The Shephard Defence Podcast

In the final bumper edition of The Weekly Defence Podcast in 2021, our subject matter experts look back over an eventful year for air, land, sea and training procurement programmes (including a return to the trade show scene); we look at the main developments in the Asia-Pacific region; and Air Editor Tim Martin speaks with Honeywell to discuss the T55-714C engine upgrade for US Army helicopters.Newsround [01:45]In his overview, Air Editor Tim Martin notes strong 2021 performances from Dassault and Lockheed Martin in winning fighter procurement contests.Looking ahead, Tim flags up a looming decision in Canada on future fighter procurement and notes that 2022 will be a significant year for the US Army FVL programme.Land Reporter Flavia Camargos Pereira looks back at her highlights from the AUSA annual conference and exhibition in October 2021, particularly the OMFV programme for the US Army. She also discusses problems affecting British Army vehicle procurement.Senior Naval Reporter Harry Lye reviews the highlights (and lowlights) of the Carrier Strike Group 21 deployment by the UK RN, as well as strong procurement activity in Greece.Simulation & Training Editor Trevor Nash describes getting back on the show scene in 2021. It was a busy year for industry mergers and acquisitions, and Trevor also describes how  NATO has grabbed the NFTE programme by the horns. Asia-Pacific review [48:32]News Editor Ben Vogel discusses major news from 2021 with Asia-Pacific Editor Gordon Arthur. Chinese sabre-rattling towards its neighbours continued and Beijing appears intent on boosting its ICBM and hypersonic missile stocks, while the AUKUS pact in September ruffled feathers in France.Interview – Honeywell Aerospace [1:08:59]Tim Martin talks with TJ Pope, senior director for military turboshaft engines at Honeywell Aerospace, about the latest developments with the T55-714C upgrade for US Army helicopters.This episode was produced by Ben Vogel with music and sound mixing by Fred Prest.

In this episode of The Weekly Defence Podcast, we explore the main themes from the European Defence Agency innovation conference; we discuss the latest global arms sales data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute; and we shine a light on Middle Eastern air force procurement and naval shipbuilding.In the second part of the show, Air Editor Tim Martin speaks with Defence Insight air analyst Ilker Aktasoglu to discuss the ongoing impact of COVID on aircraft procurement programmes.Newsround [01:30]Land Reporter Flavia Camargos Pereira looks into the annual EDA Innovation Conference that took place in Brussels on 7 December, and describes how European countries are looking at non-traditional partners for R&D.Elsewhere, Air Editor Tim Martin looks over a new report from SIPRI on global arms sales, which shows how US manufacturers continue to dominate while Chinese competitors focus on specialist markets. Tim also discusses some significant Middle Eastern developments with the mega-order last week from the UAE for Rafale. Where does this leave the potential F-35 deal?And staying in the Middle East, our Senior Naval Reporter Harry Lye casts an eye over a significant week for naval programmes in the region, after Naval Group launched the first Gowind corvette for the UAE Navy and Navantia launched Saudi Arabia's final Avante 2200 corvette.Interview – COVID and military aircraft procurement [29:05]Tim Martin talks with Defence Insight air analyst Ilker Aktasoglu to discuss the challenges that COVID-19 still pose to aircraft procurement programmes.This episode was produced by Ben Vogel with music and sound mixing by Fred Prest.

In this episode of The Weekly Defence Podcast, our Military Training Editor is on the line from the floor of I/ITSEC in Orlando to discuss major themes and headlines from the show; we look into talk of a merger between two major European next-generation fighter programmes; and in an interview with Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition (ACIBC), we discuss ongoing supply chain shortages affecting the aircraft carrier industrial base. Newsround [01:06]News Editor Ben Vogel is on the line with Trevor Nash who is reporting on the main themes at I/ITSEC 2021.Among the major show highlights on Trevor’s radar are the fallout from BAE Systems’ purchase of BISim; a potential USAF move away from using the T-1A Jayhawk training fleet; and do conventional gallery ranges have any purpose in the modern age?Elsewhere, Air Editor Tim Martin give us an update on Airbus briefings about the multinational Eurodrone and FCAS programmes, including industry talk that the latter could merge with Tempest.Interview – ACIBC [31:00]Senior Naval Reporter Harry Lye is on the line with Richard Giannini Chairman of the Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition (ACIBC) to discuss the challenges in production rate of new carriers and potential solutions for supply chain crisis for defence. This episode was produced by Noemi Distefano with music and sound mixing by Fred Prest. 

