• Naval Warfare

  Sea-Air-Space 2019: Northrop Grumman assess launch AARGM-ER possibilities

  8th May 2019

  Northrop Grumman is currently assessing how its Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER) munition could be developed into a surface launched asset. The US Navy (USN) …

• Training

  ITEC 2019: Kratos unveils first MQM-178 built in Oklahoma

  1st May 2019

  Kratos Defense has formally unveiled the first MQM-178 Firejet aerial target to be built in its new manufacturing facility in Oklahoma City. Kratos’ CEO, Eric …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  MQ-25 prototype moves to flight test site

  30th April 2019

  The Boeing-built prototype for the US Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aircraft has arrived at a commercial airport in St Louis to begin flight tests later …

• Training

  ITEC 2019: Walls on tour

  1st May 2019

  Following its presence at Enforce Tac in Nürnberg, Germany in March, Survitec has decided to take its inflatable walls training system (IWTS) on a year-long …

• Defence Notes

  Romania acquires additional fighter jets

  26th April 2019

  The Romanian MoD announced that the final agreement for acquisition of an additional five Portuguese F-16 multirole fighter jets could be reached by year end. …

• Digital Battlespace

  Quad A 2019: Hughes detects DoD anti-jamming SATCOM push

  18th April 2019

  Broadband satellite network provider, Hughes expects the US Navy and US Army to concentrate their SATCOM programmes on reviewing and procuring anti-jamming capabilities, as each …

• Military Logistics

  KBRwyle receives USAF aircraft support contracts

  18th April 2019

  KBRwyle has received two contracts from the US Air Force Installation Contracting Agency under the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center's Defense Systems Technical Area …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris’ MDU for GPS IIIF satellites

  15th April 2019

  Harris Corporation has been selected by Lockheed Martin to provide its fully digital navigation signals for the US Air Force’s (USAF's) first two GPS III …

• Digital Battlespace

  Harris to support USAF EW systems

  11th April 2019

  Harris Corporation has been selected by the US Air Force to continue supporting its ground-based EW systems and infrastructure, the company announced on 8 April. …

• Defence Notes

  USAF suspends KC-46A tanker deliveries again

  3rd April 2019

  For the second time this year, the US Air Force has temporarily stopped accepting new KC-46A Pegasus tankers after finding foreign object debris (FOD) in the …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  The future of DARPA's CODE

  19th April 2019

  The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has seen strong interest from military and industrial operators in its Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) …

• Training

  T-1A Jayhawk trainer flies with Collins avionics

  1st April 2019

  A US Air Force (USAF) T-1A Jayhawk trainer equipped with Collins Aerospace’s Pro Line 21 integrated avionics system has completed its first flight from Field …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  France to arm MQ-9 Reapers with GBU-12 bombs

  28th March 2019

  The French Air Force is to weaponise its MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) with GBU-12 Paveway II laser guided bombs, in a move that …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Spain to receive two new Reapers

  1st April 2019

  General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has been awarded a contract worth in excess of $34 million for two MQ-9 Reaper UAVs and associated equipment for the Spanish …

• Digital Battlespace

  CTSi to deliver cybersecurity tools to USAF

  26th March 2019

  Coherent Technical Services (CTSi ) has received a contract to deliver tools to enable systematic testing of avionics cyber security for the US Air Force. …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

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

  RQ-20B Puma (USAF)

  Programme Background Requirement According to the AeroVironment Vice President and product line general manager, Trace Stevenson, the USAF Security Forces requires a small UAV to ...

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

  MQ-9A Reaper (USAF)

  Programme Background Procurement & Inventory According to the USAF FY2019 Budget Estimate document, the USAF set aside funds to acquire 433 MQ-9 Reapers by the end of ...

• MPVs - 4x4, Reconnaissance/patrol vehicles

  JLTV Oshkosh Contract [US Air Force]

  As of November 2020, the US DoD had signed 14 contracts with Oshkosh Defense covering the delivery of approximately 17,731 JLTVs to all branches of ...

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

  Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) [USAF]

  Programme Background Requirements The programme's requirements are based on the USAF's belief that it requires mass to compete effectively with an adversary in symmetrical warfare. However, ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF Future Procurement

  The USAF is planning to order 1137 F-35As between FY2026 and FY2048 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase will be at a ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF Future Procurement

  The USAF is planning to order 1137 F-35As between FY2026 and FY2048 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase will be at a ...

• Data links

  Data links | F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF Future Procurement

  The USAF is planning to order 1137 F-35As between FY2026 and FY2048 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase will be at a ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF Future Procurement

  The USAF is planning to order 1137 F-35As between FY2026 and FY2048 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase will be at a ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | F-35A Joint Strike Fighter - USAF Future Procurement

  The USAF is planning to order 1137 F-35As between FY2026 and FY2048 under the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The purchase will be at a ...

