• Digital Battlespace

  F-16 AN/APG-83 SABR​ radar installations update

  10th January 2020

  Installation of the AN/APG-83 SABR radar on US Air National Guard (ANG) F-16s at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is now complete, Northrop Grumman announced on …

• Defence Notes

  India’s naval Tejas achieves carrier milestones

  14th January 2020

  The naval prototype of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) achieved a crucial milestone on 11 January when it undertook the maiden arrested landing aboard the …

• Defence Notes

  IRST Block II pod flies on F/A-18 Super Hornet

  16th January 2020

  Boeing and the US Navy have flown an F/A-18 Super Hornet equipped with an Infrared Search & Track (IRST) Block II pod for the first …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  US AFRL's Ultra LEAP UAS in flight demo

  19th December 2019

  The US Air Force Research Laboratory’s Center for Rapid Innovation (CRI) has completed a two and a half-day continuous flight demonstration of the Ultra Long …

• Defence Notes

  Singapore to set up permanent fighter detachment in Guam

  10th December 2019

  The governments of Singapore and the US signed an MoU on 7 December that will see the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) set up …

• Digital Battlespace

  Northrop Grumman awarded IBCS transformation contract

  8th January 2020

  Northrop Grumman will undertake a 28-month programme to transform the software development process for the US Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command …

• Defence Helicopter

  CIRCM in new US Army testing

  16th January 2020

  Northrop Grumman's Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) system for the US Army has undergone new tests at White Sands Missile Range. The free flight missile testing …

• Naval Warfare

  Pakistan Navy inducts ATR 72 aircraft and Luna NG UAVs

  7th January 2020

  The Pakistan Navy (PN) has inducted two ATR 72 aircraft – one in the Sea Eagle maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) configuration and another as a …

• Defence Notes

  Raytheon receives $768 million for AMRAAM production

  6th January 2020

  Raytheon has received a contract from the US Department of Defense for Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) Production Lot 33. The $768.2 million contract, awarded on …

• Training

  SimActive releases Correlator3D version 8.4

  14th January 2020

  SimActive has released version 8.4 of its Correlator3D photogrammetry solution, the company announced on 14 January. Version 8.4 includes significant acceleration, with speeds that are …

• Naval Warfare

  South Korea increases defence budget and pumps out patrol boats

  24th December 2019

  Domestic shipbuilders continue to produce multiple new vessels for the Republic of Korean Navy (ROKN), even as the Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced a …

• Defence Notes

  Opinion: Make or break time for UK defence

  18th January 2020

  For the British Armed Forces, 2020 began with an abrupt start as the aftermath of the strike by the US military on Iranian Qods Force …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing responds to German heavy-lift helicopter tender

  14th January 2020

  Boeing is offering the H-47 Chinook for the German armed forces’ New Heavy Lift Helicopter Schwerer Transporthubschrauber (STH) programme, the company announced on 14 January. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Orbital UAV begins shipping second engine type

  15th January 2020

  Orbital UAV has begun shipping a new engine model to Boeing Insitu under its Long Term Agreement (LTA) with the company. The five-year LTA with …

• Military Logistics

  New field equipment for the ADF

  18th December 2019

  The Australian Department of Defence has signed a $30 million agreement with Sea to Summit for field equipment for the Australian Army. Under the Standing …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Data links

  Data links | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | M-346 FA [Brazil]

  Brazil is evaluating the procurement of up to 30 Leonardo M-346 light attack aircraft under a potential agreement with Italy, aimed at modernising its aerial ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-390 [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirement The aircraft deliveries were scheduled to start by the end of 2016 and continue over a period of ten years. However,  the first ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  C-130H Replacement [Sweden]

  Programme Background Requirements Sweden has five C-130H aircraft (designated Tp-84) and one KC-130H. Two C-130Es bought in the 1960s have retired, but the six H ...

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

  Hermes 900 [Chile]

  Methodology Unit cost In 2024, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) acquired one Hermes 900 for 50 million reais ($9.14 million), giving each drone an estimated ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  H145M [Brazil]

  Background  Brazilian leadership announced in February 2022 that the Sabre Mil Mi-35M Hind-E attack helicopters were being retired from active service. This decision came as a ...

