By Robbin Laird Of the four Nordic countries, Sweden faces the longest journey towards a new regional defense approach — but also has an opportunity to undergo significant, smart transformation for a modern era that sees it finally join the NATO alliance. It has the longest journey due to its…
By Robbin Laird The CMV-22B has been bought by the U.S. Navy as a replacement for the C-2A Greyhound aircraft to provide for the carrier on-board delivery mission for the large deck carrier fleet. The numbers of the aircraft ordered for this mission are 48 and are sized to provide…
By Robbin Laird Recently I visited San Diego and had chance to discuss with Vice Admiral Whitesell the work the Navy is doing in terms of introducing new capabilities and training for high-end operations. The Navy is introducing new capabilities onboard the large deck carriers, focusing on new concepts of…
In our 2013 book on Pacific defense., we argued that Japan would expand its defense perimeter in response to Chinese and Russian evolving defense and foreign policies. We argued that they would take advantage of U.S. defense modernization programs, notably the Osprey and the F-35 programs, to do so. We…
We will publish interviews from San Diego and Hawaii this year along with interviews in Australia looking at the recalibration, reset, and re-thinking of Pacific defense. One aspect is the question of the role of amphibiosity in that effort. We will return this in those discussions. But for now, here…
By Pierre Tran Paris - A 10-strong European consortium is launching a four-year, €18 million ($19.8 million) project to select a common chip foundry to build next generation infrared sensors for military applications, said David Billon-Lanfrey, chief strategy officer of Lynred, which leads the group. The European Defence Fund is…
By Pierre Tran Paris - A European project to build a future combat air system (FCAS) was as significant as the launch of Airbus, builder of commercial airliners some 30 years ago, a senior aerospace executive said Jan. 5. “We are building in the domain of the protection of air…
By Robert Czulda Looking back before the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war, few had assumed that the Kremlin would make such a lunatic move. Then when Russian tanks and aircraft openly violated Ukraine's sovereignty, few believed that the Ukrainians would be able to repel the attack. But they did and…