This report looks at the evolution of Italian airpower under the impact of the introduction of the F-35 and the modernization of the Eurofighter. The Italians, like the British, are undergoing a double transition, whereby the Eurofighter is being modernized in two ways: namely, subsuming air-to-ground missions and facilitating the transition…
2015-10-12 By Robbin Laird During my visit to Europe in the early Fall of 2015, one of the subjects of interest was the cross cutting modernization of the Eurofighter with the introduction of the F-35. Clearly, the Royal Air Force and the Italian Air Force are key players in this…
2015-10-12 In certainly a unique movement of military hardware, the Mistrals purchased by Russia, and then cancelled due to French reconsiderations are now going to Egypt. According to a story by our partner defenceWeb published on October 12, 2015: Egypt on Saturday signed a contract with French shipbuilder DCNS to…
2015-10-08 By Zsolt Lazar Since the Swedish defense firm SAAB and the Brazilian government have signed the financial contract of 36 Gripen NG multirole jets some weeks ago, time has come to take look on the first Gripen deal – which was conducted in Hungary between 2001 and 2008. In…
2015-10-11 By Robbin Laird Europe is facing a significant migration outpouring from the current Middle Eastern dynamics. Illegal smugglers are finding a variety of ways to assist migrants to get to Europe. And the European convention that the government on whose territory where migrants come must handle the problem is…
10/10/2015: Air Task Group Armament Technicians build precision guidance munitions for Australian F/A-18A Hornets to conduct close air support operations in Iraq as part of the international coalition formed to disrupt and degrade the Da’esh threat. Australia’s Air Task Group (ATG) as part of Operation OKRA comprises six RAAF F/A-18A…
2015-10-07 By Robbin Laird During my recent trip to Italy, I had a chance to discuss with senior Italian Air Force officers the way ahead with regard to Italian airpower. The Italians, like the British, are undergoing a double transition, whereby the Eurofighter is being modernized in two ways: namely,…
2015-10-07 By Karsten von Hoesslin,Manager of Special Projects, Risk Intelligence There are 18 networks accounted for within South East Asia and 65 upper-tier players have been identified in the author’s network analysis. Upper-tier players consist of fixers (middlemen), boarding team leaders, recruiters, forgers, so-called ‘big bosses’, and buyers. Boarding team…
