• Digital Battlespace

  Hensoldt to acquire Kelvin Hughes

  5th July 2017

  German sensor house Hensoldt is set to acquire UK radar company Kelvin Hughes from UK private equity firm ECI and management, Hensoldt announced on 30 June. …

• Naval Warfare

  Air Power 2017: UK MPA squadrons announced

  13th July 2017

  The reformation of 120 Squadron and 201 Squadron, RAF, will see the first P-8 Poseidon MPAs operated from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray to protect the …

• Defence Notes

  Air Power 2017: RAF looks to regain competitive edge

  12th July 2017

  Having 'lost its competitive edge' in air warfare, the Royal Air Force (RAF) needs to exploit technologies such as cloud computing and airborne communications networks, a …

• Defence Helicopter

  Iranian heliport receives Bell 214s (gallery)

  11th July 2017

  The second air base/heliport of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard of Corps (IRGCAA), named Seyyed al-Shahada, was officially established during a ceremony on 4 July 2017 …

• Digital Battlespace

  Rostec unveils naval weapon system Pantsir-ME

  3rd July 2017

  Rostec subsidiary Tula KBP has introduced Pantsir-ME, a naval missile and anti-aircraft artillery weapon, Rostec announced on 28 June.  The weapon system is designed to provide …

• Land Warfare

  India test fires QRSAM

  6th July 2017

  India has successfully test-fired the indigenously-developed Quick Reaction Surface-To-Air Missile (QRSAM) at the Chandipur integrated test range off the Odisha coast, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced …

• Digital Battlespace

  Australia to upgrade E-7A Wedgetail

  7th July 2017

  The Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF's) E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control capability is set for an upgrade, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) …

• Digital Battlespace

  Paris Air Show: Upgraded Rafale set for trials

  13th June 2017

  The French Air Force is on track to carry out qualification trials of the new ‘F3R’ standard Dassault Rafale next year, which will include testing …

• Land Warfare

  Croatia completes PzH 2000 test firing

  4th July 2017

  The Croatian armed forces has successfully completed live test firing of three PzH 2000 howitzers at the Eugen Kvaternik training range near Slunj, the Croatian Ministry …

• Digital Battlespace

  ViaSat receives MIDS JTRS contract

  29th June 2017

  ViaSat will supply Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) to the US Navy and US Air Force (USAF) under a $88.3 …

• Defence Helicopter

  MANPADS threat pushes AMPS development

  4th July 2017

  BIRD Aerosystems has further developed its Airborne Missile Protection System (AMPS) and Aeroshield Pod due to the increased proliferation of MANPADS, the company told Shephard at the Paris …

• Defence Helicopter

  Thai army to buy four more Black Hawks

  3rd July 2017

  The Royal Thai Army (RTA) will order four more UH-60M Black Hawks from Sikorsky after receiving US congressional approval. This acquisition will enable the RTA …

• Training

  Paris Air show: Leonardo pushes M-346 for ASDOT

  19th June 2017

  Leonardo will be looking to offer up its M-346 training aircraft for the UK’s Air Support for Defence Operational Training (ASDOT) requirement, the company confirmed …

• Naval Warfare

  HII to build Flight III DDG 125

  30th June 2017

  The Ingalls Shipbuilding division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has been awarded a contract modification by the US Navy to incorporate the Flight III upgrades to …

• Defence Notes

  Paris Air Show: F-35 makes its debut (video)

  21st June 2017

  The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II made its Paris Air Show debut and first flight demonstration to the public at Le Bourget.  Alan Norman, chief test …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Light attack, Trainer

  IAR-99 Replacement (Romania)

  On 29 August 2017, Leonardo announced that the IAR-99 trainer technology demonstrator (TD) will be fitted with company's Vixen 500E AESA radar. The Vixen 500E AESA ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V [Türkiye]

  Programme Background Requirement Turkish Air Force ordered 100 F-35A aircraft as a partner nation, however, the country was removed from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  AW101-Norway

  AgustaWestland is also providing initial support and training services, including spares at each of the operating bases and aircrew training. It will then provide performance ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Horizon 2 - Multirole Fighter Programme [Philippines]

  Programme Background Requirement The Philippines wants a fighter able to perform score missions such as air-to-air combat, air-to-ground tasks and reconnaissance, including over water. It ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Project Halcon I [Spain]

  Programme Background The Spanish Air Force began requirements assessments, although potential suppliers including Boeing (F/A-18E/F), Lockheed Martin (F-35), Airbus-BAE-Leonardo (Eurofighter Typhoon) are already engaged with ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Multi Role Combat Aircraft [Bangladesh]

  Programme Background The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) continues its quest to acquire a new multirole combat aircraft. Under the country’s Forces Goal 2030 plan, which ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-15SA Saudi Arabia

  The aircraft deal includes 170 APG-63(v)3 AESA radar sets, 193 F-110-GE-129 Improved Performance Engines, 100 M61 Vulcan Cannons, 338 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems amongst ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V (9-16) [Bulgaria]

  Programme Background In April 2022, the US State Department approved a potential FMS worth $1.673 million to procure eight F-16Vs to Bulgaria. The aircraft are ...

