• Defence Notes

  IDEX 2023: US plans to strengthen regional partnerships

  19th February 2023

  Aligned with the National Defense Strategy, Washington intends to enhance joint training and cooperation in the air and missile defence areas in addition to sharing ISR data and information.

• Air Warfare

  Elbit awarded contracts to refit Romanian helicopters, jet trainers

  15th March 2023

  Elbit will supply onboard mission equipment and payloads for Romania's IAR 330 Puma helicopter fleets, as well as new avionics to upgrade the country's IAR 99 trainer jets.

• Training

  Poland receives last batch of M-346 trainer jets

  20th December 2022

  The country now has a fleet of 16 M-346 advanced jet trainers that are replacing the Polish Air Force's ageing TS-11 Iskra training aircraft.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Baykar offers first look at Bayraktar TB3 ahead of UCAV's first flight

  28th March 2023

  Turkish UAV manufacturer Baykar has released images of the in-development Bayraktar TB3 before its imminent first flight.

• Training

  Boeing partners with Shield AI on autonomous pilot programme

  17th March 2023

  The agreement between Boeing and Shield AI will explore autonomous systems implemented into existing and future aircraft.

• Air Warfare

  What would supplying Western fighter jets mean for Ukraine?

  22nd February 2023

  The country currently operates a Soviet-era fleet of fast jets, including Su-24s, Su-25s, Su-27s and MiG-29s that have been in service for over 20 years.

• Air Warfare

  IDEX 2023: Leonardo highlights fifth-generation features of fighter-attack aircraft

  21st February 2023

  The M-346 fighter-attack aircraft is intended as an optimal solution for smaller, less advanced air forces, or can complement more sophisticated jets with higher costs per flight hour.

• Land Warfare

  Claims of Iranian radar's F-35 detection capability remain unsubstantiated

  22nd November 2022

  The upgraded version of Iran's Bavar 373 air defence system is claimed to have an increased detection- and engagement range – but not enough to catch an F-35.

• Naval Warfare

  BAE cuts steel for third Dreadnought submarine

  11th February 2023

  The UK's programme to replace its nuclear deterrent submarines has taken another step forward.

• Naval Warfare

  Netherlands to arm ships and submarines with Tomahawk missiles

  10th April 2023

  The Royal Netherlands Navy will equip submarines and some of its ships with American Tomahawk missiles to strengthen its maritime strike capabilities.

• Defence Notes

  How the Chinese balloon incident will impact future US air threat detection

  16th March 2023

  Although the Pentagon claims that current systems can detect this type of threat, it has confirmed that measures will be taken in order to maintain the US's edge over its adversaries.

• Air Warfare

  Norway signs for AMRAAM-D missiles to equip F-35 fleet

  17th November 2022

  Norway has signed a $500 million dollar agreement for procurement of Raytheon AMRAAM-D missiles to equip its F-35 fighter jet fleet.

• Naval Warfare

  Scathing report criticises management of Australian Hunter-class frigate programme

  11th May 2023

  The fate of the Hunter-class frigate programme rests with a naval review due later this year, but in the meantime, a new auditor's report exposes numerous project management failings.

• Training

  Elbit bags another F-16 training centre contract

  10th January 2023

  Following a recent similar Polish contract, Elbit Systems has been selected to supply an F-16 mission training centre for the Israeli Air Force.

• Air Warfare

  Patria OPTIME ensures fleet performance in all conditions over the entire lifecycle (Sponsored)

  28th February 2023

  Smarter sustainment and ultimate availability: Patria OPTIME combines robust engineering and maintenance expertise with data analysis in a unique way for the sustainment of various kinds of fleets. It ensures that customer fleets are always ready for operations – with optimal costs.

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 ...