2018: Leonardo launches new BriteCloud variant

  5th June 2018

  Leonardo has unveiled a new, more powerful, variant of its BriteCloud expendable decoy at EW Europe 2018. The new active decoy, BriteCloud 55-T, is capable …

• Defence Notes

  America's 'provocative' Korean military drills

  14th June 2018

  US President Donald Trump's shock decision to suspend ‘war games’, announced after his summit with Kim Jong Un, has left allies scrabbling for a response …

• Training

  Northrop delivers F-35 EW test environment

  10th May 2018

  Northrop Grumman has delivered an integrated electronic warfare (EW) simulation test environment to the US Navy for F-35 fighter aircraft, the company announced on 7 …

• Training

  ITEC 2018: RAAF receives first F-35 trainers

  9th May 2018

  As part of a multi-million dollar investment in infrastructure and training equipment at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Williamtown, New South Wales, the RAAF has now …

• Military Logistics

  US Army looks to fill another boot gap

  12th June 2018

  In the wake of the identification of several ‘boot gaps’ in both US Army and US Marine Corps combat environments, as well as the ongoing …

• Military Logistics

  UK shares industrial base vision

  21st May 2018

  UK defence logisticians have ‘thematically similar’ but ‘slightly nuanced’ industrial base views and challenges when compared to those in the United States. And, in much …

• Naval Warfare

  Pakistan turns to China for modern frigates

  5th June 2018

  The Pakistan Navy (PN) signed a deal with the China Shipbuilding Trading Company (CSTC) on 1 June for two additional Type 054A multi-mission frigates. The …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Denmark

  Denmark joined the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program in 2002 during the System Development and Demonstration phase and has influenced technical elements of the ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Japan

  In 2019, Japan requested to be an official partner in the F-35 programme, but this request was rejected by the Pentagon. The F-35 Joint Strike ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (61-75) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirement In 2009, the Italian MoD planned to purchase 131 F-35 aircraft, which was later reduced to 90. According to the MoD documentation, ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35B (31-40) [Italy]

  Programme Background Requirement In 2009, the Italian MoD planned to purchase 131 F-35 aircraft, which was later reduced to 90. According to the MoD documentation, ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Multirole Fighter (Turkey)

  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Turkey had already paid $1.4 billion into the programme, while its defence industry has ploughed significant sums into ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | F-X III Phase II (F-35)

  South Korea is purchasing an additional 20 F-35 aircraft for about $3.3 billion under the second phase of F-X III programme, according to the Defense ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | F-X III Phase II (F-35)

  South Korea is purchasing an additional 20 F-35 aircraft for about $3.3 billion under the second phase of F-X III programme, according to the Defense ...

• Data links

  Data links | F-X III Phase II (F-35)

  South Korea is purchasing an additional 20 F-35 aircraft for about $3.3 billion under the second phase of F-X III programme, according to the Defense ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | F-X III Phase II (F-35)

  South Korea is purchasing an additional 20 F-35 aircraft for about $3.3 billion under the second phase of F-X III programme, according to the Defense ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | F-X III Phase II (F-35)

  South Korea is purchasing an additional 20 F-35 aircraft for about $3.3 billion under the second phase of F-X III programme, according to the Defense ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  Next-Generation Trainer Aircraft - UAE

  The UAE has a requirement for a next-generation fighter aircraft and possible platforms include F-35, F-16V, F/A-18, Rafale and Su-35. The UAE has historically sought ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (1-32) [Poland]

  Programme Background During MSPO 2021, Lockheed Martin announced details related to F-35A manufacturing for the Polish Air Force. According to J.R McDonald, Lockheed Martin’s VP, business ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A Japan Follow On

  The F-35 full-rate production is expected to be further delayed following an October 2020 US DoD announcement that postponed the simulation tests, originally planned for 2017 ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | F-35B Follow-On UK

  The Royal Air Force is planning to acquire 90 F-35B Joint Strike Fighters from 2026, in addition to the 48 aircraft which London had ordered for delivery ...

• Data links

  Data links | F-35B Follow-On UK

  The Royal Air Force is planning to acquire 90 F-35B Joint Strike Fighters from 2026, in addition to the 48 aircraft which London had ordered for delivery ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air-to-surface missiles, Anti-ship missiles

  JSM

  The Joint Strike Missile (JSM) is a multirole version of the Naval Strike Missile. Norway funded the programme to develop and produce the JSM for the ...

• EO/IR systems

  F-35 Lightning II Advanced EOTS

  The F-35 Lightning II Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) is a sensor that combines targeting forward-looking IR (FLIR) and IR search and track (IRST) capabilities for ...

• Fixed wing aircraft engines

  F135

  The F135, designed and developed by Pratt & Whitney, is one of the most advanced fighter engines in the world that delivers more than 40,000lb ...

• Fighter - multirole, Fighter - naval

  F-35B

  The F-35B Lightning II is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft with short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capability. The USMC is the main customer for the F-35B, ...

• 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 ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  F-35 Gen III HMDS

  The F-35 Gen III helmet-mounted display system (HMDS) is provided by a joint venture between Elbit Systems of America and Rockwell Collins, developed for the F-35 ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A

  The F-35A Lightning II is a fifth-generation multirole combat aircraft with CTOL capabilities. It is a multinational programme led by the US DoD, bringing together ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-80

  The AN/APG-80 is an agile beam radar with an AESA antenna designed to continuously search for and track multiple targets within the forward hemisphere of ...

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  F-35 Training System

  BAE Systems is involved in F-35 Lightning II Training System design and sustainment, working with prime contractor Lockheed Martin. BAE Systems leads the instructional systems ...

• Air: Displays

  Panoramic Cockpit Display

  Developed by L3Harris and Elbit Systems America, the Panoramic Cockpit Display (PCD) is a touchscreen MFD integrated into F-35 aircraft. It provides two electronically divided ...

• Fixed wing aircraft engines

  F414-GE-400

  The F414-GE-400 is a turbofan engine manufactured by GE Aviation and has various advanced technology features such as a Full Authority Digital Electronic Control (FADEC), ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-130J Super Hercules

  The KC-130J Super Hercules is a tanker variant of the C-130J Super Hercules. It is designed to deliver fuel to several platforms, including helicopters and ...

• Airborne rockets - guided

  GBU-53/B StormBreaker

  GBU-53/B StormBreaker is a precision-guided glide bomb developed by Raytheon to equip F-15, F/A-18 and F-35. It is also known as the Small Diameter Bomb II. The StormBreaker includes a ...

• Subsystems: hardware

  Flight Simulation Products

  Bugeye Technologies (BT) manufactures simulated-grade flight grips, controls and avionic displays for fixed-wing, rotary-wing and unmanned crafts. BT's full line of products includes replicated control ...

• Data links

  Multifunction Advanced Data Link

  Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) is a Ku-band data link designed for fifth-generation aircraft. The directional, interflight system is integrated into all F-35 variants, allowing ...