• Military Logistics

  Brazil gets new remote air traffic control tower

  24th October 2019

  A new Frequentis remote air traffic control tower has been installed at Brazil’s Santa Cruz airbase, Frequentis announced on 21 October. The Frequentis smartVISION solution …

• Defence Notes

  Defence Insight: Expansion and analysis

  18th December 2019

  It has been a busy year for the Defence Insight team. We have done a lot of work in the engine room of the  database, …

• Naval Warfare

  Carriers, submarines and frigates all part of Russia’s future navy plan

  30th December 2019

  The Russian government has been increasingly voluble on its plans for an expansion of its navy in the coming years, with a series of recent …

• Training

  D&S 2019: Indian air chief checks out HTT-40 trainer

  18th November 2019

  State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) played host to Indian Air Force (IAF) chief ACM R.K.S Bhadauria on 14 November when he rode in a prototype …

• Defence Notes

  Helicopter collision in Mali kills 13 French soldiers

  26th November 2019

  Thirteen soldiers from France's Barkhane force in Mali were killed when two helicopters collided during an operation against jihadists in the country's north, the Elysee …

• Digital Battlespace

  Rheinmetall receives Skyguard modernisation order

  11th December 2019

  Rheinmetall has received a contract from an unnamed customer to modernise its air defence systems. The €120 million order will see the company carry out …

• Defence Helicopter

  HH-60W arrive for developmental testing

  13th November 2019

  Two HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopters have arrived at US Air Force Eglin Air Force Base in Florida where they will begin developmental testing. The aircraft …

• Defence Notes

  Podcast: Revolutions in Vertical Flight S1 E6 - the Future of VTOL Innovation

  20th December 2019

  Welcome to Shephard Studio’s podcast series on Revolutions in Vertical Flight, sponsored by our partner Bell. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and more. The Revolutions in Vertical Flight …

• Naval Warfare

  Indian Navy forced to do more with less

  5th December 2019

  India’s economy is forcing the Indian Navy (IN), which has been expanding its footprint, to restructure its procurement strategy. The IN’s share of the defence …

• Military Logistics

  Rolls-Royce receives T-56 upgrade supplies order

  18th November 2019

  Rolls-Royce will supply equipment to upgrade the T56 engine under a contract from the US Defense Logistics Agency Aviation announced on 15 November. The company …

• Digital Battlespace

  Rohde & Schwarz radios for F-16 Block 70​ aircraft

  21st November 2019

  Rohde & Schwarz has been selected by Lockheed Martin as the preferred supplier of airborne radio communications for new production F-16 Block 70 aircraft, the …

• Digital Battlespace

  L3Harris to demo F-16 EW prototype

  15th November 2019

  L3Harris Technologies is to demonstrate a new electronic warfare (EW) solution prototype for the US Air Force F-16 fighter, the company announced on 14 November. …

• Military Logistics

  Kongsberg signs NDLO support agreements

  20th December 2019

  Kongsberg has signed two new agreements with the Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation (NDLO), the company announced on 18 December.The first is a framework agreement for …

• Defence Notes

  RAF Typhoons arrive in Iceland

  14th November 2019

  Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoons from 1(Fighter) Squadron have arrived in Iceland to carry out the Icelandic NATO Air Policing Mission.The fighters will spend the …

• Digital Battlespace

  Boeing Defence Australia signs Vigilare contract

  10th December 2019

  Boeing Defence Australia has signed a $170 million contract with the Australian Department of Defence to continue supporting Australia’s Vigilare system. The air battlespace management …

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 ...