2017-07-12 By Robbin Laird During my visit to RAF Lossiemouth in March 2017, I had a chance to talk with the senior officers involved in rebuilding the infrastructure at the base for the arrival of an additional Typhoon squadron and for the coming of the P-8. Having visited Norway earlier…
2017-06-29 Norway has expanded its defense industrial relationships to provide for its 21st century defense capabilities. This includes F-35, P-8, Joint Strike Missile exports, a new working relationship with Germany to acquire submarines. Now the A330MRTT, the global tanker used by several air forces, is being acquired by Norway and Germany.…
2017-07-03 By Robbin Laird During my visit to RAF Lossiemouth, I had a chance to catch up with the Typhoon operational force at the base. This was an especially good time to do so as the RAF’s Typhoons have been engaged in a significant expeditionary operational tempo, ranging from Operation…
2017-06-30 By Robbin Laird During my March 2017 visit to RAF Lossiemouth, I had a chance to talk with two Typhoon squadrons, namely II(AC) and 6 Squadron. The squadrons have been busy in the past few months with various global engagements. In the words, of the station commander at RAF…
05/21/2017: According to several sources, Australia’s largest warships have experienced a propulsion system problem at sea and the Navy and its contractors are working to fix the problem. Australian naval engineers are investigating the problems in the propulsion systems of two Spanish-built warships. The Royal Australian Navy’s US$1.5 billion worth HMAS…
2017-05-09 During an interview at the Amberley Air Base last month with Air Commodore Lennon and the 86th Wing Commander, Group Captain Adam Williams, we discussed the evolution of the KC-30A into Tanker 2.0. One aspect of that evolution was the coming of the robotic boom. According to Air Commodore…
2017-05-02 By Robbin Laird During my most recent trip to Australia, the focus was upon how to shape an integrated ADF moving forward. During my interviews surrounding the Williams Foundation seminar on that theme, I have had the chance to talk to key decision makers in shaping a way ahead.…
2017-05-08 The A400M as an operational baseline aircraft is being operated by several air forces. According to Airbus Defence and Space there are now 42 A400Ms in service and the company currently has orders for 174 of the aircraft. The two largest operators currently are the RAF, with 15 out of…
