First instalment of Janes Defence Industry Conversations sees Hon. David Trachtenberg discuss the impact of Covid-19 on US defence priorities, while defence budgets data from Janes reflects the likely squeeze on military spending

Janes data highlights South American countries shifting policy direction and government instability linked to the novel coronavirus, while in Europe Spain relies on its armed forces to treat the pandemic.

Looking through the lens of the coronavirus pandemic, Janes updated Covid-19 Events Monitor keeps industry, government and national security customers informed about key incidents and threats that are affecting their operations.

As of early April, the impact of the virus has forced many regional defence firms to halt industrial activities, while companies in East Asia are ramping up work close to pre-pandemic levels. Like in many sectors, working from home has become the norm.

The latest analysis from Janes Markets Forecast predicts the market for military aviation in East Asia (excl. China) will hit USD189.810 billion across 2020-2029 – with approximately 13% in opportunities for fighter aircraft acquisition programmes.

US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and an undisclosed special mission unit in Europe are set to become the first customers capable of firing 70 mm rockets from...

Various sources, including within Hizbullah’s military wing, have reported to Janes that the group’s hospitals in Beirut are overwhelmed by members infected with Covid-19.

The US Department of Defense (DoD’s) USD740.5 billion discretionary defence budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2021 is unlikely to be affected by the outbreak of Covid-19, but responses to the virus and its economic effects are likely to increase US public debt and potentially hit budgets in the longer term.

The Taliban has overtaken the Islamic State as the world’s deadliest terror group, according to the latest report from  Janes Terrorism and Insurgency Centre (JTIC).

Congratulations to Janes principal journalist and unmanned systems editor Kelvin Wong for picking up the Aerospace Media Awards Asia award for Best Military Aviation submission.

The killing of Iranian general Qassem Suleimani in a US airstrike in Iraq on 3 January has significantly increased tensions between the two nations, with a significant probability of retaliation or possible escalation by Iran. In addition to conventional military means, Iran has an array of non-state proxy groups across the broader region that could potentially be utilised to threaten US military and government targets.

Analysis from Janes highlights that the sixth consecutive year of global defence spending growth was bolstered by a 5% jump in Europe as the US budget fell from 2018 spike to USD726.2 billion.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is expected to complete Trophy active protection system (APS) deliveries for the US Army’s M1 Abrams main battle tank line this year, but...

Raytheon Australia has announced that the Shoalhaven region in New South Wales will become the “Asia-Pacific manufacturing and sustainment hub” for the Schiebel S-100...

The United States government is preparing further defence sales to Taiwan as part of its new policy of dealing with military-capability requests from Taipei on a rolling...

The first Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to be upgraded to the UH-60V standard has been released into service by the US Army.

Airbus announced on 12 October that it has been selected by Australia to develop a communications and mission system upgrade for the Royal Australian Air Force’s...

UAVOS recently reached a milestone in its solar-powered High-Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) ApusDuo development by flying the aircraft in unstable atmospheric...

The Luxembourg Armed Forces’ A400M arrived at Melsbroek, the military part of Brussels airport, on 9 October to join the Belgian air force's 15 Air Transport Wing as the...