Malaysia’s defence budget sets out major procurement goals for 2026
The country has allocated RM21.70 billion for defence spending next year, with some major procurements set to be initiated across the country’s army, navy and air force.
Flybe has announced that it is to increase services between Birmingham and Edinburgh following the apparent planned withdrawal from the route on 27 March by bmibaby.
Flybe now has 20% more flights on the route than last year and offers up to nine daily flights, a significant rise from the seven it operated in last year’s summer schedule.
Flybe says that if the withdrawal of bmibaby’s services on this route become permanent – and not just a temporary cost-cutting move – then the increase in its own service would mirror the January introduction by Flybe of extra services between Birmingham and Glasgow after bmibaby dropped that route.
Mike Rutter, Flybe’s chief commercial officer, commented, “We make no apologies for being champions of the British regions and that’s why Flybe has stepped in so quickly to make sure that passengers wanting to travel between Birmingham and Edinburgh are not left high and dry. We understand that both Birmingham and Edinburgh are crucial cities that can play an important role as real engines of recovery for UK plc and Flybe aims to do everything possible to help them in whatever way we can.”
Flybe currently operates up to 100 flights a week between Birmingham and Edinburgh using a combination of Bombardier Q400s and Embraer 195s.
The country has allocated RM21.70 billion for defence spending next year, with some major procurements set to be initiated across the country’s army, navy and air force.
The US Government Accountability Office recently released two reports; one into the availability of selected equipment and another looking at how the government gets data and intellectual property rights through contracting.
The Canadian Department of National Defence has been increasing efforts to accelerate the acquisition of new equipment and modernise its in-service inventory.
The partnership with the US airframer will see Palantir’s AI software leveraged to help streamline data analytics across Boeing’s 12 factories on defence and classified programmes.
DroneShield disclosed to Shephard its plans to increase its workforce and manufacturing capacities while strengthening partnerships with US suppliers.
The technology organisation is expecting a significant rise in the number of staff working across robotics and digital solutions as it becomes more of a focal point.