• Fighter - multirole

  H-X Fighter Programme (Finland)

  Programme Background In June 2020, Finnish MoD announced that the Hornet fleet life extension programme is neither cost-effective solution nor sufficient in terms of Finland’s ...

• 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

  Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) [Japan]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that GCAP's Japanese, British and Italian components are tracked in separate entries. Programme Timeline 2020: The Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency of Japan issued ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Project Quadriga [Germany]

  Programme Background Under Project Quadriga, Berlin is seeking a replacement for its 33 Typhoon Tranche 1. Furthermore, Germany is offering its Tranche 1 fleet to ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)

  Programme Background Five prototypes will be manufactured for developmental tests. Indian Air Force will buy 36 AMCA Mark-I aircraft from 2029-30. The Mark-I configuration will ...

• AEW&C

  Airbus A330 AWACS (India)

  Programme Background India is planning to increase its AEW&C; capabilities with indigenous radar systems. IAF has requested to procure six Airbus 330 airliner to host ...

• Frigates

  FFX Batch III - 1 [South Korea]

  Programme Background The new Chungnam-class (FFX Batch III) will consist of six new improved anti-aircraft detection vessels to replace the ageing escort and patrol ships ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-83 SABR

  The AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) is an active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire control radar being developed by Northrop Grumman using its own ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16V Block 70/72

  The F-16 Block 70/72, also referred to as the F-16V, is a fourth-generation multirole fighter aircraft. It is the latest version of Lockheed Martin's F-16 ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  Raven ES-05

  The Raven ES-05 is an AESA fire-control radar developed by Leonardo in close collaboration with Saab for the Gripen E/F. It features a repositionable AESA ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-81

  AN/APG-81 is operating in the X-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) fire control radar designed by Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems for the F-35 “Lightning” all-weather ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-63(V)2

  The AN/APG-63(V)2 is a significant radar upgrade for the U.S. Air Force F-15C aircraft. This upgrade replaces the mechanically-scanned antenna (MSA) with an AESA antenna,  ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-82(V)1

  The AN/APG-82(V)1 is an X-band active electronically scanned array radar system that combines the AN/APG-79 processor with the AESA antenna of the AN/APG-63(V)3. The system ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-68

  The AN/APG-68 is a pulse-Doppler radar with increased range, modes, and resolution compared to the APG-66 radar. The F-16C/D Block 25 was the first Fighting ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  USAF F-16 Training System

  L3Harris Technologies is supporting approximately 180 F-16 pilot and maintenance trainers as part of the USAF’s F-16 Training System. Programme contract options extend through 2019. ...

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-76

  The AN/APG-76 is a Ku-band multimode radar system providing high-resolution synthetic aperture radar capabilities with moving target indicator overlays. The system was developed primarily for ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16C/D Block 25, 30/32, 40/42

  The F-16C/D ('C' one-seat, 'D' two-seat designation) is the second generation of the F-16 Fighting Falcon family. The production of the F-16C/D began in 1983 with ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-16C/D Block 50/52/52+

  A member of the F-16 Fighting Falcon family, the F-16C/D Block 50/52 ('C' single-seat, 'D' dual-seat) is a third-generation multirole fighter that was rolled out ...

• Air: Displays

  F-16 Center Pedestal Display

  Produced by Elbit Systems of America, the F-16 Center Pedestal Display (CPD) provides a high-resolution colour display that replaces several legacy instruments on F-16 aircraft. 

• 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: air combat simulators

  Air Combat Training

  Boeing has experience in delivering training for fixed-wing air combat platforms including F-15C/E, F-16, F/A-18E/F, EA-18G, F-22 and MV/CV-22.

• Air: AEW/fire control radar

  AN/APG-77

  The AN/APG-77 is a low-probability-of-intercept fire control radar for the F-22 Raptor. It is designed to significantly improve capability in air-to-air combat, allowing the pilot ...