• Defence Helicopter

  Sea-Air-Space 2019: FAA to sign off on TH-119 IFR certification

  7th May 2019

  The FAA is due to approve IFR certification for Leonardo’s US Navy TH-XX training helicopter entrant – the TH-119 single engine aircraft – within ‘the …

• Naval Warfare

  USCG transfers third HC-130J to Kodiak

  22nd April 2019

  The US Coast Guard transferred an HC-130J Super Hercules long range surveillance aircraft to Air Station Kodiak, Alaska at the end of March 2019. The …

• Defence Notes

  Northrop receives AARGM-ER EMD contract

  13th March 2019

  Northrop Grumman has received a $322.5 million contract from the US Navy for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) of the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range …

• Special Operations

  SOF helmet program awarded

  17th April 2019

  The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has awarded Gentex a USD $95m contract to provide operators with a next-generation modular integrated communications helmet (MICH) under …

• Naval Warfare

  RAAF receives latest P-8A Poseidon

  11th April 2019

  The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has received its newest P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, the Australian Department of Defence announced on 9 April. The …

• Naval Warfare

  GAO disputes reliability of Columbia class costs

  12th April 2019

  The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) says that the US Navy’s (USN) costing figures for its new Columbia-class SSBNs may be unreliable.  A recently released …

• Military Logistics

  Liebherr delivers mobile and recovery cranes to Bundeswehr

  4th April 2019

  Liebherr-Werk Ehingen has delivered the first of 71 protected mobile and recovery cranes to the German Bundeswehr, Rheinmetall announced on 1 April.   In June …

• Special Operations

  SOFINS 2019: French Special Operations Command shows off new flight suit

  4th April 2019

  The French Special Operations Command (COS) has designed its very own next-generation tactical flight suit for air crew members, service officials have disclosed to Shephard. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  UK Coastguard to step up unmanned integration efforts

  3rd April 2019

  The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is set to begin a drone trial ‘in the coming weeks’ as part of plans to evaluate and …

• Military Logistics

  LIMA 2019: RMAF focuses on MRO out of necessity

  1st April 2019

  The Malaysian government put a positive gloss on LIMA 2019 in Langkawi, stating that MYR3.67 billion’s ($913.8 million) worth of deals was concluded. These included …

• 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 …

• Naval Warfare

  USCG receives new missionised aircraft

  19th March 2019

  The US Coast Guard (USCG) received its ninth HC-130J Super Hercules long range surveillance aircraft equipped with the Minotaur mission system suite on 8 March. …

• Defence Notes

  NATO takes Huawei security concerns seriously: Stoltenberg

  15th March 2019

  Security concerns about the role of Huawei in Western 5G telecom infrastructure are to be taken seriously, the head of NATO said on 14 March …

• 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 …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  USMC looks to buy Reaper UAVs

  14th March 2019

  The USMC wants to begin buying a handful of MQ-9A Reaper UAVs in FY2020 to meet an ‘urgent operational need,’ according to a US Navy …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - naval

  F/A-18E/F Super Hornet (Kuwait)

  The sale of the F/A- l8E/F Super Hornet aircraft will improve Kuwait's capability to meet current and future warfare threats. The jets will supplement and ...

• Fighter - naval

  Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighters (MRCBF) [India]

  Programme Background RFI / Requirments In January 2017, India issued an RFI for the procurement of 57 multirole naval fighters. The RFI for the Indian Navy ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Multi-Role Combat Aircraft [Malaysia]

  Programme Background Requirement Malaysia has long had a requirement known as the Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) designed to replace the MiG-29 fleet. The MRCA programme ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Project Air 6000 Phase 7 (Australia)

  Programme Background Responding to a query from Shephard at the Classic Hornet farewell ceremony, Air Cdre Tim Alsop, Commander Air Combat Group, said, ‘At the ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Future Fighter Capability Project [Canada]

  Programme Background Canada’s defence policy estimates the acquisition of the aircraft, associated equipment and setup to enable entry into service will cost C$15-19 billion ($12.9-14.5 billion). In ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Swiss Air 2030 - Combat Aircraft

  Programme Background Switzerland began the latest phase of flight and ground tests on 8 April 2019. In June 2019, Saab announced that the company’s in-development ...

