Croatia Selects the Rafale Fighter Jet: France Highlights European Sovereignty as Key

05/28/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - Croatia has opted to order 12 second hand Rafale fighter jets in a deal which points up the significance of European sovereignty, the French armed forces ministry said in a statement. “Croatia’s choice is a choice of sovereignty, resolutely European,” armed forces minister Florence Parly…

Naval Group in Australia and the Future Submarine Program: A May 2021 Update

05/13/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - Naval Group has appointed Lilian Braylé as executive vice-president to run the Australian program to build 12 ocean-going Attack class submarines, the French shipbuilder said May 11. “Lilian Brayle will join Naval Group on 31 May as executive vice-president for the Australian Future Submarine Program,”…

Egypt to Buy More Rafale Fighter Jets

05/05/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - France welcomed May 4 an Egyptian announcement of an order for a further 30 Rafale fighter jets and weapons from Dassault Aviation, MBDA and Safran, confirming a news report on Disclose, a French campaigning website. “The armed forces minister, Florence Parly, welcomes the latest export…

The IDF Chooses the CH-53K: Building Block for Manned-Unmanned Operational Future

05/04/2021
By Robbin Laird The IDF recently selected the CH-53K to replace its legacy heavy lift assets, namely, the CH-53D.  It is clear that the IDF is buying the CH-53K for many of the same reasons which USMC is doing so but the IDF has been especially focused on three key…

Sherpa Pursues Alleged Corruption Inquiry Into Indian Rafale Acquisition

04/30/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - Sherpa, a French non-governmental organization, said it filed April 28 a request for a judicial inquiry into alleged corruption on India’s acquisition of 36 Rafale fighter jets in a deal worth €7.8 billion ($9.4 billion). “Sherpa, represented by its lawyers William Bourdon and Vincent Brenghart, is…

757 Accelerate: Contributing to the Evolving Ecosystem for Innovation

04/23/2021
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake During out visit to Norfolk in March 2021, we learned that Second Fleet was working a direct relationship with the Navy’s Mid-Atlantic Tech Bridge. The Mid-Atlantic Tech Bridge is described as follows: “The Mid-Atlantic Tech Bridge (MATB) is the first of what we believe…

Replacing Canada’s Air Tanking Fleet

03/21/2021
The defence and space divisions of Airbus and Boeing are expected to go head-to-head as the Royal Canadian Air Force moves ahead with plans to replace its ageing fleet of CC-150 Polaris aircraft which have been fulfilling multiple roles, including executive transport as well as air-to-air refuelling platforms. They’ll be responding to an Invitation to Qualify…