• Defence Notes

  Airbus to define next generation of European military helicopters

  31st January 2023

  Airbus Helicopters has been selected to coordinate a European R&D programme looking at military rotorcraft operational needs post-2030, and is also leading on a study for a defence collaborative cloud.

• Digital Battlespace

  Reaper UAV tests new SATCOM capability

  6th February 2023

  General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GS-ASI) has successfully flight-tested a low-Earth-orbit SATCOM capability on board an MQ-9A aircraft.

• Naval Warfare

  SH Defence’s Cube system gains more naval partners

  3rd February 2023

  The modular system from the Danish company has drawn the attention of maritime companies from around the globe.

• Digital Battlespace

  Electronic warfare suite for F-16 Block 70 jets passes critical milestone

  3rd February 2023

  The L3Harris Viper Shield EW system has moved a step closer to service entry with Foreign Military Sales customers after passing a critical design review.

• Air Warfare

  GCAP programme 'well positioned' to develop 6th-generation fighter by 2035

  12th January 2023

  The Global Combat Air Programme partners are confident a sixth-generation combat jet will fly by the middle of the 2030s. Other nations may be able to join the partnership in the future but the 'core club' window is closing soon.

• Defence Helicopter

  Royal Navy helicopter crews transfer control of UAS in European first

  2nd February 2023

  Using technology supplied by QinetiQ, two Royal Navy helicopter crews successfully exchanged control of a UAS while in flight.

• Uncrewed Vehicles

  Pentagon to focus on acquisition and development of UAV and missile capabilities

  17th January 2023

  Information and communication systems for ground troops are also likely to receive the DoD's attention in the coming years.

• Air Warfare

  Raytheon contracted for space-based hypersonic missile tracker

  5th January 2023

  The Missile Track Custody system will give the US Space Force a medium Earth orbit-based missile tracking capability.

• Defence Notes

  Boeing remains prime on US Minuteman ICBM guidance system

  2nd February 2023

  Boeing will continue to to maintain readiness and accuracy of the Minuteman nuclear missile's guidance system for the US Air Force.

• Naval Warfare

  France’s final FREMM frigate delivered

  21st November 2022

  The delivery of the frigate Lorraine marks the close of a decade of French FREMM deliveries.

• Defence Notes

  US Air Force inches closer to hypersonic capability

  9th December 2022

  The US Air Force’s first hypersonic weapon is scheduled to be operational from the B-52 in the autumn of 2023.

• Land Warfare

  IVAS programme has made major progress, says US Army Chief of Staff

  27th March 2023

  The US Army and Microsoft are currently working on the third version of the product, the 1.2 variant.

• Naval Warfare

  Modular motherships 'the way to go' for future Danish frigates

  17th February 2023

  As Denmark looks to replace its Thetis-class ocean patrol frigates, Copenhagen will need a platform that can conduct ASW and contribute to air surveillance across the strategic GIUK gap.

• Naval Warfare

  Raytheon poised to receive first SPY-6 radar back-fit contract

  10th January 2023

  The US Navy plans to improve its Flight IIA Arleigh Burke destroyers with the addition of the Raytheon-built SPY-6 radar.

• Naval Warfare

  Thales to maintain France, Italy and UK’s long-range radars

  24th January 2023

  A new OCCAR contract will support the three countries' Smart-L naval surveillance radars installed on destroyers for up to five years.

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  The Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  Future Vertical Lift Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The FVL-MS programme seeks to develop and acquire a family of systems, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, to replace rotary life aircraft utilised ...

• UAS: communication systems

  UAS: communication systems | Project Proteus [UK]

  Project Proteus is an RN and Leonardo effort to design and develop an uncrewed helicopter demonstrator that could provide an innovative alternative to existing crewed ...

• UAS: flight control systems

  UAS: flight control systems | Project Proteus [UK]

  Project Proteus is an RN and Leonardo effort to design and develop an uncrewed helicopter demonstrator that could provide an innovative alternative to existing crewed ...

• Tiltrotors

  V-22 Osprey [Japan]

  Programme Background Procurement Contracts The Japanese government is the first export customer of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, having ordered 17 helicopters from the US across ...

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  MQ-8C Fire Scout (USA)

  Programme Background Timeline According to the Naval Air Systems Command, having first ordered the MQ-8B in 2009, the UAV has become a pillar of the ...

