• Defence Notes

  US 'optimistic' France, Britain will join stay-behind Syria force

  11th March 2019

  The United States is ‘very optimistic’ that France and Britain will participate in a residual force that US President Donald Trump wants to leave in …

• Digital Battlespace

  Milipol Asia 2019: Silent Archer raises voice in Asia for first time

  3rd April 2019

  SRC made its first foray into the Asian region via an appearance at the Milipol Asia 2019 exhibition in Singapore, with the US company’s Silent …

• Defence Helicopter

  Kaman receives AH-1Z blade skin contract

  4th April 2019

  Kaman Composites Wichita will manufacture and supply composite skin to core assembly structural components for the Bell AH-1Z helicopter blades, Kaman announced on 1 April. …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  USMC looks to buy Reaper UAVs

  14th March 2019

  The USMC wants to begin buying a handful of MQ-9A Reaper UAVs in FY2020 to meet an ‘urgent operational need,’ according to a US Navy …

• Digital Battlespace

  LIMA 2019: Malaysian radio launched

  27th March 2019

  Sapura Thales Electronics (STE), a JV established between Sapura and Thales in 1996, launched a second-generation VHF radio called the TRC 5200 at LIMA 2019. …

• Training

  RAAF to retire its PC-9/A aircraft

  5th March 2019

  The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) will officially retire its PC-9/A aircraft in 2019, the Australian Department of Defence announced on 28 February. The Roulettes …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Industry unsettled on C-UAS pathways

  10th April 2019

  A number of technical and development issues encountered by commercial C-UAS manufacturers are still unresolved as the emerging market struggles to meet increasingly sophisticated customer …

• Defence Helicopter

  Sikorsky warned on King Stallion deficiencies

  7th April 2019

  Sikorsky has been explicitly warned by NAVAIR that the service will no longer continue to accept deficient CH-53K King Stallion aircraft under terms of a second/third …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  AeroVironment receives FMS contract for Puma AE

  5th April 2019

  AeroVironment has received a $17.4 million contract to provide its Puma AE II small UAS, training and support to an allied nation, the company announced …

• Land Warfare

  Thai army unveils VL MICA air defence system

  28th March 2019

  At the end of last year, the Royal Thai Army’s (RTA) Air Defence Command replaced its Spada surface-to-air missiles (SAM), which had been in service …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Unmanned Systems Asia 2019: Urban mobility urged to avert ‘dire’ straits

  12th April 2019

  The successful integration of optionally manned and unmanned systems into urban areas will require sustained collaboration with regulatory bodies in order to prove the safety …

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  uAvionix products receive approval from India’s DGCA

  5th April 2019

  uAvionix’s products for UAS have been accepted by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of India for use within Indian-controlled airspace, the company announced …

• Land Warfare

  Australia to receive new air defence capability

  27th March 2019

  The Australian government has announced that it will purchase a new short-range air defence capability to protect its forces from modern airborne threats. The new …

• Defence Helicopter

  HH-60W CRHs prepare for flight test

  4th March 2019

  Two fully assembled HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopters (CRH) built for the US Air Force are being prepared for their maiden flights. The Sikorsky-built helicopters will …

• Defence Helicopter

  Mi-26T2V completes preliminary flight tests

  5th April 2019

  Russian Helicopters has successfully completed preliminary flight tests of the Mi-26T2V helicopter, the company announced on 3 April. The aircraft is being prepared for delivery …

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 ...