• Defence Notes

  Taiwan asks US for new fighter jets to defend against China

  8th March 2019

  Taiwan has made a formal request to the United States for new fighter jets to defend itself against increasing Chinese threats, Deputy Defence Minister Shen …

• Defence Notes

  MBDA encouraged by orders from ‘complex and challenging’ year

  20th March 2019

  Weapons manufacturer MBDA is taking heart from a 2018 orders intake which amounted to €4 billion ($4.6 billion), equivalent to €2.5 billion from domestic markets …

• Naval Warfare

  US warship cruises disputed sea in Philippine war games

  11th April 2019

  A US warship laden with hi-tech fighter planes took centre stage at key war games in the Philippines on 11 April, brandishing military might as …

• Military Logistics

  Lockheed, AIM Norway to establish F-16 MRO centre

  15th March 2019

  Lockheed Martin has signed an agreement with AIM Norway to jointly establish an F-16 ‘Falcon Depot’ centre for the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) and …

• Defence Notes

  Avalon 2019: F-35 makes lightning start in Australia

  26th February 2019

  Two F-35A Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) are attending the Avalon Air Show. This pair of fighters is now …

• Military Logistics

  LAAD 2019: First KC-390 delivery on the horizon

  2nd April 2019

  Brazil’s flagship aviation project moves closer to yet another milestone as the first of Embraer’s KC-390 tanker/transport aircraft is set to be delivered in the …

• Military Logistics

  Moog to support F-35 MRO work in Australia

  22nd February 2019

  Moog Australia has been selected to support the repair, overhaul and upgrade of the F-35 aircraft components in Australia, the company announced on 20 February …

• Military Logistics

  Avalon 2019: Rheinmetall offers ammo for Aussie F-35s

  26th February 2019

  As the Royal Australian Air Force anticipates the expansion of its F-35A Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) fleet in the country, Rheinmetall Defence Australia announced that …

• Training

  Avalon 2019: Australian Hawk support contract extended

  1st March 2019

  The Australian Government and BAE Systems have signed a contract extension for in-service support for the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) Hawk Mk 127 lead-in-fighter …

• Military Logistics

  ATCD wins F-35 sustainment contract

  21st February 2019

  The US Department of Defence has selected Avionics Test Center Denmark (ATCD) for the maintenance of avionics (16 components) for the F-35 fighter aircraft, Terma …

• Military Logistics

  Keel authenticated for LHA 8

  20th March 2019

  Construction of the US Navy's third America-class amphibious assault ship, Bougainville (LHA 8), is well underway at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division, with …

• Special Operations

  USSOCOM highlights transition and transformation

  6th April 2019

  In a keynote address at the March 2019 Global SOF Foundation US Symposium in Tampa Bay, FL, Vice Admiral Tim Szymanski, Deputy Commander, USSOCOM, highlighted …

• Training

  USMC conducts training at Northrop Grumman’s DTC

  18th March 2019

  Northrop Grumman’s Distributed Training Center (DTC) at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia has been used by the US Marine Corps (USMC) for the first time …

• Defence Notes

  Trump seeks $33 billion hike in US DoD budget

  12th March 2019

  The US DoD would receive $718 billion in FY2020, a $33 billion or 5% increase from the FY2019 enacted level, under the Trump administration’s newly …

• Digital Battlespace

  LIMA 2019: Malaysian radio launched

  27th March 2019

  Sapura Thales Electronics (STE), a JV established between Sapura and Thales in 1996, launched a second-generation VHF radio called the TRC 5200 at LIMA 2019. …

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 ...

• Guided munitions

  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 ...