Russians Produce First Egyptian SU-35s

08/18/2020
By defenceWeb The first three Su-35 fighter jets for Egypt’s air force have been seen flying in Russia, months after it emerged production had started at the Gagarin Aircraft Plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. On 22 July, photos emerged of five aircraft in flight, with serials 9210, 9212 and 9214 visible. They…

German Platform Decisions: Selecting an Airborne SIGINT Platform

08/17/2020
By Robbin Laird After Germany retired its specially modified signals intelligence Atlantique maritime patrol aircraft, there was a clear gap in the capabilities of Germany to provide for either national or NATO capabilities in this area. This was done in the immediate post-Cold War environment where the United States and…

German Platform Decisions: CH-53K versus the Chinook

08/14/2020
By Robbin Laird As I suggested in the lead article in this series on how to evaluate platform choices in the context of evolving needs and concepts of operations, too often, a simple platform versus platform presentation is made which confuses rather than clarifies what the tactical and strategic implications…

Navigating the COVID-19 World: Shaping a Way Ahead for the International Fighter Conference 2020

07/27/2020
By Robbin Laird I have attended the International Fighter Conference for the past two years in Berlin. I provided several analytical pieces on presentations and discussions at those two events as well as reports covering the events as well. I was certainly looking forward to coming to Berlin and seeing…

Boeing Exits Embraer Joint Venture: And Embraer Counters

04/27/2020
The Embraer KC-390 is seen in the photo above (credited to Embraer) and is one of the reasons Boeing signed a joint venture with Embraer in the first place. The joint venture embraced this airplane as a core part of the way ahead for the joint venture. In an October…

Libyan Shoot-down of Turkish UAVs Using UAE Air Defense Systems?

04/21/2020
by defenceWeb It appears the Pantsir-S1 air defence systems delivered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Libya have been used to shoot down over a dozen Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This is according to unverified reports from the Libyan National Army (LNA), which said the Pantsir-S1 has destroyed…

French Arms Firms Grapple With Virus Lock Down

03/25/2020
By Pierre Tran Paris - French arms companies have taken major steps following a national lock down ordered last week against the coronavirus, with some factories closed or cutting back, staff working from home, and shipyards working at a slower pace. The government has declared a state of emergency in…