• Land Warfare

  DefExpo 2020: M777 is going great guns in India

  7th February 2020

  A total of 29 M777A2 towed howitzers have been delivered to India to date, with the weapons being delivered according to schedule. Interestingly, India might also have an option …

• Defence Helicopter

  Poland seeks new naval helicopters

  17th January 2020

  The Polish Navy plans to modernise its aviation fleet through the procurement of a series of multirole helicopters, starting a new ‘technical dialogue’ with industry. …

• Training

  UK adds long-overdue helicopter aircrew training capacity

  22nd January 2020

  The UK MoD has signed a £183 million ($240 million) Military Flying Training System (MFTS) contract to add capacity to train rotary-wing pilots, filling a long-overdue shortfall. This …

• Air Warfare

  Singapore Airshow 2020: Malaysian air force grapples with fighter shortages

  5th February 2020

  Gen Ackbal Samad assumed command of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) on 3 January, making him the fifth chief who will have to grapple with …

• Defence Helicopter

  BAE Systems Controls receives engineering order modification

  23rd January 2020

  BAE Systems Controls has received a $7.7 million modification to a previously awarded delivery order from US Naval Air Systems Command. The modification provides for …

• Defence Helicopter

  RAF Puma fleet hits 30,000 flying hours

  29th January 2020

  The Royal Air Force (RAF) Puma helicopter fleet has achieved 30,000 flying hours since the Puma 2 helicopter came into service in 2015. Operated by …

• Defence Helicopter

  Mi-38T gains export customer

  29th January 2020

  Rosoboronexport has announced the signing of the first export contract to a foreign customer of the Mi-38T helicopter. The customer has not been named. The …

• Defence Helicopter

  Airbus Helicopters awarded UH-72 support IDIQ contract

  14th January 2020

  Airbus Helicopters will provide performance-based logistics (PBL) support for US military UH-72 aircraft, the US Department of Defense announced on 13 January. Airbus Helicopters was …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  DefExpo 2020: IAI cements UAV ties in India

  6th February 2020

  IAI strengthened its hand with the Indian military by signing an MoU with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Dynamatic Technologies Limited (DTL) on 5 February, …

• Defence Notes

  Rostec comes to the fore as Russia seeks private investment

  4th February 2020

  Senior officials have indicated that the Russian government intends to accelerate its search for private investment in unprofitable military assets, particularly enterprises controlled by the …

• Naval Warfare

  Is the Philippine Navy’s modernisation rudderless?

  27th February 2020

  Amidst the controversy surrounding Manila’s termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement with the US, the Philippine Navy (PN) finds itself in a peculiar position as …

• Defence Helicopter

  Lockheed Martin awarded missile contract modification

  17th January 2020

  Lockheed Martin has received a $9.8 million contract modification from the US Army, the US Department of Defense announced on 16 January. The company will …

• Defence Helicopter

  CMV-22B Osprey​ in first flight operations

  22nd January 2020

  The first CMV-22B Osprey aircraft has carried out its first flight operations at Bell’s Amarillo Assembly Center. The aircraft, built by Boeing and Bell Textron …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing responds to German heavy-lift helicopter tender

  14th January 2020

  Boeing is offering the H-47 Chinook for the German armed forces’ New Heavy Lift Helicopter Schwerer Transporthubschrauber (STH) programme, the company announced on 14 January. …

• Defence Helicopter

  Winning streak continues as Leonardo scoops USN trainer award

  14th January 2020

  Leonardo has beaten off competition from Airbus, Bell and two other contenders to win the USN’s TH-73A trainer helicopter programme, with its offer coming in $265 million …

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 helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G Lebanon

  The Armed MD 530G Scout Attack Helicopter features next-generation all-glass cockpit that includes: two Genesys Aerosystems IDU-680 6” x 9” LCD primary displays, Tek Fusion ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  Project Land 2097 Phase 4 - Australia

  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 already in ...

• 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 (LAH) Forecast (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 (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 ...

• APCs/IFVs - 8x8, Tanks

  Tracked & Wheeled Light Tank (Philippines)

  Programme Background The decision to split the programme into a wheeled and a tracked element follows the belief of the Philippine Army that this will ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M - France

  Programme Background In April 2021, the French government signed a deal for the purchase of eight H225M Airbus helicopters to replace its ageing fleet of SA330 ...

• 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 - multirole

  H145M (Contracted) [Germany]

  Programme Background Previous Usage The German Armed Forces ordered 15 H145M helicopters, with the initial two delivered in December 2015, for the Kommando Spezialkräfte. These ...

• 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 ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawk [Greece]

  Programme Background Contract In July 2019, the US State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of MH-60R helicopters to Greece for an estimated cost ...

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 ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 530G

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

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Helicopter Armour

  Armor of America (AoA) produces custom armour kits for any rotary-wing aircraft. AoA helicopter armour protects areas such as the cockpit floor and doors, cabin ...

• 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 ...

• HEMS Completions

  RSG has been providing modification, retrofit, completion services and component overhaul to the air medical industry for over 38 years on aircraft produced by Airbus ...

• HS-16600

  Breeze-Eastern's HS-16600 external electric hoist system is operational on the Leonardo Helicopters AW109 and AW119, Bell Helicopter 206 and 222, and MD 500. It is ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  MD 500

  The 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 the ...

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

  KUS-VH

  The Korean Air KUS-VH is a large, rotary-wing UAV based on the MD 500. The first flight of the platform took place in early 2017. ...

• 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 ...

• InSight Integrated Flight Deck

  InSight features embedded synthetic vision with advanced mapping capability, electronic charts, radio control and broadcast weather. With fewer required external line replaceable units for essential ...