In this episode of The Weekly Defence Podcast, the team looks at how NASCAR expertise is being applied to the defence sector; we speak to CAE to understand the company’s posture seven months after the acquisition of L3 Harris Military Training business; and we discuss the C295 MPA programme with Airbus. Newsround: [01:40]The news team dives into modification work on USN Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships; what to expect from the I/ITSEC expo next week in Orlando; the signature of a new partnership among signatories to the AUKUS agreement; and Taiwan’s F-16V modernisation programme.In focus:Land reporter Flavia Camargos Pereira reports on projects involving NASCAR champions Henrick Motorsports with the USMC, US Army and GM Defense. Where does motorsport technology meet defence?The EDA Council has launched new projects as part of its Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) framework. Several countries among the 25 EU member states are involved on a series of new programmes for their air, naval and land forces. Interview- Airbus [32:05]Air Editor Tim Martin is on the line with Fernando Ciria Head of marketing airborne ISR and tactical airlifters at Airbus to discuss the status of the C295 MPA programme and more. Industry voice [48:04]Creative Director Tony Skinner speaks to Dan Gelston, Group President, Defence and Security at CAE to take a look at the impact — seven months on — of the acquisition of the L3Harris Military Training division. This episode was produced by Noemi Distefano with music and sound mixing by Fred Prest.

In this episode of the Weekly Defence Podcast, we take a look at the major news from the floor of Dubai Airshow 2021 and talk with Defence Insight about global trends in the procurement of second-hand platforms for ground forces.News from Dubai Airshow 2021 [01:20] Shephard correspondent Leonid Nersisyan is on the line from Dubai to look at highlights from the show. Major news, discussed with host Noemi Distefano and Air Editor Tim Martin, includes the overseas show debut of the Russian Su-75 Checkmate aircraft; new UAVs from Emirati conglomerate EDGE Group plus an exclusive interview with the company CEO; new capabilities on display by Israeli companies and potential export opportunities; and updates on procurement (or potential procurement) contracts for the H225M and AW609 helicopters. Deep-Dive – Global market for second-hand armoured vehicles [32:20]Land Reporter Flavia Camargos Pereira and Senior Land Analyst at Shephard Defence Insight discuss the landscape for procurement of armoured vehicles platforms worldwide.While some countries might opt for new vehicles, others might look at second-hand vehicles to match tighter budgets. Which militaries are mostly attracted to this type of procurement? And which countries are the biggest supplier of second-hand capabilities? Industry Voice - Raytheon Missiles and Defense [50:11]Creative Director Tony Skinner speaks to Paul Ferraro, Vice President of Air Power at Raytheon Missiles and Defense, to look at countermeasures currently on offer on the market to tackle the issue of ballistic missile threats. This episode was produced by Noemi Distefano with music and sound mixing by Fred Prest 

In this episode of The Weekly Defence Podcast the team looks at the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee report and discusses the Pentagon’s 2021 China Military Power study.Newsround The Shephard News team discussed the top stories across the land, air, sea and military training domains. Land [1:40]The Czech Republic is facing renewed challenges in its plan to acquire 210 IFVs, after the MoD recently concluded that none of the contenders has met its requirements so far. Training [08:13]The UK Military Flying System (UKMFTS) training programme is moving forward with a contract for Inzpire to deliver the GECO Mission Planning and Debrief system.And Elbit UK continues to grow it defence programme portfolio backed by a new award. Under the Interim Combined Arms Virtual Simulation (Deployable) ICAVS(D) programme, the firm will be delivering capabilities that will replace the older Unit-Based Virtual Traininer (UBVT). Air [11:57]Canada is on the hunt for an all-new fleet of MALE UAVs under the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) programme. Team Artemis and Team SkyGuardian respectively are competing for a contract award expected by 2024.Sea [15:16] The UK has begun concept work for the replacement of its Type 45 destroyers. The future Type 83 will see its concept phase beginning in earl 2022 with the assessment phase to follow in due course. Public Accounts Committee Report [17:22] The latest UK House of Commons Public Accounts Committee report highlighted continued failures by the UK MoD to deliver major equipment capabilities. The report says the MoD system is ‘broken’ and is ‘wasting taxpayers’ money’. The team engages in a roundtable discussion, highlighting the major programmes that were criticised in the report, the causes that led to these programmes suffering delays or cancellations and more. Deep Dive – News from the Asia Pacific [ 32:09]News Editor Ben Vogel and Asia-Pacific Editor Gordon Arthur catch up on all the news from the Pacific with a focus on the recently issued Pentagon report on Chinese military power. How fast is China growing? What is the US perspective on the Chinese military arsenal? How are China’s neighbours reacting?  They also discuss new naval developments in South Korea, as the ROKN undergoes modernisation and local industry receives a close-in weapon systems contract. This episode was produced by Noemi Distefano with music and sound mixing by Fred Prest  

