FY2022 US budget highlights and UK innovation ecosystem

In this episode of The Weekly Defence Podcast we delve into the newly released US FY2022 defence budget proposal; and we speak to the Institute for Security Science and Technology (ISST) at Imperial College and Iceni Labs about efforts by academia and industry to support defence R&D in the UK.

Newsround [01:02] 

At the Land Forces 2021 exhibition in Brisbane, Australia, local firm Cyborg Dynamics displayed a demonstrator version of its Warfighter UGV armed with twin Spike LR2 anti-tank missile launchers.

Navantia and Rheinmetall Defence Australia have teamed up to offer one solution for the Australian Army’s next amphibious logistics vehicle, while Austal laid its cards on the table as another contender.

In Europe, the Croatian government last Friday finally announced a replacement for its elderly MiG-21 fighter fleet.

Chinese aircraft carriers continue to worry the Japanese military, which plans to deploy a mobile aircraft control and warning squadron of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force on the Ogasawara Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

In focus

Defence Journalist Alix Valenti, Air Editor Tim Martin and Senior Land Reporter Tim Fish engage in a round table discussion which looks at the implications of this year’s US FY2022 budget proposal. Looking at some of the key points from the announcement, the team explains what the proposals could mean for the US Army, the USN and the USAF if approved by Congress.

Interview-  ISST and Imperial College[24:40] 

News Editor Ben Vogel is on the line with Professor Deeph Chana, Co-Director of Imperial College’s ISST, and Alexander Giles, Chief Commercial Officer at Iceni Labs, to look at what industry is doing to support UK government plans to prioritise high-risk R&D in defence.

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