• Air Warfare

  Northrop Grumman says no to prime role on US Air Force NGAD fighter programme

  28th July 2023

  'We're not planning to respond to the NGAD request for proposal as the prime,' Northrop Grumman's CEO said, revealing the company's decision to opt out of heading up the USAF's Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme.

• Defence Notes

  NZ issues important documents outlining defence and national security strategies

  9th August 2023

  New Zealand issued three important policy documents in one day, all relating to defence and security for the small Pacific nation.

• Land Warfare

  AUSA 2023: US Army considers returning Iron Domes to Israel in the face of attacks by Hamas

  10th October 2023

  Although the list of systems and solutions to be sent to Jerusalem by the US government has not been defined yet, the possibility of shipping back those solutions has not been ruled out.

• Land Warfare

  US Army concludes LTAMDS contractor verification testing

  3rd October 2023

  Trials at the White Sands Missile Range assessed the design and performance of LTAMDS against real and simulated threats.

• Land Warfare

  Bulgaria gets billion-dollar green light to buy Stryker armoured vehicles

  5th September 2023

  The sale of 183 General Dynamics Land Systems Stryker armoured fighting vehicles to Bulgaria in a range of variants has been approved by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) as a Foreign Military Sale in a deal worth $1.5 billion.

• Air Warfare

  France enters talks with Saudi Arabia for potential sale of 54 Rafale fighter jets

  25th October 2023

  Saudi Arabia had officially requested a detailed quote from Dassault for 54 Rafale fighter jets, with a deadline of November 10 for a response. The estimated cost for the deal could rise to nearly US$8 billion.

• Training

  US Air Force's largest exercise bolsters combat readiness and joint force integration

  26th July 2023

  Amidst a complex threat environment, this year's Red Flag exercise prioritises joint force operations, agility and aerial refuelling capabilities while preparing for nation-state and non-state actor threats.

• Land Warfare

  GDLS studies M10 Booker armoured recovery vehicle

  9th November 2023

  The MWRV will support the M10 Booker Combat Vehicle and has been in LRIP with 96 scheduled to be produced before 2026.

• Training

  Synthetic training capability demonstrated to UK Royal Navy

  5th September 2023

  QinetiQ, Inzpire and BAE Systems have completed a demonstration of the Platform Enabled Training Capability (PETC) to the UK Royal Navy, a system designed to provide immersive collective training across multiple platforms for increased readiness and cost savings.

• Air Warfare

  Quantum-Systems’ clientele grows globally as company builds up family of sUAVs.

  29th June 2023

  The US subsidiary of Germany's Quantum-Systems has chalked up a number of new orders and customer demonstrations for its Vector UAS and plans to build up a family of different models.

• Air Warfare

  Software upgrade to French Reaper UAVs allows for operations over home territory

  9th August 2023

  France has completed trials of a software upgrade to a General Atomics Reaper Block 5 UAV which allows the country’s fleet of aircraft to operate from French bases and over French territory.

• Air Warfare

  US Air Force continues to invest in eVTOL capabilities

  1st August 2023

  Under the latest investment, Archer Aviation will supply up to six Midnight eVTOL aircraft to the USAF, designed for short-distance trips and capable of carrying four passengers and a pilot.

• Naval Warfare

  Rheinmetall to provide Australia with smart sea mines

  29th August 2023

  Rheinmetall subsidiary, RWM Italia, has been awarded a multi-million-euro order from Australia to deliver smart sea mines, the first time that the country will have such a capability in decades.

• Defence Notes

  US lawmakers to fund nearly $12 billion multi-year contracts for weapons

  3rd August 2023

  Authorisation of the US Senate Committee on Appropriations to progress with long-term acquisitions acquisition would benefit eight programmes.

• Air Warfare

  B-2 stealth bomber receives new digital communications system

  10th August 2023

  Northrop Grumman and the USAF have completed an integrated airborne mission transfer (IAMT) demonstrator with the B-2 Spirit at Whiteman Air Force Base.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Data links

  Data links | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-390 [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirement The aircraft deliveries were scheduled to start by the end of 2016 and continue over a period of ten years. However,  the first ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-130H Replacement [Sweden]

  Programme Background Requirements Sweden has five C-130H aircraft (designated Tp-84) and one KC-130H. Two C-130Es bought in the 1960s have retired, but the six H ...

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

  Hermes 900 [Chile]

  Methodology Unit cost In 2024, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) acquired one Hermes 900 for 50 million reais ($9.14 million), giving each drone an estimated ...