• Military UAS - small

  Heavy Lift Capability (UASHLC) [UK]

  Programme Background Requirement & Objective The RN identified a requirement to acquire an RPAS to transport cargo and supplies between ships and personnel. When mature, it ...

• Military helicopters - maritime

  MH-60R Seahawk (Saudi Arabia)

  The sale is aimed at improving Saudi Arabia’s capability to meet current and future threats from enemy weapon systems, provide the capability to identify, engage ...

• Air: Radio and SATCOM

  Air: Radio and SATCOM | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Data links

  Data links | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  Air: Helmet-mounted displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Air: Head-up displays

  Air: Head-up displays | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Transponders and IFF

  Transponders and IFF | Future Naval Fighter China

  China is planning to deploy stealth naval fighter aircraft with vertical take-off landing capabilities to operate from Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)'s future Type 075A class ...

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Project Proteus [UK]

  Programme Background Requirements The RN requires an uncrewed helicopter to test the viability of larger uncrewed aircraft for the RN, possibly providing an alternative to crewed ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - MALE, Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Korean Future Vertical Lift (KFVL)

  Unveiled at KADEX 2024, the Korean Future Vertical Lift (KFVL) is a family of uncrewed helicopters from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). Despite being in the ...

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

  Aerosonde Mk 4.8 HQ FTUAS

  From the Texton family of Aerosonde UAS, the Aerosonde Mk 4.8 Hybrid Quad (HQ) FTUAS is a tactical drone purpose-built to meet the US Army's Future Vertical Lift ...

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

  HQ-60

  Similarly to other platforms in the L3 Technologies Hybrid Quadrotor (HQ) and Fixed-Wing Rotator family (see separate entries) of VTOL fixed-wing UAVs, the HQ-60 has ...

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

  V-247 Vigilant

  The V-247 Vigilant is a tiltrotor UAV from Bell. Officially introduced in 2016, it features an open modular architecture and can host several payloads. These include ...

• Baby Shark 260

  The Foxtech Baby Shark 260 is a fixed-wing VTOL UAV for commercial and civil operations, which has four spar-mounted rotors to provide vertical lift, a pusher ...

• Air: Displays

  F-15 Replacement Vertical Situation Display

  BAE Systems Replacement Vertical Situation Display (RVSD) replaces the legacy VSD units on F-15E aircraft. The AMLCD display offers a larger display size and is compatible ...

• Air: Helmet-mounted displays

  X-Sight

  Elbit X-Sight is a developmental helmet-mounted display system designed for helicopters. According to the manufacturer, it will offer a high field of view and colour binocular ...

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

  H6 Poseidon

  Manufactured by Swarmly, the H6 Poseidon is a fixed-wing VTOL-capable UAV. The second largest member of the Poseidon family, the vertical lift is provided through ...

• Military UAS - rotary-wing

  Proteus

  Proteus is a technology demonstrator that Leonardo is developing in collaboration with the UK MoD's Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S;) Future Capabilities Group and the ...

• Military UAS - fixed-wing, Military UAS - mini

  Veloce-15

  The ST Engineering Veloce-15 (V-15) is a hybrid fixed-wing UAV with four rotors for vertical lift and a tail-mounted two-bladed pusher propeller for horizontal propulsion.  ...

• Military helicopters - multirole

  Bell 360 Invictus

  The Bell 360 Invictus is the company's prototype for the US Army's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) programme.  The helicopter features retractable weapon bays, two ...

• Military UGVs

  Avenger

  In January 2017, Med-Eng announced the launch of a new bomb disposal and tactical robot, called the Avenger, at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas. ...

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

  Ultra

  The Ultra UAV, or HCMC, is a fixed-wing twin-engined cargo-carrying platform manufactured by Windracers. The platform is mainly aimed at the commercial market and has conducted trials ...

• EO/IR systems

  VLP-16

  Velodyne's VLP-16 Puck is a small and compact lidar that is power and performance optimised for usage across a variety of applications. This ranges from ...

• Nimbus 1800

  Foxtech's Nimbus 1800 is a tri-copter, lightweight, fixed-wing VTOL UAV designed for civilian and commercial mapping and inspection roles. It has a 2.8kg weight without ...