By Pierre Tran Paris. KNDS, a Franco-German builder of land weapons, said July 1 it has suspended its announced flotation in Paris and Frankfurt, citing “market volatility” in the arms sector on European stock markets. The company told investors it was switching tracks just a week after launching a long-awaited…
By Pierre Tran Paris – Germany pulled out of building a new generation fighter (NGF) with France, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz June 10 recasting cooperation around developing a combat cloud for command and control over air, land, sea, and space. “This presents a great opportunity for a central Franco-German defense…
By Pierre Tran Paris – MBDA, a European missile maker, will double investment to €5 billion ($5.7 billion) in 2026 to 2030 to boost production, and expects to increase output some 40 percent this year, chief executive Eric Béranger told March 26 a press conference on 2025 financial results. That…
By Dr Tom Loveard and Dr Marcus Hellyer. This article has been motivated by C2 Robotics’s internal company analysis of ongoing test and evaluation activities employing the Speartooth large uncrewed underwater vessel (LUUV). Our assessment is that the Department of Defence and the broader Australian strategic policy community have underappreciated…
By Pierre Tran Paris – France achieved near record breaking arms export orders in 2024. France won in 2024 export arms orders worth €21.6 billion ($25.1 billion), up from €8.2 billion in 2023, the annual report of the armed forces ministry to parliament said, marking the second-highest value of foreign…
By Pierre Tran Paris – The key point on a planned European fighter jet lay in opting for clear program leadership with a prime contractor rather than assigning subcontractor work based on national funding, Dassault Aviation executive chairman Eric Trappier said July 22. French officers had conducted “an audit on…
In July 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unveiled a new Pentagon drone policy, formally entitled “Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance.” The idea is to have a sweeping overhaul designed to accelerate the acquisition, deployment, and use of small drones across the entire U.S. military. The policy shift comes at a…
By Pierre Tran Le Bourget, France – Visitors climbing up to the open cockpit of the Leonardo M-346 could see the two distinctive tilted and overlapping glass screens which delivered a head up display (HUD) for pilots flying the advanced military jet trainer. Steve “Jo Jo” Helmer, an engineering test…