• AEW&C

  E-7A Wedgetail (1-2) [USA]

  Programme Background Shephard notes that this entry covers the two rapid-prototype E-7 aircraft, whose contract was signed in August 2024. A second programme entry covers the ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-Y Tanker Aircraft (USA)

  Programme Background The USAF is replacing its fleet of 396 KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft, built in the 1950s and 60s, and 59 KC-10 Extenders, which entered service ...

• AEW&C

  E-7A Wedgetail (USA - Forecast)

  Programme Background Speaking on 21 September 2021 during the annual Air Force Association (AFA) Meeting in Washington DC, USAF Chief of Staff Gen Charles Brown ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-46A (USA)

  Programme Background The first four Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) KC-46A aircraft were delivered to McConnell AFB in Kansas in January 2019. As of December 2020, a ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-15EX - USAF (Contracted)

  Programme Background USAF is looking to procure 144 F-15EX fighter aircraft, including two RDTE configurations and six low-rate initial production aircraft. F-15EX will replace ageing ...

• Fighter - multirole

  F-15EX - USAF (Announced)

  Programme Background The F-15EX will be based on the 2-seat F-15QA (Qatar) configuration upgraded with USAF-only capabilities, including the Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survivability ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  EX-3 Revenant

  The EX-3 Revenant is a developmental fixed-wing aircraft being developed by Exosonic. It is a Mach 1.2 supersonic UAV designed to be a 5th-generation representative, modular, autonomous ...

• Land: Radio and SATCOM

  Next Generation Survivor Radio

  The Next Generation Survivor Radio (NGSR) is a software-defined radio being developed by General Dynamics Mission Systems. It is expected to enter into service after June 2026.

• Air: transport/tanker simulators

  USAF KC-135 ATS

  The KC-135 Aircrew Training System (ATS) programme delivers initial qualification, requalification, continuation and upgrades training for USAF KC-135 aircrews, including pilots, co-pilots and boom operators. ...

• Major networking projects

  C2 ConstellationNet

  According to David Tillotson, director of C4ISR architecture AF/XI, in a report to Congress: 'The ConstellationNet is the communications network – air, space and terrestrial ...

• Air: aerial targets

  QF-16 FSAT

  The QF-16 Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) is an optionally piloted supersonic aerial target developed to replace the QF-4 in USAF service. Retired F-16 fighters are ...

• Major networking projects

  DCGS 10.2 Upgrade

  Raytheon’s Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) Block 10.2 upgrade allows intelligence data to be posted to the network for immediate use by analysts and warfighters, ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing

  SPX

  The SPX drone is a fixed-wing UAV manufactured by RapidFlight. It features a modular payload bay and is fitted with RapidFlight's Common Avionics 2.0 modular interface. ...

• Combat Search and Rescue

  HC-130P/N

  HC-130P/N is a SAR aircraft developed as extended-range version of C-130 Hercules transport airframe to execute all weather personnel recovery operations from austere airfields and ...

• Military helicopters - multirole, Military UAS - rotary-wing, Military UAS - tactical

  Hexa

  The Hexa, or LIFT Hexa, is a rotary-wing aircraft developed by LIFT Aircraft for military and commercial markets. Due to its configuration and triple redundant autopilot ...

• Transport/tanker aircraft

  KC-10 Extender

  The KC-10 Extender is a tanker/transport aircraft developed for the USAF by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). It was derived from the company’s three-engine ...

• EW test systems

  JTE

  The Joint Threat Emitter (JTE) is a multi-threat, high-fidelity simulator with realistic ERP levels, which simulates single- and double-digit surface-to-air and anti-aircraft artillery radar systems. ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - HALE

  RQ-4 Global Hawk

  The Global Hawk is a HALE UAV manufactured by General Atomics (GA-ASI).  Primarily designed to carry ISTAR payloads, the platform has accumulated more than 200,000 ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  R-HUD

  The Replacement Heads-Up Display (R-HUD) is a Primary Flight Reference system designed to replace legacy HUD units on C-17 aircraft. Manufactured by Elbit Systems of ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Flat Panel Control Indicator

  BAE Systems Flat Panel Control Indicator (FPCI) is designed to replace legacy Navigation Control Indicators in F-15C/D aircraft. It features a new AMLCD display and ...

• Bomber

  B-2 Spirit

  The B-2 Spirit is a multirole stealth bomber manufactured by Northrop Grumman for the USAF. The Spirit is a flying wing aircraft, meaning that it ...