FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW: This is it. We are wrapping up our coverage of the 2012 show. The grey and wet skies that blanketed the show for most of the week stand as a metaphor for the defense business. One industry observer, with more than 20 years of air shows under his belt, told me this…
By Colin ClarkAccurate sensors are critical for armor units under fire
Maneuver formations face multifaceted threats that include kinetic force-on-force and non-kinetic effects such as electronic warfare.
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By Jori BellFARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW: The sun shone — sometimes. Well, once in a while. But regardless of the weather here crowds turned out to watch the planes, especially the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Its sleek composite frame complemented the subtle bend of the wings as the plane took off and banked. The 787’s pilot was praised by…
By Colin ClarkFARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW: You can tell the U.S. defense budget is shrinking when one of the more interesting stories during an international air show centers on a plane, the F-16, first delivered in 1979. But BAE Systems’ press conference focused on just that, providing upgrades to the worldwide fleet of some 2,500 airplanes in what…
By Colin ClarkFARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW: Raytheon, of all the American defense contractors, has made the biggest commitment to air shows in the last three years in hopes of boosting the company’s foreign market share to 30 percent from the current quarter of company business. Every American defense company, watching the debate over sequestration and the long-term prospects…
By Colin Clark“Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle” is arguably the most awesome name on record for a Pentagon program. Technologically, the Raytheon-built EKV is pretty impressive, able to hit an incoming missile head-on at over 15,000 miles per hour. Some background: The Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle is the business end of the missile defense system now based in Alaska and…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW: Headline: Dutch Parliament votes to kill Joint Strike Fighter. Reality: Dutch parliamentarians cast meaningless vote as they position for elections in six months. That sort of sums up much of what we’ve heard about the F-35 here. There are a few headlines but very little that’s really newsworthy. Of course, you can…
By Colin Clark
How to create a unified, resilient battlespace
When it comes to a common operating picture, not everyone needs the same equipment. What they need is the same situational awareness.
FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW: One of the topics dear to the hearts of Beltway bandits, defense lobbyists and — let’s be honest — reporters, is always who will run things after the November elections. Few people wise in the ways of Washington I know are willing to predict what will happen when the people vote. But…
By Colin ClarkFARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW: Aviation Warrior is a tiny $5 million contract with enormous potential, given the legions of American and allied helicopters around the world. Raytheon unveiled the system this morning here. Essentially, it’s an advanced heads-up display on the pilot’s helmet — with colored maps and symbology to help pilots cope with dangers such…
By Colin ClarkFARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW: A new study by the consulting company PwC’s aerospace and defense division concludes that U.S. and European primes must look abroad for the mainstay of their profits. As PwC’s Scott Thompson says in this exclusive interview, industry leaders also beleive controlling costs and improving their own management will be key to surviving…
By Colin ClarkThe X3 hybrid helicopter, one of the highlights of the Paris Air Show last year, is in the midst of a month-long tour of the United States. Robbin Laird, defense consultant and owner of the Second Line of Defense website, saw the aircraft do its thing in Texas and he offers this appraisal of the…
By Robbin LairdOn the eve of the international Farnborough Airshow, a prominent aerospace and defense analyst says there is a wave of investment ready to pour into the defense sector – but investors are “paralyzed” by the unresolved threat of sequestration. “A lot of people in the industry and a lot of investment capital outside the industry…
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.The ebb and flood of transatlantic defense relations has long been in evidence at the Farnborough air show, at the political and industrial level both. A question on the minds of many of the more than 100,000 daily attendees will be just how low the spending tide could eventually drop, as Washington’s interest is now…
By Douglas Barrie
