LTAMDS milestone, Defiant test flight, and coronavirus concerns

In this episode of the Weekly Defence Podcast, we bring you the latest from the land, air and naval domains. We talk about the LTAMDS milestone, the SB>1 Defiant test flight and coronavirus concerns. 

• News Round (01:03)  

Land Reporter Flavia Camargos Pereira talks through a landmark for Raytheon in the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) programme, with completion of the first radar antenna array.  LTAMDS will ultimately replace Patriot in the US Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense network, and the new array is expected to perform twice as efficiently as its predecessor. The army expects that LTAMDS will bring enhanced protection to defeat advanced air and missile threats such as hypersonic weapons.   

Air Editor Tim Martin looks back on his visit last week to West Palm Beach, where three experimental test aircraft performed at a Sikorsky flight test demonstration event. One of these was the SB>1 Defiant that has been jointly developed by Sikorsky and Boeing as a candidate solution for the US Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) requirement. Defiant is moving towards increased speed flight tests, having overcome a gearbox joint issue that affected it last year. 

Turning to the UK, Tim discusses news from an RAF briefing in London this week, where senior officers raised concerns that the quest for accelerated data transfer techniques could lead to the loss of important information.

News Editor Ben Vogel looks back on the resignation of Pentagon policy chief John Rood, effective from 28 February. No official reason has been given for this development, but some analysts regard Rood’s ejection as the latest example of retribution being meted out to executive branch officials linked to the recent unsuccessful impeachment proceedings. 

• Deep Dive - Sirkorsky defiant test flight (18:07)

Tim Martin grabs a chat with Sikorsky test pilot Bill Fell who flew the SB>1 Defiant coaxial demonstrator.

• Interview - Talks on submarine rescue systems with JFD (30:10)

Richard Thomas, Senior Editor – Naval, speaks with Richard Devlin, Head of Global Sales at submarine rescue system provider JFD, on the technological and environmental complexities encountered in the sector, and time constraints that dictate the conduct of subsurface rescue operations. 

• Industry Voice - Nammo (40:00)

VP Content Tony Skinner is on the phone with Endre Lunde, Senior Vice President Communications at Nammo, to talk about the ongoing coronavirus crisis and its potential long-term effects on the defence industry.

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