06/02/2013: Airbus Military held their annual Trade Media Brief event on May 29 and 30th 2013 in Seville, Spain. Featured was the A400M, for this is the year of initial deliveries of the aircraft to two customers, France and Turkey. In this slideshow, several views of the A400M are provided. …
2013-05-31 During the Airbus Military Trade Media Briefing 2013, held on May 29th and 30th 2013, the trade press had an opportunity to fly on the A400M. After watching the plane emerge over the past few years, it was exciting to have the opportunity to fly the plane. Noticeably quiet inside…
2013-05-31 by Robbin Laird Yesterday I flew the A400M for the first time. [caption id="attachment_53540" align="alignnone" width="300"] Talking with the flight crew during the Airbus Military flight for journalists at the Trade Media Event, May 30, 2013. Credit Photo: SLD[/caption] My friend Francis Tusa has done a short interview for…
2013-05-26 By Richard Weitz I had the opportunity to attend an International Conference on “Military and Political Aspects of European Security,” hosted in a major Moscow hotel by the Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD), on May 23. The MOD convened a similar conference last year in Moscow, though that meeting…
2013-05-26 French officers interviewed recently in Mali suggested they eagerness to have A400Ms in the lift fleet. According to SLD’s Murielle Delaporte, based on her interviews in country, during her time in Mali with the French forces: Air support has been crucial in the areas of more intense engagement. Forward air…
2013-05-24 by Robbin Laird The 21st century is not the 20th. The late 20th century was characterized by global growth, globalization, American and European dominance, Russian decline, and the rise of Asia. The 21st century is really none of these. The struggle for growth is moving beyond the stock…
2013-05-22 Australia is re-shaping its forces as it deals with the dynamics of change in the Pacific and its roles and tasks post-Afghanistan. Part of the future approach will be provided by the delivery of a new capability in the Aussie force structure, namely a large LHD or Amphibious Assault…
2013-05-22 A key element of shaping a 21st century approach to military operations is the reconfiguration of the force to incorporate expeditionary logistics. Rather than putting a WALMART in place, designing a Kracken defense force for the WALMART, and then moving against the objective area, there is a key trend afoot…