Defense & Aerospace Report

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the latest headlines and looks at the week ahead.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss another record setting week on Wall Street as the Federal Reserve cut borrowing rates as expected over worries about the US jobs market; a Financial Times report that a week after British, Italian and Japanese officials hinted that there could be room for Germany and Spain in the British-Italian-Japanese Global Combat Air Program, Germany is considering dropping out of the SCAF program to develop a new family of air systems over frustrations with France and its leading contractor Dassault Aviation; a report in The Atlantic that Denmark decided to pick Europe’s SAMP-T air and missile defense system over the US Patriot system in part because Washington lost interest in the deal to bolster its own depleted weapons stocks; Rheinmetall’s acquisition of the military arm of shipbuilder Lürssen; Ankara’s interest in US fighter aircraft as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepares to visit the White House on Sept. 25; the vote by Boeing’s unionized machinists in St Louis to approve a contract proposed by the union that the company already rejected; and the legacy of aviation legend Sergei Sikorsky, son of helicopter inventor Igor Sikorsky, who passed away on Sept. 18 at age100.

This discussion features Michael Herson, a defense policy expert, Jim Townsend, a former Pentagon Europe chief, Dr. Dov Zakheim, a former Pentagon comptroller, and Dr. Patrick Cronin, an Asia-Pacific security analyst. They delve into the Senate's pause on the National Defense Authorization Act amidst a looming government shutdown. Insights include NATO's challenges with Russian aggression, the implications of Trump's talks with Xi Jinping, and Japan's increasing role in regional security by deploying fighter planes to support NATO efforts.

What will USAF leadership say at the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference? What won’t they? And just what is going on in the Air Force, anyway? We preview this year’s show with Todd Harrison of the American Enterprise Institute and Air and Space Forces magazine’s John Tirpak. Plus this week’s airpower headlines. Powered by GE!

Luke Savoie, the president and CEO of Elbit America, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss how the Pentagon is moving to accelerate the delivery of capabilities; the keys to agility and speed; the prospect that the US government will acquire stakes in contractors if they accept Pentagon development funding; the company’s top markets; the future of border control systems and technologies; how to integrate border control technologies with the administration’s top priority Golden Dome air and missile defense system; merger and acquisition outlook; and what to expect at both the Air Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber tradeshow and the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomic Aeronautical Systems, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses and Dr. Eugene Rumer, the director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss details of Russia’s drone attacks on Poland, Romania and Moldova — the first and largest such attack against the alliance; how the alliance can respond given President Trump’s conditioning of US support on all alliance members agreeing to halting energy purchases from Russia and imposing penalties on China; the changing nature of Russia’s ever larger attacks on Ukraine; the joint Russian-Belorussian Zapad 2025 exercises and how Moscow and Minsk are working to improve capabilities; whether the exercise is cover for potential future action against NATO given how Russia used past Zapad exercises to pre-position forces and equipment for the 2022 attack on Ukraine; the implications of US military observers at Zapad; and whether Washington’s engagement with Minsk will change Belarus’ alignment with Russia.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners and Chris Servello, the co-host of our Cavas Ships podcast joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the latest headlines and looks at the week ahead.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss Wall Street gains ground on expectations the Federal Reserve will cut borrowing rates next week on a shaky jobs market; Denmark picked Europe’s SAMP-T air and missile defense system over the US Patriot system as part of a wider air and missile defense upgrade worth $9 billion; Boeing’s unionized machinists in St Louis rejection of the company’s latest offer to end a month long strike; low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines order for 50 Embraer E195-E2 jetliners in a $4.4 billion deal . . . the arrival of two Northrop Grumman B-21 bombers at Edwards Air Force Base for flight testing; and takeaways from the world’s biggest defense show, the DSEI exhibition in London; including how US companies are increasing cooperation with global partners like cooperative venture between Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works and BAE Systems’ Falcon Works to develop innovative new unmanned systems, and Global Combat Air Program led by Britain with Italy and Japan suggests there would be room for Germany and Spain on the program to develop a new sixth generation air system should the countries — already frustrated with France’s hold on the SCAF program — what to jump ship and be part of a more collaborative effort.

Michael Herson, President of American Defense International, joins Jim Townsend, former Pentagon Europe Chief, Dov Zakheim, former Pentagon Comptroller, and Dr. Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific Security Chair at the Hudson Institute. They dive into the $892 billion National Defense Authorization Act and the looming potential for a government shutdown. The panel discusses Russia's drone attacks in Poland and its implications for NATO, as well as U.S.-China military diplomacy. Tensions in Europe and defense spending challenges spark urgent calls for bipartisan solutions.

With a new Chief of Staff inbound for the US Air Force, we assembled a team of airpower experts to lay out a day one agenda for getting the service from today to tomorrow. And we’ll have the latest from the world’s largest defense exposition -- along with this week’s headlines in airpower. Powered by GE!