• Fighter - multirole

  MRCA - Multi Role Combat Aircraft (Fighter)

  Launched years ago, the Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) programme is notorious internationally of the serpentine nature of Indian military procurements. Under the MMRCA, the ...

• Fighter - multirole, Trainer

  MRCA - Multi Role Combat Aircraft (Trainer)

  Launched years ago, the Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) programme is notorious internationally of the serpentine nature of Indian military procurements. Under the MMRCA, the ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F/A-18C/D (Secondhand) [Malaysia]

  Programme Background Requirement Malaysia has required new multirole aircraft since the early 2010s, for which the country's Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) programme was launched in ...

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

  DEF129 Nano UAS [Australia]

  Programme Background DEF129 The Australian Ground Service has combined various army procurement efforts under the DEF129 programme to increase the abundance and proliferation of UAVs ...

• Military UAS - small

  Black Hornet 3 PRS (UK)

  Programme Background The British Army operated approximately 160 first-generation Black Hornet PD-100 nano UAS between 2013 and 2017, when the decision was made to retire ...

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

  Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase I) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) provides short-range day and night ISR to US Army units at the squad, platoon and other small ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase II) [USA]

  In 2018, the US Army selected the FLIR Systems Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System (PRS) for Phase I of its Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) programme. ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase II) [USA]

  In 2018, the US Army selected the FLIR Systems Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance System (PRS) for Phase I of its Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) programme. ...

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

  French Operational Pocket Drone / DrOP (France)

  Programme Background French UAV Procurment / DrOP Under its 2019-2025 Military Programming Law (LPM), France aims to introduce 1,200 new UAVs into service with the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  F/A-18C/D

  The F/A-18 C/D ('KAF-18' in Kuwait) Hornet replaced the original A and B Hornet models, seeking to correct problems with range and acceleration. After success ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  USN F/A-18E/F TOFT

  L3Harris Technologies' F/A-18 simulation capability extends to the Super Hornet E/F configuration. These Tactical Operational Flight Trainers (TOFTs) – based on L3Harris Technologies' F/A-18 simulator ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

  The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet was developed to perform naval strike missions for the USN. The primary mission for the F/A-18E/F is a strike fighter that ...

• 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 ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-79

  The AN/APG-79 is an agile beam radar with a solid-state digital array that scans at nearly the speed of light, enabling detection and tracking of ...

• Air: aerial targets

  BQM-34 Firebee

  The BQM-34 Firebee is an uncrewed aerial target system that the USAF and USN have used for more than 50 years. The primary mission of ...

• Airborne rockets - guided

  Laser Guided Zuni

  The Laser Guided Zuni has a 40lb warhead that is deployable against both fixed and moving targets. It is designed to attack fixed and fleeting ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F/A-18A/B

  The F/A-18 Hornet A and B aircraft, or F-18A/B ('CF-18' in Canada and 'EF-18' in Spain), were the first models in the USN’s line of ...

• Land: RWS

  Hornet T1/T2/T3

  The Hornet is an RWS designed to be fitted to the French Army's armoured fighting vehicles. It is available in four versions – the Hornet, ...

• Fighter - electronic warfare

  EA-18G Growler

  The EA-18G Growler is a variant in the F/A-18 family of aircraft that combines the F/A-18F Super Hornet platform with a sophisticated electronic warfare suite. It ...

• 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), ...

• Air: Displays

  GH-4200

  L3Harris GH-4200 Electronic Standby Instrument System (ESIS) is a repeater display designed for F-15 and F/A-18 aircraft.

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

  Black Hornet 3

  The Black Hornet 3 is the next generation of the PD-100 Black Hornet, the world's smallest nano-UAS. This new model of the Black Hornet provides ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  F/A-18E/F and EA-18G TOFT

  In support of the USN Super Hornet programme, Boeing has delivered and declared ready for training four F/A-18E/F Tactical Operational Flight Trainers (TOFTs) at NAS ...

• Military UAS - mini, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  TETTRON Hornet

  The TETTRON Hornet, or T450 Hornet, is a mini rotary wing platform designed for cargo-carrying missions. Manufactured by Thunder Tiger Group, the Taiwanese drone is ...