• Air Warfare

  Brazil achieves full operational capability for KC-390 transport aircraft

  11th April 2023

  The first C-390 transport aircraft certified to Full Operational Capability standard has begun its handover process to the Brazilian Air Force.

• Air Warfare

  Paris Air Show: Romania orders first batch of Watchkeeper X drones

  21st June 2023

  Romania has awarded Elbit Systems a $180 million purchase order for three Watchkeeper X Tactical UAS, the Israeli firm announced at the Paris Air Show.

• Air Warfare

  Safran nears $1.8 billion deal to acquire Raytheon flight controls unit, reports

  15th June 2023

  France’s Safran is said to be nearing an approximately $1,8 billion deal to acquire a Raytheon Technologies unit that makes flight controls for various aircraft and missiles.

• Defence Helicopter

  India turns to leasing companies to plug military helicopter gaps

  27th July 2023

  India's MoD is inviting proposals for leasing 20 reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters for the Indian Army. Vendors are cautious due to a past unfulfilled naval RfI, but leasing offers new opportunities for defence acquisition.

• Training

  IT2EC 2023: MASA Group develops decision support system

  26th April 2023

  MASA Group has developed a decision support system that integrates its SWORD constructive simulation with command and control (C2) systems to provide commanders with course-of-action (CoA) analysis.

• Air Warfare

  Iraq emerges as customer for Turkish Aselpod airborne targeting system

  21st March 2023

  An Iraqi Air Force Aero L-159 light attack jet has been photographed fitted with an Aselsan Aselpod targeting system, suggesting that Iraq is the export customer announced in by the company in autumn 2022.

• Defence Helicopter

  Heli-One partners with Airbus for UK MoD's New Medium Helicopter programme

  12th July 2023

  Heli-One is partnering with Airbus to provide gearbox maintenance services for the H175M helicopter if Airbus wins the UK MoD's New Medium Helicopter competition.

• Air Warfare

  Boeing joins Airbus team in bid for UK New Medium Helicopter

  6th March 2023

  Boeing has teamed up with the Airbus-led H175M Task Force in the $1.15bn New Medium Helicopter programme bid to replace the UK armed forces' ageing Puma fleet from 2025.

• Defence Helicopter

  Paris Air Show: Bell to deliver virtual cockpit and prototype aircraft for US Army's FLRAA

  23rd June 2023

  With the protest procedure concluded for the US Army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft competition, Bell and the service have resumed work, focussing on the success of the programme.

• 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.

• Training

  Paris Air Show: New cockpit voice recorder certified for T-6 trainer aircraft

  20th June 2023

  The US FAA has approved installation of Curtiss-Wright's Fortress CVR25 cockpit recorder to upgrade T-6 Texan II trainer aircraft worldwide.

• Air Warfare

  General Atomics to provide launch systems for next Ford-class aircraft carrier

  12th June 2023

  General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) will provide production, manufacturing, engineering, programme management, logistics support and information assurance as well as launch and arrestor system shipsets for the USS Doris Miller.

• Air Warfare

  Paris Air Show: France makes decision on medium-range loitering antitank munition

  19th June 2023

  A team consisting of Nexter, EOS Technologie and TRAAK has been awarded a contract to develop an armour-piercing loitering munition with a secondary ISR capability for the French Army.

• Air Warfare

  Finland prepares for F-35 fighter's arrival, contemplates fate of ageing F/A-18 Hornets amid NATO cooperation

  5th April 2023

  Finland is preparing to replace its aging fleet of F/A-18 fighters with the F-35A. The delivery of the new equipment is expected to take years, and the fate of the decommissioned Hornets remains uncertain.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Royal Navy selects Animal Dynamics parafoil UAV for second phase of Heavy Lift challenge

  14th March 2023

  With a payload capacity of 135kg, the Stork STM can fly up to 400km using a parafoil wing to generate lift.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light attack, Trainer

  PC-21 (Project Air 5428) [Australia]

  The new PTS, including aircraft, flight training simulators and learning environments is being acquired from a single capability contractor, Team 21, which consists of Lockheed ...

• Transport, Transport/tanker aircraft

  Project Air 7404 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement Australia is thinking ahead to an enlarged transport fleet to replace the current C-130Js. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was the second ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-35A (Project Air 6000 Phase 2A/B) [Australia]

  Programme Background The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) took delivery of 18 F-35A aircraft as of March 2020 and the remaining aircraft are expected to ...

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

  Loyal Wingman [Australia]

  Background Older Efforts On 23 April 2021, the US State Department's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) approval announcement revealed that Australia had requested to buy up ...

