Special forces technologies and trends, Canadian Army digitisation and NATO's defence spending

What emerged from the main industry event for Special Forces? How is the Canadian Army preparing for the future digital battlespace? And what is being done to tackle the rising threat of drone incursions?

This week in a jam-packed Weekly Defence Podcast, we check out the latest technologies on show at SOFIC 2019, speak to Colonel Mark Parsons of the Canadian Army about how networked technologies are changing the way war is waged, and hear from our sponsor Nammo about the growing threat of drone incursions.

• News Round Up (01:17)

With US president Donald Trump visiting the UK this week, we touch upon his recent comments regarding NATO spending, and hear the responses of attendees at the Land Warfare Conference in London hosted by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

We hear the opinions of Shashank Joshi, Senior Research Fellow at RUSI, and Professor Anne Applebaum, American journalist and Director of ARENA.

We also take a look at the recently approved sale of eight Lockheed Martin F-16s to Bulgaria, with a maximum projected price of $1.6 billion. The sale will include support, training, documentation, spare parts and a modest weapons package.

Lockheed Martin has also been in the news recently for withdrawing from the US Navy’s FFG(X) process, and instead focusing on the programme’s weapon systems while also working to build up the capabilities of the Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) on which its offering was designed.

Finally, there is an update regarding the US Army’s Improved Turbine Engine Programme (ITEP) for their AH-64 Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk fleets. Although General Electric’s T901 turboshaft has been confirmed as the engine of choice, their competitor ATEC (a joint venture between Honeywell and Pratt and Whitney) continues to protest the decision.

The price is right for US F-16s to Sofia

Combat system concentration for Lockheed Martin after FFG(X) withdrawal

Insight: ITEP thaw heats US Army engines

• Event – SOFIC 2019 (22:33)

Scott Gourley, our special forces editor, reports on the themes, trends, and technologies on show at SOFIC 2019, from new lightweight ammunition to more effective night vision goggles. 

• Interview – Colonel Mark Parsons, Canadian Army (32:14)

Helen Haxell sat down with Colonel Mark Parsons, the Director of Land Command Information in the Canadian Army, to discuss the various effects the ongoing evolution of network-enabled technologies has had, and how the armed forces are preparing themselves to handle them.

• Industry Voice - Nammo (52:34)

In this week’s Industry Voice Tony Skinner, our VP of Content, and Endre Lunde, SVP of Communications for Nammo, talk about the issue of drone incursions and the ways industry is responding.

Music and sound mixing provided by Fred Prest