• Fighter - multirole

  JAS 39E/F Gripen [Brazil]

  Background In 2016, Gripen’s Project and Development Center was opened in Sao Paulo to allow Sweedish and Brazillian engineers to work together in the Gripen ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  H145M [Brazil]

  Background  Brazilian leadership announced in February 2022 that the Sabre Mil Mi-35M Hind-E attack helicopters were being retired from active service. This decision came as a ...

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

  Hermes 900 [Colombia]

  Methodology Unit cost In 2024, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) acquired one Hermes 900 for 50 million reais ($9.14 million), giving each drone an estimated gross ...

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

  Hermes 900 (5) [Brazil]

  Background First three batches (2014-2024) Across three purchases, Defence Insight estimates that Brazil has acquired five Hermes 900 UAVs. In 2014, Elbit reported supplying one ...

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

  Hermes 900 (1-4) [Brazil]

  Background First batch (2014) In 2014, Elbit reported supplying one Hermes 900 UAV to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The drone is called the RQ-900 in Brazilian ...

• Maritime patrol

  C295 add-on [Brazil]

  Programme Background  In 2014 Brazil signed a contracted for two additional C-295 SAR platforms with the option to acquire one additional platform. In 2018, reports ...

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

  Hermes 900 [Undisclosed European Country]

  Background Various Contracts On 18 November 2024, Elbit Systems announced it had awarded various contacts with a combined $335 million to an undisclosed European country. ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air-to-surface missiles

  MAR-1

  The MAR-1 is a Brazilian air-to-surface anti-radiation missile (ARM) developed by Mectron in collaboration with the Aerospace Technology and Science Department (DCTA) of the Brazilian ...

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

  Harpia

  Described as the UAV with the most onboard technology in Latin America, Harpia is a multifunctional fixed-wing Brazilian drone developed by Advanced Technologies Security & Defence.  The Uruguayan ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  EMB-312 Tucano

  The EMB-312 Tucano (Brazilian designation T-27) is a trainer and light attack aircraft developed by Embraer to meet the training requirements of the Brazilian Air ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  TPTS

  Tactical Procedures Training Simulators (TPTS), operating with SWARM software, can be used to provide most core training elements to pilots or offload training tasks from ...

• Guided munitions

  SMKB (Smart-MK-Bomb)

  The Smart-MK-Bomb, or the SMKB, is a precision guidance kit developed by Mectron and designed to turn Mk 82 and Mk 83 bombs into guided munitions.

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Albatroz Vortex

  The Albatroz Vortex from Stella Tecnologia is a development of the company's Albatroz UAV.  The key differentiator is that the Vortex is fitted with an ATJR ...

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

  Condor

  The Condor, or Atobá XR, is an in-development MALE-class UAV from Stella Technologia.  The development of the multi-role is tied to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), which has ...

• Trainer, Transport

  EMB-121 Xingu

  The EMB-121 Xingu is a twin-turboprop light transport and advanced multi-engine trainer aircraft developed by Embraer based on the EMB-110 Bandeirante. Its maiden flight was ...

• Land: battle management systems

  Arkhe Mission & Combat

  Launched in 2017, Atech's Arkhe Mission & Combat solutions offer a variety of solutions enabling operator to conduct missions from planning to execution and debriefing. It ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-390/C-390 Millennium

  The KC-390 is a high-wing, twin-turbofan, T-tail design intended to meet the needs of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) for a tanker/transport aircraft. Developed and ...

• Fighter - air superiority

  F-5E/F Tiger II

  The F-5E (single-seat)/F (twin-seat) Tiger II is an air superiority fighter developed by Northrop Grumman based on the original F-5 Freedom Fighter. Production of the ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M

  The medium-weight, 11t-class H225M (formerly known as the EC725) is the latest military Super Puma/Cougar family member.  Technical features include a modular design of mechanical ...

• EO/IR systems

  Skyward

  The SkyWard system is an advanced Infrared Search and Track (IRST) solution developed for next-generation airborne platforms, including 5th-generation fighter aircraft.  Designed with modularity in ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Saber M60

  The Saber M60 is a low-altitude air-defence radar developed by the Brazilian Army's CTEx (Army Technology Centre) in collaboration with Bradar, part of Embraer Defence ...

• Man-portable missile systems

  RBS 70 system

  The RBS 70 was developed in the 1970s to meet the Swedish Army’s requirement for a low-cost, easy-to-use MANPADS which could function in extreme climatic ...