• Data links

  Data links | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Hawk 127 Replacement (Future Lead-In Fighter Training System- Project Air 6002 PH1) [Australia]

  In June 2020, Australia issued a Request for Information (RfI) for a Future Lead-In Fighter Training System (LIFTS) in a requirement called Project Air 6002 Phase ...

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

  Project Vixen [UK]

  Programme Background Project Goal The Royal Navy uses Leonardo crewed Merlin (AW101) helicopters fitted with CROWSNEST pods to provide airborne early warning capabilities for carriers. An early ...

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

  Project Air 7003 [Australia]

  Programme Background Requirement The Royal Australian Air Force has been without a UAS capability since the Heron was withdrawn in mid-2017. According to Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [USN]

  Programme Background Requirement The USN wants to acquire carrier-capable loyal wingman drones. These drones will have a high level of autonomy, allowing them to work alongside crewed ...

• Patrol boats

  Evolved Cape Class (11-12) [Australia]

  Programme Background Austal was awarded a contract to build six 'Evolved'Cape-class patrol boats for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on 1 May 2020 (see separate ...

• OPVs

  Arafura Class (Project SEA 1180) (1-6) [Australia]

  Programme Background Australia's new class of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), the Arafura-class, will replace the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) fleet of Armidale and Cape-class patrol ...

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

  MQ-28 Ghost Bat [Australia]

  Background Goal As stated by the Head of Air Force Capability, Air Vice-Marshal Robert Denney, in March 2022, the Ghost Bat will be an "operational system ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  MQ-4C Triton (Option) [Australia]

  Programme Background Four Contracted Units In the summer of 2020, Northrop Grumman announced that the Australian Government provided $333 million for three MQ-4C Tritons and associated ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Air-5416 Project Echidna

  Air-5416 Project Echidna was an initiative launched in 2001 by BAE Systems for the Australian DoD. Its goal was to overhaul the self protection systems ...

• Air: helicopter flight simulators

  Australian Defence Force MRH90 Training

  As prime contractor for the ADF's MRH90 training programme, CAE has provided two MRH90 full-flight mission simulators (FFMS), training facilities and engineering and support services. ...

• Trainer

  King Air trainer

  Textron / Beechcraft King Air trainers are a family twin-engine aircraft based on King Air 90, 100, 200 and 350 utility aircraft. The King Air ...

• AMAS

  AMAS – Australian Minesweeping System – was developed with the assistance of the Defence Science & Technology Organisation and the Royal Australian Navy. It adopts ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  RAAF Hawk Mk 127 FMS

  Under subcontract to BAE Systems, CAE is designing and manufacturing three Hawk Mk 127 full-mission simulators (FMS) for the Royal Australian Air Force that will ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers

  AN/ALQ-210

  Lockheed Martin’s AN/ALQ-210 is an Electronic Support Measure (ESM) outfitting the Sikorsky MH-60R Romeo naval support helicopter. The manufacturer’s official literature says that the product ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Wanderer

  The Wanderer is a low-altitude, low-cost, long-endurance UAV produced in-house by the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) Jericho Disruptive Innovation Group and the Australian Government's Defense Science ...

• Light attack

  Hawk 200

  The Hawk 200 is a single-seat light attack iteration of the Hawk 100 (see separate entry) and Advanced Jet Trainer or AJT (see separate entry). ...

• Maritime patrol

  Challenger 604

  Bombardier Challenger CL-604 MPAs are in service with the Royal Danish Air Force and the Korea Coast Guard. The first of three Danish aircraft entered ...

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

  MQ-28A Ghost Bat

  The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is a loyal wingman type MALE fixed-wing drone being developed by Boeing Defence Australia. Its development began in 2013 and took its first ...

• Air: UAV simulators

  Predator Mission Trainer (PMT)

  The CAE Predator Mission Trainer (PMT) is an integrated platform that combines the features of CAE's UAS mission trainer with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Predator-specific ...

• Air: COMINT and ELINT systems

  AN/ALR-2001

  BAE Systems’ AN/ALR-2001 Electronic Support Measure (ESM) is thought to be based on Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Elta Systems division’s EL/M-8382 ESM. The AN/ALR-2001 is ...

• Military UAS - micro, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Phantom 4 (Series)

  Designed for aerial photograph applications by DJI, the Phantom 4 series of UAVs includes the Phantom 4 Pro, Phantom 4 Pro V2.0, Phantom 4 Advanced ...

• Submarine-launched torpedoes

  Mk 48 Mod 7AT CBASS

  The MK 48 MOD 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) is the latest variant of the Mk 48 torpedo family manufactured by Lockheed Martin and ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  M Solar-X

  First revealed in August 2020, in February 2024, at its symposium, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) showcased the M Solar-X. This solar-powered fixed-wing drone was ...