• Air Warfare

  Dassault captures mega Rafale order from UAE

  3rd December 2021

  Dassault and the UAE have signed off on a huge order for new fighter jets, helicopters and weapons.

• Air Warfare

  Serbia looks west and east to strengthen air force

  23rd November 2021

  A plan by Serbia to procure C295M airlifters takes shape amid moves to procure more helicopters from Russia.

• Air Warfare

  Israel inks King Stallion and Pegasus deal

  4th January 2022

  Acquisition by Israel of up to 18 new heavy-lift helicopters and two refuelling aircraft will cost about $3.1 billion in FMF funding.

• Defence Notes

  Russia hesitates as Ukraine grits its teeth (Opinion)

  3rd March 2022

  Although Russia should win the war in Ukraine with firepower alone, the latter still has a number of factors in its favour.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Colombia set to receive two more Coelums

  13th December 2021

  Domestic UAV production for the Colombian Air Force is firmly on the agenda.

• Defence Notes

  Airbus comfortable with industrial base changes if FCAS and Tempest merge

  1st December 2021

  Despite not discussing different industrial scenarios with BAE Systems should FCAS and Tempest merge, Airbus has stated it will overcome any changes should the two programmes ever become one.

• Naval Warfare

  Flight I San Antonio-class LPD programme concludes

  11th January 2022

  USS Richard M McCool Jr was launched on 7 January as the 13th out of 26 San Antonio-class LPDs for the USN.

• Training

  Philippines trains S-70i pilots in Brunei, but T129s yet to arrive

  31st December 2021

  The Philippines has begun using a training facility in Brunei to prepare its pilots for flying the S-70i helicopter.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Spain still to sign off on Eurodrone full development contract

  30th November 2021

  The much delayed Eurodrone Stage 2 development contract looks set for signature in 'the coming months,' according to Airbus.

• Defence Helicopter

  Dubai Air Show 2021: Kuwaiti H225M problems are resolved, says Airbus

  16th November 2021

  Airbus says that technical problems with Kuwait-bound H225Ms, identified in early 2020, have been overcome.

• Air Warfare

  BEL receives large contract for Tejas components

  21st December 2021

  BEL benefits from a large contract to provide electronic components for the Indian Air Force's Tejas fighter.

• Defence Helicopter

  NAVAIR orders more Thrashers

  21st December 2021

  Leonardo Helicopters is to supply Lot III production TH-73A aircraft for the Advanced Helicopter Training System programme

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  ‘Brotherly’ Pakistan-Turkey ties include UAV procurement

  26th January 2022

  The Pakistan Air Force is expected to unveil Bayraktar TB2 UAVs in March 2022, as it seeks to gain an advantage over Indian air defences.

• Air Warfare

  Providing the powerful alternative for close air support (Studio)

  17th February 2022

  As European militaries look to the future of close air support (CAS) for ground forces, light attack aircraft could prove a low-cost, versatile option, according to industry experts.

• Naval Warfare

  Risks stalk Australia’s Hunter class

  23rd February 2022

  It is common for large Australian military procurements to go awry, but officials remain upbeat about progress on its new frigates.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  H225M - France

  Programme Background In April 2021, the French government signed a deal for the purchase of eight H225M Airbus helicopters to replace its ageing fleet of SA330 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M [Ireland]

  Programme Background On 30 December 2024 Ireland announced a contract with Airbus for four new H145M helicopters to replace the Air Corps existing fleet of ...

• Military helicopters - light/training

  TH-73 Advanced Helicopter Training System - AHTS (TH-57 Replacement)

  Contenders for the competition included the Leonardo single engine TH-119 – a military variant of the AW119Kx – and Bell’s newly upgraded single engine 407GXi. ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145 Helicopter [Honduras]

  Programme Background  The Honduran Government has purchased a total of four H145 Helicopters manufactured by Airbus to develop the armed forces preparedness against natural disasters ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  Maritime Operations Helicopters

  The three maritime operations helicopters will be used for logistics and personnel transport, alongside transportation of PASKAL naval special forces in operations in the area. ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Bell 412EPI-Indonesia

  Programme Background PTDI is assembling Bell helicopters in its factory in Bandung.  The first Bell 412EPI was delivered to Indonesian Army on 29 December 2020 ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  Kondor Naval Helicopters (Poland)

  Programme Background In 2018, the Polish MoD announced its requirement to purchase up to eight naval helicopters to replace in-service SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters. Polish ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  Spain HT-29 Caiman (NH90 TTH) - Army First Batch

  HT-29 Caiman GSPAs (NH90 TTH) will be assembled at Airbus Helicopters’ facility in Albacete and will replace AS332 Super Puma fleet in service. Even though ...