In this episode of The Weekly Defence Podcast, the Shephard news team delves into major recent developments on land, at sea and in the air.Newsround [1:24]After more than three decades, the UK has secured an export deal with Egypt for the sale of two former Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels.Fort Austin and Fort Rosalie are two retired ships that will be replaced by the Fleet Solid Support ships in the coming years. The UK government has released its latest annual report on defence exports. Figures for 2020 showed that while the UK has maintained its presence in the top 10 defence exporters worldwide, sales did dip by 28% compared with 2019. In the military training domain, after the UK MoD’s ASDOT programme stalled in 2019 the government is now looking to fill some training gaps with its Operational Readiness Training Aerial Support Service (ORTASS) requirement. Although industry participants are yet to be formally announced, it looks like there is already a clear winner. In Focus Air- [6:37]The UK aims to find a replacement for its RAF BAe 146 fleet, which will be retired in Q1 2022.A tender, released on 28 October and worth £80 million ($109 million), calls for industry proposals to provide two civilian business jets under a Command Support Air Transport Recapitalisation (CSAT Recap) acquisition. However, it looks like the initial agreement signed by the MoD was for four aircraft. Sea -  [15:45] The UK RN finds itself in between a rock and a hard place as it seeks to replace its Harpoon missiles. A debate is still on going on whether the RN should risk to incur in a capability gap when the Harpoon will be retired in 2023. Negotiations are ongoing about the option of investing in an interim solution and a gap until 2028 which is when the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon will be (FC/AW) will be available. Training – [19:04] The USN has released its ‘Navy Aviation Vision 2030-2035’ report which paves the way for ‘high-end’ future training. With the aim of gaining advantage over the ‘Great power competition’ and rebalancing the use of virtual vs live training, a series of projects and initiatives are ongoing. Interview – Viasat on JADC2 and SATCOM [30:09]News Editor Ben Vogel is on the line with Craig Miller, President of Government Systems at Viasat, to discuss the company’s involvement in the US  Joint All-Domain Control and Communication (JADC2) programme and upcoming launch of the Viasat-3 constellation into orbit. This episode was produced by Noemi Distefano with music and sound mixing by Fred Prest.  

In this episode of the Weekly Defence Podcast, we look at the main news from the Pacific Future Forum in Portsmouth and dive into export news for the Airbus A400M. We also discuss Estonian procurement priorities, and talk to BAE Systems about its recent contract under the Future Maritime Support Programme.Newsround - [00:48] The Shephard news team takes a look at recent developments across the air, land, and sea domains.In focusSea – [1:35]Senior Naval Reporter Harry Lye reports on the Pacific Future Forum, which took place last week in Portsmouth. As part of its 'Global Britain in a competitive age' mantra, the RN has deployed two OPVs to the Far East to strengthen relationships with allies in the region. The deployment of two Batch 2 River-class OPVs follows the maiden deployment of Carrier Strike Group 21. How will the presence of the OPVs strengthen relationships between the UK and Indo-Pacific countries? Will the two OPVs eventually return to the UK? Air – [7:18] Air Editor Tim Martin reports on his attendance at the Airbus media day held on 25 October in Spain. During the event, the company outlined export prospects for its A400M transport aircraft and it also disclosed information on a deal with Kazakhstan.Elsewhere, Airbus addressed some issues related to their involvement in the Franco-German Maritime Airborne Weapons System programme. Airbus expects to see new studies to be conducted on that front. Land – [16:35]Senior Land Reporter Flavia Camargos Pereira delivers an exclusive from Estonia following the release of it FY2022 defence budget. Which platforms is the country looking to procure? Which tenders will be launched at the end of 2021? Interview – BAE Systems [26:49]Harry Lye is on the line with Dean Kimber, Head of Asset Management at BAE Systems, to discuss a new UK MoD contract award for the company to support HMNB Portsmouth. In a JV with KBR, BAE will provide hard facilities management for assets at the base. Industry Voice – Raytheon Missiles and Defence [35:45] Creative Director Tony Skinner grabs a chat with Tom Laliberty, Vice President of Land Warfare & Air Defence at Raytheon Missiles and Defence, to discuss the company's recent work in the C-UAS systems arena. Noemi Distefano produced this episode with music and sound mixing by Fred Prest. 

