* Airbus intends to buy Salzburg München Bank, pending regulatory approval, to turn it into Airbus Group Bank and further the financing options they can offer. In the wake of the 2008 and Euro crises, the company ramped up vendor financing as credit conditions became...
* The US Air Force is reportedly planning to cut more than 18,000 enlisted and almost 5,000 officer positions, many of them in security forces and materiel management. * US Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations to reiterate that the...
* Canada's federal government is working on its 2014 budget [PDF], with defense and personnel spending targeted to help balance the books: Canadian Press | National Post | CBC. Key takeaway: "The Government is moving $3.1 billion in National Defence funding for major...
Peace in Our Time: Mid East Edition * The UAE & Saudi Arabia are both reportedly looking at submarines, with the UAE focused on a smaller design (300t - 1,000t) to patrol the shallow Gulf waters. Fincantieri's UAE JV Eithad Ship Building could have an interesting...
* The US Congressional Budget Office put together a presentation [PDF] on DoD's budget prospects for the next 10 years. They note that not only DoD's 5-year plan is above sequester caps by $60B-$90B a year, but acquisition, operations & maintenance, and personnel each...
Here's looking at you...(click to view full) Long-endurance UAVs like the MQ-9 Reaper may be able to take off using line-of-sight controls, but many of their missions depend on satellite bandwidth at some point. Those satellite bandwidth expenses add up, as militaries...
Slovenian "Svarun"(click to view full) In June 2006, the Slovenian Ministry of Defence picked Patria's 8x8 wheeled Armored Modular Vehicle (AMV) as the preferred choice for its 135 vehicle armored personnel carrier program. The APCs would come in 4 different versions,...
* The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates Saudi Arabia's 2013 budget to be about $2.6B higher than the UK's. Unlike recent figures from IHS Jane's this contradicts the British government's claim to the 4th worldwide spot. Either way,...
* Indian Defense Minister AK Antony said that 92% of the ministry's capital account for the current fiscal year were already spent. That makes sense 11 months into a fiscal year that ends on March 31st, but the Rafale deal won't be finalized by then. With elections...