“Capital follows confidence” as defence courts private money
Outside investment and the direction in which venture money flows may reveal what defence will buy years before formal programmes begin.
SITA has been selected by Air Arabia to provide air–ground communications including data link services for the airline’s expanding fleet and network of 59 destinations.
The five-year deal is for SITA’s Aircom data link for the current fleet of 21 Airbus A320s, plus the 44 aircraft on order, all due to be delivered by the end of 2012. It includes basic Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) services.
SITA Aircom will be used to support functions such as flight operations, engineering, and administration. It will automate processes which will ensure reduced aircraft turnaround times, the pre-emptive detection of equipment failures and an overall improvement in operational staff reaction times.
Outside investment and the direction in which venture money flows may reveal what defence will buy years before formal programmes begin.
The Department of National Defence expects initial contracts to deliver thousands of uncrewed systems, but has yet to establish the quantities, capability mix or deadline behind Ottawa’s promised tenfold expansion.
The company told Shephard that Ukraine is operating modified Protector weapon stations originally supplied for armoured vehicles, with human operators authorising engagements from hundreds of kilometres away.
A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.