In this episode of The Weekly Defence Podcast, we look at the potential Turkish procurement of F-16 aircraft, a new Turkish USV to be showcased to NATO, and we speak to Raytheon Intelligence and Space about their new AESA radar technology.Newsround [01:05]Pearson Engineering showcased its Modular Mission Pack at AUSA with a set of palletised tools for unmanned platforms. South Korea-headquartered Hanwha Defense has shown interest in teaming up with US suppliers to access DoD procurement programmes.Following a development contract between NATO procurement organisation OCCAR and Germany’s Boxer ARTEC industrial consortium, a new variant of the 8x8 Boxer armoured personnel carrier is being developed to provide a Joint Fire Support Team heavy capability.Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) has signed an MoU with Ghost Robotics to research and develop new technologies relating to legged robots for Singapore Armed Forces requirements.The Norwegian government has released its defence budget for FY2022 which amounts to NOK69 billion ($8.3 billion).The document highlights a 6.6% increase in FY2022, resulting in an additional NOK4.3 billion for the defence sector.In focusAIR [06:26]Air Editor Tim Martin reports on new documents that link Turkey with an order of new F-16 aircraft from the US. Given previous sanctions imposed on the F-35 deal, Tim looks at the possible scenarios that Turkey could face in the future. What options does the country have to fill the gap left by the F-35 deal cancellation?NAVAL [17:13]News Editor Ben Vogel discusses a story from contributor Tayfun Özberk, who reports that Ares and Meteksan plan to show the Ulaq uncrewed surface vessel at the NATO Maritime Unmanned Systems Initiative event in Germany next month. Although the indigenously built USV is still to enter full-rate production and hit the domestic market, it seems Turkey wants to start paving the way to find potential international export opportunities within NATO. LAND  [21:22]Land Reporter Flavia Camargos Pereira discusses one of the capabilities Raytheon displayed last week at AUSA 2021. The company showcased one of its High-Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) variants.Flavia notes that under recent contract agreements signed with both the US and the UK, Raytheon will provide HELWS variants to be mounted on Stryker combat vehicles and Cougar 6x6 land vehicles. Interview – Raytheon Intelligence & Space [27:33]Tim Martin speaks to Eric Ditmars, VP of Secure Sensor Solutions at Raytheon Intelligence & Space to look at the company’s recent launch of an affordable, lightweight, and compact AESA radar. Noemi Distefano produced this episode with music and sound mixing by Fred Prest.  

In this episode of The Weekly Defence Podcast we bring you highlights from the floor of AUSA 2021 in Washington DC.Newsround [02:20] The Shephard news team unpicks some of the stories from this week, including the impending Swedish procurement of the GlobalEye aircraft; a new milestone in Project Selborne for the UK Royal Navy; and the end of the training process for the Nigerian Air Force A-29 Super Tucano which seals the beginning of new operations using the aircraft.AUSA news [05:13]Special guest (and Shephard contributor) David Isby joins the panel to discuss some of the top stories and themes from this year’s AUSA event.Air domain news [10:00] David and Tim Martin take a look at the progress and the challenges ahead for both industry and the DoD under the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programme which includes two rotorcraft initiatives – FLRAA and FARA.Digital Battlespace- JADC2 [17:30] The Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) programme is developed by the DoD to connect sensors from all US military services into a single network. One of the initiatives to break through silos is Project Convergence. David and Flavia Camargos Pereira discuss a few updates on this matter. Training – [25:21] The US Army has stalled its Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), putting at risk the future of the ten-year, $22 billion programme. Trevor Nash looks at the reasons for the DoD decision and its potential long-term impact. Land [30:13] Flavia Camargos Pereira reports on the OMFV programme for the US Army, as some of the contenders showcased their solutions while others were coy.Interview – Renk Group [36:00] After Renk Group acquired the Combat Propulsion Systems (CPS) business of L3Harris in March 2021, the firm has now created a new subsidiary, Renk America, which made its debut at the AUSA 2021. Ben Vogel is on the line with Susanna Wiegand, CEO of Renk Group. Industry Voice – EOS [52:23] Tony Skinner speaks to Philip Coker, CEO of EOS Defense Systems USA, to find out more about the capabilities of the two recently designed systems and what the company want to achieve by interacting with the community at AUSA 2021.This episode was produced by Noemi Distefano. Music and mix by Fred Prest.