Mastiff, Afghanistan(click to view full) In 2006, Britain started purchasing a trio of very different vehicles intended to helps their army patrols in high-threat areas. Their "Urgent Operational Requirement" orders were part of a general trend among Western...
What Else Would You Expect * Former US Defense Secretary Robert Gates' memoir has been the talk of the town this week. John Dickerson argues in Slate that the Washington commentariat has been guilty of selective quoting and spin, whereas Gates' actual message was...
* Don't expect open hearings from the senate armed services committee (SASC) as long as Carl Levin [D-MI] is in charge. Somehow the counterpart committee in the House of Representatives found a way not to let the need for occasional classified discussions get in the...
* Jerry DeMuro will replace Linda Hudson as president and CEO of BAE Systems, Inc., effective February 1st. He was until last year working at General Dynamics. * Allan McArtor is to succeed Sean O'Keefe as Chairman and CEO of Airbus Group, Inc. as of March 2014....
S-61T(click to view full) In February 2010, Sikorsky announced an indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity agreement with the US Department of State to purchase up to 110 modernized S-61N/T Sea King helicopters, for itself or for other government departments. USDoS is...
* Foreign Policy notes that the US won't ship Iraq the weapons it needs to fight Al Qaeda. The Pentagon is content with expediting the delivery of Hellfire missiles and ScanEagle UAVs, and in the past year the White House has only partially revisited its narrative...
Spain's L61 & LCM-1Es(click to view full) Turkey has been looking for a new amphibious assault ship for some time. The competition for an "LPD" began in 2010, and bids were requested in 2011, but it took until December 2013 for the SSM procurement agency to decide. In...
* According to Reuters, US Acquisition Undersecretary Frank Kendall allowed the use of Chinese magnets in F-35 components to avoid delays for lack of parts. Such magnets often depend on rare-earth materials. * The UAE is reportedly concerned that US components on...
* Consulting firm Deloitte released its annual aerospace and defense industry outlook [PDF] which projects more of the same: strong commercial aerospace growth and defense decline, at least until the next significant war. Note to Deloitte: the verdict is already out...