• Uncrewed Vehicles

  General Atomics receives DAOS certification in UK

  31st January 2014

  General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GAASI) has been awarded a design competence certification by the UK’s Military Aviation Authority (MAA). Announced on 30 January by the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  France and UK make £120 million UCAV pledge

  31st January 2014

  Promises made under the 2010 Anglo-French Lancaster House treaties are starting to come to fruition as the leaders of both nations have pledged £120 million …

• Defence Helicopter

  AgustaWestland wins £760 million in UK contracts

  29th January 2014

  AgustaWestland has won two contracts from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) worth an estimated £760 million, it was announced on 29 January. The first …

• Military Logistics

  BAE secures £100m Typhoon support extension

  28th January 2014

  The UK MoD and BAE Systems have agreed a one-year extension to the support contract for the UK RAF’s Typhoon fighter aircraft, according to the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Unclear future for UK UAVs

  16th January 2014

  A series of critical decisions has yet to be made regarding the future direction of the UK MoD's UAS/RPAS strategy, according to armed forces minister …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Watchkeeper nears interim release to service

  16th January 2014

  A senior British Army officer has revealed that the WK450 Watchkeeper UAS will receive an Interim Release to Service (IRTS) 'in the next quarter'. The …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  RN ScanEagle set to deploy

  16th January 2014

  The Royal Navy ScanEagle UAV will go operational this week, as it heads out to theatres in the Gulf onboard two vessels, a naval official …

• Land Warfare

  BMT receives UK MoD support contract extension

  13th January 2014

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has elected to extend the in-service support of its T101 and T102 radars by BMT Reliability Consultants. The company …

• Defence Helicopter

  Four dead in USAF Pave Hawk helicopter crash

  8th January 2014

  An American HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter based at RAF Lakenheath in the UK has crashed off the coast of Norfolk, killing its four crew members. …

• Defence Helicopter

  RAF commences training operations with Puma Mk2

  26th November 2013

  The Royal Air Force has begun training on the newly upgraded Puma Mk2 helicopters from RAF Benson in Oxford. Seven of the 24 aircraft being …

• Defence Notes

  UK MoD announces MBDA Brimstone missile contract

  18th November 2013

  The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a contract with MBDA that will see the Royal Air Force (RAF) supplied with Brimstone missiles for …

• Military Logistics

  Supreme awarded MoD civil airport refuelling contract

  14th November 2013

  Supreme Group has been awarded a contract by the UK MoD to provide aviation fuel and refuelling services to 96 civilian airports worldwide. The company …

• Digital Battlespace

  RAF receives first Rivet Joint aircraft

  12th November 2013

  The first of three Rivet Joint SIGINT aircraft has been delivered to RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, ahead of its entry into service next year. The UK’s …

• Defence Helicopter

  Chemring announces RAF decoy order

  23rd October 2013

  Chemring subsidiary, Alloy Surfaces Company (ASC), will manufacture BOL IR L5A2 infrared decoy devices for Royal Air Force aircraft under a $10.8 million order announced …

• Digital Battlespace

  RAF considers Tornado simulator extension

  7th October 2013

  As the RAF’s GR-4 Tornado simulator celebrates ten years in service, military and industry are considering ways to extend the life of the system to …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme [UK]

  Programme Background The next-generation platform concept is part of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, which sought to deliver a Future Combat Air System ...

• Fighter - naval

  F-35B UK

  The total cost of the currently funded programme as reported through the UK Major Projects Report is expected to be £10.5 billion ($13.5 billion), covering ...

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

  FCAS Loyal Wingman [UK]

  Programme Background FCAS Loyal Wingman Tim Martin reported for Shephard in December 2021 that the international partners involved in the sixth-generation Future Combat Air System (FCAS)/Tempest programme ...

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

  Low-Cost Uncrewed Air Systems (LANCA) Follow-On Project [UK]

  Programme Background Project Mosquito Beginning in 2019, the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), in collaboration with the Royal Air Force (RAF), began the ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Global Combat Air Programme [Italy]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that the Italian, British and Japanese components of GCAP are tracked in separate entries. Programme Timeline 2019: In September 2019, the UK and Italian ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  Project Mosquito [UK]

  Programme Background Inception and Capabilities In 2019, in collaboration with the RAF, the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) released details of its new UAS ...

• ISR/special mission

  Shadow R1 (UK)

  Programme Background The RAF is moving forward with an ambitious plan to transform its intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) force to enable greater ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  A400M (UK)

  RAF base at Brize Norton built a new training facility for A400M pilots and crew. The aircraft will look to reach full operation capability by 2022 when ...

