COVID-19 impact accelerates, Swedish defence minister interview, and Brazil enhances Guarani

In this episode of the Weekly Defence Podcast, we focus on how the defence industry has been affected by COVID-19 at an operational level, as we begin to see consistent evidence that business fortunes are swaying faster than last week; and we bring you the latest on the air, naval and land domains across the world.

Newsround (00:31)

Japan continues to look for an indigenous next-generation fighter to enter service by the mid-2030s, as a replacement for the ageing F-2A/B fleet.

The Japanese MoD has confirmed that it will not pursue a derivative of an existing fighter, thus cementing the pathway for a brand new design with overseas assistance. 

We look at the 14 March attack by suspected Iranian groups on Camp Taji and the US and UK response following the deaths of three service personnel.

The US Navy will maintain a two-carrier fleet in the Central  Command area of operations for an indeterminate period of time, following increased tensions between the US and Iran. 

This month, the Brazilian Army began testing the indigenously developed Proteus-SGP system for centralised management of subsystems on its 6x6 Guarani platforms.

Focus: Air Editor Tim Martin discusses the impact of COVID-19 on major aerospace companies.  Airbus, for example, has introduced a companywide four-day pause on production and assembly activities across all of its Spanish and French sites. 

Elsewhere other manufacturers are not taking just as drastic action – Saab told Shephard that its Gripen facility in Linkoping is ‘working as normal’.

Land Reporter Flavia Camargos Pereira gives us a general overview of the situation in South America - troop deployments, border restrictions and the impact on the region’s defence industry. 

Senior Editor - Naval Richard Thomas looks at how naval shipbuilders in the UK and mainland Europe are taking steps to protect their businesses from the effects of COVID-19.  

Deep Dive – Interview with Swedish Defence Minister (14:57)

Air Editor Tim Martin sits down for an exclusive interview with Swedish Minister of Defence Peter Hulqtvist to discuss the urgent matter of how the spread of COVID-19 will affect the Swedish defence industry or cause potential complications for future equipment acquisitions of Gripen E fighters and A26-class submarines.  

Interview – ST Engineering (29:51)

VP Content Tony Skinner grabs a chat with ST Engineering to discuss the latest developments and capabilities of Singapore’s primary defence company.


This episode was produced by Noemi Distefano with music and sound mixing by Fred Prest.