Defense & Aerospace Report

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 to discuss Wall Street’s second down week on stronger than expected inflation that’s likely to delay Federal Reserve rate cuts, new survey shows supply chains unlikely to normalize for between one and three years, when defense output will ramp up as Ukraine aid drains Western stockpiles, another Boeing whistleblower accuses the giant of taking potentially dangerous shortcuts on its 787 jetliner, update on Spirit AeroSystems’ future, Japan’s potential as a defense industrial power, and Ukraine’s war update as Kyiv loses ground.

Dr. Patrick Cronin, Jim Townsend, and Dr. Dov Zakheim discuss Congress chaos, Ukraine crisis, GOP Moscow influence, Chinese support for Moscow, NATO naval challenges, US-Japan-Filipino meetings, Israel-Iran tensions, and more in this insightful podcast.

Tiltrotors are having more than a moment, with the Army, Navy, and Air Force all committed to the technology and the V-22 returning to flight following an accident. We’ll talk with two experienced operators, Kurt Fuller and Rob Freeland of Bell, to get the latest on the V-22, V-280, and more. And how does a record-setting solar aircraft become a reconnaissance platform? Skydweller CEO Robert Miller shares the story. Plus this week’s headlines in airpower. Powered by GE!

David Schild, the executive director of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America, discusses US government investment in 2024 but an uncertain outlook in 2025, the imperative to invest in the entire printed circuit board ecosystem that constitutes 70 percent of modern microelectronics with chips constituting the remaining 30 percent, why a CHIPS Act equivalent is vital for printed circuit board industrial base, role of allies and partners, an update on semiconductor investment and more with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses, discusses Ukraine’s new long-range drones and how Kyiv is using them to strike war industries deep in Russia, Ukrainian efforts to build its own defense-industrial capabilities, Russia’s use of hypersonic weapons to attack Ukraine’s infrastructure, Kyiv’s most pressing needs, where Russia is gaining ground and likely to focus its own offensive plans, whether Vladimir Putin will order a broader national troop mobilization and more with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.

On today’s program, sponsored by HII, Byron Callan of the independent Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners discusses geopolitical drivers for global defense, prospects for US supplemental funding for Ukraine as well as NATO’s new five-year $100 million plan to help Kyiv, whether Washington will cut Israel aid anytime soon, the National Defense Industrial Association’s annual “Vital Signs” assessment, margin pressure on leading company as the price of everything increases, the performance gap between prime contractors and services providers, what to expect from the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space conference and tradeshow April 8-10, 2024, and a look at the week ahead; and the cohosts of the Cavas Ships podcast — Chris Cavas and Chris Servello — discuss what they expect to hear from US Navy leaders at the SAS this week with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian. And to learn more about HII, visit the company at Sea-Air-Space, booth 1323.

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 to discuss the drop in the S&P as US job growth beats expectations again, Boeing awards it’s outgoing ceo a nearly $32 million pay package — 45 percent raise — as it looks for a new boss, the industry debates why a new jetliner would cost Boeing $50 billion to develop, GE Aerospace becomes a standalone company after spinning of GE Vernova power business, NATO seeks a more central role in arming Ukraine with a new five-year, $100 billion fund, Britain considers an arms embargo on Israel after British humanitarian workers are killed in an Israeli airstrike, and on the eve of Navy’s premiere annual conference the service’s secretary criticizes shipbuilders for being behind schedule on programs.

Dr. Patrick Cronin, Jim Townsend, and Dr. Dov Zakheim discuss Japan's perceptions of Washington, NATO's 75th anniversary, US response to Russian intimidation, Moscow's directed energy attacks, Japanese PM's US visit, Biden-Xi Jinping talks, Taiwan's earthquake, Israeli conflict, and Washington's ultimatum to Israel.

For decades, the American military has struggled with how to prepare for a diversity of conflicts. The Hudson Institute’s Bryan Clark and Dan Patt have a new paper on what they call hedge forces – capabilities to deter or prevail in specific scenarios without having to tailor the whole force for those operations. Bryan joins us to describe the concept and how it applies particularly to airpower. And we have the week’s headlines. Powered by GE!

On today’s Strategy Series program, sponsored by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Sam Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses, discusses the latest in the Russo-Ukrainian War including Russia’s recent strikes on Ukrainian cities plunging more than 1 million into darkness and Kyiv’s 800-mile drone attack on a key Russian unmanned aircraft factory, the latest on the front as Russians grind forward and Ukrainians increasingly dig in, whether Vladimir Putin will use the ISIS-K attack in Moscow as justification for a large scale mobilization as Volodymyr Zelenskyy lowers the draft age to replenish his force, the growing ubiquity of first-person video drones on the future of land warfare, and how to respond to Russian extraterritorial actions from assassinations to use of high-power directed energy weapons on Americans at home and aboard with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian.