By Robbin Laird When Franklin Roosevelt invoked the phrase ‘Arsenal of Democracy’ in December 1940, he was describing a specific industrial mobilizationL American factories redirected toward supplying a world under siege. The phrase has echoed through successive generations as shorthand for the proposition that democratic nations, marshaling their combined industrial…
By Pierre Tran Paris – The executive chairman of Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier, called March 4 on Airbus to accept management leadership of the French industrial partner on a new European fighter jet, otherwise the project would die from lack of corporate support. “If Airbus maintains the probability of not…
By Robbin Laird On September 26, 2025, the U.S. Department of Defense and Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, signed one of the largest helicopter procurement contracts in military history. The five-year, multi-year procurement (MYP) agreement, valued at up to $10.855 billion, authorizes the production and delivery of up to 99…
By Pierre Tran Paris – The armed forces minister, Sébastien Lecornu, visited Feb. 27 Turgis Gaillard, a private company developing and building a low-cost medium-altitude, long-endurance combat drone, dubbed Aarok, at Blois, central France. “Turgis Gaillard had the honor to welcome the armed forces minister, Sébastien Lecornu, on its site…
By Pierre Tran Paris – The French unit of KNDS and Texelis have signed an outline agreement on the acquisition of the builder of powertrains for armored vehicles by the manufacturer of land weapons, KNDS said in a Jan. 29 statement. “On January 29, 2025, KNDS and the shareholders of…
By Pierre Tran Paris – The French aerospace industry was entering 2025 with an “exceptional” geostrategic and political outlook, seeking to respond to strong demand for products and services, while bracing for a gathering storm of U.S. trade tariffs expected from an incoming administration, Guillaume Faury, chairman of Gifas, an…
By Pierre Tran LIMOGES, France – Texelis, a builder of powertrains for armored vehicles, was working on an 18-month feasibility study for an electric hub drive to power hybrid diesel/electric vehicles, said Marin Tollet, marketing and communications director. The feasibility study ran to the end of 2025, he said December…
By Robbin Laird The panel on the future of vertical lift and interviews conducted by the press during the recent AUSA conference provided further insights regarding the FLRAA program and the way ahead. The conference was held from the 14-16 October in Washington D.C. Let us address first the schedule…
