By Robbin Laird At last year’s International Fighter Conference, the team working on the Franco-German Future Combat System program provided an overview on the launch of the effort. At this year’s conference, the team provided an update on progress over the first year, and underscored key timelines into what was…

By Robbin Laird I have just returned from Berlin. I attended the International Fighter Conference 2019 and visited Checkpoint Charlie and shared thoughts with German friends of the thirty-year anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. Both events had much in common – the Cold War is over but…

On October 15th and 16th, the JMSDF conducted bilateral exercise KAEDEX 2019-2 with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in waters and airspace south of Kanto region. The exercise aims to enhancing the JMSDF’s tactical skills and strengthening relations with the RCN. In the exercise, two JMSDF destroyers, JS Shimakaze and JS Chokai, and…

We have argued that the liberal democracies are facing the challenge of full spectrum crisis management in dealing with the 21st century authoritarian powers. The Nordics certainly get the point. No one more so than the Finns. A recent article on the Finnish Ministry of Defence website highlights a new…

By Robbin Laird At last year’s International Fighter Conference, the Future Combat Air System or FCAS was introduced as a new Franco-German Initiative. At this year’s IFC, an update on the program was provided by the French Air Force, the German Ministry of Defence and Airbus Space and Defence. A…

In this report, the major presentations and discussions at the Williams Foundation seminar on the requirements for fifth generation manoeuvre held on October 24, 2019 in Canberra, Australia are highlighted along with interviews conducted before, during and after the seminar as well.  What is fifth generation manoeuvre? The definition by…

By Robbin Laird The 2019 edition of the International Fighter Conference is now history. And it was held in the city of Berlin which earlier in the month was remembering the 30 year history of the Fall of the Wall. That event ushered in the ultimate collapse of the Soviet…

By John Conway The concept of a ‘wingman’ is as old as military aviation itself. Providing mutual support within a formation, the purpose of a wingman was established to protect the flight lead and provide him or her with the additional mental capacity to manage the formation, operate the aircraft, and make decisions. As…