By Robbin Laird The UK MoD, the RAF and its industrial partners have been at the cutting edge in finding a path to enhanced combat aircraft availability through the evolution of its approach to performance based logistics. It has been and is a journey, one which started with parts support,…
By Robbin Laird There is probably no single air platform more affected by the transition from the strategic shift from counter-insurgency to the high-end fight than unmanned aerial systems. These systems have come to the fore during counter-insurgency operations and have provided significant persistent surveillance for the ground forces. They…
By Harald Malmgren Next week the European Union will hold a key summit. But that summit is being defined by and overshadowed by the political changes throughout key European states. The crisis in Germany is especially central to the fate of the summit. In late May and in the early…
By Robbin Laird During my visit to Portsmouth, England and to RAF Marham in early May 2018, I visited senior Royal Navy and defense personnel involved in the standing up of the UK carrier strike capability. After my morning briefings with the Royal Navy with regard to preparing the carrier…
By Kenneth Maxwell With the Presidential election in Brazil due this October the country remains profoundly split between uncompromising extremes. And the political scene remains highly uncertain. Hovering in the background is the figure of the ex-president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, better known as Lula. He is…
Ed Hill, Aerospace Manufacturing In this Q&A session Don Kinard, Lockheed Martin senior fellow F-35 production, discusses with Ed Hill how the defence giant is applying automation, robotics and additive manufacturing to production of the F-35 Lightning II. Q) At what stages have you introduced more automation in your aircraft construction. Is…
By Robbin Laird What was clear from my visit to MAWTS-1 and getting a chance to look at the work of the latest WTI is that the Marines are working ways to enhance the combat capability of the MAGTF but in a way that can reach back to joint assets…
By Robbin Laird The CH-53k will replace the CH-53E. It will be the premier heavy lift helicopter. It has a number of key performance characteristics which make it a significant upgrade over the CH-53E, notably, an ability to carry three times of the external load of the CH-53E. There are…