• Military helicopters - transport/heavy lift

  AW101 [Poland]

  According to the media reports, Airbus couldn't provide a competitive offer for the programme due to the offset requirements.  The deliveries were to be completed ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  AH-X [Japan]

  There is no mention of the AH-X in the 2019-2023 Medium Term Defence Plan, so it is possible that the requirement has quietly been postponed. ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H135 (UK)

  Programme BackgroundAirbus Helicopters UK announced on 2 February 2022 that it has won an order to provide five additional H135 twin-engine helicopters for the MoD. The ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Ka-226T-India-Air Force

  An official contract announcement is expected during the Aero India 2021 exhibition in Bangalore, although negotiations have dragged on for more than five years and ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M (Contracted) [Germany]

  Programme Background Previous Usage The German Armed Forces ordered 15 H145M helicopters, with the initial two delivered in December 2015, for the Kommando Spezialkräfte. These ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  Naval Utility Helicopters (India)

  Programme Background The program will witness the formation of a joint venture between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and another local or foreign manufacturer. In June ...

• Military helicopters - attack

  Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) First Batch (South Korea)

  Programme Background The LAH is the first time that the South Korean OEM has developed an armed helicopter. The project kicked off in June 2015, ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military helicopters - light/training, Military helicopters - multirole

  H135M

  The H135M (formerly known as the EC635 and also designated as H135) is a light utility variant of the EC135 twin-engine, multipurpose 3t helicopter. In ...

• Model 301 Fire Attack

  The Model 301 is a belly tank/refill hose system for Airbus Helicopters AS365-series helicopters.

• Model 316 Fire Attack

  The Model 316 is a belly tank/refill hose system for Airbus Helicopters H225 and AS332 L-series helicopters.

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H145M

  The H145M (formerly known as the EC645 T2) is the military version of the H145 medium-sized (3.7t) helicopter. It is marketed as a multi-role platform ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H175M

  The Airbus H175M is the military variant of the H175, a seven-tonne class aircraft powered by twin PT6C 67E engines. The civilian variants produced by Airbus ...

• Air: mission management systems

  Helionix

  The Helionix digital avionics suite was developed from the need for a more powerful avionics system with greater functions and computing capacity, alongside a user-friendly interface. ...

• 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 ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  H215M

  The H215M (formerly the AS532 ALe) is the most recent addition to the Cougar family.  It is a medium-weight (9t-class), twin-engine helicopter, combining the AS532's ...

• AC67 Airbus Helicopters H135 interior

  Bucher has developed the AC67 medical interior for the Airbus Helicopters H135 in cooperation with ADAC Luftrettung.The lightweight, modular design features a floor with integrated ...

• Helicopter engines

  Arriel 2+/2D

  Unveiled in 2011, the Arriel 2+ is an upgrade of the Arriel 2 and is intended for single- and twin-engine helicopters. It incorporates a new ...

• Helicopter engines

  LTS101

  The LTS101 was first certified in 1975. Since then, over 2,100 engines have been delivered to customers worldwide, logging over 11 million service hours. The ...

• EO/IR systems

  Viviane

  Viviane is an out-of-production gyro-stabilised night and adverse weather observation system with missile sight.  Manufactured by Safran, it was fitted to French Army Gazelles. It contained a ...

• Air: mission management systems

  APM 2000

  The current generation of autopilots is the APM 2000 family, fitted on major worldwide platforms. The APM 2000 is based on an integrated digital computer. ...

• Air: Defensive Systems - Radar Warning Receivers

  EWR-99

  Dassault is not traditionally associated with electronic warfare subsystems, instead being equated with the manufacture of combat aircraft and business jets. Nonetheless, the company did, ...

• Military helicopters - scout/light attack

  H125M

  The H125M (formerly the AS550 B3e Fennec) is a military version of the civil H125. The helicopter has a reduced radar signature due to the use ...