• Air Warfare

  RAF boss hopes for a return to a five-aircraft E-7 buy

  6th February 2023

  While the RAF may hope to return to its original plan for a five-strong E-7 AEW fleet, the service will still have to wait until 2024 to receive its first aircraft.

• Land Warfare

  UK upgrades ground refuelling tankers for military aircraft

  10th February 2023

  The LCAR refuelling tankers used by the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Army Air Corps are being upgraded with new components, allowing a service life extension of 15 years.

• Training

  UK plans to aid Ukraine with fighter jets meet reality as RAF struggles to train its own pilots

  9th February 2023

  UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said offering fighter jets to Ukraine is not 'off the table' and pledged to provide pilot training, while the Royal Air Force itself is struggling to get its own aviators through the training pipeline.

• Training

  MASS supports major UK joint task force exercise

  20th February 2023

  MASS provided support personnel and a simulation system for the UK Joint Force Air Component Headquarters' Exercise Titanium Falcon 22.

• Training

  Exercise Red Flag to focus on young operators

  27th January 2023

  This year's Red Flag exercises will see Australia, the UK and the US focus on the Indo-Pacific theatre and interoperability, as well as prioritising young aviators.

• Air Warfare

  Decision to delay UK's MQ-9B Protector programme cost £186 million

  17th March 2023

  The Ministry of Defence's decision to delay the MQ-9B Protector programme by two years has cost the country £186 million, with total projected whole-life costs now at over £1.7 billion.

• Air Warfare

  Poland to send MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine within days

  16th March 2023

  Poland has pledged to deliver four MiG-29 jets to Ukraine in full working order, becoming the first NATO member to supply fighters to Ukraine. The Polish Air Force will replace them with FA-50 and F-35 jets.

• Defence Notes

  UK and France target 2030 for future cruise missile, seek commonality on future fighter weapons

  15th March 2023

  The UK and France aim to deliver a new cruise missile in 2030 as part of the MBDA-led Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon (FC/ASW) project.

• Air Warfare

  British Army drone operators gain expertise

  26th January 2023

  The British Army has contracted Inzpire to supply UAS training services to its operators in support of a mini drone contract led by Lockheed Martin UK.

• Training

  Aeralis and AirTanker partner to explore fast jet pilot training

  31st January 2023

  The MoU signed between Aeralis and AirTanker will assess upcoming contracts in military flying training and also defence operational training and combat air support roles.

• Training

  The 5 most significant training stories of 2022

  26th December 2022

  The year 2022 brought us many interesting training and simulation stories - we collected the five most important ones.

• Air Warfare

  Last upgraded light combat aircraft delivered to Czech Air Force

  20th January 2023

  Work on the L-159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft included inspection and testing of parts, plus technical improvements to some components and functions of the aircraft.

• Defence Notes

  Why UK defence still faces an uncertain future and difficult decisions

  17th March 2023

  Despite the additional funding promised this week, the UK armed forces still look set to face cutbacks, and maintaining international commitments to AUKUS and GCAP may limit the options for other programmes.

• Air Warfare

  Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to receive new electric ground power units

  28th November 2022

  New battery-powered ground power units will replace diesel systems at two RAF Typhoon bases, with the aim of reducing emissions and cutting costs.

• Air Warfare

  Airbus and Royal Air Force achieve sustainable aviation fuel milestone

  22nd November 2022

  The Royal Air Force, Airbus and other industry partners have conducted the UK's first ever 100% sustainable aviation fuel flight, replicating an air-to-air refuelling sortie.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• 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 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• Transport

  Command Support Air Transport Recapitalisation (UK)

  Programme Background The tender, originally released on 28 October 2021, requires industry bidders to put forward aircraft that can achieve a minimum unrefuelled range of ...

• AEW&C

  E-7 Wedgetail (Second Order) [U.K.]

  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 ...

• 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 ...

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

  Bayraktar TB2 (Second Batch) [Morocco]

  Programme Background Morocco's military modernisation In 2017, Morocco established a five-year plan to modernise the military equipment of its navy, army and airforce to bring ...

• 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 ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | E-7 Wedgetail - UK (Second Order)

  The UK MoD signed a £1.51 billion ($1.98 billion) deal to purchase five E-7 Wedgetail aircraft from Boeing for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• 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 ...

• 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 ...

• 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: 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: 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: 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 ...

• Trainer

  Hawk AJT

  The Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) is the latest version of what is claimed to be the world’s most widely used advanced jet trainer. Almost ...

• Air: maintenance simulators

  C-17 Globemaster III MTS

  TRU Simulation and Training C-17 Maintenance Training System (MTS) supports training needs for this complex computerised aircraft. The MTS provides skill development for more than 1,100 ...

• Data links

  Datalink (Hawk)

  Hawk jet trainers are equipped with a bespoke datalink that allows for synthetic training data to be transmitted to pilots in training. According to news sources, ...