• Fighter - multirole

  JAS 39E/F Gripen [Brazil]

  Background In 2016, Gripen’s Project and Development Center was opened in Sao Paulo to allow Sweedish and Brazillian engineers to work together in the Gripen ...

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

  Hermes 900 [Colombia]

  Methodology Unit cost In 2024, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) acquired one Hermes 900 for 50 million reais ($9.14 million), giving each drone an estimated gross ...

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

  Hermes 900 (5) [Brazil]

  Background First three batches (2014-2024) Across three purchases, Defence Insight estimates that Brazil has acquired five Hermes 900 UAVs. In 2014, Elbit reported supplying one ...

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

  Hermes 900 (1-4) [Brazil]

  Background First batch (2014) In 2014, Elbit reported supplying one Hermes 900 UAV to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The drone is called the RQ-900 in Brazilian ...

• Maritime patrol

  C295 add-on [Brazil]

  Programme Background  In 2014 Brazil signed a contracted for two additional C-295 SAR platforms with the option to acquire one additional platform. In 2018, reports ...

• Sealift/replenishment vessels

  Polar Support Vessel [Brazil]

  Programme Background Requirements In June 2020, the Brazilian Navy released a Request for Proposal (RfP) to procure a new Antarctic vessel to be manufactured in Brazil. The ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Air-to-surface missiles

  MAR-1

  The MAR-1 is a Brazilian air-to-surface anti-radiation missile (ARM) developed by Mectron in collaboration with the Aerospace Technology and Science Department (DCTA) of the Brazilian ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - small

  Harpia

  Described as the UAV with the most onboard technology in Latin America, Harpia is a multifunctional fixed-wing Brazilian drone developed by Advanced Technologies Security & Defence.  The Uruguayan ...

• Light attack, Trainer

  EMB-312 Tucano

  The EMB-312 Tucano (Brazilian designation T-27) is a trainer and light attack aircraft developed by Embraer to meet the training requirements of the Brazilian Air ...

• Air: air combat simulators

  TPTS

  Tactical Procedures Training Simulators (TPTS), operating with SWARM software, can be used to provide most core training elements to pilots or offload training tasks from ...

• Guided munitions

  SMKB (Smart-MK-Bomb)

  The Smart-MK-Bomb, or the SMKB, is a precision guidance kit developed by Mectron and designed to turn Mk 82 and Mk 83 bombs into guided munitions.

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

  Albatroz Vortex

  The Albatroz Vortex from Stella Tecnologia is a development of the company's Albatroz UAV.  The key differentiator is that the Vortex is fitted with an ATJR ...

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

  Condor

  The Condor, or Atobá XR, is an in-development MALE-class UAV from Stella Technologia.  The development of the multi-role is tied to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), which has ...

• Trainer, Transport

  EMB-121 Xingu

  The EMB-121 Xingu is a twin-turboprop light transport and advanced multi-engine trainer aircraft developed by Embraer based on the EMB-110 Bandeirante. Its maiden flight was ...

• Land: battle management systems

  Arkhe Mission & Combat

  Launched in 2017, Atech's Arkhe Mission & Combat solutions offer a variety of solutions enabling operator to conduct missions from planning to execution and debriefing. It ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-390/C-390 Millennium

  The KC-390 is a high-wing, twin-turbofan, T-tail design intended to meet the needs of the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) for a tanker/transport aircraft. Developed and ...

• Fighter - air superiority

  F-5E/F Tiger II

  The F-5E (single-seat)/F (twin-seat) Tiger II is an air superiority fighter developed by Northrop Grumman based on the original F-5 Freedom Fighter. Production of the ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M

  The medium-weight, 11t-class H225M (formerly known as the EC725) is the latest military Super Puma/Cougar family member.  Technical features include a modular design of mechanical ...

• EO/IR systems

  Skyward

  The SkyWard system is an advanced Infrared Search and Track (IRST) solution developed for next-generation airborne platforms, including 5th-generation fighter aircraft.  Designed with modularity in ...

• Land: air defence radar

  Saber M60

  The Saber M60 is a low-altitude air-defence radar developed by the Brazilian Army's CTEx (Army Technology Centre) in collaboration with Bradar, part of Embraer Defence ...

• Man-portable missile systems

  RBS 70 system

  The RBS 70 was developed in the 1970s to meet the Swedish Army’s requirement for a low-cost, easy-to-use MANPADS which could function in extreme climatic ...