Defense & Aerospace Report

If it goes up in the air and especially if it goes fast, former Director of Defense Research and Engineering and Air Force chief scientist Dr. Mark Lewis has been deep in the details. He joins us to update the latest technologies on and coming to the battlefield, including a great primer on hypersonics. And we have this week’s headlines in airpower. Powered by GE!

Mike Smith, the president and CEO of Hanwha Defense USA, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss the company’s sweep of products, approach to expanding in the US market, it’s investment strategy for growth including $100 million acquisition of a Philadelphia shipyard, key to driving innovation the innovation and capacity gains the Pentagon seeks, lessons from his tenure at BAE Systems on growing a US subsidiary of a foreign company in the United States, where he expects from the company in 10 years and at the Association of the United States Army’s upcoming conference and tradeshow.

Dan Tenney, the vice president for strategy and business development at Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss lessons from the Ukraine war that are shaping his $16 billion enterprise; the capabilities the US Army needs to counter China, Russia and other threats; the keys to scaling hardware and software; supporting to nations increasingly seeking sovereign capabilities; competing in a market where the Pentagon is increasingly rewarding innovative firms that invest to more economically develop products that address military needs; and whether DoD clearly understands the big problems it needs to solve.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies discusses what’s next now that Israel has killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other of the Lebanese Shia militia’s top commanders as well as truck Houthi targets in Yemen; how the moves could help deter Tehran from further provocations; and challenges associated with impending Israeli ground operations in Southern Lebanon; and Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses the broader investment implications of continuing unrest in the Middle East; broader geoeconomic and geopolitical takeaways from the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Forum in New York last week, including Russia’s improving if more expensive defense capabilities and that the US-China relationship is “stabilizing,” and a look at the week ahead with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On this week’s Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. Rocket Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities, Sash Tusa of the independent equity research firm Agency Partners, and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian discuss Wall Street sets another record on sinking inflation and more Fed rate cuts; Boeing’s strike continues as questions aspire about CEO Kelly Ortberg’s leadership; the National Transportation Safety Board recommends action on Boeing 737 jetliners after a recent rudder incident on a United Airlines flight; HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding discovered and reported to the Navy that one of its workers had “knowingly” made defective welds in submarines and aircraft carriers, although not in critical areas; suddenly blended-wing-body aircraft have become all the rage as the COP29 climate summit prepares to convene Nov. 11-22 in Azerbaijan; President Biden’s denial of permission for Western nations to allow Ukraine to use donated weapons against Russia; budget challenges across Europe; and a far right win in Austria.

Dr. Patrick Cronin, a strategist at the Hudson Institute, joins Michael Herson from American Defense International, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend, and former Pentagon Comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim to discuss pivotal issues. They analyze the recent bipartisan spending measure and U.S. military support for Ukraine amid geopolitical tensions. Delving into China’s military maneuvers, including ICBM tests, they highlight implications for naval security and the AUKUS partnership. The conversation also covers Israel's aggressive actions in Lebanon and examines the political landscape as election day approaches.

We’ve been talking a lot about the USAF recently, so it’s time for some naval contemplation. Longtime F-14 RIO Cdr. Ward Carroll joins us to talk Naval Aviation, including its future and current air and missile defense ops. Dr. Tom Karako of CSIS brings us up to date on other air and missile defense news. And we have headlines in airpower. Powered by GE!

On this week’s Technology Report, John Cofrancesco, the founder of the new artificial intelligence firm Applied AI Company, discusses takeaways from the congressional hearing with CrowdStrike executives on the recent software update error from the cyber security firm that precipitated global disruptions, the role of AI to make to avert such mistakes in the future, how the Pentagon’s AI ecosystem is evolving and the key to driving innovation, supply chain lessons in the wake of Israel’s use of global supply chains to produce exploding pagers and walkie talkies, countering spoofing of critical control systems including on commercial aircraft, and helping foster a new generation of more cyber and AI savvy legislators and more with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Amb. John Herbst, a former US ambassador to both Uzbekistan and Ukraine who is now the senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington to convince President Biden to allow Western weapons to be used against targets in Russia, the Biden administration’s logic in blocking the use of weapons against sites used by Moscow to attack Ukraine, why US forbearance is merely emboldening Vladimir Putin, why it’s vital Ukraine wins the war and what’s needed to achieve that aim, how America and its allies need to do to better deter Russia, the need for a strategy to counter Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, whether Europe can support Ukraine if US leaders decide against further assistance, and how much longer the conflict is likely to continue.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses discusses Ukraine’s long-range attack on Russia’s ammunition depot at Toropets destroying months worth of artillery shells and other weapons; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington to ask President Biden to reconsider his opposition to the use of Western weapons against Russia; and how both sides are rapidly adapting unmanned systems and defenses; Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses the budget outlook as House Speaker Mike Johnson seeks to fund the government beyond Sept. 30; takeaways from the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air Space Cyber conference and tradeshow last week; the outlook for the Air Force’s flagship manned fighter element of the Next-Generation Air Dominance family of systems that is being reconsidered by the service’s leadership; changing industrial and threat dynamics; and a look at the week ahead with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.