• AEW&C

  E-7 Wedgetail (737) - UK

  Programme Background Seeking to replace its six ageing Boeing E-3 Sentry AEW&C;, the British Royal Air Force awarded Boeing a £1.89 billion contract in 2019 covering the ...

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

  Tier 1 Disposable [UK]

  Programme Background Autonomous Collaboration Platform (ACP) Strategy Reflecting on lessons learned from the cancellation of the Mosquito programme, the Royal Air Force (RAF) redefined the role of ...

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

  Protector RG1 [UK]

  Programme Background Programme Goal The programme aims to replace the MQ-9As in the RAF's inventory with the new, improved MQ-9Bs. With MQ-9B delivering a UK Sovereign capability for ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H-47ER Chinook [UK]

  Programme Background 2021 FMS Announcement In October 2018, the US State Department approved a $3.5 billion FMS of 16 CH-47 Chinooks fitted with extended-range fuel tanks ...

• Maritime patrol

  P-8A Poseidon [UK]

  Programme Background In July 2016, the UK government announced that it had ordered nine aircraft for service with the RAF. Under this frame, in January ...

• AEW&C

  E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  Programme Background Seeking to replace its six ageing Boeing E-3 Sentry AEW&C;, the British Royal Air Force awarded Boeing a £1.89 billion contract in 2019 ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Typhoon Tranche 3A - Qatar

  As a part of the agreement to sell Typhoon, the UK is establishing a ‘Joint Operations Squadron’ (to be known as 12 Squadron) with the ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Integrated Defensive Systems

  Praetorian DASS

  The Praetorian Defensive Aids Sub-System (DASS) for the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft provides protection against air-to-air and surface-to-air threats. It integrates an Electronic Support Measure ...

• Data links

  Pioneer Express (GRRIP, AN/PSC-15)

  The Pioneer Express (GRRIP, AN/PSC-15) is a small, lightweight flyaway communications system that allows access to secure and non-secure networks and can be used in ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  AN/VRC-99A

  The AN/VRC-99A is a programmable, wideband, secure, open-architecture tactical communications system providing virtual circuit and datagram service. These services are designed for reliable, simultaneous, multichannel ...

• EO/IR systems

  DJRP

  The Digital Joint Reconnaissance Pod (DJRP) is a tactical EO/IR reconnaissance system. It provides simultaneous high resolution and wide field-of-view EO imagery and horizon-to-horizon day/night ...

• EO/IR systems

  RAPTOR

  The Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado (RAPTOR), based on Raytheon's DB-110, was developed for the UK RAF Tornado GR4s. RAF specifications required target recognition with ...

• 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: air combat simulators

  Tornado GR4 Synthetic Training Service

  Thales provides its Tornado GR4 Synthetic Training Service (TSTS) through its 100%-owned subsidiary, Ace. The service is a complete suite of synthetic training for Tornado ...

• Air: fixed-wing flight simulators

  FIASTS

  Thales, through 100%-owned subsidiary Merlin, is delivering a ‘packaged’ training and maintenance system for RAF aircrew through the FsAST Integrated Aircrew Synthetic Training Service (FIASTS). ...

• Fighter - multirole

  Tornado (IDS/ADV)

  The Tornado is a family of two-seat, twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole fighters manufactured by Panavia, a trans-European consortium of BAE Systems, Airbus Space and Defence ...

• Air: Displays

  Tornado Advanced Radar Dsiplay & Information System (TARDIS)

  The Tornado Advanced Radar Display & Information System (TARDIS) is developed by BAE Systems, UK, specifically for the UK's Royal Air Force's (RAF) fleet of ...

• Air: transport/tanker simulators

  A400M Training

  Thales is the principal training provider for the Airbus A400M with a contract to provide FFSs and flat-panel trainers. Four A400M FFS and two flat-panel ...

• Air: maintenance simulators

  Engineering and Maintenance Training

  BAE Systems designs and delivers engineering and maintenance training, with the ability to provide a package to address the needs of all personnel ranging from ...

• ISR/special mission, Trainer

  TC-135S/W

  The TC-135S and TC-135W are training aircraft developed by Boeing based on the EC-135 to provide crew training for RC-135S Cobra Ball optical and electronic ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  LANCA / Mosquito

  The Lightweight Affordable Novel Combat Aircraft (LANCA) is a developmental 'Loyal Wingman' UAS that the RAF and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) hoped would support its crewed ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Eurofighter HMSS

  Eurofighter Typhoon’s Helmet Mounted Symbology System (HMSS) provides pilots with enhanced situational awareness, data display and sensor/effector cueing. Developed by BAE Systems, it is in ...